LITMIR.BIZ

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but Anna never deserved it. To hell with that stiff upper lip. Her chin quivered on her daughter’s behalf, and her eyes blinked several times. She took a quick inhale, hoping to recover. Anna couldn’t see her like this; it would upset her. Thankfully, she’d had the conversation in the bathroom, and her eager daughter was still keeping watch at the front window. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.

      “Mom! Dr. Daniel’s at the door!”

      A surprising burst of excitement lit up Keela’s chest—Daniel was here—helping her forget about the call. She wiped at her eyes and did a quick once-around in front of the full-length mirror on the bathroom door, ensuring her tan pants didn’t make her backside look too big, and that her tank top with a matching camellia-pink sweater didn’t show too much on the topside. Were her earrings okay? Would it be too much if she slipped on a bracelet?

      What was going on with her? It wasn’t like it was a date. It was the continuation of an apology, though this would be the first time she’d ever been with Daniel around his family. Would he be different? He was always so serious at work.

      “Mommy, he’s knocking!”

      Keela sucked in a breath. Come to your senses. She rushed to the door and, trying not to seem too eager, opened it and peeked around the corner. “Hiya.”

      “Hey. You ready?”

      Not for what she saw standing before her. Sure, she’d seen him in the medical clinic’s uniform of khaki cargo pants and white polo shirt five days a week, and he’d worn a suit the other day for his pitch session at the college. But today he wore straight-legged jeans with a pale green, collared, long-sleeved shirt and a skinny dark green tie, looking very trendy. The button-down shirt was narrow cut and hugged his torso, giving her the impression he possessed something along the line of washboard abs. She forced her gaze upward to his still-smiling face, seeing something different in his eyes, too. Apparently, while she’d been checking him out, he’d done the same, and now her palms tingled.

      “I’d invite you in, but there’s not much to see.” The “cottage” was more like a bungalow, with tiny rooms, kitchen and bath, but it was their home.

      “Not a problem. You’re looking great, by the way,” he said, seeming on the verge of saying more. But Anna launched herself from behind.

      “Hi. Remember me?”

      “How could I forget?”

      “How old is your granddad?”

      “He’ll be eighty-five today.”

      “Wow, is he alive?”

      Daniel laughed. “Very much so. Are you ready to go meet him?”

      “Yay!”

      Even though Daniel played along with Anna and their quick conversation seemed to come easily, Keela sensed something behind his smile. Tension of some sort? Pain? It made her wonder what his story was about children.

      They arrived at The Drumcliffe Hotel in a few short minutes, Anna chattering the entire ride, relieving any guilt Keela harbored about not letting her see her father today. She felt a little sad, though, realizing how much her daughter enjoyed people. And since the divorce, what with Keela now working full-time and going to school before that, Anna didn’t get to go out that much.

      Mrs. Jenkins, an older neighbor lady, had offered to do childcare for practically a song on weekdays when they’d first moved in, which was a huge help, but Anna didn’t have anyone to play with. If Keela could afford it, she would’ve liked to put her in private preschool, but that was out of the question. She wouldn’t dare ask Ron for more money. At least in the fall she’d start kindergarten and would be around kids her age then. Life was far from perfect, but good enough, and today promised to be special. What more could Keela ask?

      Daniel pulled into a reserved parking space near one of the secluded suites. The two-story hotel sat on prime beachfront property and was the main tourist site in tiny Sandpiper Beach. Though she hadn’t visited since moving back to town, Keela remembered it well. It seemed a mystery why such a lovely place had trouble renting rooms. The problem was, she had heard, visitors chose to either continue up the road to Carmel or stop first in Pismo Beach, rather than venture into this sleepy little town. But they didn’t know what they were missing. Sure, the hotel seemed a bit dated, in need of some sprucing up, yet the potential was obvious. To Keela, anyway.

      A narrow walkway lined with manicured shrubs separated the hotel from the beach, and nearly all the second-story guest rooms had a magnificent sea view. So much potential. To the right of the hotel was a large grassy area with a putting green, surrounded by palm trees and bushes, and beyond that the dunes. In honor of the birthday and the many guests, they’d set up several round tables with built-in umbrellas. Groups of people milled about, wearing bright springtime colors that complimented the grass, light blue sky and teal-colored ocean backdrop. Keela would never get tired of the sound of the sea, or that special salted scent.

      She inhaled, remembering why she loved this town so much. Finding and moving to Sandpiper Beach had been the one good thing about getting her divorce, leaving Ron inland and moving to the coast.

      “There he is, Oh Danny Boy. How’s the form? Are y’well?” someone called out.

      For an instant, at the sound of the familiar brogue, Keela thought she was back in Ennis. She nearly laughed aloud when she glanced up to see an old fellow speed-walking across the lawn in bright green knickers with high socks, a yellow-and-green argyle-patterned sweater vest and a newsboy cap jauntily sitting atop his thinning crop of white hair. Why did men enjoy dressing in strange costumes for a game of golf? Using his putter as a cane as he approached, Daniel’s grandfather was certainly a vision from the past.

      “Get ready,” Daniel said out of the corner of his mouth to Keela. “Grandda! Happy birthday to ya.”

      Now even Daniel had a touch of the Irish to him. Keela’s smile doubled as a home-sweet-home feeling circled around her like a hug.

      “Is this the lovely lass from Éire?”

      “Yes,” Daniel said. “This is Keela.” He glanced at her with a sweet and proud grin that she’d never seen before, and momentarily, she felt off balance.

      “’Tis a pleasure, Keela!” The elderly man grabbed her into a bear hug, and laughing, she hugged him back. He smelled like Guinness and her own grandfather’s spicy men’s cologne, and a pang of nostalgia threatened to make her eyes tear up, though she fought it.

      “So nice to meet you, too, Mr. Delaney.” She saw the familiar twinkle she’d noticed in Daniel’s eyes earlier, and the same brackets around his grinning mouth. There was no doubt they were family.

      “Call me Padraig, please.” He stood there leaning on his golf club, taking her in and seeming to appreciate what he saw. Then his gaze shifted to her side. “And who might this little elf be?”

      “My daughter, Anna.”

      “Hello, lassie.” He bent over, took Anna’s hand and shook it. She giggled. “What age are ya?”

      “Five.” Up went the splayed-fingered hand.

      “Almost,” Keela added.

      “Almost five. Are we gonna have cake and ice cream?”

      He blurted a laugh. “Oh, you bet. We Delaneys know how to throw a birthday party, now, don’t we? Why don’t you let me show you the cake?” With her hand firmly in his, they set off toward a big table on the hotel patio that held a huge cake and a punch bowl. A large, built-in barbecue was going full blast behind the table, the mouthwatering aromas of grilled tri-tip and chicken competing for her attention.

      “He’s full of life, isn’t he?” Keela couldn’t help her grin.

      “Oh, he’s full of it, all right,” Daniel said, following his grandfather toward the table and a group of people gathered there. The redheaded woman, she assumed, was his mother.

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