Lilac Lane (Chesapeake Shores #14)(13)

“You seem a bit off-kilter today,” Luke said as Bryan took a rare break to sit at the bar and have a cup of coffee while the pub was in a lull between lunch and dinner. “Everything okay?”

“Fine,” Bryan said. “It’s been quieter than usual, don’t you think?”

Luke gave him an incredulous look. “Did you not keep count of how many meals you were putting together at lunch? We had an entire busload of tourists come in, along with our regulars.”

Bryan felt his cheeks heat. “Well, of course, there were a lot of customers. I was talking about...” His voice trailed off. There was no way to explain without giving himself away.

“Are you, by any chance, referring to Kiera’s absence?” Luke inquired, a knowing glint in his eyes.

“Is she not around?” Bryan asked, trying to seem disinterested.

Luke just laughed. “Nice try, my friend, but I know she’s been getting under your skin.”

“Not at all. It’s just that...” Again, he couldn’t think of any words that wouldn’t either imply too much or be insulting somehow to his boss’s mother-in-law. Neither would be good.

“It’s just that she’s always underfoot in your kitchen,” Luke guessed.

Bryan sighed. “Something like that.”

“Is it too much?” Luke asked, real concern in his voice. “I can tell her to back off, to go through me if she has suggestions.”

“That would be making too much of it,” Bryan said, though it was exactly what he wanted. “I’m just not used to having someone question every move I make.”

Worry continued to darken Luke’s eyes. “Is that what she’s doing? You know I trust you. More important, my grandmother trusts that you know what you’re doing, and it’s her opinion we live by when it comes to the food here. Everybody in town enjoys an invitation to Nell O’Brien’s table. Since we’ve been open, they now feel they can have that sort of meal right here anytime they want. I don’t want anyone to suggest we don’t have faith in the way you’re running the kitchen.”

“To be honest, Kiera doesn’t say all that much unless I urge her to speak up. It’s just the look on her face. I know she’s biting her tongue to keep from offending me. It makes me nervous.”

“Are you sure it has nothing to do with her being an attractive woman?” Luke taunted. “I know she might be a couple of years older than you and I see her only as Moira’s mother, but I’ve seen the way the gazes of some of our regulars follow her when she’s in the room. It’s little wonder that you’re not immune.”

Bryan scowled. “This is most definitely not about that,” he said flatly. “I’m not saying she’s not attractive, just that I’m not interested in her in that way. It would be inappropriate. She’s my boss’s mother-in-law. That makes her off-limits. Period.”

“Said a little too emphatically, if you ask me,” Luke noted, laughing. “But I’ll take you at your word. If you want me to speak to her, keep her out of the kitchen, just let me know. I’ve told her that’s your domain. I can remind her again.”

“That would be making too much of it,” Bryan said again, feeling foolish about the entire conversation. It had probably been far too telling. Kiera Malone rattled him, and he wasn’t entirely prepared to say why. He wasn’t even sure if he could explain it to himself. And he certainly wasn’t about to endure Luke’s teasing by making some faltering attempt to explain it to him.

*

It was well past six when Kiera and Moira left the spa and headed straight for O’Brien’s for something to eat. Kiera had a hunch Moira was more excited about showing off her mother’s makeover than she was about her own.

Kiera still wasn’t used to the image she saw when she looked into the mirror. She looked ten years younger. That’s what the hairstylist had told her about the shorter cut, and Moira had agreed. Kiera wasn’t sure about ten years, but she did feel lighter and more feminine somehow. And not all of the color in her cheeks was due to the blush they’d applied at the salon. She felt surprisingly good about her new look, though oddly uneasy about showing it off at the pub.

When her daughter held open the door for her at O’Brien’s, Kiera hesitated ever so slightly.

“Mum, what are you afraid of? You look amazing.”

“I don’t feel like myself at all. At my age, there’s no need for this sort of nonsense.”

“At your age?” Moira mocked. “You’re far from over the hill. Pretty polish on your nails, skin that glows and a haircut that frames your face is not unnecessary nonsense. Every woman deserves to feel beautiful, whatever her age. As soon as we’re inside, I’m going to get my camera out of Luke’s office and take some pictures, so you can see yourself as I do.”

“The last thing I want is a fuss. I don’t want to be the center of attention,” Kiera said nervously.

Moira sighed. “Will you please just come inside and graciously accept all of the compliments that I know are going to come your way?”

“Is that supposed to make me less nervous?” Kiera grumbled, but she did walk into the pub, relieved to see that it was busy enough that she might not even be noticed. Of course, that didn’t take into account that Mick and Megan were seated at the bar, as they often were, along with Luke’s parents, Jeff and Jo O’Brien.