Lilac Lane (Chesapeake Shores #14)(37)
Surprisingly pleased by his words, she nodded. “Then I’ll look forward to that day,” she told him.
As he walked away, she couldn’t resist one last comment. “Try not to burn the pub to the ground today.”
He turned back. “If that’s your way of wishing a friend a good day, it could use some work.”
The comment surprised a laugh out of her, then one from him, as well. The sounds blended in the morning air.
*
After the sunrise had concluded its show for the day, Kiera busied herself straightening up her little cottage, which took precious little time. Then, at loose ends and craving one of Sally’s croissants, which were almost as decadent as the morning scone and Devon cream she would have had back home, she walked into town.
Though she was later than most of the O’Brien women, she found Megan still seated at the large table in back, frowning over something on her laptop, a half-eaten raspberry croissant still on the plate beside her.
“Would I be interrupting if I sat here?” Kiera asked hesitantly.
Megan blinked and looked up, then smiled. “You’d be a welcome distraction, to be honest. Please, sit. You’re late this morning.”
“I took time to watch the sun come up, then did a few chores,” she said as Sally promptly brought her a cup of coffee.
“Anything else today, Kiera?” Sally asked. “I’ve a few croissants left.”
Kiera thought of the chocolate croissant she’d been craving, then glanced at Megan’s svelte figure and considered her own ample hips and shook her head. “This will do for now.”
“So is it your day off?” Megan asked when Sally had moved on.
“It is. And what explains you being here so late?”
“I’ve been dealing with a gallery in Atlanta. It’s run by an old friend, who doesn’t welcome no as an answer. He’s used to getting his own way.”
“What does he want from you?”
“A showing by your daughter, as a matter of fact. He’s upset that it wasn’t offered to him first, and even more annoyed that I can’t fit his gallery into her schedule for months.”
Kiera regarded Megan with surprise. “Is it because she’s already booked? I’ve had the feeling that beyond taking her camera out every day, she has time on her hands.”
Megan hesitated. “Only because that’s the way she wants it. I could have shows lined up for her back-to-back, but Moira refuses. She likes being home. She misses Luke and the baby when she’s on the road. I thought she might let me fit in a few more shows while you’re here, but now you’re on her list of excuses, too.”
“Me?” Kiera said, shocked. “Why?”
Megan smiled. “Because the other excuses were wearing thin, and she knew it. Now she has a fresh one, her mother visiting from Ireland and her wanting to spend every spare minute with you.”
Kiera had the audacity to laugh at that. “Now, that would be a first. She was eager enough to leave me behind in Ireland so she could run off to America chasing after Luke. And when we were together, I got on her very last nerve.”
Megan laughed with her. “When it came to Luke, that was love, Kiera. It doesn’t count and rules of logic don’t apply.”
Megan’s expression sobered. “Would you be willing to talk to her? Perhaps there’s something going on that she won’t share with me. If I knew what was holding her back, I could guide her career more effectively.”
“Is this Atlanta gallery so important?” Kiera asked, leery of unwelcome meddling in her daughter’s professional life.
“Not really. I can handle that just by telling my friend he was too slow trying to jump on the bandwagon, but there are others who are not so easily put off. And Moira needs to capitalize on these opportunities while they’re pouring in. Being the eccentric, reclusive photographer can create a certain sort of excitement and demand for a bit. Then experts at the most respected galleries find other artists who are more eager to be showcased and move on.”
Kiera stared at Megan. “That’s how they see Moira, as eccentric and reclusive?”
Megan chuckled. “It’s better than maddening, which is what the family used to call her.” She immediately looked guilty. “I’m sorry. You’re her mother. I should never have said that.”
“Not to worry. It’s a word that I might have used myself a time or two,” Kiera admitted.
“Will you speak to her?” Megan prodded.
“If the opportunity arises,” Kiera agreed half-heartedly. “But I won’t push. This is her career. It’s not my place to push. And, truth be told, she’ll only balk if I do.”
Megan nodded. “It’s a parent’s dilemma, isn’t it? We can see so clearly what’s best for our children, but trying to tell them what that is will only encourage them to do the opposite.”
“I could write a book on that,” Kiera said, thinking of her sons.
Megan studied her. “We’re not talking about Moira anymore, are we?”
Kiera shook her head. “You met my sons in Ireland.”
“And you’re worried about them?”
“At my wit’s end,” Kiera admitted. “To be honest, it was a blessing when Moira encouraged me to come here. I was getting nowhere with either of them, and the worry was almost more than I could bear.”