Lilac Lane (Chesapeake Shores #14)(60)

“I will buy you hot dogs and ice cream,” he promised. “Those are traditional, too, are they not?”

“Very traditional,” she agreed, catching just a bit of his enthusiasm. She suddenly realized it had been years since she’d been to any kind of Fourth of July celebration herself. As a child there had been backyard barbecues and neighborhood fireworks in the park, but the Chesapeake Shores celebration promised to be in a class by itself.

Somehow, too, Milos’s exuberance steadied her nerves. If she concentrated on showing this young man a good time, making sure he experienced this most American of holidays as it should be experienced, she’d forget that at any moment she might come face-to-face with her biological father.





Chapter 14



“So now, thanks to Gram, the whole town will be taking sides,” Luke grumbled to his uncle Mick O’Brien later that evening at the pub. Though the room was crowded and noisy, only Mick was seated at the bar and he was the only O’Brien who’d arrived, giving Luke the perfect opportunity to vent.

Clearly unsympathetic, Mick chuckled. “Which means you finally understand that your sainted grandmother’s got a devious streak. Something tells me this is about far more than Irish stew. The topic alone is not exactly newsworthy, even among the regulars who’ve overheard a few of the squabbles between Bryan and Kiera.”

Though Luke thought he already knew the answer, he asked for Mick’s perspective, hoping he’d gotten it wrong. “Such as?”

“She’s stirring the pot,” Mick said as he sipped his pint of Guinness. “And I’m not referring to the stew that’s always simmering on the stove in your kitchen here.”

“You’re suggesting she sees some sort of future for Bryan and Kiera,” Luke concluded. “And that she’s decided to meddle.”

The prospect was disconcerting. It was one thing for him or Moira to do a bit of scheming here and there, but Gram’s involvement would take it to a whole other level.

“You’ve said it yourself,” Mick confirmed. “There’s a spark between those two. I’ve seen it for myself, as you know. You’ve assumed it was mostly a test of wills over control of the kitchen. Ma sees something else entirely. She’s just doing her part to fan those particular flames. I imagine Dillon’s put her up to it, not that she’d need much encouragement to meddle in a possible romance. The goal was never to simply get Kiera here for a visit. They both believe family belongs together. They’re looking for a way to make sure Kiera stays. Her work visa will come to an end eventually.”

“This fall,” Luke confirmed, then sighed as the pieces fell into place. “Not long after the fall festival, in fact.”

“And there you have it,” Mick said, lifting his pint of ale. “Quite the coincidence, wouldn’t you say?”

“Was Gram this devious when you, Thomas and my dad were growing up?”

“I’d like to think we were always one step ahead of her,” Mick said, then gave him a rueful grin. “But the truth is, we never stood a chance. When it comes to getting her way, there’s no one on this earth more talented than Nell O’Brien. And I say that as someone who knows quite a bit about controlling things so they’ll turn out the way I want them to.”

Moira picked precisely that moment to join them, a scowl on her face. “Are you by any chance referring to this crazy idea of Nell’s to have Bryan and my mother competing on a stage at the fall festival?” she asked, her tone making clear what she thought of the plan.

Luke sighed. “That’s exactly what we were discussing. I don’t think Gram had any idea of what sort of strain it could put on their relationship or the tension it could create here in the pub.”

“Oh, she knew,” Moira said. “Nell doesn’t miss a thing. And we’ve talked about the need for some harmony between them. I thought we were close to achieving that, but have you been in the kitchen tonight? The tension’s so thick we could carve it with one of those knives Bryan’s always sharpening.”

Luke studied his wife. “I thought you were growing used to the idea of some sort of romance developing between your mother and Bryan. Are you opposed now?”

“Not opposed. I just think this is the wrong way to go about it,” Moira said. “Things were moving along at a nice, slow, steady pace, giving them both time to get used to the idea.”

“And you?” Luke suggested.

She scowled at him. “Okay, yes, I need time to adapt, as well. It wasn’t that long ago that she was engaged to a man I’d loved and admired for years. I don’t like to think of her heart as being quite so fickle.”

“So it’s not Bryan you object to?” Mick asked. “Just that Ma’s trying to move things along too fast?”

“Something like that,” Moira agreed.

“Or is it that you wanted to be in charge of the matchmaking?” Luke asked carefully. “And now my grandmother’s taken charge?”

Moira scowled, then sighed. “Okay, maybe that, too.”

“And it goes back to your wanting to be the one to save Kiera and give her a new life,” Luke added, risking his own marital harmony by pointing out the obvious.

“Okay, yes. I’m selfish,” Moira admitted with a huff. “I wanted to be the one responsible for giving her a happier life, for introducing her to Bryan and nudging that along at a nice even pace, so she’d be in too deep before she even realized what was happening.”