Lilac Lane (Chesapeake Shores #14)(94)

“Bryan Laramie, I have no idea what goes on in that head of yours, but you’re impressing me lately as a full-blown idiot.”

Though he’d grown accustomed to her temper long ago and knew that it usually burned itself out if he simply remained silent, today he wasn’t in the mood for it himself.

“What a friendly greeting,” he noted in a voice thick with sarcasm. “What set you off today?”

“I’ve just had a talk with my mother.”

Bryan frowned at that. “And what has she been telling you? The last time I saw her, she was in a perfectly pleasant frame of mind and on her way to join her friends at Sally’s.”

“Well, she wasn’t in a pleasant frame of mind just now. She was crying.”

Alarm spread through Bryan at once. What on earth might have happened in the past hour? “Where is she? I’ll talk to her.”

“No you won’t. You’ll only blunder and make it all worse.”

He fought to keep a tight grip on his patience. “Then what is it you want from me?”

“I want you to make her stay in Chesapeake Shores. You’re the only one she’ll listen to.”

“Moira, you’re her daughter, the mother of her only grandchild. If you can’t talk her into staying, what can I do?”

“The mere fact that you have to ask that just proves what an idiot you are. She cares about you. She won’t stay unless you ask. But you can’t just ask as if she were a friend you’d miss and think of from time to time. Her staying has to be what you really want.”

He sorted through the confusing declaration and thought he saw what she was really saying. “Are you suggesting I propose?” Even as he said the words, his heartbeat escalated straight toward panic.

“Well, why not?” Moira demanded, as if a man asking a woman to marry him were a simple matter. “It’s not as if you’re still married as you once thought you might be. You’re as crazy in love with her as she is with you. If any two people belong together, it’s the two of you. Do not be an idiot by letting her leave.”

Love? The word hung in the air. It had been so long since Bryan had even thought in those terms, it was shocking to hear it in connection with Kiera. He couldn’t deny, though, that the prospect of her going back to Dublin left him feeling empty inside. She’d slipped into his life and filled some need he hadn’t even recognized.

Marriage, though? He’d tried it and been an abysmal failure. Was he any wiser now? Or did he even need to be? Kiera, unlike Melody, was more than capable of telling him what she needed and demanding that she get it. There would be no crossed signals and hurt feelings. With a fiery temperament much like her daughter’s, she’d provide a road map. He’d witnessed firsthand how that worked for Luke and Moira.

But what if he pursued the idea that had been nagging at him lately, the possibility that it might not be too late for him to pursue his dream to have a restaurant of his own? Had he learned the lessons well enough from his marriage, or would he revert to old patterns? There was Deanna to consider, too. All were things he needed to take into account before he asked Kiera to marry him.

“Well?” Moira demanded. “Have I gotten through that thick skull of yours?”

Bryan smiled at her. “You’ll have to wait and see. And you might want to consider the fact that your mother and I have never even been on what could be considered a date. Marriage would be a giant leap.”

“Stop making excuses because you’re scared. Sitting around and talking till all hours or spending hours in here cooking together might not be formal dates, but you’ve gotten to know each other as few couples have.”

“Point taken.”

“So you’ll talk to her about a future?”

“Whatever I decide will be discussed with your mother, not you.”

“Well, that hardly seems fair,” Moira grumbled, then gave him a hard look. “Just don’t disappoint me.”

“Moira, I adore you, but your disappointment is not at the top of my concerns when it comes to this.”

She looked momentarily startled, but then smiled. “No, and if I’m being rational, which I seldom am, I suppose it shouldn’t be.”

Once she’d left the kitchen, Bryan tried to resume cooking, but his concentration was shot. Fortunately, today’s specials were things he could almost make with his eyes closed. The customers wouldn’t suffer because of his distraction, but it was going to be a very long day, and he honestly had no idea how it might end.





Chapter 22



After her visit to Chesapeake Shores, Deanna waited a couple of days to give herself time to seriously consider her impulsive decision to transfer to Johns Hopkins to complete her undergraduate work in premed. Now she was sitting, cell phone in hand, trying to decide if her first call should be to Dr. Robbins to ask for guidance in making it happen or to Ash to tell him about her decision. Even though he’d been the one to suggest it, she couldn’t help wondering if he’d be hurt by her final decision to move farther away from home. No matter how supportive he seemed, she knew he’d been counting on her since her mom died.

“You seem deep in thought,” Milos said, sitting down beside her. “Is there a problem? I’m happy to listen.”