“Bree was in here looking at books,” Shanna explained. “And now she’s gone to fetch champagne. Jess is on her way over, as well.”
“You have to stay,” Abby told him. “This is a family thing.”
“Looks more like a girl thing,” he said, already backing toward the door. “I think I’ll leave you to it.”
He was gone before Abby could stop him. The interruption had apparently only fueled her speculation. She gestured for Shanna to sit, then moved a chair until they were facing.
“Interesting that my brother would choose to come here right after his first day on his new job,” she said casually. “Do you want to stick to the story that there’s nothing going on between you?”
Shanna kept her chin up. “Yes, I do.”
Abby leveled a look into her eyes, seemed to consider the response, then shook her head. “I’m not buying it.”
Shanna shrugged. “Nothing I can do about that.”
“Then that kiss the other day meant absolutely nothing?” Abby persisted, her lips twitching as she dropped her bombshell.
“Kiss?” Shanna echoed, displaying what she hoped was a credible amount of innocence.
“You didn’t honestly think we wouldn’t hear about it?” Abby said. “Dad raced right home and mentioned it to Gram. Normally she’s as tight-lipped as anyone I’ve ever known, but she dropped a hint around Bree, who obviously already knew. I walked in and caught the two of them huddled together. I refused to let up until they filled me in.”
If she hadn’t been so embarrassed, Shanna would have been delighted by the scenario Abby was describing. Indeed, she would have wanted to be right in the middle of it. But being the subject of such a discussion was a little less enchanting.
Abby apparently caught her dismayed reaction. “I’m making you really uncomfortable, aren’t I? I’m sorry. Bree, Jess and I are so used to everyone being in our business, we don’t realize how that must feel to an outsider.”
Shanna felt her face fall. There it was. Even under these circumstances, she was an outsider. She had to remember that and not get all caught up in thinking she was even on the fringes of this family.
“Oh dear, I’ve done it again,” Abby said. “I didn’t mean that you’re an outsider, like not one of us, just that…”
“I’m not an O’Brien,” Shanna said. “Believe me, I know that.”
“But you’d like to be, wouldn’t you?” Abby said slowly, her gaze speculative.
“Not in the way you mean,” Shanna said at once. “Not by snagging Kevin or something. I just envy all of you having this wonderful big family.”
Abby didn’t look as if she bought the explanation entirely. “It’s not always wonderful. Sometimes it’s incredibly annoying.”
“But in a good way,” Shanna insisted.
“You can say that even after I’ve come in here pestering you with questions you don’t want to answer?”
Shanna nodded.
Abby grinned. “The patience of a saint,” she concluded. “You’re going to be very good with my brother.”
“But—”
“Don’t even waste your breath,” Abby advised, then beamed as Jess and Bree came through the doorway. Bree carried two bottles of chilled champagne and Jess had a tray of little puff pastries filled with goat cheese and caramelized onion.
“It was the best I could do on short notice. We always have these in the freezer,” Jess said. “We can’t have a party without some kind of fancy food.”
“We need cake, too,” Bree declared. “Gram’s on her way with the chocolate cake she baked this afternoon.”
The next thing Shanna knew, the O’Brien sisters had taken over the coffee area in the store and the champagne was flowing. They waited until Nell O’Brien arrived with the cake before Bree offered a toast to her big sister.
“I may have beat you to the altar, Abby, but I predict your future with Trace will be every bit as long and happy as I intend mine to be with Jake!”
“Hear, hear!” Jess said.
“Now then, I hear a date’s finally been set,” Nell said.
“The first Saturday in October,” Abby said.
“That’s less than two months away,” Bree said, looking shaken. “What kind of wedding can we pull together on such short notice?”
“Exactly the kind that Trace and I want, small and intimate.” She turned to Jess. “We’d like to have it at the inn. Will that work?”
Shanna started to protest that Laurie’s wedding was that weekend, but Jess was already nodding. “It’ll work.”
“But—” Shanna began, only to have Jess shake her head.
“It will work,” she repeated, then drew Shanna aside. “Laurie called earlier and canceled everything. I gather you haven’t spoken to her.”
“Not a word. Everything was still on track when she was here a couple of weeks ago.” Upset by the news and even more by the fact that Laurie hadn’t immediately called to share it with her, she murmured, “Excuse me. I need to call her.”
“Please don’t tell her I said anything. I wouldn’t have, except you were right here when Abby picked that date.”
“It’s okay,” Shanna assured her. “I won’t say a word. I’ll just check in with Laurie. I usually speak to her every few days. She won’t think it’s odd that I’m calling today.”
Even as she spoke, her cell phone rang. When she saw Laurie’s number on the caller ID, she excused herself again and went into the back room to take the call.
“You busy?” Laurie asked.
“Not at all. How are you?”
“Fine,” Laurie said, though her voice trembled.
“You don’t sound fine. What’s going on?”
“Drew called off the wedding,” she blurted. “He says he doesn’t want to be married. He wants to go off to some island or something to find himself. Have you ever heard a
more ridiculous excuse in all your life? Who does something like that? Why couldn’t he just say he doesn’t love me?”
“Maybe because he does love you,” Shanna said carefully. “Sweetie, Drew was never as ready to get married as you were. He’s a great guy, but he’s immature. He proposed because he wanted you to be happy, but I don’t think his heart was in it.”
“Because he doesn’t love me,” Laurie insisted.
“No, because he needs time to make that kind of commitment. You may not be ready to hear this, but I think he’s doing you a favor.”
“He called off my beautiful wedding,” Laurie said, sobbing.
“Did he call it off, or did he ask you to postpone it?” Shanna asked.
“Same difference.”
“No, it’s not.”
“He doesn’t want to marry me.”
“He doesn’t want to marry you
now,
” Shanna stressed. She could almost hear Drew trying to explain that to Laurie and her not hearing a word of what he was saying. From the beginning Shanna had seen the panic in Drew’s eyes when the subject of marriage had come up. She’d also seen something else, that he was wildly in love with Laurie and willing to take that leap just because it was what she wanted.
“Tell me what he said,” she instructed Laurie. “His exact words.”
“He said it was all happening too fast, that he needs to get a better job and start making decent money so he can give me the life I deserve. I told him I didn’t care about any of that. I’m making good money.”
“But he obviously wants to provide well for you. That matters to him.”
Laurie dismissed her analysis. “Forget about it. I can’t talk about it anymore. It’s too upsetting. I want to hear about you.”
“Everything’s the same here. Why don’t you come up this weekend and see for yourself? It’ll do you good to get away for a couple of days. You can put all this in perspective, give Drew some breathing room.”
“I won’t be intruding?”
“Of course not. Why would you ask such a thing?”
“I saw how things were going with Kevin last time I was down there, despite all of my very wise advice.”
“Maybe you should take a page out of that advice manual and put the brakes on your relationship with Drew.”
“I’d say canceling the wedding pretty well screeched everything to a halt there,” Laurie said wryly.
“How many times have you called him to try to change his mind?” Shanna inquired.
“I can’t call him,” she said, her tone glum. “I told you, he’s gone off to find himself and he wouldn’t tell me where.”
Obviously Drew knew Laurie well. Going away and hiding the destination from her was the only way she would give him any peace. If her friend hadn’t been so upset, Shanna would have smiled.
“Then you really do need to come here for a visit,” she told Laurie. “I’ll expect you first thing Saturday morning.”
“You’re sure? I’ll probably be lousy company. I’ll be all weepy and needy.”
“I’ll buy lots of tissues and ice cream,” Shanna promised. “See you, okay?”
“Thanks, Shanna.”
“No need to thank me. This is what friends do.” As she disconnected the call, she heard laughter in the front room and walked back to hear Jess, Abby and Nell bantering about wedding plans. Bree was waiting on one of Shanna’s customers. Seeing that she’d pitched in without needing to be asked, Shanna felt her heart fill with unexpected contentment. Laurie might always be her best friend, but she’d found friends here, too, people she could count on.
“Come here,” Abby called out when she spotted her. “We’ve been debating about a color scheme for the wedding. Jess thinks fall colors, but I think that’ll be too much with a bridal party of redheads.”
Shanna studied the three sisters. “Not if you go with something like a soft, shimmering copper for the bridesmaids,” she suggested eventually. “That would look great.”
“Ooh, I love that,” Jess said. “Come on, Abby, say yes. What do you care, anyway? You’ll be wearing white.”
“I’ve been married before,” Abby protested.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, make it cream, then,” Bree said as she joined them. “That first fiasco of yours hardly counts anyway.”
“The twins will want to be flower girls,” Abby said. “What color can they wear, if you’re all wearing copper?” She turned to Shanna. “What do you think?”
“I’d say dark green, but that might be too harsh for them,” Shanna suggested. “How about a lighter sage green? It’s not very fall-like, but I’ll bet it would look great on them, and it would be lovely with the copper.”
“With pale pink roses embroidered on their dresses and real pink rose petals in their baskets,” Nell suggested. “I can do the embroidery myself.”
Abby looked around, seeking consensus, then gave a nod of satisfaction. “I think we have a plan.”
“Aren’t you going to call your mother and discuss all this with her?” Nell asked. “She’s been asking to be involved for weeks now.”
Abby flushed, either from the effects of the champagne or guilt. “Of course,” she said defensively. “I want her to be a part of this. Last time things were difficult, since Mom and Dad were barely speaking, but everyone’s getting along much better now. This will be a real family celebration.”
“Hey, what was my wedding?” Bree demanded. “The whole family was there.”
“You and Jake got married on the beach at sunset. It was a luau,” Jess taunted.
Bree waved her hand with the wedding ring in the air. “Still married,” she declared. “All nice and legal.”
Shanna let the sound of the good-natured argument wash over her. She wanted this. She just had to be sure moments like this, feeling included with a big boisterous family, weren’t the only reason she was slowly, but surely, falling in love with Kevin.
T
o Kevin’s regret, Davy was suddenly struck by shyness when Georgia’s parents arrived. Not that he expected his son to remember them, but Davy was normally so outgoing, he hadn’t anticipated the way he held back at the sight of these two virtual strangers. Merely telling him they were his grandparents wasn’t meaningful enough to forge an immediate bond. He needed to be around them, to get to know them.
Georgia’s dad seemed to understand, giving Davy time and space to adjust, but clearly emotional, Martha immediately tried to pick him up. Davy screamed and reached for Kevin, tears tracking down his cheeks.
“Daddy,” he whimpered, arms out. “Want Daddy.”
Martha, looking shaken, handed him over.
“I’m sorry,” Kevin apologized. “It’s been a long time since he’s seen you. He was just a baby.”
“Of course he was,” John said, putting a comforting arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. That’s why this visit means so much. We want to strengthen that bond, make sure Davy knows his mother’s family.”
When they left the airport, Martha sat in the back next to Davy’s car seat. More cautious now, she reached in her
carry-on bag and extracted a small, flat, brightly wrapped package with an elaborate bow. “Davy, this is for you, from your Grandpa and me.”
Davy’s tears had dried, but he still looked uncertain. “Me?”
She nodded. “Want me to help you unwrap it?”
“I do,” Davy said, reaching for it eagerly. Kevin watched in the rearview mirror as he ripped at the ribbon unsuccessfully, his frustration obviously mounting.
“Hey, buddy,” Kevin called to him in an attempt to forestall a full-blown tantrum. He’d learned the hard way not to bother with ribbon on Davy’s packages. The paper was about the most his little hands could manage. “Why don’t you let Grandma Martha help? She can take the ribbon off for you.”
“No,” Davy said emphatically, waving off Martha’s eager hands.
She sat back, deflated.
Kevin apologized again. “He missed his nap to come to the airport,” he told them. “I’m sure once he’s rested, things will be better.”
“Of course they will,” John agreed.
Just then the package sailed over the front seat and hit the dashboard. Kevin heard the crack of glass, then a shocked gasp from Martha, which immediately set off a bout of noisy sobs from Davy.
What on earth? Kevin thought in dismay. Had Martha actually given a two-year-old something with glass in it? He had to bite his tongue. Not that he had to say anything, because his former father-in-law turned on his wife.
“What were you thinking, giving a child his age something breakable?” he demanded as he picked up the now-bent and broken package. Fortunately the shattered glass was contained inside the wrapping paper.
Martha sniffed. “It’s a picture of his mother when she was a little girl,” she whispered. “I wanted him to have it.”
There was no mistaking the anguish in her voice. Beside her, Davy continued to cry quietly, caught up in all the emotion swirling around him that he couldn’t possibly understand.
Kevin stepped in. “Davy, it’s okay,” he soothed. “We know you didn’t mean to break the present. Martha, he’ll love it. I’ll have the picture put into a new frame. I’ll put it on the dresser in his room next to the other photo he has of Georgia. It’s up high so he can’t break it, but we look at it every night before he goes to sleep and I tell him about his mom and how beautiful and brave she was.”
Martha’s eyes brightened. “Really?”
“I’ll show you. It’s our wedding picture. Davy’s been looking at it since he was a baby when Georgia first went back to Iraq. He knows it’s his mommy. I won’t let him forget about her. I promise.”
“Oh, Kevin, thank you for that,” she said, reaching over the seat to give his shoulder a squeeze. “I’ve been so worried he wouldn’t know anything about his mother. He was so young when she died. He can’t have any memories of her.”
“I told you there was nothing to worry about,” her husband said. “Kevin’s an honorable man. He’s not going to let his son forget Georgia.”
“Absolutely not,” Kevin reassured them both.
An hour later, he was relieved to be making the final turn into Chesapeake Shores. He was also glad that he’d made reservations for the Davises at the inn. Something told him that the stress of the drive was nothing compared to what it would have been having them under the same roof. Watching Martha’s painful attempts to win over Davy
only to be rebuffed had been almost more than he could bear. In some ways John’s stoic acceptance of Davy’s behavior had been even harder to watch.
Somehow over the next few days, Kevin had to do everything in his power to try to bridge that gap, or it would wind up being one more thing he’d feel guilty about.
Shanna knew that Kevin’s former in-laws were visiting for the weekend, but she hadn’t expected him to bring them by the store. She was stunned when she looked up and saw them on the sidewalk outside, Davy already waving at her and wriggling to get down from his grandfather’s arms.
As soon as Kevin opened the door, Davy bounded straight to her. By the time the others entered, he was already dragging her in the direction of the children’s books.
“Story,” he commanded.
“In one minute,” Shanna promised, turning to greet the older couple who were staring at her with undisguised dismay. “Hi, I’m Shanna Carlyle. I’m a friend of Davy’s.” Since Kevin had apparently been struck dumb by the awkwardness of the situation, she had to feel her way. “You must be Davy’s grandparents.”
“Yes,” the woman said. “I’m Martha Davis and this is my husband, John. We’ve come from Texas to spend some time with Davy.”
“Well, Davy’s a big fan of books. I’m sure you’ve already figured that out.”
“He does love his bedtime stories,” the tall, distinguished-looking man agreed, giving her a warm smile, though his wife continued to regard Shanna with displeasure. “That’s why we thought we’d buy him a book today.”
His wife grudgingly added, “You have a very nice shop. I can see why Davy would enjoy coming here.”
“Thank you. I have a large clientele of children, who fortunately drag along their parents.”
“Not that I have to be dragged,” Kevin said, finally finding his voice. “Shanna’s been amazing with Davy. He adores her.”
Davy backed up the claim by tugging on her hand and again demanding a story.
“Excuse me,” Shanna said to them before hunkering down to help Davy select a picture book. His grandfather joined them.
“Truck, Grampa,” he said excitedly, pointing to the book he’d chosen.
“I think you have this book at home,” his grandfather said.
Davy nodded. “Like trucks.”
Mr. Davis chuckled. “Yes, I know you like trucks.” He smiled at Shanna. “His room is filled with them.”
“I know. I’ve seen it,” she said without thinking, then winced when she saw his smile fade. She scrambled for an explanation that wouldn’t link her to Kevin. “Kevin’s sister Jess invited me over one Sunday. Davy immediately insisted on a story.”
“I see,” he said.
Behind them, she could hear Mrs. Davis questioning Kevin. “How often do you bring him here?” she asked, a vague hint of disapproval in her tone. “Children shouldn’t be overly indulged.”
“Not even when it comes to books?” Kevin asked. “Seems to me that’s an interest that should be encouraged.”
“Well, of course,” she said, clearly flustered.
It was evident to Shanna that her objection wasn’t to the books, but to the bookseller.
Ignoring the adults, she settled in an overstuffed chair with Davy snuggled beside her and opened the book he’d chosen. As Davy pointed at the pictures, she began to read.
Laurie chose that moment to wander in from the back room. She took in the cozy scene before her gaze finally landed on Kevin.
“I was wondering when you’d be popping in,” she said, crossing the room to give him a warm hug. “Nice to see you again.”
Shanna saw Kevin’s discomfort increase as he introduced Laurie to Georgia’s parents.
“Do you work here, too?” Martha asked.
“No, I’m just visiting for the weekend,” Laurie said. “I live outside of Philadelphia.”
“But you must come here often, if you know Kevin.”
“I’ve only visited a few times since Shanna opened the store,” Laurie said, either unaware of the tension in the room or deliberately choosing to fuel it for some reason. “But Kevin’s usually around.”
Martha’s frown deepened. “I see.” She turned to Kevin. “I think we should get back to the inn. I’m not feeling well. It must have been something I ate.”
Or saw, Shanna thought, almost feeling sorry for her. She’d come here to reconnect with her daughter’s child, only to find him bonding with another woman. There might be nothing wrong with Kevin and Davy forming new attachments, but it had to hurt.
“I’ll take you back now,” Kevin said at once. “Come on, Davy. Let’s go.”
“No!” Davy screamed, verging on a tantrum. “No go!”
“Leave him and come back for him,” Laurie suggested,
surprising Shanna. “I’ll keep an eye on him if the store gets busy.”
Martha turned pale. Kevin looked torn, but Davy was clinging tightly to Shanna, so he relented, probably to avoid causing a scene.
“I’ll be back in twenty minutes,” he promised as his in-laws walked outside without saying another word. His gaze caught Shanna’s. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought them in here.”
“It’s fine,” she told him, meaning it. It had been awkward, not disastrous.
As soon as he’d gone, Laurie sat down in a chair across from Davy and Shanna. “Well, that felt familiar,” she declared pointedly.
Shanna knew she was referring to the way the Hamiltons had always treated Shanna—as an unwelcome interloper.
“Cut them some slack,” she told Laurie. “Their daughter died. They probably jumped to the conclusion that I’m trying to replace her.”
Laurie gave her a wry look, then nodded toward Davy who was contentedly sucking his thumb and leaning against Shanna as he paged through the book in her lap. “Aren’t you?”
“Of course not,” Shanna said at once, though even as she said the words, she knew they weren’t entirely true. She
was
growing attached to Davy and to his father. The lie fell on deaf ears, anyway, because it was evident that Laurie didn’t believe her.
Fortunately, a customer came in before Laurie could call her on the lie. Laurie immediately crossed over and took Shanna’s place next to Davy. “Hey, buddy, how about I fill in and finish this story for you? It sounds like a good one.”
“Good story,” Davy confirmed, calmly accepting the change in readers.
After the customer had selected a couple of books and paid, Shanna remained at the register, thinking about the earlier scene with Kevin’s former in-laws. She could hardly blame Martha Davis for reacting as she had. What she didn’t understand was why on earth Kevin had brought them in here in the first place. He had to know they’d react badly.
A few minutes later, when Kevin returned, he glanced over at Davy to make sure the child was settled with Laurie, then crossed straight to Shanna.
“Is Mrs. Davis okay?” Shanna asked him.
“I don’t think she was sick,” he said. “She just found meeting you to be upsetting. All the way back to the inn, she kept telling me I was dishonoring her daughter’s memory by moving on so quickly.” He met her gaze, misery in his eyes. “Maybe she’s right.”
“Okay, hold on a minute,” Shanna said, angry at the woman for trying to make Kevin feel guilty. “First of all, it’s not as if you and I are having some wild fling. And second, there would be nothing wrong with it if we were. It’s tragic that you lost your wife and they lost their daughter, but it was almost eighteen months ago, isn’t that right? You get to move on, Kevin, whether it’s with me or anyone else. It’s wrong of them to try to stop you.”
His lips curved slightly at her heated response. “Remind me not to get on your bad side. You get a little ferocious when you’re defending people.”
“Yes, I do,” she said, thinking of how hard she’d fought to protect Henry from his father. She’d had more than one fairly volatile confrontation, not only with Greg, but with his parents, trying to make them see how awful the situa
tion was for a sensitive little boy. She’d even battled with Greg’s lawyer and the judge. She’d known the odds were against her gaining custody, so all of it had been to no avail, but that hadn’t stopped her from trying.
She studied him curiously. “You had to know it wasn’t going to go well, bringing them in here. Why did you?”
“Davy kept talking about books, so Martha insisted they come here to buy one for him. I couldn’t think of any way to talk her out of it.”
“I thought she disapproved of indulging him,” Shanna said. “You could have used that argument.”
Kevin grinned. “That one only came up after she’d gotten a glimpse of you.”
She let it go. “Aside from this afternoon, how’s the visit been going?”
He shrugged. “I think Martha was expecting too much from it. Davy’s still a bit standoffish around her, because she’s trying too hard. He’s warming up to Georgia’s dad, though.”