groan. Could he have made more of a bollocks of the gift than he had? What had ever possessed him to pull it out and give it to her then? And why pretend it meant nothing beyond friendship when he knew it didn’t?
The moment he’d seen the ring in the shop window, he knew it was exactly what he wanted to give Nan. It represented all the feelings he had for her, all wrapped up in a shiny bit of gold. There was friendship first and then loyalty. And now, there was this growing sense of something more. He wasn’t sure if it was love, at least not yet. But it felt an awful lot like something serious.
If he knew anything about Nan, he knew she was a practical girl and not the type to believe in love at first sight. They’d met each other on a Monday and today was Saturday. Five days and nights. How was anyone supposed to know how they felt after so short a time?
Hell, he knew how much he wanted her, how her touch drove him wild every time they were together. And how her naked body felt against his as they lost themselves in each other. But that was lust, not love. And he had no doubts at all about those feelings.
After their trip to Bantry yesterday, they’d gone back to the cottage and prepared a dinner of salmon and fresh vegetables. For dessert, they’d indulged in an apple tart that Nan had bought from a baker at the fair. It was a long, lazy meal followed by a slow, delicious seduction. And in Riley’s mind, it was life exactly as it should be lived.
He’d never really thought about falling in love and what it would mean to his life. But he liked evenings alone with Nan. And mornings bringing her coffee. And everything in between. For the first time, he could imagine what married life might be like.
He sighed softly, then turned his attention back to the song he was working on. But a few moments later, the Unholy Trinity walked in the front door, chattering about the recent decision to replace the streetlamps in Ballykirk. They sat down at the bar and Riley set his guitar back on its stand and wandered over to serve them.
“What are you lads up to today?” he asked, dropping a cardboard coaster in front of each of them.
“Streetlamps. What in the name of all that’s holy do we need with new lamps?” Dealy asked. “I’m all for modernization, but I happen to remember when they put those lamps in. It was 1968, it was. Over forty damn years ago.”
“They use too much electricity,” Markus said. “They way I hear it, these new lamps will pay for themselves in ten years.”
“Oh, and then we’ll need new ones because they’ll discover a way to run streetlamps on the lint stuck inside your navel.”
Riley chuckled. “I assume this discussion requires a full pint for each of you.”
They all nodded and Riley turned to pull them each a glass of Guinness. “Say, you lads have been around Ballykirk for a long time. Do you remember a bloke named Carey Findley? Jimmy McPhee says he used to live out on a farm on the way to Glengarriff.”
“Oh, yes,” Johnnie said. “Carey Findley. He’s my second cousin twice removed. He lives near Kealkill now. Moved off the farm after his son was drowned.”
Riley swallowed hard. “Drowned?”
“Tragic story, that,” Johnnie said, shaking his head. “He was a wild boy, hard to control. Got in a lot of trouble, he did.”
“How did he die?” Riley asked.
“He was out with some friends on the bay in a small boat and one of the boys fell in. The water was cold and he had trouble and the Findley boy went in after him. They both went under and didn’t come up again. After that, Carey couldn’t live near the water. Moved to a place just outside Kealkill. Heard his wife died after that. Brokenhearted, she was.”
“Oh, God,” Riley murmured.
“That was years ago. How long, Dealy? Thirty years?”
“Twenty-seven,” Riley said.
“Yes. That’s right,” Johnnie said. “It happened a few months after my youngest girl was born. She was sick with a fever and we couldn’t go to the wake. He was buried with his mother’s family in Glengarriff, if I recall.”
“What’s he to you?” Markus asked.
“There was a photo of him and some of his friends on the wall over there. I was just curious.”
“He used to come into the pub a lot. Was quite a charmer, that one. Always looking for a pretty girl.”
“That’s what I heard,” Riley said. He drew a deep breath and rested his hands on the bar. “Katie’s got a tasty stew going for lunch today. Can I interest you in a bowl or two?”
“Oh, that would be grand,” Dealy said. “And where is the cute little colleen of yours?”
“She’s wandering about town,” Riley said as he walked toward the kitchen. “I’m off to find her right now.” When he got inside the kitchen, Riley found Danny sitting at one of the prep tables, reading a newspaper and drinking a mug of coffee. “Have you come to work?” he asked as he handed Katie the order.
“Right after I eat,” his brother said. “I figured you’d want the day to spend with your girl.”
“She’s not my girl,” he said. “Not officially.”
“Do you want it to be official?” Danny asked.
“Hell, I don’t know. I don’t want her to go home. But I’m not sure if that’s because I’m falling in love with her or because the sex is crazy good.”
“I’m not hearin’ this,” Katie said from behind them both. She put her hands over her ears. “Leave my kitchen with your talk of sin and sex.”
“Katie, girl, you’ve had three children. Certainly you know about how it all works in the bedroom,” Danny teased.
“Yes, but I’m married and you’re not. And I have three daughters, although thankfully, you’ll never get near them. You both need to go to confession.”
Danny picked up his paper and his mug and walked out the back door, Riley following him. They walked around to the front of the pub and sat down on a bench near the front door. “What are you going to do about this girl?” Danny asked.
“I don’t know,” Riley said. “I have to find some way to get her to stay.”
“Have you thought about going home with her? It wouldn’t be a bad way to see America.”
“Yeah. But there’s not a lot I can offer her. You know, women love musicians, but they don’t want to marry them, at least not those of us who spend our weekends in pubs filled with drunken girls.”
“You make more than most,” Danny said, “And if you focused on writing songs and producing, you’d make even more. Hell, how much do you need? You’ve got enough saved to buy a decent house.”
“She deserves more than a decent house. She deserves a grand house and fine clothes and no worries for the rest of her life.”
“Are you even sure that’s what she wants?” Danny asked. “She doesn’t seem like the type to care about things like that.”
“Isn’t that what every woman wants?”
“I think the point of being in love is that you want each other and the rest of it takes care of itself.”
Riley leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Wouldn’t that be nice if it were that simple.”
“Maybe you should just stop worrying about this and let it happen,” Danny suggested. “If she doesn’t love you, you can’t force her to. And you’re not sure how you feel.”
“Don’t you wonder if you might have missed a chance at something good because you weren’t playing attention or you just didn’t give it enough time?”
Danny shook his head. “The way I see it, love shouldn’t be that fragile that it hinges on simple circumstances. It’s tough and resilient and once you find it, it doesn’t go away easily. It’s always there.”
“Have you ever been in love?”
“No. But that’s the way I imagine it to be.”
Riley stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I have to go. You’ll keep an eye on the pub? The Unholy Trinity is in there waiting for lunch.”
“Don’t jump the gun on this, Riley,” Danny warned. “The last thing you want is to convince her to stay then realize that you don’t really love her at all. It would be a cruel thing, that.”
Riley started off down the street. Nan had decided to spend the morning exploring Ballykirk on her own, anxious to visit the church and few of the shops. He’d agreed to meet her for a picnic lunch and a drive along the coast before he had to be back for rehearsal.
