“But is it selfish to want something so much, when I haven’t even taken a serious try at it? What if I go back to Dublin and Luke forgets all about me, and it turns out I’m a failure as a photographer?”
Nell smiled. “Then you’ll learn from the experiences,” she said. “At your age, few have taken a serious try at anything. That doesn’t mean they don’t know it’s what they’re meant to do. The secret to finding balance once two people are involved is compromise.”
“I don’t think I’d be very good at it,” Moira admitted, thinking of how often she argued just for the sake of winning, even when the point of it had gotten lost.
“Few of us are,” Nell replied, clearly amused. “Especially in my family. But I’m here to tell you that not only is compromise necessary, the results are worth it.”
Just then Moira’s grandfather wandered in, looking refreshed from another walk on the beach. “The two of you look entirely too serious,” he commented as he snatched a cookie from the plate with a wink at Nell. “Everything okay?”
“Just explaining to Moira the importance of compromise,” Nell told him.
Her grandfather chuckled. “I’ve worked a lifetime to get the knack of that,” he said. “Did Nell tell you it doesn’t come naturally?”
“She did,” Moira said. “Do you think I’ve the personality for it?”
“A few months ago I would have laughed myself silly at the thought of it,” he admitted, then gave her an approving look that warmed her. “Now I think you’ve the wisdom to give it a try, especially if the end result is to be something that truly matters to you. Is that the case?”
Moira thought of Luke and the future that might be possible if they could only find their way to it together. “It’s worth everything,” she said quietly.
“Well, then, there’s your answer.”
She bounced up and gave both of them hugs. “I’ll have that shower now, and then come back to learn your chicken and dumplings recipe, if that’s okay, Nell?”
“I’ll be right here waiting,” Nell promised.
As Moira headed to her guest room, she thought about what had just happened. She’d had a mature conversation with two so-called authority figures without losing her cool. She’d felt accepted rather than judged, persuaded rather than lectured. It was a revelation that had her laughing.
Who would have thought it would take a trip to America to make her see that not all authority figures, whether parents or even grandparents, were the enemy? Sometimes they actually had opinions to offer and experience that made complete sense of things. She wondered if she and her mum would ever reach the same level of understanding. For the first time, she saw that she had her own role to play in assuring that they did.
9
Luke was on edge all through dinner at Gram’s. Even though the chicken and light-as-air dumplings were his favorite, he could barely taste the food. He was all too aware of Moira and the remnants of the tension that had been stirred up between them earlier in the day. As soon as the meal was over, he stood.
“Gram, would you mind if Moira and I took a walk? Leave the dishes. I’ll clean up the kitchen when I get back.”
“I’ll help with cleanup,” Dillon offered. “You two run along and enjoy yourselves.”
Moira hadn’t budged from her seat during the exchange, but she frowned at Luke. “We should stay and put the kitchen back in order,” she said. “Your grandmother cooked the meal. She and my grandfather should relax.”
“But we have her blessing to go,” Luke countered, “as well as your grandfather’s. Do you really want to fight over doing dishes?”
“Maybe we’re not fighting over that at all,” she said.
Luke stared at her, unable to comprehend the ridiculousness of the argument. “That’s it,” he said with a shake of his head. He scooped her into his arms and headed for the door.
“Put me down, you idiot,” she ordered.
“Not just yet,” he muttered, shoving open the screen door with his elbow and crossing the porch in two strides. Only when he’d reached the Adirondack chairs did he pause to set her back on her feet. She punched him in the arm.
“Have you lost your bloody mind?” she demanded.
“No, but I’m beginning to think that perhaps you have. What on earth happened after I went back to work earlier? I thought things were fine between us.”
“Of course you did. You’re a man, aren’t you?”
He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. “I actually thought that was a part of the attraction.”
She looked as if she was about to launch into another attack, but then his words sank in. Her lips twitched. “You did not just say that. You think being a man makes you something special?”
He fought an even broader grin. “I was just saying I thought it was helpful, given the circumstances. You and me, as a couple. One of us had better be a man.” He held up his hands. “Lucky me!”
This time his words drew a full-fledged smile. “Why on earth did I fall for the likes of you?”
“I’m irresistible,” he ventured.
“As if,” she retorted.
“Charming,” he said then. “Come on, Moira. You have to admit that I’m charming.”
“Not so much right at the moment,” she replied stubbornly.
“Then it has to be my sexiness and good looks,” he concluded.
She gave him a wry look. “Do you have nothing more to offer than that?”
Turning suddenly serious, he held her gaze. “You tell me. Do I?”
She gave
