And then what? Would it simply go on without her? Out of sight, out of mind—wasn’t that what they said? Was that a risk she wanted to take? Or did she even have a choice in the matter?
10
After she left the inn, Moira walked back to Nell’s cottage but found it deserted. There was a note from her grandfather that Mick had driven them into Baltimore to see someplace called the Inner Harbor. He’d tried to reach her on her cell phone to see if she wanted to come along, but had gotten no answer. She realized then that she’d left the cell phone in her room.
It was probably just as well. The time she’d spent with Jess and Laila had been a revelation. It had helped her gain a different perspective on what she did and didn’t want for the future. As excited as she was by this opportunity back in Dublin, she knew now that she’d never view photography as more important than family. She wanted the accomplishment of it, perhaps even needed the boost to her self-esteem, but what she wanted most of all was a family of her own, people who loved her and counted on her.
It wasn’t, however, a discovery she was particularly anxious to share. She’d seen the shock on Laila’s face and even on Jess’s when she’d mentioned her feelings. In this family of overachievers, such an admission wouldn’t necessarily be applauded. Not that it should matter, if she was being true to herself, she thought.
Well, it was all a bit of a pipe dream, for now, anyway. Neither the big-time photography career nor the family were a given at the moment.
At loose ends, she took her camera and wandered into town, hoping Luke would have some free time or, at the very least, some tasks she could take over for him. But when she arrived at the pub, she was told he’d gone off to Mack’s newspaper office to place ads for staff and for the opening.
“Do you know where that is?” one of the construction crew asked. “It’s just a few blocks, if you’d like to meet him there. Here, I’ll write it down for you.”
“Thanks,” she said, accepting the map he’d quickly sketched for her.
She was halfway down Main Street when she was distracted by the children playing on the town green. She stopped to take a few pictures and before long she was lost in the images that captured the carefree laughter and, on occasion, the tears when the concept of sharing didn’t go over well or a helter-skelter run ended with a fall.
She’d finished taking her shots, the children were gone, but she was still absorbed in looking at the pictures on her digital camera when Luke found her.
“I heard you were looking for me,” he said, grinning at her. “But then you obviously forgot all about me. I’m not quite sure how to feel about your losing interest so easily.”
“Never that,” she responded. “I just got caught up in taking a few pictures.”
“Want to show me over lunch? We can go to Sally’s, unless you’d rather have another picnic by the water.”
“Outside by the water is definitely better,” she said. “But I don’t want much in the way of food. Jess’s chef made stuffed French toast for us this morning, and I’m still regretting how much of it I ate.”
“How’d you rate the fancy food?” he complained. “The best she’s ever offered me was scrambled eggs and bacon.”
“I think it was for Laila’s benefit,” Moira told him. “She was having a rough morning.”
Luke frowned. “You saw Laila, too? Did she say what was going on?”
Moira sensed that he’d heard the other side of the story. “You know, don’t you?” He must have if he’d been encouraging Matthew to buy baby clothes. Still, she didn’t want to take chances with someone else’s private squabble.
“Know what?” he hedged.
“You go first,” she insisted. “I don’t want to be the one spilling secrets.”
“The baby,” he said.
She nodded, smiling. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Matthew certainly thinks so, and so do I,” Luke said. “But I was under the impression that Laila has reservations.”
“Oh, she does,” Moira admitted. “But a little girl talk and a lot of food seemed to calm her down.”
“Then she’s not going to chop off any of Matthew’s important parts while he sleeps?”
Moira laughed. “It didn’t come up in conversation. I think he’s safe enough.” She gave him a thoughtful look. “I hear you recommended that he bring home baby clothes.”
“I did,” Luke confessed. “Did it work?”
“She saw it for the ploy that it was, but the last time I saw her, she was heading home to take another look at them. I think she’s still coming to grips with the idea that in a few months’ time, she’ll be giving birth to someone who’ll actually fit into them.”
“I envy them,” Luke admitted.
Moira regarded him with surprise. “You do? Really?”
He nodded. “I’ve never been serious enough about anyone to think ahead to having children, but when Matthew told me, it hit me that I want that, too. It seems to be the O’Brien curse that we all want what the others have.” He gave her a wry look. “Whether I’m ready for the responsibility is a different story. First—”
She cut him off. “First you have a business to launch,” she finished for him. “Do all men approach life in such a single-minded, orderly progression?” she asked. “First this, then that, never veering from the path for the unexpected surprise.”
“Not all men,” Luke responded. “Matthew, for one, seems to thrive on surprises. The effect Laila had on him caught him completely off guard. And now this baby. I’ve never seen
