“And the scenery?” Moira asked, wondering if Megan would feel as she did about that.
“It’s beautiful, but it doesn’t have the heart of the others, Moira.” She studied her intently. “I hope that doesn’t disappoint you.”
Moira shook her head, suddenly feeling the knot inside her ease. “No, that’s exactly what I thought as well. My talent, if I have any, is to take pictures of people.”
“Exactly,” Megan confirmed.
Impulsively, Moira gave her a hug. “Thank you. I can’t tell you what it means to me to have you take the time to look at these.”
Megan’s warm expression sobered. “I mean it about putting together a show, Moira. It will take time to assemble enough of a portfolio to choose from, but I have confidence you can do it. And if the pictures are as good as I anticipate, I think I can get you noticed in the right places.”
The excitement Moira had felt just a couple of weeks ago when Peter had sung her praises multiplied a hundred times as she basked in Megan’s words.
“Honestly?” she said, hardly daring to believe it. The scale balancing one future against another immediately tipped in favor of a career again.
“I’m always serious when it comes to business,” Megan said. “I came to this career late, but I’ve worked hard to make a success of it. I wouldn’t jeopardize my reputation just to please you or Luke.”
She glanced at her watch. “I need to get back to the gallery. It’s time for my assistant to leave. You can come back with me now, if you like, or stop by whenever you have time to spare to take a look at the current exhibit.”
“Could I do that tomorrow?” Moira asked. She wanted to stay here for the moment and absorb everything Megan had said to her.
“Of course,” Megan agreed. “Why don’t we plan to get together again one day next week as well, and you can show me any pictures you’ve shot to add to these. I know there’s a time crunch given the length of your stay, but take your time, Moira. It’s more important that you do your best work.”
“I totally understand,” Moira agreed at once. “And thank you. You can’t possibly know what this means to me.”
As soon as Megan had gone, Moira whirled around and threw herself into Luke’s arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
He laughed. “I gather you’re happy about the way it turned out.”
“I’m over the moon,” she said. “I can’t believe that a real expert thinks I have talent.”
“She means it about the show, too,” Luke reminded her. “She wouldn’t offer something like that lightly.”
“But I’ll only be here a few more weeks,” Moira said. “How can I possibly take enough pictures?”
He grinned. “You took these in just a morning,” he said. “I think you have enough time. If not, you can always extend your stay or come back.”
She studied his face as he said that so casually. “Would it bother you if that happened?”
“You mean if you stayed longer or came back?”
She nodded.
“Of course not. I can’t imagine anything better.”
“Really?”
He frowned. “Why do you doubt me?”
“Because it’s seemed from the time I arrived that you were viewing my stay as finite. It’s one thing for me to be here on vacation for a month, and quite another to think of me here longer. I thought it might rattle you or change things if you thought I could be here indefinitely.”
He cupped his hands around her arms and held her still. “Moira, I am happy you came. I would be even happier if your stay were extended for any reason, but especially for something like this. It means I’d be able to be right here to share in your success, just as you’ll be here to be a part of mine. We can prop each other up when the doubts creep in as well. You were my biggest booster when I floated the idea for the pub. Now I’d like to be your biggest supporter.”
“You’ve already done that by inviting Megan over here this afternoon,” she said. “I would never have dreamed of such a thing. I wouldn’t have wanted to be presumptuous.”
“That’s why we make an excellent team,” he told her. “O’Briens are taught at an early age to be there for one another. It was one of Gram’s biggest lessons. When my dad, Mick and Thomas had a falling-out during the development of Chesapeake Shores, it devastated her. She’s spent years trying to make peace between them and reminding them that family’s more important than any of their squabbles.”
“There was none of that in my family,” Moira admitted. “My brothers and I barely speak, and Mum’s far too busy to worry about it. The truth is, she doesn’t get along that well with any of us. It was only just before I left that she and I started to see eye-to-eye on anything. As for her and Grandfather, I think they’re still a very long way from doing much more than spending a few hours at a time together without fighting.”
“But it’s so obvious to me how much your grandfather wants all of you to be a family,” Luke said. “At Christmas, I could see how hard he was trying, and it wasn’t just to impress Gram. It matters to him.”
Moira nodded. “I saw that, too. It was a real revelation to me.”
“Families are a work in progress,” Luke said. “The dynamics are always changing.”
“Do you think that’s true for us as well?” Moira asked.
Luke smiled at her wistful question. “We’re human, aren’t we? I imagine there are a good many twists and turns ahead for the two of us. I, for one, am looking forward to them.