When they’d turned onto Beach Lane, Moira spotted two amazing homes nestled in the woods along the cliff overlooking the bay. They looked as if they’d always been there, a part of the scenery, rather than an intrusion on it.
“Oh, my,” she murmured, her eyes wide. “And Matthew designed these?”
Susie nodded, her pride unmistakable. “Mine first, then the one just up the road for him and Laila. He’ll design Luke’s next, when the time comes.” She shook her head. “Luke considered selling his lot, but thank goodness Gram was able to talk him out of it.”
“Why would he have sold such a beautiful piece of property?” Moira asked, stunned.
“For the money to open the pub,” Susie said. “But he found the financing another way. I think it’s made him even more determined, though, to make a success of the place, to prove that Gram wasn’t misguided in giving him his trust money early.”
“I’d forgotten about that,” Moira admitted. It reminded her of why Luke was so obsessed with the pub’s success. It went beyond his own need to prove himself. He wanted to justify Nell’s faith in him. She couldn’t fault him for that.
The inside of Susie and Mack’s home was as spectacular as the outside. The rooms were warm and filled with sunlight, the decor cozy and inviting.
“I just love it,” Moira said, spinning slowly around to take in the open downstairs floor plan. “I think Nell’s is more my style because it’s so cozy and intimate, like an Irish country cottage, but this is amazing, Susie.”
“We’ve been happy here,” Susie said, leading the way to the kitchen with its granite countertops and cherry custom cabinets. “When we built it, I was so sick. I wasn’t sure I’d ever have the chance to live here with Mack, so I’m grateful every day, not only for my health, but to be here with him.”
“Your cancer was that serious?” Moira asked.
Susie nodded, then waved off the topic. “But enough about that. I’m in remission for now, and that’s what counts.” She gestured toward a table by the window. “Have a seat there. I’ll have our lunch ready in a jiffy.”
“Let me help,” Moira said.
“It’s a salad,” Susie protested. “I’ll dump a few greens in a couple of bowls, add a few things and we’re done.”
“At least let me fix the drinks.”
“Okay, then. Iced tea for me. It’s in the refrigerator. There are sodas in there as well, along with a pitcher of water. I used to drink bottled water by the caseload till Uncle Thomas convinced me I was single-handedly ruining the environment. Now I’ve taken to filtering plain old tap water.”
Within a few minutes, they were both seated at a round antique oak table by a floor-to-ceiling window with a spectacular view of the shimmering blue bay.
“I’ll never get enough of this view,” Susie said. “I’m so glad Dad had the foresight to buy this land and hang on to it for us.” She turned to Moira. “So, you didn’t come by just to get to know me better, did you? It’s about Kristen. I heard about her little scene before the party started last night.”
Moira shook her head, astonished once more by how word traveled. “Jess told you?”
She nodded. “She was furious. She tried not to say anything, but I could tell she was upset, so I pried it out of her.”
“Would it be out of place for me to ask how you coped with knowing Kristen was after your husband?”
Susie smiled. “I can probably tell you now without wanting to race out of here and rip her hair out. There was a time there when just the mention of her name was enough to make me nuts.”
“How did you get to this point?” Moira asked. “I’m still fairly eager to have a go at her hair.”
Susie grinned. “I’d still be willing to help without requiring a lot of persuasion.”
“Maybe I’ll take you up on it,” Moira said. “I know I shouldn’t let her intimidate me, and I make a great show of being tough in front of Luke, but inside I’m quaking. She’s so polished and sophisticated—not at all like me.”
Susie nodded in obvious understanding. “That was me, probably magnified a thousand times. You know she came after Mack when I was sick?”
“I heard that,” Moira confirmed. “How could she? What sort of woman does that?”
“I’m convinced now that for all her brilliance at business, she has no compassion or sensitivity. Women with no heart take whatever they want, or at least try to.”
“Did you take her on?”
“I was too weak to take on a kitten,” Susie admitted. “I think I would have otherwise, or at least I like to think so. Fortunately, Mack made it clear to her that she was out of line.” She smiled. “And then there was my baby brother, my hero.”
“Luke,” Moira said.
Susie nodded. “He swooped in and became her fallback guy. I have to say I was furious when I figured out what he was up to, but Luke knew how to take care of himself and he was determined that she would not hurt me, not when I couldn’t fight back.”
“Was it ever serious to him, do you think?” Moira asked hesitantly, not sure she wanted to know the answer.
Susie’s hesitation was slight before she asked, “What does he say?”
“He says it wasn’t,” Moira admitted. “But then why didn’t he break it off at once when he got involved with me?”
Susie’s expression turned thoughtful. “Okay, I’m only guessing here, because he hasn’t said a word to me,” she said eventually, “but you were still in Ireland. Unless I’m wrong, you hadn’t made plans for the future, hadn’t even scheduled a visit. Kristen was here and
