“Is that all that’s necessary for a man?” Moira asked in frustration.
Susie smiled. “Sometimes I forget how much younger you and my brother are. Yes, that’s all it takes. It doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t speak well of my brother, so I can’t defend him, but I do think that’s all it was—a convenience or maybe just a habit. And you’ve seen for yourself—Kristen doesn’t give up on getting what she wants. I’m sure she threw herself straight into his arms every chance she got.”
“If he really cared about me, I mean even a little, shouldn’t he have resisted?” Moira asked, unconvinced that the responsibility could all be laid on Kristen.
“Of course,” Susie said readily. “But Luke’s a guy. I think once he makes a commitment to you or anyone else, he’ll be as honorable as they come about keeping it. In the meantime, though, I suppose he figured there was nothing to prevent him from taking advantage of what she offered. He has cut it off now, right?”
“So it seems.”
“Then focus on that,” Susie advised.
“I suppose the fact that he has to deal with her determination to rub their connection in my face every chance she gets is just punishment for what he did,” Moira said.
“It’s bound to make his skin crawl when he sees her coming his way for that very reason,” Susie agreed. “I know one thing about Luke. However little he cared for Kristen, he probably feels bad that he’s broken it off. Even more, though, he would give anything not to have you hurt by her. It’s quite a balancing act for a mere man to tackle.”
Moira smiled at the assessment. “Will she give up, do you think?”
“She gave up on Mack,” Susie said. “She’ll eventually give up on Luke. Her pride won’t let this drag on for too long.”
“Should I wait her out or try to make things clear to her?”
“Which will make you feel stronger and more in control?”
“Telling her off,” Moira said at once.
“Then that’s what you should do.”
“And Luke won’t freak out if I stake my claim?”
“Do you honestly care?”
Moira thought about that, then smiled. “No, this is my battle. I’ll wage it however I like.”
Susie laughed then. “Good for you. Mind if I tag along whenever you go after her? It’ll do my heart good.” She shrugged. “And it probably wouldn’t hurt to have backup if things get out of hand.”
Moira chuckled with her. “I’ll give that some thought and get back to you. I’m not sure a witness is a good idea, especially if things take a turn for the worse and I go for her throat.”
“Aw, come on,” Susie pleaded. “How can you expect me to miss that?”
“You’ve a devilishly wicked streak, haven’t you?” she said approvingly. “I think we’re going to be great friends.”
“I hope we’re going to be more than that,” Susie replied. “I think sisters-in-law would be fantastic.”
Moira regarded her with surprise. “Then I’ve your blessing as far as Luke’s concerned?”
“You do,” Susie said quietly. “But don’t expect him to rush into anything, Moira. He has a lot he wants to accomplish before he’ll be ready for the next step.”
“So he’s mentioned,” Moira said wryly. “More than once.”
“If you can respect that, I think the day you’re hoping for will come sooner than you think.”
Moira wished she shared Susie’s faith in that, but she intended to hang in there just in case Susie had pegged it right. After all, with her heart already on the line, what choice did she have?
18
To Luke’s astonishment, Friday and Saturday nights were even busier than the party had been. Word had apparently spread through the region about both the atmosphere and the music. It helped, too, that it was a gorgeous spring weekend, which had drawn the summer tourists to their cottages by the bay. The slow opening he’d envisioned before next weekend’s traditional Memorial Day onslaught hadn’t happened. None of the O’Briens had even an instant to catch their breath.
Each night, he and Moira had fallen into bed exhausted but exhilarated. As tired as they were, they were awake late, talking about how things had gone, what needed improvement, what was drawing raves. He hadn’t realized how wonderful it would be to have someone by his side who understood how a pub operated, whose praise—or criticism—came from knowledge rather than bias.
“It’s a good thing I decided to be closed on Mondays at first,” Luke said with Moira wrapped in his arms. “I think by this time tomorrow, I’ll barely be able to keep my eyes open.”
“Perhaps if we went to sleep, instead of all this fooling around we’re doing,” she teased, “you’d be more rested.”
He laughed. “Fooling around, is it? I thought we were making love.”
She regarded him with surprise. “I thought just using the phrase might scare you.”
He knew the comment had been made in jest, but he hesitated, thinking about it. “I think it might have as recently as a few days ago,” he said, “but not now.”
“What’s changed?” she asked, looking deep into his eyes.
It seemed to him that she was all but holding her breath as she awaited his response. He knew he had to get it right. “You,” he said, then shook his head. “No, it’s more about me when I’m with you. It all feels right. Yes, it was about the challenge when we first met and you brushed me off. And then it was about you fascinating me. Now it’s about all of that plus being comfortable with you.”
“Like an old shoe?” she inquired, eyes sparkling with mirth.
“No, sexier than that by far.”
He waited for her to press for more, which is what she would have done just a couple of weeks ago, but she merely smiled, apparently satisfied
