“Thanks for saying that,” he told her.
“It’s only the truth.” She dropped an easy kiss on his forehead. “To wipe away that frown line,” she said as she left.
Luke watched her go, a smile on his lips. What had ever made him think, even for a minute, that he could let her walk out of his life? He was pretty sure he could make a case for temporary insanity.
It was just after five. Uncle Mick and his father had claimed spots at the bar and were arguing over something. Luke smiled at the sight of them. Thank heaven he and Matthew didn’t share the gene for sibling rivalry that those two had. He imagined Thomas would be in, too, as soon as he’d made the drive home from Annapolis and checked on Connie. Mick had suggested that Luke add a dart game to the pub, but Luke feared that the way those three could go at it, a dart would eventually wind up someplace it shouldn’t.
In general, though, there was a nice buzz in the air as people came in to unwind at the end of the day. He stood behind the bar looking around, feeling an amazing sense of accomplishment steal over him. It was too soon to declare O’Brien’s an unqualified success, but tonight, more than the weekend, reassured him that it was well on its way.
When the door opened, Susie and Mack came in. Susie looked happy enough, but Mack looked as if he was spoiling for a fight.
“Everything okay?” Luke asked as he seated them at a table by the window.
“I think everything is great,” Susie said. “Mack’s not so thrilled.”
“About?” Luke asked tentatively, not particularly eager to be drawn into some spat the two of them were having.
“Kristen Lewis quit today,” Mack said, turning an accusing gaze on him. “It’s not that I haven’t been anticipating it. I’ve even come close to firing her myself because of the circumstances, but I wasn’t expecting it to happen today.” He studied Luke with a narrowed gaze. “What does it have to do with you?”
Even Susie blinked at that. “You think Luke’s responsible for this?” she asked. “Maybe she just finally came to her senses and realized no one wanted her here.”
Mack scowled at the comment. “Something tells me Luke’s opinion was the one that counted. What happened? I know she was here earlier.”
Luke sighed. “She and Moira got into an argument,” he admitted.
Susie’s eyes brightened, which was probably less than diplomatic but entirely understandable. “A turf war over you?” she guessed, looking delighted. “What happened?”
“Moira won. I backed her up. Game over.”
“And Kristen wasn’t happy about the outcome,” Susie concluded. “I’m sure she couldn’t believe she’d come out second best with two men in this town.”
“No, she couldn’t,” Luke said, then looked at Mack earnestly. “Look, I know she was a huge help to you at the newspaper, but there are other people out there you can hire who won’t bring all this baggage to town with them. This is for the best.”
Mack sighed. “I know that. I know it’s best for everyone’s peace of mind, but I wanted to get through the paper’s first year at least with the best possible person in that position. Newspapers all over the country were taking note of what we were doing on the digital side of things. I don’t want to lose the momentum.”
“You won’t,” Susie said. “Everything’s in place, and if I understand anything about Kristen, the organization of it all is written down somewhere in black and white, so someone else can readily step in.”
“Sure, for the day-to-day stuff,” Mack agreed. “I can probably take over that myself. It’s the innovation that concerns me. She was way ahead of the curve on that. I want us to keep breaking new ground.”
Luke drew in a deep breath. Something told him he was going to hate himself for this, but he glanced across the room and caught Josh’s eye, then waved him over.
“Mack, you should talk to Josh Jackson. He’s a computer geek from what I understand. Working here is just a sideline until he gets his degree. He might have some ideas for you or some contacts.”
Mack’s expression immediately brightened. “Do you know anything about newspapers? Are they even teaching anything related to the news business in college these days?”
“I haven’t been a journalism student, so I don’t know much about what classes they’re teaching, but I do know something about newspapers—they’re dying,” Josh said. “My dad worked for one till he got a buyout. The internet’s taking over.”
“Not here in Chesapeake Shores,” Mack told him.
Luke listened as Mack launched into a description of what he was trying to accomplish with the digital component of his local weekly. Josh nodded attentively, chiming in eagerly with comments and suggestions. To Luke’s everlasting regret, it looked like a match made in heaven.
He slipped away from the table, only to have Susie follow him.
“Thank you,” she said, giving him a fierce hug.
“What for? Sacrificing my waiter to soothe your husband’s nerves?”
“No, for finally getting that awful woman out of town.”
Luke touched her cheek. “I know you have every reason to despise Kristen, but she wasn’t an awful person, Suze. She did some rotten things to you, but I saw another side of her, too.”
“Then you’re a better person than I am,” she said. “I’ll bet Moira would be on my side in this, too.”
Luke laughed. “No question about it. Now, can I get you a drink? You might as well sit up here with Dad and Uncle Mick for a while, because it sounds to me as
