“Sure,” he said, not believing her. He lowered his voice. “How’s Maeve?”
One slender shoulder rose and fell. “She seems okay. I haven’t noticed any memory episodes at all for the last few days.”
“Did you talk to her about it?”
“No, I—”
“Shane! What brings you here again so soon?” Maeve swished toward him and enveloped him in a Shalimar-scented hug.
“Uh…” Shit. He glanced wildly around and his eyes fell on the display beside the till. “Just needed more…of these.” He grabbed another box of condoms.
Maeve arched a brow, one corner of her scarlet mouth kicking up. “Well. You’ve been a busy boy lately, haven’t you? Are you sure you aren’t getting serious about that girl?”
“No.” His mind leaped. “It’s not the same girl.”
“Ah.” She nodded, lips pursed. “I see. Well. Are you coming to your parents’ for dinner tomorrow night? They’ve invited Keara and me.”
Shane flicked a glance at Keara. “Uh…yeah. They invited me. I’m not sure…”
He could tell she was listening to his response. In fact, he could sense the tension that seized her as she awaited it.
“Will you bring your new girlfriend?” Maeve asked.
Jesus. What had he gotten himself into? “No. No, I won’t. I may not be able to make it.”
“Oh.” Maeve’s bottom lip pouted. “That’s too bad. But you do need to be having a social life.”
“I may have to work.”
“Oh.”
He sought out Keara again with his eyes. They might have a chance to talk more at his parents’ place. Maybe he should go. He couldn’t invite Keara for coffee again or Maeve would really get the wrong idea.
The three stood there for a long, slightly awkward moment. Shane didn’t know what to say, wished Maeve would leave them alone, but she didn’t budge. He sighed.
Keara reached for the condoms. “I’ll ring these up for you,” she said, her voice sounding choked. A few moments later he walked out of the store clutching another bag of prophylactics. Damn, he was spending a fortune on rubbers.
Chapter Seven
Shane knew he wasn’t going to stay away.
He’d told his mom he might have to work, so might not be there for her dinner party, but that was just an excuse and goddammit, he couldn’t stop thinking about Keara and her big shadowed eyes and her small anxiety attack. Yeah, he was still annoyed at how she’d ignored her aunt all these years, but it was kinda hard to stay mad at someone so lost and fragile, someone clearly struggling with some wicked demons.
Shit. Now he wasn’t just worried about Maeve, he was worried about Keara. What was with him and his damn desire to protect the whole damn world?
He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked in the front door of his parents’ house. They still lived the in spacious three-bedroom ranch-style house on Blarney Stone Drive, shaded by palm trees and enclosed by, yes, a white picket fence, where he’d grown up. The house was nothing fancy but it had been his home all his life. His parents had once mentioned moving to one of the new seniors’ condo developments on the edge of town, but he always shut down that discussion. His da loved his yard, maintaining a meticulous carpet of lawn, and lush flowerbeds. His mom, retired from her nursing job, enjoyed cooking and entertaining. For a long time after Da’s stroke, there’d been no big gatherings at the Dunstan home, but more recently they’d gotten back into having friends over nearly every week.
His parents had always wanted a big family and it had been a disappointment to them to have been able to have only one child, and late in life. Which is maybe why Shane felt such a deep obligation to his parents, to be there for them.
“Hey, Ma, I’m here!” He stepped into the foyer and heard a babble of voices in the kitchen. He followed the scent of roasting meat—was that roast beef?—and the sound of chattering voices into the large kitchen at the back of the house where the party always seemed to end up.
A crowd of people stood two or three deep around the big island, drinks in hand, nibbling at the snacks set out, everyone talking and laughing. His dad was about to take a seat on a stool, but when he saw Shane walk into the room, he rose and limped over to him with his cane.
“Shane, me boy! Good ta see you.” His dad gave him a masculine, one-armed hug and Shane returned it with a grin, but his gaze fell over his father’s shoulder and came to rest on Keara. She stood there smiling, a blousy black top hanging off her slender shoulders, but the smile didn’t warm her tired and defeated eyes. How he could feel a tug of attraction to her when she looked so forlorn was beyond him. He compared Keara to Laila, whom he’d dated a few weeks ago—Laila, the typical California blonde, bursting with health and energy, with endless tanned legs, long straight blonde hair and generously enhanced boobs. And yet, while the sex had been hot, Laila hadn’t appealed to him enough to want to see her again.
“Oh, you came, lad! I’m so glad!” His mom set a platter of appetizers on the island and wiped her hands on her apron, then quickly gave him a hug. He handed her the bottle of wine he’d brought.
“Ah, you didn’t need to do that,” she protested, but took it and slipped it into the refrigerator.
“Jameson’s?” Declan asked his son.
“Sure.” He accepted the glass of whiskey and leaned against the counter. His mom returned to the other side of the counter where she fussed with some vegetables, beneath the sign on the wall that said “Níl aon tintéan mar do thintéan féin”—there’s no place like home.
“How are you, Shane?” Maeve inquired, standing beside Keara. She wore an outrageous red, black and orange scarf draped around her neck. “No date tonight?”
Would she not leave him alone about that? Served him right for buying all those condoms, he supposed. He swallowed his sigh and smiled at her. “Not tonight.”
He greeted some of the other guests, neighbors and friends of his parents, some their age, some closer to his own age. As lively conversation flowed around them, he covertly studied Keara, until their glances collided then bounced away. Huh. She was doing the same thing.
She sipped her wine and he sipped his Jameson’s, letting it warm him inside while his dad shared a racy joke about an Irish priest that coaxed a real smile from Keara. He was glad she had a sense of humor.
He should know she did. It may have been thirteen years ago, but they’d shared a lot of laughs along with the hot sex. He and Keara had had a lot of fun together. Even though clearly she was a different woman than the young girl she’d been, someone didn’t change that drastically.
“Tell us about your day, Shane,” his mother invited, still fussing in the kitchen.
He shrugged. “Three-car pile-up on the freeway just outside of town. Thank the lord nobody was seriously hurt. Jim Mahon pulled over a man for drunk driving this afternoon. The guy tried to bribe him with his sandwich.”
Everyone laughed. “Sandwich?” Keara asked.
Shane grinned. “Yeah. He had a big sub wrapped up on the seat beside him and told Jim he could have it if he let him go home.”
“What kind of sub?” Da asked.
“Declan!” Ma gave his shoulder a tiny smack. “It doesn’t matter what kind of sandwich.”
Da grinned. “If it was one of those toasted ones from the Shamrock…”
“Declan!”
Shane grinned. “Jim turned down the offer. But he did say it made him hungry, and once he booked the guy he headed over to the Shamrock.”
More laughter.
“And what happened over on Ballycastle Road last night?” his dad inquired. “I heard the sirens. Was there a fire?”