The irish blessing, p.11
The Irish Blessing, page 11
“We did, but he called me unexpectedly this morning, and we worked it out. He’s planning to come out here to see me at the end of next month. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I called Caitlin to thank her for nudging Shane to contact me, and she informed me he’s going to Ireland to celebrate his birthday. She wants me to come there and surprise him. His birthday is May ninth.”
“May ninth? Dang. That’s in three weeks. That’s nuts.”
“I know, but that’s when he’ll be there. I told Caitlin I wasn’t sure if I’d go, but I want to see Shane.”
“Hmm. It’s pretty short notice, but why not? I still have a week of vacation, and my boss pissed me off. If he gets mad, I don’t care. I’ve got another construction company trying to get me to come work for them, and I’m considering it.”
“What’s going on with your job?”
“The boss keeps giving me all the shitty projects that no one else wants. Hang on a minute. I just remembered about your date. What happened with Cole last night? He’s a hot-looking guy, don’t you think?”
“More like unpredictable. The date started nice enough. But it went south pretty quickly and ended badly. Cole doesn’t like children, and he hates dogs. He’s controlling and used to getting his way and tried to force himself on me when he took me home. Maggie had to rescue me.”
“No. You didn’t sic Maggie on him, did you?”
“I didn’t have to. Maggie took him as a threat, growling and showing her teeth after she stalked him. I told Cole I had trained her to attack when commanded and asked if he wanted a demonstration. He left right after that. So, why did you think we were even compatible? We couldn’t be more opposite.”
“Well, it wasn’t that I thought you were compatible. I thought you might like Cole since he’s so good-looking and has tons of money. I remember you saying a long time ago that you longed for the feeling of safety, security, and comfort that Alex used to give you. I thought Cole could do that with his money.”
“Oh my God, Mel. Those are things someone makes you feel deep down inside. You can’t buy those. Cole’s money may allow him to hire security personnel and live behind secure walls, but he wouldn’t personally make me feel safe and secure or comforted. Alex was such a strong and commanding person. He was intelligent and street-smart but also tender and gentle, and I always felt protected when I was with him. I also knew he’d comfort me when I needed a shoulder to cry on or a word of support. There’s an enormous difference between what money can buy and how a person makes you feel.”
“Yeah, okay. I get it, but it doesn’t matter anyway since it sounds like you and Shane are finally getting together.” Mel paused, letting out another yawn. “I’m going to have to let you go. I need to take a nap. I have a date tonight.”
“Another date? Who this time?”
“Some guy I met at my gym. I’m supposed to meet him at a restaurant downtown for an early dinner at five o’clock.”
“All right. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Bye.”
“Bye.” I hung up my phone and tossed it on the bed. That was an interesting conversation on a multitude of fronts. Mel could be so careless, especially sleeping around with all these guys. She needed to be careful.
*
Sweaty from my jog, I walked Maggie up my driveway toward the garage. It was now late afternoon, and after my restless night, I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home doing nothing but relaxing on the couch. I stopped at the patio gate on the side of my home, its entry off the concrete drive. The secluded space was an inner courtyard, my house wrapping around it in a sideways U-shape. A place of comfort, it was my private retreat and favorite place to read an enjoyable book. I led Maggie through the courtyard and into the house through the unlocked sliding door. She took off, trotting down the main hallway toward the family room, the slap of the doggie door hitting the frame alerting me that she had gone into the backyard.
After showering and feeding Maggie, I headed into the kitchen to make myself a salad for dinner. I was about to sit down and eat when my doorbell rang. Expecting no one, I peeked out the long, narrow window in my entryway. Surprised to see Mel, I opened my front door. “What are you doing here? I thought you had a dinner date.”
“I did, but the guy stood me up. I figured I’d come over here and drown my sorrows.” Mel came into the house. She looked frustrated and had a distinct pout on her lips.
“I was just sitting down with a salad and glass of wine. You might as well join me.”
Maggie was sitting quietly by the front door. Now she trailed behind us as we went into the kitchen, lying down on the rug in the family room where she could watch Mel.
“I’m amazed every time I see Maggie behave like that. My sister’s dog jumps all over me and drives me nuts. I love her dog, but it obviously needs some training.”
“Training does help. Maggie leaves everyone alone unless she senses they’re a threat or I command her to act. Cole can certainly attest to that.”
“Oh, he sure can. Too bad I can’t train guys to do that.” Mel gave a little snort. “No speaking until spoken to and having to follow all my commands. I’d have a blast.” Mel finished making her salad and sat at the kitchen counter to eat.
I walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a glass, holding it out in front of me. “Do you want some wine?”
“I might as well. I finished off your bottle of rum last time I was here.”
“So, what happened to your date?” I sat next to Mel at the counter and poured her a glass of wine.
“He didn’t show up. I was supposed to meet him in the lobby of the Bayou Grill downtown.” Mel took a bite of her salad. “This is hitting the spot. I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.”
“The guy didn’t call you or anything?”
“Nope. He was a no-show.” Mel took a sip of her wine and another bite of her salad. “I called him after waiting for twenty minutes, and he said he got busy. I could hear a woman in the background next to him. She was breathing heavily, and so was he. It sounded like I interrupted them. He cut the phone call short and hung up.”
“The guy sounds like a complete jerk. But so did the guy from your date last weekend and the one from your date before that. Why do you keep doing this?”
“Why do I keep doing what? What are you talking about?” Mel put down her fork and turned to look at me.
“Dammit, Mel. You keep going out with losers. You don’t seem to care who they are, and some of these guys are real sleazebags. You have one-night stands and kick the guy to the curb afterward. Don’t you have any respect for yourself?” I was aware coming down on Mel like that wasn’t the best move, but I was so tired of seeing a never-ending succession of men use and disrespect her. It was time to speak my mind.
“I have respect for myself, and what I do is none of your damn business.” Mel was shouting at me, and her face was beet red.
“It is my business because I’m the one witnessing these guys hurt you. I care about you and don’t understand why you keep letting it happen.” I wasn’t sure if Mel’s vehement outburst was because I’d called her out or because her date had ditched her for another woman and it hurt her. Either way, we needed to air this out. Mel’s personality had changed, and her behavior had gotten entirely out of control since her divorce. I didn’t understand why, but it needed to stop.
“I do it because I have to.” Mel jumped off the barstool and glared at me, her fists clenched. “I’ll be damned if I’ll get into another relationship and have my heart ripped out of my chest and stomped on until it’s in a million shattered pieces. It almost destroyed me last time, and I won’t let it happen to me again.” Mel stopped yelling, and like the flip of a switch, she was suddenly silent. The look on her face was heartbreaking. She seemed lost and completely vulnerable.
“Dammit, Mel. What are you talking about?” Confused, I stared at her as she stood there.
Mel leaned against the kitchen counter, burying her face in her hands.
I got up and put my arm around her, guiding her to the family room. I had her sit on the couch. Then I went back into the kitchen, returning a minute later with a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses. I sat next to Mel and filled the glasses. After I handed one to her and kept the other for myself, we downed the tequila. Finished, I set the glasses on the coffee table and turned toward Mel. “Tell me what happened.”
“When I told you four years ago that Mark and I were divorcing, I never told you the truth as to why. I led you to believe we had grown apart, and I didn’t love him anymore. But that was a lie. I was too embarrassed to tell you what happened.” Mel looked down at her lap, her voice shaky as she talked.
“I remember you told me the divorce was a mutual decision, and it was best for the two of you to split up. Although I always thought it strange that it happened so fast. I didn’t even know you and Mark were having problems.”
“What I told you was only a sliver of the truth. We weren’t having any problems, at least not any major ones. I caught Mark cheating. When I say cheating, I don’t mean I found out he had a girlfriend. I mean, I walked in on him screwing some bitch in my house, in my bed.” A tear was falling down Mel’s cheek.
“I’m listening. Go on.” I hurt for Mel. She never cried. I put my arm around her and had her lean her head on my shoulder.
“I was visiting my sister and came home early. I didn’t tell Mark I was coming home. I didn’t think it mattered.” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I came into the house, and it was quiet. Then I heard voices from my bedroom. Walking down the hallway, I heard groaning and heavy breathing mixed with the voices. I felt sick, my stomach completely in knots. I stopped in the doorway of my room, in shock at what was going on in front of me. A woman I’d never seen before was on top of Mark. She was riding him, and they were going at it like two rabbits. The woman saw me standing in the doorway and smiled while she kept riding him. It was like she wanted me to see her enjoying my husband. I can still hear her saying, ‘Look, Mark. We have company. Should we let her watch?’ Then she laughed as Mark turned and saw me in the doorway.”
“I’m so sorry.” I was beyond shocked. My heart was breaking for her, and I didn’t know what else to say.
Mel sat up and grabbed the tequila bottle. She poured a shot and downed it. After pouring another, Mel drank it more slowly this time and then sat the glass back down. She leaned back against my shoulder and took another deep breath. “I remember screaming at them both. I was hysterical. Mark jumped off the bed and grabbed my arm, dragging me into the living room. He told me I was causing a scene and needed to leave. Do you believe that? It was my home, and he was my husband, and he let her stay and told me to leave. He grabbed my purse and car keys, shoved them in my hand, and pushed me out the front door.”
“What happened after that?” I leaned my head against Mel’s and squeezed her hand.
“I tried to drive away but didn’t get more than a block before losing it. I remember shaking uncontrollably, and it was hard for me to breathe or talk because I was gasping for air. I called some friends, a married couple we knew, and they had to get me.” Mel sniffled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was such an emotional wreck. I don’t think I can fully explain what it felt like, other than the sensation of having my heart ripped from my chest. The anguish and devastation were so physical; I remember throwing up.” Sitting up, Mel poured both of us another shot. Then she turned to me with cold eyes and a curled lip. “I swear. I’ll never let anyone do this to me again. I date guys that mean nothing to me because I know it won’t lead anywhere. Loving someone hurts too much.” Mel’s voice sounded deep, almost guttural, as she talked.
“Mel. If Mark could do something like that to you, he wasn’t a decent person from the start. He didn’t love you. A loving, respectable man wouldn’t do that to you. These guys you keep dating don’t care about you or respect you. They only want one thing from you. What you’re doing isn’t helping you. It’s doing the opposite.” I needed Mel to understand that her method to keep from getting hurt was making her life worse. She’d never find real peace or happiness this way.
“Such sound advice from someone who can’t manage her own love life. Don’t you think?” Mel gave me a mocking smile.
“Excuse me?” I stared at Mel, her comment startling me.
“You had Shane at your fingertips and lost him. All because your pride wouldn’t let you answer a simple question.”
“It wasn’t a simple question. It was a demand for an answer and believing a conniving and untrustworthy person over me.”
“Either way, two months later, you still hadn’t fixed it, and it took Caitlin to intervene on your behalf. So, how’s that for confronting a problem head-on and managing your love life?”
“Okay, I’m not the best example. But all I’m trying to do is help you. If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t bother.”
Mel let out a long sigh and leaned back against the couch. “This is stupid—our arguing over guys. Neither one of us is perfect. You just screw up a lot less than I do.” Mel shook her head, a snide smile on her face. “I’d swear Cupid has a messed-up sense of humor and aimed for our asses instead of our hearts.” She picked up her shot glass and handed me the other one. Then she lifted hers for a toast. “To Cupid’s arrow. Now that it’s found your correct body part, may it someday hit mine.” We tossed back the tequila. It was going to be a long night.
CHAPTER 9
A STEAMY IRISH NIGHT
Mel and I were in Kilkenny, Ireland, having arrived here by train late this morning. We’d spent our first two nights on the Emerald Isle in Dublin since Mel had insisted on experiencing some of the city’s nightlife. Now that she’d had her fun, it was time to surprise Shane for his birthday, which was why I had come. We’d spent the afternoon exploring the medieval city, built on the banks of a river, and were now finishing dinner in the dining room at Caitlin and Patrick’s hotel.
Caitlin hurried toward our table, an air of excitement about her. “Shane just got here from my parents’ estate in Kilcullen. He’s heading to the bar with Patrick to get a beer, and then Patrick will suggest they go out on the patio. That way, you’ll have more privacy when you surprise him.”
“Oh, I can’t wait for this.” Mel pushed her empty dinner plate to the side and laid her scrunched-up napkin next to it. She suddenly cocked her head at me. “Are you nervous? You don’t look so great.”
Was I nervous? That was an understatement. I couldn’t wait to see Shane, but a piece of me feared he might not like my surprise. We’d spoken on the phone numerous times over the last three weeks, and as difficult as it had been, I’d kept my trip to Ireland a secret. Now I hoped he wouldn’t be upset that I hadn’t told him. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Honestly, my stomach is doing somersaults. Talking to him on the phone is one thing. Getting to see him is another.” I looked at Caitlin. “Shane has no clue I’m here in Ireland, right?”
“Not a one. We’ve kept it quiet as can be. Shane thinks we had him come down here to Kilkenny to see a school performance for my daughter, Glenna.”
“Let’s go, Liz. I’ll keep that adorable bartender busy while you surprise Shane.” Mel got up from the table and led the three of us to the bar.
“Liam, did Patrick and Shane go outside?” Caitlin said, addressing her bartender.
“Yes, they did.” Liam smiled at Mel as she slipped onto the barstool in front of him.
“All right then, let’s go take a peek.” Caitlin took hold of my arm and led me through a doorway to the small dining room used for the breakfast buffet. She walked me past several tables and then over to a panel of windows and a glass door that faced the patio.
I made a little sound as soon as I spotted Shane, my hand instantly covering my mouth. I stood there devouring every inch of him as he sat at one of the tables with his back to me. The muscles on his shoulder blade flexed through his shirt as he lifted his arm and took a sip of beer from his glass. He set the dark liquid back on the table and ran his hand through his hair. It was much shorter than I remembered. The sides had been closely clipped, and the little wisps that had curled around his ears were gone.
“Why are you hesitating? Go on. Go out there.” Caitlin gave me a lighthearted push toward the door.
“I will. I just want to look at Shane for a minute.” My voice was low, almost breathless, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Seeing him here, in front of me, knowing I could reach out and touch him, filled me with longing. Shane laughed at something Patrick said, and I wanted to see the smile on his face. I took several steps toward the door, suddenly gaining Patrick’s attention.
Shane glanced over his shoulder toward the door and then froze in place. His eyes grew wide as the realization that I was standing there seemed to strike him. He slowly stood and turned to face me, his body rigid, his gaze fixed on me. Then Shane’s expression appeared to change from disbelief to one of love and yearning.
With a lump in my throat, I grabbed the handle on the glass door, catching a glimpse of Patrick as he silently exited the patio through a side gate. Trying desperately to control my emotions, I pushed it open and stepped across the threshold. Then I lost it and broke into a run, launching myself into Shane’s arms as he took several steps toward me.
Shane held me. His arms wrapped tightly around me, his head pressed against mine. “I can’t believe you’re here. God, how I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.” I nestled my face into his neck, breathing his heady scent that I so lovingly remembered.
He pulled away, his eyes searching my face. “We’ve talked so many times. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Ireland?”
“It was supposed to be a birthday surprise. I hope you’re not upset at my coming here.”
“How can I be? You’re the best birthday present I’ve ever had.” Shane put a finger under my chin and tilted my face upward. Then, without saying another word, he leaned forward and tenderly kissed me.
