Lilac Lane

“He’s promised to speak to Connor this morning to get him started on the paperwork. Now, if you’ll make an airline reservation for Mum, I think we can put our plan in motion,” Moira told him.

Dillon nodded at once. “I’ll go straight in and do that now, though I’d probably best buy the kind that’s refundable just in case she balks,” he said. He touched Nell’s cheek. “Shall I warm that tea for you?”

“I’m fine with it as it is,” she said, covering his fingers with hers and giving them a brief squeeze.

Moira watched the two of them with a catch in her throat. Would she and Luke have that same sort of devotion after so many years? Of course, Nell and Dillon had fallen in love as teenagers, then separated and had families before being reunited. Perhaps that was why they were so grateful for their second chance.

She turned and caught Nell studying her.

“You’re pleased by the prospect of having your mother here?” Nell asked. “I know the two of you haven’t always had an easy time of it.”

“True enough,” Moira admitted. “But I think I understand the choices she made a little better now. I want her to finally have some of the happiness she deserves. I think she may find that here. There’s a lot to be said for a fresh start.”

“Especially in Chesapeake Shores,” Nell said.

“Yes, especially in Chesapeake Shores.”

Which was why later that very afternoon, as Kate conveniently cried in the background, Moira called her mum and, with a note of desperation in her voice, pleaded for Kiera to come to Chesapeake Shores for an extended visit.

“I don’t need to be at loose ends in a strange country,” Kiera argued. “Peter’s children have offered me a place at the pub for as long as I want to stay on. They’ll even boost my pay if I’m willing to take on managing it, so they can go blissfully on with their own lives.”

“And you’re willing to accept their charity?” Moira asked, putting the worst possible spin on what had no doubt been a genuine and well-meant offer that would benefit all of them, including her mother.

Her comment was greeted with silence, which told Moira her mother had considered the very same thing. They were very much alike in questioning the real motive behind any kindness they might feel was undeserved.

“We’re your family, not them. You won’t be in the way here,” Moira said, pressing her tiny advantage. “I truly need the help, and you should spend a little time with your first grandchild. And with me traveling so much lately, Luke could use your presence at the pub. The customers like chatting with someone with an Irish lilt in their voice. It provides a touch of authenticity.”

“So I’m to be the Irish window dressing?” Kiera asked, the once-familiar tart sarcasm back in her voice. “How is that an improvement over accepting charity from the McDonoughs?”

“The job here would be much more than that,” Moira promised. “This is a family business, and you’re family. It would be almost the same as if it were your own restaurant.”

“I doubt Luke would see it that way. Wasn’t this pub his dream? Besides, it’s not as if I can waltz in and take a job in America,” Kiera protested. “I know there are laws about that sort of thing.”

“Luke’s cousin Connor will handle the legalities of a work visa, just as he did for me,” Moira assured her. “Focus on spending time with little Kate for now. I can’t wait for you to see her in person. She’s growing so fast, and she’s a handful. You’ll probably find her to be a lot like me in that respect.”

With the baby’s pitiful cries to lend credence to her story, Moira gave a silent fist pump when Kiera reluctantly agreed to take the very flight that Dillon had already booked. As she hung up, Moira gave the baby a noisy kiss that changed tears to smiles.

“Now we’ve only to find a way to make her stay,” she said.

And that, most likely, was going to be a far more difficult task. Kiera might be feeling a bit vulnerable at the moment, but it wouldn’t last. And when her fine temper was restored, there could be hell to pay for their manipulation.

Chapter 2 (#u759c93d3-b3bd-5062-b4f9-8f1055888241)

Kiera had seen pictures of Chesapeake Shores, some on postcards, but many more taken by her daughter. None, however, had prepared her for the tug of recognition she felt as Moira and Luke drove her through the quaint downtown area with its charming shops, circled the town green with its display of colorful tulips and then turned onto Shore Road en route to their home. To their left, the Chesapeake Bay sparkled in the sunlight. The sky above was a brilliant blue. A few impressive sailboats were taking advantage of the morning breeze.

“It’s a bit like a seaside village in Ireland, isn’t it?” she said, taking it all in. “The architecture’s very different, to be sure, but the feel of it’s the same.”

Moira beamed at her. “That’s exactly how I saw it when I first came to town. I felt at home here almost at once. And you know it was Luke’s uncle Mick O’Brien who designed it all from scratch and built on what was once farmland. He’s a famous architect, and Luke’s brother, Matthew, works for him now.”

“It’s hard to imagine having the vision to design an entire town,” Kiera said, in awe of the thought. “The villages in Ireland go back for centuries and are a hodgepodge of styles jumbled together in cozy harmony. Mick must possess an impressive imagination.”

“And I couldn’t even build a playhouse for our Kate with the design spelled out quite simply for me,” Luke told her. “I had to ask Uncle Mick and Matthew for help. It was a humbling experience.”

Kiera knew a thing or two about asking for help, no matter how needed it might be. She sympathized with him. “Did they torment you for asking?”

“My brother will never let me forget it,” Luke confirmed, then shrugged off the humiliation. “That’s okay, though. He wouldn’t know one ale from the next if I didn’t draw his attention to it. We each have our own skills.”

Kiera laughed, then noted that the comment had been made with a perfect bit of timing. “Ah, and there’s O’Brien’s,” she exclaimed as she spotted the pub. There was no mistaking its Irish heritage with its dark green sign with gold lettering. the same type of sign that could be found on nearly every corner back home. “You’ve captured the look of it exactly right,” she told Luke.

“Thank you. That was the idea.”

“Have you thought of adding window boxes overflowing with flowers beneath the windows?” Kiera asked. “That would add another authentic touch. We Irish love our flowers and any chance to display them in a profusion of color. I think they’re meant to counterpoint our gray and rainy days.”

Luke smiled. “There you are, already earning your keep as a consultant, Kiera.”

“I told you she’d be filled with ideas,” Moira said. “Just wait until you see inside, Mother. Luke imported an antique bar from a pub in Ireland that we visited. The son of the longtime owner had persuaded him to modernize. We didn’t waste breath telling him what a mistake he was making. Luke just made the deal and we rushed right out the door. You’ll swear you’re back home again.”

“And yet wasn’t the goal to give me a fresh start in a new place?” Kiera teased.

Moira regarded her with a serious expression. “But don’t you see? It will be easier if it feels at least a little bit like home. I’ve had hardly a pang of homesickness since I’ve been here.”

Kiera reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I know. I was teasing you.”

To Kiera’s regret, Moira looked surprisingly startled by that.

“Really?” Moira asked, as if the concept were completely foreign to her.

Kiera sighed. “I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked by your reaction. There wasn’t much lightness and laughter or teasing when you were growing up. Peter reminded me that I had buried my sense of humor down deep. He helped me recover it. He reminded me that laughter is a gift that gets us through the difficult times. I’d like to hold on to that bit of wisdom at least, now that he’s left us.”

Moira’s eyes immediately turned misty. “Mum, I’m so sorry he’s gone.”

“So am I. On my good days I’m determined to hang on to the positive memories and treasure the changes he brought to my life. At first I wasn’t sure I could do that, but it’s almost as if I hear him whispering in my ear that I must, that I can’t retreat back into my old ways.” She gave her daughter a knowing look. “Believe me, I know that’s a concern for you and your grandfather, as well.”

“We’ll help with it,” Moira promised. “And Kate will be the answer to your prayers. It’s hard to go more than a minute without smiling at something she’s done. She’s such a blessing.”

“I can’t wait to meet my very first grandchild,” Kiera told her. “Imagine me, old enough to be a grandmother. There was many a day I wasn’t sure I’d survive being a mother, and here you are, a mother yourself and a successful photographer.”

Luke stopped again in front of a storefront down the block from the pub. There were several stunning, very modern paintings in the windows. Though Kiera knew nothing of art at all, the wildness of these spoke to her on some level she couldn’t entirely explain. It was as if she’d experienced the emotions they evoked so vibrantly.

“This is where Moira’s works were first exhibited,” Luke said proudly. “I know Peter encouraged her, but my aunt Megan is the expert over here who discovered her photography.”

“And has nagged at me until I almost believe I have real talent,” Moira said. “I wake up some days pinching myself when I see an advertisement for my work in some famous gallery in New York or on the West Coast.”

“Peter was so proud of you,” Kiera told her. “He bragged about you to every customer who came into the pub and pointed out all of your pictures on the walls. Original works by Moira O’Brien, he’d tell them, then show them the programs from your exhibits in America. He was so pleased that you sent those to him. He loved you like a daughter, you know.”

“Stop or you’ll have me bawling,” Moira protested. “Let’s go home, Luke. I want Mum to see our house and meet our Kate. After flying all night, she’s no doubt anxious for a bit of a rest.”

“I would like nothing more than to hug my granddaughter, then have a hot shower,” Kiera admitted. “And perhaps a cup of tea. Then I’ll be ready to see your grandfather and Nell and see whatever else the day has in store.”