"All done. It doesn't take much to make you look fantastic," she said as she brushed Cait's shoulders and pulled her to look in the mirror.
"Thanks, ladies, you are good for my ego," Cait laughed at them and then turned to examine herself in the mirror. She let out a small gasp at the changes they had elicited in her appearance. Her hair was arranged in a sexy tousle of curls around her head but the stylist had parted it to the far left so a slice of hair cut across her face and made her look edgy…even sexy, Cait thought. The makeup was subtle yet her eyes seemed huge in her face. The green of her irises seemed to glow against her skin and Cait wasn't sure if it was the touch of color on her cheeks or the whip of cat-eye that the eyeliner gave her but she felt feline, exceptional, and sexy.
Turning, she looked at Susan. "I'll buy all of the products you used on me today."
Susan laughed and nodded. "Just add it to my tab at the pub. I'll come by this week and show you how to do what I did."
Cait nodded and turned back to the mirror. She couldn't stop staring at herself. Making a mental note that it wouldn't hurt for her to put more time and effort into her appearance, Cait moved to where her dress hung, wrapped in plastic. As she struggled with getting the plastic off, Cait reviewed her daily wardrobe. Cait was a jeans-and-a-tank-top type of girl. Her slim build didn't lend itself to sexy dresses. She had long ago accepted that she wouldn't have bombshell curves like Keelin. And she was okay with that—mostly, she thought. Pulling the dress from the hanger, she stepped into the bathroom.
Cait sighed as she pulled the strapless dress past her shoulders and over the soft curve of her hips. At least Keelin had chosen something that would flatter her, was all Cait could think. She'd been surprised at Keelin's restraint with the wedding. The Irish were known to go a little overboard when planning their nuptials. Cait shuddered as she thought about the hundreds of dollars she had spent on hideous dresses and hairpieces. Keelin had opted for simplicity and Cait couldn't love her more for that decision. Straightening, she eased the zipper up her back, though she'd need help with the last few inches. Cait turned towards the mirror and a broad smile broke out on her face.
The lavender dress clung in all the right places and seemed to give her the illusion of curves that Cait was quite certain that she didn't have. A sweetheart neckline accented her strong shoulders and a dip in the waist showcased her flat stomach. Turning, Cait examined the back of the dress and smiled as the expertly tailored dress concealed her one bane of annoyance…a very round bum. Keelin swore she should be proud of it but Cait hated how hard it was to find jeans. With a slim build and small waist, most jeans didn't account for a sizeable bottom. This dress made her look proportionate and lovely. With a final deep breath, she whisked out to the main room to help the bride finish getting ready.
Chapter 4
Mere moments later, Cait took another deep breath before she stepped from the door of Fiona's cottage. Keelin had been determined to get married in the hills overlooking Grace's Cove and had brought her vision to life in the simplest way possible. An aisle lined with tin buckets of wildflowers led through rows of bushels of hay covered in cloth. An arbor built of branches with wildflowers woven through stood at the end of the aisle. Flynn stood beneath the arbor in a simply cut tuxedo that outlined his strong shoulders nicely. Cait gulped; she couldn't wait until he saw Keelin. As the music struck up, Cait braced herself; it was almost time to go.
First down the aisle were the couple's dogs, Ronan and Teagan. The crowd laughed as the dogs, festooned in a bow and a bowtie respectively, marched down the aisle to meet Flynn. Cait laughed; it was a perfect beginning to the wedding. Ronan, Keelin's dog, had been a gift to her from Flynn and had played a major part in the couple's courtship. Blinking back a sudden sheen of tears, Cait stepped onto the aisle with her groomsman, none other than Flynn's cousin and her employee, Patrick.
She glanced at Patrick and saw his cheeks flush as he looked at her. Probably still embarrassed from last night, Cait thought, and shot him a warm smile to let him know that everything was okay. He breathed out a sigh and walked to her, holding his arm out for her to grasp. Together, they stepped lightly down the aisle, smiling at family and friends. Cait swept her eyes through the crowd and landed on Shane's face, looking murderous. She stumbled a bit and Patrick steadied her. Forcing herself to keep a smile on her face, Cait lifted her chin and smiled at Shane. He nodded at her once before turning to say something to a lovely blonde woman sitting next to him. Cait felt the inside of her stomach curl with bitterness as Shane leaned close and whispered in the blonde's ear, making her laugh. Cait had never seen the blonde before and assumed that it must be one of Shane's big-city girls.
What was he doing here with her? Cait took a deep breath to steady herself. It wasn't like her and Shane had anything, she reminded herself. They'd shared one kiss. Cait did a mental eye roll as she thought about the kiss. The power of it had been like a punch to her heart. Since then, she'd spent countless nights agonizing over what the kiss had meant. If she was honest with herself, Shane scared her. His world was so different from hers. He was all fancy businessman and she was a hardworking grunt just trying to make her dream of owning a successful pub come to fruition. And, because the promise of his kiss had rocked her so deeply, Cait had kept her distance from him since.
Refusing to let Shane ruin this beautiful day, she shot Patrick a dazzling smile and continued to the end of the aisle, where she gave Flynn a wink before stepping to her side of the arbor.
Cait turned to watch as Keelin made her way from the cottage. Her friend had picked the perfect wedding dress for this venue, as well as for her body. A deep V of lace dipped from her shoulders, nipped in at the waist and then wove in ripples over her generous hips. The dress was sexy, subtle, and perfect for an outdoor wedding. Keelin tossed her hair back and shot a grin to Flynn before she had Fiona walk her down the aisle. Cait shot a quick glance at Flynn and saw him wipe a tear from his eye. It was all she could do not to cry herself and Cait blinked back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes. Fiona smiled broadly as she walked slowly with Keelin, nodding at the guests. Cait wondered if Keelin had even bothered to try and find her long-lost father and invite him to the wedding. Knowing that it was a touchy subject for her friend, she had never broached the subject. She saw that Keelin's half-sister, Aislinn, and half-brother, Colin, were in the audience. The three siblings had slowly been working on their relationship.
Cait kept a smile on her face and let the vows of love wash over her. Helpless not to, she met Shane's eyes as promises of everlasting love were made. Shane stared at her, enigmatic. Cait blinked before she accidentally let down her guards and read his mind. It would do no good to know what he was thinking. Ultimately, it was the actions of a man that showed his true feelings. And so far, Shane had done little to prove that he was truly interested in her.
For months now, they had been in a sort of dance with each other, Cait thought furiously. It was always one step forward, three steps back. The kiss had changed everything for her. The only thing that Cait was sure of at this point was that she was powerfully attracted to Shane. His feelings for her continued to remain a mystery.
Moments later, the crowd let out a cheer as Flynn dipped Keelin for their first kiss as a newly married couple. Cait whooped and threw her flowers in the air, ecstatic for her friend. She all but danced down the aisle, ready for a good party. It wasn't often that she took weekend nights off from work but this occasion had certainly called for it.
Cait stood dutifully for the wedding pictures that followed. She was glad when they didn't venture down the cliffs into Grace's Cove. For years now, Cait had avoided the cove. She had mixed feelings over its powers and couldn't explain the strange pull that the deep blue waters held for her. Keelin had tried to broach the subject with her on several occasions but Cait had always turned the conversation in a new direction. Grace's Cove made her nervous and had haunted her dreams many a night. Tearing her eyes from the wa
ter, Cait smiled at the photographer and waited patiently for the all clear. She wanted a drink.
Once done with pictures, Cait danced up the hillside to where a large tent was set up along with a small dance floor. Music, as much a part of Ireland as whiskey and brown bread, was already in full force and many couples tried their hands at some Irish step dancing on the floor. Cait shot a grin at some friends, and helpless not to, went to check on the food preparations. She snagged a cider from the bar on the way and made her way to the secondary tent where Fiona oversaw the food preparation with an eagle eye. Coming close to the old woman, she wrapped her hand around her shoulders and took a sip of the crisp cider.
"Ah, this is perfect. All of it."
"It will be if I have anything to say about it," Fiona said and shot an order at one of the line cooks to turn the meat before it browned too much on one side. The cook smiled good-naturedly and nodded back at Fiona.
"She's a beautiful bride. They are the perfect couple." Cait couldn't conceal the note of wistfulness that snuck into her voice. Fiona turned and eyed her shrewdly.
"I see that Shane brought a date," Fiona said casually and turned back to keep an eye on the food prep.
"So?"
"So? What are you going to do about it?" Fiona asked pointedly.
"Nothing. Not a damn thing. I'm going to enjoy my friend's wedding is what I am going to do," Cait said determinedly.
"Mmhmm. Why don't you ask him to dance?"
"Nope. Not happening. He's mad at me. I all but kicked him out of the pub last night," Cait admitted.
"Hmm. And why is that?"
"He overstepped his boundaries," Cait said evasively.
Fiona kept silent and finally Cait sighed and broke. Quickly, she filled Fiona in on the scene in the pub the night before.
"Interesting. One would say that Shane is quite interested. Isn't that your read?"
Cait grabbed Fiona's arm and dragged her a few steps further from the cooks and dropped her voice to a whisper.
"I don't read him. Ever."
"Can't you?" Fiona cocked her head, confused.
"No, I certainly can. I just refuse to. I…I just want something like this to develop, ah, normally. I feel like if I read his thoughts I would have an edge on him. It isn't fair," Cait declared fiercely.
Fiona smiled at Cait and leaned up to press her weathered lips to Cait's smooth cheek.
"You've a heart of gold, Cait Gallagher. I'm as proud of you as if you were one of my own."
Cait blushed at Fiona's words and ducked her head. "It's hard. I really want to," she whispered.
"That's normal. You choose to use your gifts wisely. Come see me next week. I think it is time we started to investigate the depths of what you can do."
Cait felt a tremor shoot through her. She felt like she'd come to terms with her gift as it was. She controlled it and had built her own shields and boundaries to manage it. Fear gripped her at the thought of examining it. Would it be like opening the floodgates?
"I…I don't think that I am ready for that," Cait admitted.
"Nobody is, my dear. Nobody ever is. To ignore it would be careless though. Just look at Margaret," Fiona said as she nodded to her daughter.
Cait turned to watch Margaret, Keelin's mother, who had flown from Boston for the wedding. It was her first time coming home since she had left Ireland and her gifts before Keelin had been born. Dropping her shields, Cait reached out with her mind to do a quick scan of Margaret's. She found a warmth and lightheartedness there that was deeply covered by bitterness, sadness, and a touch of regret. As if sensing the mental intrusion, Margaret turned and made eye contact with Cait. Cait broke away and turned to help the caterers with the first order of food.
Fiona eyed her daughter sadly. "She's deeply unhappy, you know. No amount of material possessions nor her diehard work ethic and fabulous career will make up for her disconnection with her soul. You're heading that way yourself. Come, next week." This time it was a command and Cait sighed heavily.
Just what she needed, Cait thought. She had enough on her mind with running a fulltime business as well as trying not to think about Shane. The last thing she wanted was to rip the Band-Aid off the gaping sore of her magickal powers. Cait smiled and waved to a friend and strode across the grass to give her a hug. Within moments, Cait was swept into the crowd of mostly familiar faces.
Within the hour, the crowd was feasting on some of the finest Irish fare that Cait had enjoyed in years. She groaned as she pushed her plate away and laid a hand on her stomach. Turning, she laughed at Keelin and rolled her eyes. Keelin leaned close and grabbed her arm.
"Who is the bitch that's with Shane?" Keelin asked.
Cait huffed out a laugh and raised her eyebrows at Keelin. "Should you be swearing on your wedding day?"
"It's my day, I can do what I want." Keelin raised her head haughtily.
"I don't know. And I don't care," Cait said as she stuck her chin up.
"Liar. Ask him to dance."
"I will do no such thing. I…listen, I'll tell you later. But I kind of kicked him out of the pub last night. I promise. We'll talk. Not now. Smile, Fiona is about to toast you," Cait said to distract her and Keelin smiled but pinched her arm and gave her a warning look. Cait suspected that she would be getting a phone call within a day or two to discuss full details.
Moments later, the band struck up in song and the guests all stood to clear the tables and make room on the dance floor. Cait tapped her foot to the beat and leaned back in her chair to smile at the couples already dancing on the floor. A mingling of ages from a small toddler bouncing erratically to a couple who had recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary stepped to the lively Irish tune. The sun had set an hour ago and the light of soft lanterns illuminated the tent. Cait clapped as Keelin and Flynn stepped onto the floor for their first dance. She got up to join the ring around them and cheered loudly when Flynn dipped Keelin for a lingering kiss. Cait caught Shane's eyes across from the happy couple. His gaze was mulish and Cait lifted her chin and turned to the old man next to her.
"Mr. Murray, can you keep up with me?" Cait loved to dance and the old man laughed at her.
"I think the question is if you can keep up with me, Cait Gallagher."
Mr. Murray swept her onto the floor and soon the tent was a blur of movement and laughter. Cait's wine glass was repeatedly refilled and she drank with abandon, as she wasn't driving this evening. The night took on a warm haze, and Cait felt her cheeks heat with excitement and exertion. Thanking her latest dance partner, she made a move to find water when a slow dance started.
Patrick stepped forward and stopped her from leaving the floor.
"Can I have this dance?"
Cait gave him a meaningful look. Helpless not to, she glanced across the room and saw Shane standing with the blonde next to the dance floor, whispering into her ear.
"Fine, but this means nothing. I swear that I will fire you in a heartbeat if you try anything funny," Cait whispered to Patrick and saw a huge smile light the young man's face.
"I promise. I'm just trying to make that girl jealous," Patrick said and nodded to where a pretty brunette stood talking to a group of guys. Cait saw the girl glance quickly at Patrick and Cait had to laugh. Funny how things worked sometimes.
"Okay, fair enough. But…I still think you should plow through that group of guys and take her onto the dance floor," Cait advised as Patrick led her to the floor and pulled her into his arms.
"Oh, I plan to. First, I need to see if she even notices me," Patrick said.
Cait didn't have to read the girl's mind to know that she was interested in Patrick, but feeling loose, she allowed her shields down and took a quick scan of her mind. A veil of red jealously hit her and Cait huffed out a small laugh.
"Oh, yeah, you'll be just fine. I saw her looking at you," Cait said quickly. She smiled brilliantly up at the young man and allowed him to pull her a little closer. It was nice to dance closely wi
th someone, Cait thought, and purposely kept her eyes on Patrick's face. Her insides churned as she thought about Shane leaving with the cute blonde. She was everything that Cait wasn't. Blonde, tall, with curves to make every man drool. Cait tried to tell herself that she had her own charm but next to the blonde, Cait was quite certain she looked like a little boy. Patrick pulled her a little closer and her body began to warm against him. The combination of too much wine, Patrick's expert dancing, and the closeness of the crowd was making her dizzy. The song ended shortly and Patrick stepped back, lifting her hand for a gentlemanly kiss.
"Go get her, tiger," Cait whispered. She needed a moment of fresh air and quickly slipped through the crowd to leave the tent. Without hesitation, she stripped off her nice shoes and walked into the fields, allowing the cool grass to brush against her legs. The night was clear and a soft breeze blew in from the ocean. Light from the full moon kissed the hills and emblazoned a trail across the ocean to the cove. Entranced, Cait crossed the field quickly until she stood close to the edge of the jagged cliffs that hugged the waters of the cove. The water here was dark and Cait looked up again at the bright moon. Though her brain was fuzzy with wine, she was fairly certain that there should be some sort of reflection off of the water below.
A shiver ran through Cait. There was something about the cove that made her want to dive from the cliffs and swim deep into the dark water. The waters held a siren song for Cait and she'd always avoided the cove for that very reason. Cait lived her life by some very strict and necessary rules. Answering a siren's call didn't fall into those categories for her.
A hand grabbed her arm and wrenched her back from the edge. Cait shrieked as she was pulled against what felt like a brick wall of muscle. Without thinking, she turned and slapped the person.
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