The Mystic Cove Series Boxed Set (Wild Irish Books 5-7)

by Tricia O'Malley

  When was the last time she had laughed so freely? Margaret loved her life in Boston, but she hadn’t realized just how uptight she had been. She was always so focused on putting out the next fire at her business that she never really took much down time to relax or have fun.

  And wouldn’t having fun be a nice change of pace?

  “Where are we going?” Margaret asked as they walked to the garage – then gasped when the door opened up to reveal a spiffy red two-seater convertible. “Sean!”

  “Aye, a man has to have some toys, doesn’t he?” Sean said with a wink, coming around to open the door for Margaret. She laughed as she slid onto the soft leather seats, admiring the contrast of cream-colored leather with the red of the car's exterior.

  “Why, you match!” Sean exclaimed, laughing as he slid into the driver's seat.

  “I guess it was meant to be,” Margaret said flippantly, then found herself biting her tongue.

  “I think we’ve always known that,” Sean said, keeping his eyes on the rearview mirror as he reversed from the garage. Margaret found herself shivering at his words.

  “Whoa,” Margaret laughed as they zoomed away from his driveway, Sean obviously speeding a bit to show off. Smiling at her, he slowed down to a more sedate speed as they cruised through his neighborhood.

  “Want to take a drive out along the water before dinner?” Sean asked and Margaret nodded.

  “That’d be nice.”

  They lapsed into comfortable silence as the wind whipped through her hair and Sean steered the car away from the city centre. Sean flicked on the radio as they cruised along the water’s edge, the sun’s light warm on their shoulders, the lilting Irish accent of the radio announcer soothing Margaret.

  Maybe she could do this.

  “I hope you like Mediterranean,” Sean said over the wind as he left the shore drive and turned the snappy little convertible back towards the city.

  “I do,” Margaret said, surprised that he had picked one of her favorite choices.

  “Good,” Sean said, a smile flashing across his face.

  “I have to admit. I love this car,” Margaret said, laughing over at him. There was something so freeing about driving around with the top down, zipping past people. It was fun. She really needed to have more fun in her life.

  They pulled up at a funky little restaurant with lively music playing from speakers outside and windows left open to catch the breeze. Sean got out and tossed the keys to the valet, who smiled graciously at him, then came around to open Margaret’s door for her.

  “Madam,” the valet said with a smile, and Margaret smiled automatically.

  Madam.

  Didn’t that just put her right back in her place? Margaret shook her head as she rounded the car to meet Sean. She was almost fifty years old, for Christ’s sake. What was she doing tooling around in a convertible and giggling like a schoolgirl? Reminding herself to keep it in check, she smiled politely as the hostess led them to a wide leather booth tucked in a private alcove. The scents from the kitchen already had her mouth watering.

  “Sean, this place is great,” Margaret said, turning to scan the restaurant. It was sleek and modern, with a lot of metal and white wood, but somehow it still gave off a cozy charm.

  “Yes, Dublin’s really come into its own over the past twenty years or so. The art scene is really lovely, more musical acts, and the restaurants are great.”

  “You go to art galleries?” Margaret said, raising an eyebrow at him while smiling at the waiter who approached their table.

  “Well, Margaret, you know that Aislinn is a famous artist. I’m sure I’m not as classy as you are, but I can still appreciate art,” Sean said stiffly before turning to address the waiter. Margaret shot a puzzled glance at him before berating herself for being a snob. The Sean she had known years ago couldn’t afford art galleries. It was clear that a lot had changed since then.

  Margaret waited until they ordered drinks before reaching out to put her hand on Sean’s arm.

  “I’m sorry. That came across as snobby,” she said quietly, meeting his eyes.

  “I suppose that we have a lot to learn about each other,” Sean said.

  “I suppose we do,” Margaret said softly, smiling when the waiter re-appeared at their table and poured two glasses of red wine.

  “Tell me about your business,” Sean said, smoothly moving on; Margaret was grateful that he hadn’t stayed angry.

  “You really want to know?” Margaret asked, taking a sip of her wine and watching Sean carefully. The men she dated back in Boston usually spent most of the evening talking about their own businesses and just how successful they were. It was a refreshing change to be asked about her business.

  “Of course I do. I want to know everything about you,” Sean said, his words seeming to caress her body with their meaning. Margaret felt a shiver whisper through her and she took another sip of her wine to wet her suddenly dry mouth.

  “Well, it’s real estate, as you know,” Margaret said.

  “I know. I’m so glad that you didn’t give up on that dream,” Sean said, smiling at her.

  “Thank you, I am as well,” Margaret said, smiling back at him. The conversation lulled as they put their food order in.

  “Go on,” Sean said after the waiter had left. He handed her the bread basket and Margaret found herself dipping a crusty piece of warm bread in oil, eating it without giving any thought to calories or her waistline, something she never overlooked back in Boston.

  “I started off with just one client at a time. My cousin let me stay for a while with Keelin and she was a great help. I’ll forever be indebted to her.”

  “I should’ve been there to help,” Sean said softly, regret passing across his handsome features.

  Margaret waved the bread in her hand at him.

  “I think that I needed to do it on my own. Though my heart was broken at the time, I needed to see what I was made of. And one client turned into five and slowly expanded until now I have fifty agents working under me. I barely have time to even show houses anymore, I’m so busy running the business,” Margaret laughed.

  “Your heart was broken?” Sean asked, zeroing in on the admission Margaret had made.

  Margaret felt her cheeks warm and she turned away for a moment, taking another sip of her wine.

  “It was. At least for the feelings I had for you at that time. I don’t know if it was love or if it was just the raw emotion of youth, but I pined for you for a long time. I won’t lie,” Margaret said on a shrug, taking another sip of her wine and watching Sean’s expression from under lowered eyelids.

  “I was heartbroken when you left as well. I was all but blinded by my depression. I lost myself in my drink, barely surfacing but to get out on the boat, returning directly to the pub after work each day. Fiona was the one who pulled me out of it,” Sean admitted.

  “You drank too much?” Margaret asked, tilting her head.

  “Aye, it was my only outlet. Until Fiona basically said I needed to get busy living or just finish myself off. It was a right kick to the head that I needed,” Sean said.

  “And so you met your wife,” Margaret said, encouraging the conversation, though she was surprised to find the thought of him taking a wife still stung.

  “I did. It…it was foolish of me. We were never a good match. She’s a good woman and she put up with me far longer than she should have. But she knew that my heart wasn’t in it. I suppose we both thought we could make a go of it. And when the twins came…well. What else was there to do?” Sean asked, shrugging his shoulders.

  “I can understand that,” Margaret said and Sean looked at her in relief.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Children change everything. I can see where you would just try to hold on and give them a good life,” Margaret said. As a parent, she truly did understand where Sean was coming from.

  “Well, it still didn’t last all that long. We ended up separating when they were teena
gers,” Sean said, running his fingers over a crease in the tablecloth.

  “That had to have been tough,” Margaret said.

  “It was. Aislinn wanted little to do with me. It’s taken a while to get back into her good graces. Colin was a little more understanding. Now I’ve got another daughter to work on a relationship with. Seems like parenting never ends, does it?”

  “No, it doesn’t. Keelin seems to be pretty responsive to the two of you having a relationship,” Margaret said carefully, not wanting to reveal any of Keelin’s private views of Sean.

  “She does. And, I’m grateful at that. We’re figuring it out. I’m glad that she and Aislinn have become friends. I think that has really helped Keelin and me to strengthen our relationship as well,” Sean smiled as the waiter brought them a steaming platter of meats, accompanied by two more platters of olives, cheese, hummus, and fruits. Margaret laughed at all the food.

  “I think there’s enough here to feed ten people,” Margaret gushed.

  “You’ll love it,” Sean guaranteed.

  And love it she did. The whole night, in fact. After a few stumbling blocks where they touched on the awkward areas in their past, Margaret was surprised to find that they had a lot in common – from owning their own businesses to a shared love of Bruce Springsteen – and by the time they pulled up to his house, Margaret was relaxed and laughing.

  “I can’t believe you ordered dessert,” Margaret laughed and put her hand across her stomach where she was certain her tummy strained against her skirt.

  “It was worth it, wasn’t it?” Sean said, smiling at her as he jumped out of the car and rounded the convertible to hold her door open. Margaret got out and brushed past him, feeling his nearness like a palpable wave across her body.

  “It certainly was decadent,” Margaret agreed, waiting as he unlocked the front door and immediately bent to pet an excited Baron.

  “I’ve just got to get him his dinner,” Sean explained and Margaret followed him to the kitchen, pulling herself onto one of the stools at the counter. She watched as he went through what was clearly a dinner ritual of sit, stay, roll over with Baron.

  “That’s cute,” Margaret observed.

  “Ah, just a little thing we do,” Sean said, his cheeks a bit pink at her appraisal.

  “Baron must be good company,” Margaret observed, turning slightly to scan the empty walls. “No girlfriends to keep you company?” she asked, not meeting his eyes but really wanting to know the answer.

  “Ah, there have been some. Nobody special though,” Sean said and Margaret felt a little wave of relief go through her.

  “I can tell you're single,” she said, gesturing to the blank walls. Confusion crossed Sean’s face before he realized what she meant.

  “Aye, I keep meaning to put pictures up but always forget to. Business keeps me pretty busy,” he admitted, coming around to where Margaret sat and standing by her stool.

  “You work tomorrow?” Margaret asked, barely daring to breathe; his closeness put her on edge.

  “I do. Would you like to come out on the boat with me?” Sean asked.

  Margaret glanced up at him in surprise. “Fishing?”

  “No, one of the tour boats. Unless you’ve an interest in fishing?” Sean said, laughing down at her.

  “A tour would be nice,” Margaret said and then felt herself stiffening when Sean reached out and touched the back of her chair, turning the stool until her legs caught on his and he stood between them. Margaret blushed at the intimacy, unsure if she was ready for this, surprised at how quickly her body seemed to respond to him.

  “Ah, Maggie,” Sean said, bringing his forehead to hers before brushing his lips softly against hers, his hands running up her arms.

  Margaret didn’t know why his touch made her want to weep. There was so much history with him, she wasn’t sure they could go back. Pressing back, Margaret allowed herself to be taken under in the kiss, moaning softly in protest when he broke the kiss. Gathering herself, she pulled back to meet the question in his eyes.

  And came to a resolution.

  “Thank you for dinner. I really am tired, it was a late night last night with Keelin’s wedding,” Margaret said, withdrawing from his touch and putting her emotional boundaries back up. Disappointment flashed through his eyes before he nodded and stepped back.

  “Do you need anything? There are towels in the bathroom. A glass of water?”

  “Water would be nice, thank you,” Margaret said, staying quiet as he filled a glass and carried it back to where she stood.

  “We could be really great – if you let us,” Sean said softly, looking down at Margaret. She felt her heart squeeze as she gently took the glass of water from him, his skin brushing against hers shaking her resolve.

  “I’m not the person that I used to be. I don’t make rash decisions anymore,” Margaret said, shrugging one shoulder, but refusing to change her position.

  “I guess I can understand that. Sweet dreams, pretty Margaret,” Sean said, reaching up to run a finger down her cheek before whistling to Baron as he stepped to the back door. “Wake me if you need anything.”

  Margaret swallowed against a lump in her throat as she made her way down the hallway. Was she making a mistake? Her heart screamed at her to go back and jump the man, but her backbone – one which she’d honed to a steel – forced her to continue her march to the bedroom.

  She’d already had one life-changing moment with this man. Margaret wasn’t sure her heart could handle another.

  Chapter 28

  “Tea’s on,” Sean called, knocking softly at her door and Margaret pulled the pillow from over her head and groaned.

  “What time is it?” she grumbled.

  “Half six,” Sean called cheerfully through the door and Margaret groaned again. Half six meant it was around 12:30 in the morning back in Boston. She sighed and swung her legs from the bed, moving to use the en suite bathroom.

  What was she complaining about anyway? It wasn’t like she’d gotten much sleep. If Margaret thought her dreams about Sean the night before had been vivid, last night’s dreams stole the show. Knowing that he was just feet from where she tried to sleep had heightened the experience and Margaret had woken more than once on a cry of pleasure, imagining his hands on her. She shook her head as she stepped into the shower, praying that her voice had been quiet enough so as not to waken Sean. Margaret wasn’t sure she would be able to face him today if he had heard her.

  After a peek out the window, Margaret decided on jeans and a deep blue lightweight sweater over a white silk t-shirt. Knowing how the winds could shift on the water, she wanted to be prepared. Taking one spin in the mirror, Margaret had to agree with Keelin.

  Jeans did make her butt look good.

  Margaret opened the door to find Baron waiting for her. The small dog wiggled in joy and rolled over on his back, immediately charming her.

  “Well, aren’t you just the sweetest thing,” Margaret cooed, bending to scratch Baron’s belly. The mismatched little mutt was really starting to grow on her and she wondered if she could manage to care for a dog and run a business.

  “Sure and he gets all the love this morning? Where are my belly scratches?” Sean asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he cooked eggs at the stove.

  Margaret was surprised to find herself laughing at him again and on impulse, she rounded the corner and brushed her lips over his cheek.

  “Sure now you kiss me when I’ve got me hands full of eggs and a hot pan,” Sean growled and Margaret laughed again, moving past him to sit at the counter and pour a cup of breakfast tea from the cheerful red pot that sat on the counter.

  “Just keeping you on your toes,” she said lightly, adding cream and sugar to her tea and stirring with a spoon. Taking a small sip, Margaret watched Sean work in the kitchen. He moved with ease, transferring the eggs, buttering the toast, pulling out a jar of jam. Margaret was startled to realize she had never had a man cook for her before. It was a surpris
ingly nice experience.

  “Ah, I’d jump through hoops for you all day, Maggie girl,” Sean said smoothly, turning to slide a heaping plate of eggs and toast across the counter to her. Margaret laughed down at it and then up at him.

  “I usually just have tea and fruit for breakfast. This is a lot of food,” she explained.

  “Oh. I have fruit. Do you want fruit? Let me get it,” Sean said, and Margaret rushed to stop him as he bustled around the kitchen to look in the fridge for his fruit.

  “No, really, this is great. Thank you,” Margaret said shyly, finding his eagerness endearing. Scooping up a bite of eggs, she began to work her way through the mound of food on her plate.

  “We’ve got two tours today, but I’ll only be heading up the morning one. Then I’ll need to spend some time in the office so you can either hang out or – maybe you feel like walking around Dublin? Doing some shopping? Then I figured we’d catch dinner again, or I could cook something here,” Sean said, excitement ringing through his voice as he offered up all his options to her on a platter.

  He’s really lonely, Margaret realized with a sudden twist in her gut. She could feel it emanating from him in thick waves.

  “Sure, I’d like that. No need for shopping, I can just hang around,” Margaret said. Boston had some of the best shops in the world lining Newbury Street so she wasn’t too concerned with adding more to her closet.

  “Alright, let me just get Baron ready to go,” Sean said, pushing away from the counter and putting his dish in the sink.

  “Baron goes with you?”

  “Of course,” Sean said, shaking his head at her.

  “Of course,” Margaret echoed, rising from her chair. “I’ll get the dishes then.”

  “Thanks, I’d appreciate that,” Sean sounded relieved as he stepped away from the sink. Margaret just shook her head.

  Men would do anything to get out of doing the dishes.

  Margaret sighed when she opened the cupboard and realized that the two plates she had just washed were his only plates. Curious she opened another cupboard door to find a mismatched array of glasses lining the shelves. Shooting a glance over her shoulder to see if Sean was looking at her, she ducked her head into a few more cabinets and came up, surprised at the complete lack of kitchenware.