“Have a nice dance, princess?” Aden cocked a brow in her direction and then spun on his stool to face her. “Not much work being done.”
“Spying?”
“Just happened to be walking by.”
“For your information I was working. I was busy doing what you asked. So you’re welcome.”
“Really?” He bit his tongue to keep from blurting out anything asinine. She didn’t deserve his jealousy or his judgement.
“Yeah. I am on to something, I think. I told Kenan that the bride is into folklore and star-crossed lovers. She won’t just pick a place because it’s beautiful. It has to have a story. Broken hearts. Underdogs. Character. Whimsy.”
Aden sat up straighter on his stool as she slid onto the one next to him. “That’s really brilliant.”
“And you said that with loads of surprise.” She shot him the familiar look of playful annoyance she always reserved for him.
“Sorry.” He dipped his head low in an apology. “I didn’t mean it like that. I shouldn’t have underestimated you. Of course you’d figure something out. Of course he’d do what you asked if you gave him that look.”
“What look?”
“You know.”
“I don’t.” She tossed her hands up and huffed.
“When your head is kind of down but your eyes are up, like you’re looking from under those lashes of yours. You do that thing with your mouth; it’s like a pout but a smile too. That dimple comes out. I think you could negotiate peace on earth if you did that to the right people.” His eyes were fixed on her until she finally breathed. It was enough to spook him and send him clearing his throat and looking away. “So what did he tell you?”
“Nothing yet. He alluded to the fact that Gallamare had plenty that would fit the bill. I’ll find out more tonight.” She waved down the bartender and placed an order.
“Tonight?”
“Yes, that thing that comes after twilight and before the sunrise. Tonight.”
“You’re spending the night with him?”
Maribel rolled her eyes and waved the idea off. “I’m not going to let you make this into something scandalous. You wanted my help. I’m going to get you some information. We’ll find out what happened to Elsie Cavanaugh and how Junie’s dad might be involved. You’ll need to scope out the cemetery before and find where her grave is. We’re walking there tonight. This way I can make sure we pass it and I can ask some questions.”
“You think you’re going to go walking in the cemetery at night with this guy? Are you nuts?”
“Will you make up your mind? Do you want my help or what? Just find Elsie’s grave and draw me a map. I’ll get him there and start asking questions.”
“I’ll do more than scope it out. I’m going to be there too.” He laughed a humorless little chuckle and folded his arms across his chest.
“I don’t think Kenan will be quite as chatty if you’re butting in every two seconds having a dick measuring contest.”
“We wouldn’t need to measure. It would be very apparent just by eye that I’d win.”
“You are hopeless. Why are you making a big deal out of it? I’ll fill you in when I get back to the hotel, or in the morning. Whichever comes first.”
She was needling him now. He knew she had no intention of hooking up with Kenan. That wasn’t her style. Maribel was a good girl with a big heart. Though apparently it was broken. Maybe that meant she’d do things outside her normal character. Maybe she wouldn’t be back until the sun came up. The thought made him queasy.
“He won’t know I’m there but I’m going to be watching. You aren’t going to walk around a graveyard at night with some man you don’t know. Not without me watching.”
“I get it. Voyeurism is your thing. Good for you. But I’d prefer not to have you lurking around on my date.”
“Date?”
“Date.”
“So you are dating him?” The bartender brought Aden another beer, and he grabbed for it quickly, spilling some white froth over the edge of the glass.
“You’re the one who doesn’t do labels, right? I don’t have a fear of commitment, so I will date who I want. Just leave this alone, Aden. I’ve got it under control. I can take care of myself.”
“He doesn’t have good intentions. You know what he’s got to be planning. It’ll start slow. He’ll tell you how beautiful you are. If he’s not a creative man, he’ll comment on your eyes, the way they flutter and sparkle. If he is, he’ll notice instead the way you lick your lips when you’re nervous. Then it’ll be a little touch. He’ll give you his coat and help you slip it on, even lift your hair off your neck for you. Mark my words, that man has a plan.”
“And what makes you think I’m planning anything different? I’m a grown woman. I can do what I like. Find something to do tonight because I swear if I see you in that graveyard, I’ll make sure you end up being a permanent resident there.”
“It’s a bad idea.”
“You called it brilliant a minute ago.”
“You know what I mean. Are you doing this just to punish me?”
Maribel let out a small laugh. “Believe it or not, Aden, I don’t do everything in my life with you in mind. You made it pretty clear I shouldn’t factor you in at all. I’m here trying to make sure my friend’s wedding is perfect. Gallamare might be a part of that. We’re going to finish up this week, fly home, and go back to pretending we’re strangers in the office.”
“That’s what you want? Don’t you miss laughing and talking? Don’t you miss what we had?” He felt a dagger pierce his chest as her face crumpled in pain.
“You’re an idiot, Aden. A truly colossal buffoon. How could you ask me a question like that?” She took her mostly full beer and upended it on to his lap. The cold shocked him but not more than the fire burning in her eyes as she did it.
“Stay away tonight. I mean it.”
Chapter 14
Maribel
* * *
That bastard. How dare he ask her if she missed what they had? Of course she did. There hadn’t been another man in Maribel’s life who had seemed to understand her the way Aden did. He was in so many ways exactly what she thought she wanted. Things between them were effortless. They moved through their days like a river sweeps through a forest. Always in the same direction, always at breakneck speed. The bridge between friends and lovers seemed inevitable, but he jumped off the side.
Maribel had fought the demons of her past. The voices that said she was not enough. The companies that laid her off, not because she was a bad employee but because she was quiet or not social enough. It took Aden, egging her on, yanking her out of her shell, to make her realize what she could offer. Hugo, her new boss, had believed in her until she believed in herself. Junie, her new dear friend, had trusted her with secrets and confessions. Maribel had come into her own, and Aden had been a huge part of that. Imagining her days without him was daunting, but facing him every day once he knew how she felt was suffocating. Completely lose/lose.
She changed into jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt, casually sending the message to Kenan that she was not dressing up for him. What a balancing act. Pretending it was a date to piss Aden off but making sure it was obvious to Kenan she wasn’t looking for more. She wondered when her life had gotten so complicated. But she knew that answer. When she fell for Aden.
“You look good.” Kenan put a hand on the small of her back as they walked out the lobby of the hotel. She wouldn’t give Aden the satisfaction of appearing like she was looking for him. If he was sitting there, he could stay right where he was.
“Thanks. I figured if we’re going ghost hunting I better put my hair up.”
“Sneakers were a good idea too, in case you have to run away.”
Her brows knit together as she wondered for a second what he meant.
“I’m sorry.” Kenan slapped a hand to his forehead. “I sounded like a creepy killer. I meant running from ghosts or zombies. If you’re not com
fortable, we can go somewhere more public. The graveyard, the star-crossed lovers, and sad stories was your idea. I’m just as happy to go have some leftover wedding cake from the kitchen.”
“It’s fine. Plus, I have about five weapons hidden on me if you try anything.” She nudged his ribs with her elbow. “So don’t.”
“Never.” He tossed his hands up disarmingly and grinned. “I’d imagine your friend Aden won’t be far off. He never seems to be.”
“I told him to stay clear of me tonight.”
“Does he usually?”
“So far the only time he’s avoided me was after he found out I had feelings for him. If I really wanted him to stay away, I should have proposed marriage, and he’d have left the country on the first flight out. But trust me, I’m not thinking of him at all tonight. I only want to hear what you have to say.”
“You really want to know all about sleepy old Gallamare?”
“Not me, my friend. The bride to be. She’s a funny girl. Curious. I want to be able to sell her on the location.”
“Because you want to come back and see me?”
Maribel gave a playful grin. “Because I think it’s a beautiful place with lots of history.”
“I can tell you about the fishing shacks and the big storm that swept half the boats out to sea never to be seen again. That was the turn of the century. There’s a statue in town. It has the list of forty names, men who were lost with their boats. Ireland has a rich history, but Gallamare is insulated. Self-sufficient. We fished and grew our food. Farmed livestock. The world outside seemed to change but we didn’t.”
They entered the large black gate with some Irish Gaelic writing on the stone arch above. “The graveyard overlooks the ocean?”
“When you live by the sea you want to be laid down next to it.” Kenan guided her through the overgrown path toward the peaceful grounds spotted with headstones. She knew from Aden’s directions where to find Elsie’s grave. He’d described it so well she could practically picture it. But the key was to make sure she wasn’t being obvious.
“It’s really peaceful here.” She drew in a deep breath as though she were completely relaxed. In reality her stomach was flopping around like a fish out of water. This was basically an undercover mission. She was practically a spy. Her hands began to sweat as her mind whirred with the pressure of it all. “Let’s go this way,” she blurted out in a demanding tone. Not smooth. Not cool or calm.
“All right.” Kenan shrugged, clearly not seeing all the red flags she’d been haphazardly throwing around. This was not her strength, but somehow they were making their way toward Elsie’s grave. “Oh,” Kenan said stopping abruptly. “Here’s a great one to tell your friend. Here lies Mr. and Mrs. O’Leery. Married eighty-one years and died one day apart.”
“How can someone be married eighty-one years?”
“I think it worked out well because for the last twenty Mr. O’Leery was blind and Mrs. O’Leery was deaf. They were married at fifteen. She passed one night in her sleep, he died the next day in his.”
“Are you making that up?” Maribel moved in closer to read the dates. Astonishingly, the math lined up.
“I used to deliver their newspaper every morning when I was young. Toward the end neither could read it, but they insisted I keep bringing it to the door. I think they liked seeing me in the morning.”
“Who wouldn’t?” She looked sweetly over her shoulder at him. This game was tricky, and the tightrope she was walking felt wobbly. “Show me more, I’m telling you the bride will go gaga for this.” She took his hand and led him down the path toward Elsie.
“There’s not much down this way,” he explained slowing up a bit. “A couple other men lost at sea. When you mix drinking and fishing it doesn’t always end well. There’s Mrs. Adelaide who used to walk the beach every night for twenty years waiting for her son to come home. It was sad.”
“You think so?”
“Do I think an old woman walking the beach alone waiting for her dead son is sad? Unequivocally yes. You’re telling me your friend will care about that?”
“Think about the legacy of it. The dedication it takes to show up somewhere every night just in case. It’s the long shot. The impossible. But you still come. It might be lost love, but it’s still love. Maybe the best testament there is.”
“You’re different.”
“Oh,” she said, brushing her fallen bangs off her face. “Yeah. I’m weird.”
“No, it’s nice. I’m a bit of a cynic now. I got it in my head that living here is a prison. Once you have that, it’s hard to wake up every day and not be pissy. I look at Gallamare as this sad place full of people who are stuck. People being married for decades, walking the beach for lost causes and it seems insane. You see this place and it’s . . .”
“Connected.” Maribel smiled up at him. “It’s all woven together like a blanket. Small, but warm.”
“Maybe I needed a fresh perspective. So thanks. A walk through the cemetery isn’t so weird.”
“What’s that one over there? It looks like a shrine, all those fresh flowers and statues.”
“The town sweetheart.” Kenan sounded somber as he reluctantly followed her. “Elsie Cavanaugh.”
“She died so young. Sixteen? What happened?” Maribel looped her arm through his hoping the intimacy of it would keep him talking.
“It was before I was born.” He shrugged and made a move to turn, but she held him there.
“But you must have heard stories? A young girl, the town sweetheart, I’m sure people talk. Look at all these flowers and trinkets. They’re fresh. People still come? She must have been very loved.”
“I can only tell you what I’ve heard. But there is something I need to confess first.” Kenan pulled away and tucked his hands in his pockets.
“What?” Maribel felt a flutter of panic set in.
“I’ve been working so hard to convince you to have the wedding here because we really need it. This town lives on a razor’s edge. If crops are bad or a storm washes the docks out, things get hard. Really hard. A wedding like you’re talking about would give life to this place. There are better locations in Ireland to be married, but this place needs it more than most. I just didn’t want you to think all the nice things I’ve been saying are a ruse. They’re mutually exclusive ideas of mine.”
A pang of guilt bolted through her chest. She’d only been looking at this from Junie’s perspective. What would the bride want? What would make her feel good? But Maribel hadn’t looked up long enough to realize how important it might be for the town of Gallamare to host such an event.
“I’m sorry,” she squeaked. “It must feel like I’ve been toying with you. I promise that’s not my intention. I don’t want to screw this up for my friend. I feel a lot of pressure to get this right. She’s done so much for me, and if all goes right, she only gets one wedding. But I wasn’t trying to make this into some game show style audition.”
“I didn’t feel that way. You’re trying to do what’s best for your friend. I just figured it was time I fessed up. If the wedding were here, it would help. That doesn’t change the fact that I’ve really enjoyed hanging out together. Just tell me how to sway you.”
“Tell me what happened to Elsie,” Maribel said, gesturing over to her headstone. “I need to paint a picture for the bride. If someone here was loved this much, it must have been a real loss.”
Kenan took a knee and righted a small arrangement of flowers that had blown over. “Apparently she was brilliant. There was talk she’d be a doctor. Go to the States, get a degree, then come back and keep all the townspeople heathy. Beautiful lass, smart as a whip, loyal to the place she was born. She had the voice of an angel and sang in the choir at church. Gallamare was counting on her. I can relate to the amount of pressure involved in that.”
“And she got sick?”
“Poisoned.” Kenan dusted off the top of the headstone with his hand.
“Who poisons a girl
loved by everyone?”
“A monster. Elsie fell in love with some penniless fool. A dreamer. He fancied himself an inventor, but he was nothing more than the village idiot. She fell pregnant. He didn’t want her to have the baby. He gave her something that was supposed to take care of it, but it didn’t work out that way. Instead it killed her.”
“No.” Maribel felt her knees turn to jelly and then clunk together as she tried to stay upright. Somehow she had wanted to believe this was just some misunderstanding. But hearing the story, she knew there would be no way Junie could come to town. No way Junie could ever hear what the people in her father’s hometown knew about him.
“He fled to the United States.”
“But they never came for him? They never arrested him?”
“Not enough evidence. Ask anyone in town, and they’ll tell you he did it. But he ran off somewhere, and who knows what he went on to do, how many more people he hurt.” Kenan touched the stone one more time and then stood. “I’m sure that’s not the kind of story your bride was looking for. Forget all this. Meet me tomorrow morning, and I’ll show you the real Gallamare. The parts you can’t help but fall in love with.”
He reached out his hand, but she hesitated. There would be no more forward path. Anything she did would be giving him false hope. Junie and Hugo couldn’t be married here. She couldn’t gallivant around town, holding his hand and leading him on. There was no room to have feelings for Kenan. Not while Aden was in her life.
“We should get back now.” She pushed her long hair behind her ears and looked at him gently. “I’ll sleep on it and get back to you in the morning.”
“If the charm of Gallamare isn’t enough, I’ll make sure mine is.”
Chapter 15
Aden
* * *
Waiting was agony. He’d expected Maribel by now and Aden was ready to start a damn search party with the intention of beating the hell out of Kenan if needed. Or maybe just for fun. As he opened his hotel room door to find her, he jumped back. She was there. Sitting against the wall with her knees to her chest staring up at the ceiling.
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