She sighed. The O’Briens would definitely be an entirely different kettle of fish. “You might have a point about that,” she conceded. “Still, there’s a picnic table around back. Why don’t we go out there and discuss this? We can decide how we want to handle all the likely family interference.”
Thomas nodded. “Fair enough.”
Of course, what Connie hadn’t considered was that the picnic table was in clear view of Jake’s office window. They’d barely taken a sip of their coffee or a bite of their croissants before her brother rounded the building, a scowl on his face.
“Back again, I see,” he said to Thomas, his tone unfriendly.
“Jake!” Connie warned.
“I’m just wondering why he’s suddenly around here so much,” Jake said, his combative gaze never leaving Thomas’s face.
“You know we’re working together on foundation business,” she said, determined to keep up the appearance that their meetings were perfectly innocent.
“And I’ve been dating your sister,” Thomas said, ignoring her hint.
“Thomas!” she protested.
Jake sat down, looking stunned by the unexpected admission of the truth. He turned on her. “Is he serious? The two of you have been dating?”
“We’ve been out a couple of times,” she acknowledged.
“But he’s Mick’s brother,” he said as if there were a crime in that.
Thomas chuckled. “I can see why you might find that worrisome.”
“Oh, can you now?” Jake said sarcastically. “That makes you way too old for my sister.”
Connie frowned at him. “And exactly how old is too old?” she demanded. “Two years? Ten? Twenty? Do you even know how old Thomas is? Do you even care that after Sam, who had the maturity of a gnat, I might want a man in my life who knows who he is and what he wants?”
Jake looked deflated. “I’m just worried about you, sis. I know you’ve been lonely for a long time, and even more so now that Jenny’s gone to college. I don’t want anyone taking advantage of your vulnerability.”
She scooted closer on the bench and hugged him. “No one on earth could have had a better brother all these years, but it’s time for me to start living my life, Jake. I can make my own decisions about who’s right for me.”
“And you think Thomas is?” he asked skeptically.
“I don’t know yet.” She looked across the table and into Thomas’s clear blue eyes. “But I do want to find out.”
“And I assure you, Jake, I’m not playing games here,” Thomas said. “I don’t know where this is going, but your sister is the first woman in a long time who’s made me want something more in my life. Believe me, I thought long and hard before I asked her out. Nobody understands the family complications better than I do. We’ll have a few people on our side and a lot more who are as skeptical as you are, but I think we deserve to figure this out for ourselves, don’t you?”
Jake continued to look doubtful.
“I assure you that my intentions toward your sister are entirely honorable,” Thomas added persuasively. “I will do my very best never to do anything knowingly that will hurt her.”
Jake looked torn, but then he gazed directly into Connie’s eyes. “You want this?”
She nodded. “I want this.”
“Okay, then,” Jake said, looking reconciled, if not happy. “I’ll reserve judgment.” He scowled again at Thomas. “But if you hurt her…”
Thomas nodded. “Understood. I’ll need to watch my back.”
“Not your back,” Jake corrected. “You’ll see me coming.”
Connie noted the look of complete understanding that passed between the two most important men in her life. In some ways it made her want to shake her head in exasperation. In others, it made her feel cherished.
All in all, though, this potentially disastrous confrontation had gone a whole lot better than she’d anticipated. If they could get past the O’Brien gauntlet half as easily, they might actually have a shot at making this thing—whatever it was—last long enough to see if it could work out.
Will arrived at the inn around two o’clock to find Jess pacing around looking annoyed.
“Bad time?” he inquired.
“You’re late,” she accused.
“How could I be late? We didn’t set a time,” he reminded her. “I told you I’d stop by sometime this afternoon and we’d go for coffee or ice cream.” A probably inappropriate smile tugged at his lips. “Did you miss me?”
“No, I thought you’d stood me up after all,” she admitted. “I figured Jake and Mack had gotten through to you and convinced you I’m a bad bet.”
“No one could convince me of that,” he assured her.
“But they tried, didn’t they?”
“Do you really want me to say something that will encourage hard feelings among the three of you?” he asked.
She uttered a sigh of resignation. “I knew it. They wanted you to back off.”
“Wasn’t that the message Abby and your family were sending, as well?” he inquired reasonably.
“It’s different when it’s coming from Jake and Mack,” she said. “I don’t know how, but it is.”
Will resisted the desire to chuckle. “Is anyone else’s opinion really important? I’m here. Unless you’ve changed your mind, we’re going out.” He studied her intently. “Or did your family convince you that it’s a bad idea to date me? Is this really about you having second thoughts?”
She gave him an obviously exasperated look. “Oh, they’re not worried about me. It’s you they’re worried about. How’s that for ironic? I think everyone’s united on that front. It’s a little annoying, to be perfectly honest.”
“I can totally understand why you’d be annoyed. Let’s prove ’em all wrong.”
“Until we’ve run off and gotten married and celebrated our fiftieth anniversary, I think that’s going to be all but impossible,” she said wryly.
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” he said, holding her gaze.
She grinned. “How do you have so much faith in this when I’m scared to death?”
“I’ve had longer to get used to the idea,” he reminded her. “I was fourteen when I fell for you. You’ll catch up. Now, I vote we go for ice cream, but the decision is yours. Coffee or drinks are on the table, too, if you’d prefer.”
She looked intrigued. “My vote counts more?”
“On this date, it does.” He grinned, then warned, “It won’t always. We’re going to be very good at give-and-take.”
“Frankly, I’ve never enjoyed compromise,” she told him.
“You’ll learn,” he said, taking her hand in his. “It’s the basis of any successful relationship.”
“I’m an O’Brien. We like to win.”
“But there can be great rewards that come with compromise,” he assured her.
“Such as?”
“The first time you do it, I’ll show you,” he said with a wink.
She blinked, then laughed. “I’ll look forward to it.”
Jess wasn’t sure about the whole compromise thing, but she had to admit that spending the afternoon with Will had been more fun than she’d anticipated. Not once did she catch herself worrying about whether he was analyzing every word she said.
Eventually, when she said she needed to get back to the inn, he surprised her by asking if she could use an extra pair of hands.
“To do what?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Whatever you need. I’m not bad in the kitchen, if they need help in there, or I could wait tables or seat people.”
She regarded him with puzzlement. “Why would you do that?”
“Do you really need to ask? I want to spend more time with you. The inn matters to you, so it makes sense to me that I understand what goes on there.” He held her gaze. “And I like raiding that big old refrigerator with you. I thought maybe we could do it again when the restaurant closes down for the night.”
“You
’re after a free meal?” she teased. “Is that what this is about? I thought you were making money hand-over-fist with your practice and Lunch by the Bay.”
“Even without the promise of more of Gail’s incredible food, I’d want to stick around. You’re the draw, Jess. Just you.”
She blinked at the heartfelt sincerity in his voice. “Then, by all means, come back with me and hang out for as long as you want. I’ll find something for you to do.”
What intrigued her more than anything, though, was the unexpected image she had of what the rest of the night might hold.
Mick wasn’t entirely satisfied with the way they’d left things with Jess that morning. She’d gotten her knickers into a knot just because the family had shown a little interest in her relationship with Will. They probably should have known better than to gang up on her, but they’d only done it because they all cared. Why hadn’t she been able to see that?
After dinner, he and Megan were settled down for the evening when he stood up and announced, “I’m feeling a little restless. I think I’ll go for a walk. I won’t be long.”
Megan looked up from her book, her gaze instantly filled with suspicion. “You surely aren’t thinking of walking over to the inn, are you?”
“And what’s wrong with dropping in on our daughter, making sure things are running smoothly over there?” he inquired testily.
His wife laughed. “As if the efficiency of the inn’s operation is on your mind!”
He frowned at her. “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
“You do realize that will tick Jess off just as much as if you walk in there with more questions about Will on the tip of your tongue? I think she’s had her fill of family concern today.”
“I can handle Jess,” he claimed, knowing it was far from true. She was the most sensitive and defensive of all of his kids. If he’d had problems understanding Bree’s uncharacteristically shy, reticent nature, he’d been even more uneasy dealing with Jess’s difficulties. He’d lost patience far too many times when he should have been sympathetic and supportive.
He’d thought for a time that the diagnosis of mild attention deficit disorder had been nothing more than psychological mumbo jumbo, an attempt to explain away the fact that she’d been a crummy student. It had taken too long for him to accept that it was a real disorder that could affect the way she focused and handled things for the rest of her life. He hated himself for all the pressure he’d put on her to buckle down and fix something over which she had no control.
Now, he thought, was his chance to make up for some of that. He wanted her to know she had his support in whatever she did. If that meant stepping in and making sure this thing with Will turned out the way she wanted it to, he’d do that, though he doubted she’d appreciate the interference.
He realized that Megan was watching him with an exasperated expression.
“You’re going over there no matter what I say, aren’t you?” she said.
“I am. The only question is whether you want to come along with me.”
She sighed heavily. “Well, somebody has to keep you from making things worse,” she muttered as she put aside the book she’d been reading. “Let’s go.”
He grinned. “You can stay in the background if you want to. You don’t have to say a word.”
“I’ll do just that,” she said, then grinned. “At least until I have to save you from yourself.”
Will’s admiration for Jess had increased a thousand-fold over the course of the evening. She seemed to thrive on the mini-crises that crept up in the kitchen, on dealing with the sometimes outrageous demands of difficult guests. She appeared to be everywhere at once, chatting with a customer, filling a water glass, even clearing the occasional table. He wondered if it was the fact that she dealt with things in the moment that made it so much easier for her to stay focused.
He’d been pitching in wherever she asked him to, amused to find himself taking directions from Ronnie Forrest in the kitchen, a kid who, a few short weeks ago, had been within seconds of being fired. He knew Ronnie’s history of job failures and wondered if perhaps he had an undiagnosed case of ADD. Like Jess, now that he’d found his niche in the kitchen, he seemed to be thriving. Will had heard somewhere that quite a few chefs seemed to have attention deficit issues, but worked well in the chaos of a restaurant kitchen.
Now that the last of the customers had been served dessert, Gail and Ronnie were cleaning up in the kitchen, the tables in the dining room were being cleared and Jess was behind the front desk counting the night’s receipts. Will joined her.
“You’re good at this,” he said.
She glanced up and grinned. “I know. It’s pretty amazing when things go without a hitch.”
“What are you talking about? There were plenty of hitches tonight. There was that one woman who was dissatisfied with every meal the waitress brought her. I’d have dumped the last one on her head. I don’t know what you said to her, though, but she actually walked out of here smiling.”
“Oh, that’s Mrs. Timmons. She’s a widow living on a small pension. She really can’t afford to eat out much. It’s been a big adjustment for her. I don’t know if you noticed, but she ate a few bites of each of the two meals we took to her before she complained. Then I went over and offered to comp her dinner, since she wasn’t happy with it, and gave her a free dessert, as well. We both know what’s going on, but she salvages her pride and has a night out.”
Will regarded her with amazement. “Wouldn’t it just be cheaper to give her a gift certificate for a free meal, so she’s not running through two or three and sending them back?”
“That would be charity,” Jess said. “She’d never accept it. She needs to believe this is something we do to make things right because we’ve screwed up.” She shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I feel bad for her, especially since her husband died. Before that, he was always very generous with his tips, so in a way this is payback for his kindness to my staff. And I know how much she looks forward to coming here. The waitstaff knows what she’s up to, and they try to be kind to her.”
Will shook his head. “I hope word doesn’t get out about this little scam of hers. Everybody will be trying it.”
“I think all of us with restaurants in town understand her circumstances. We’ve all found ways to handle it so she’s not embarrassed.”
Will was about to say something more about her kindness when he glanced toward the front door and saw Mick and Megan entering. “Uh-oh,” he murmured, nodding in their direction.
Jess groaned. “Run,” she encouraged him. “There’s still time for a clean getaway.”
“And leave you here, defenseless? Not a chance.” He stood up straight and held out his hand as Mick approached. “Good evening, sir. How are you? Megan?” He kissed her cheek.
Megan chuckled. “What a surprise to find you here,” she said, her expression innocent.
“I’m sure,” Jess said wryly. “The real surprise is having the two of you drop in at this hour on a Saturday night. I thought newlyweds would have better things to do.”
“We’re just out for a stroll,” Mick claimed. “Thought maybe we could join you for a glass of wine.”
“Why don’t I give you a bottle to take home?” Jess suggested, her expression hopeful.
Mick frowned, clearly unamused. “Will, how about it? Can you stick around and join us?”
“I was planning to,” Will responded. “Jess, why don’t I get the wine? We can meet in the lounge. Last time I checked, it was empty.”
Mick studied him intently. “You seem to be making yourself right at home. You here a lot?”
“I have been recently,” Will said. “I’ll just go and get that wine. Excuse me.”
Mick followed right along behind him. “You’ll need help with the glasses, I’m sure.”
Will knew he’d be wasting his breath to argue. “Sure. An extra pair of hands is always helpful.” At the wine cooler he asked, “Do you
all prefer red or white?”
“White’s good,” Mick said. “So, Megan and I were at Brady’s last night when you and Jess were there.”
“Is that so?” Will said, as if it were news to him.
“Seemed like the two of you were on a date.”
“Not exactly.”
Mick frowned. “What does that mean—not exactly? You don’t know if it was a date? Seems to me a thing like that is usually pretty clear.”
“Jess dropped by my office earlier in the evening. We were talking and decided to have dinner. Does that qualify as a date?”
“It does in my book,” Mick said. “What exactly are your intentions toward my daughter?”
Will laughed. “Didn’t take you long to get to the point. I thought for sure you’d try to trick me into telling you what you want to know.”
Mick waved off the comment. “Megan’s the one who’s all about finesse and subtlety. I figure if I want to know something, the best way to find out is to ask. So, what’s going on between you and my daughter?”
Will knew Mick’s tactics well enough not to be offended by the direct approach. “With all due respect, I think that’s between Jess and me,” he said quietly. “However, I will say that I’ve been in love with your daughter for most of my life. I want a future with her. This is all a little new for Jess, though, so there’s no telling how it will turn out. I’d appreciate it if you’d let the two of us figure it out for ourselves.”
Mick looked momentarily taken aback by Will’s bluntness, but then he grinned. “You’ll be good for her, son. I just hope she doesn’t twist you up in knots along the way. Jess can be unpredictable.”
“It’s one of her greatest charms,” Will said.
“Now I know you’re a man in love,” Mick said, chuckling. “You need any help moving things along, you let me know. She’ll listen to me.”
Will gave him a bland look. “Really, sir?”
Again, Mick looked startled, but then he laughed. “Seems as if you have the whole family pegged.”
“I’ve had years to watch you all in action,” Will said. “And in case I haven’t mentioned it enough, I’m grateful for that. You’ve always made me feel welcome.”
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