A memory or two popped into her thoughts. Back in the days when Ron had seemed a different man, and Anna was young enough to enjoy everything, they’d had times like this. Anna might have been too little to remember, though. But Keela would never forget. She’d once come to America seeking her dream, she’d married and had a family...but it had all fallen apart. Now she was just starting to put her life back together as a confident, independent woman, and she wasn’t sure she could ever risk putting Anna, or herself, through anything as horrible as the divorce again.
Yet there was Daniel, making sure Anna could keep up with his slow pace, telltale sand on his arms and neck, evidence of their fun adventures by the sea. Anna’s unruly hair had come loose from the pigtails, making her look like a wild child. A completely happy wild child. Then there was Daniel with his bun-hugging jeans, soaked T-shirt and messed-up hair, looking sexy as hell.
Hadn’t the guy once saved a seal, a selkie? What could be sexier than that?
They reached the entrance to the old-time diner, a huge, happy-looking cartoon bee greeting them on the glass door. Daniel’s contented-looking eyes found hers and a tiny thrill settled behind her navel. Keela sucked in her stomach.
“Can we sit at the counter?” Anna blurted.
“Sure.” Daniel didn’t hesitate to answer but took his time changing the focus of his gaze from Keela to Anna. Maybe he’d felt something, too.
The guy did all the right things. Now all she had to do was convince herself to take a chance again.
“Hey, I’m buying, by the way.” Keela had tip money burning a hole in her pocket and couldn’t think of two more worthy people to spend it on.
Chapter Five
Keela’s phone rang on Sunday.
“Keela? It’s Maureen. I was so busy with the quilters yesterday I didn’t get a chance to tell you what great feedback I got from the hotel guests.”
It was noon and Keela had just made a peanut butter and blueberry jam sandwich for Anna, who sat happily at the kitchen table putting baked potato chips between the slathered slices of bread and crunching down.
“That’s wonderful.” She mindlessly walked to the couch and sat, happy for the news.
“They couldn’t say enough nice things about you. Evidently you have a gentle and healing touch.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, but thanks for letting me know.” It’d been good to put time on hold and perform the rites of relaxation and good health for her clients. She’d forgotten how good.
“I’d like to invite you to dinner tonight as my way of saying thanks,” Daniel’s mom was saying. “We close down the pub at five on Sundays so we can all have dinner together away from the restaurant guests. Can you come? We eat around six.”
Being invited to the Delaney Sunday dinner felt like an honor she was nowhere near worthy of, yet she’d heard the words and couldn’t think of anyplace she’d rather be, especially if Daniel would be there. “I’d love to.”
“Of course, Anna is invited, too.”
“That’s grand. Thanks so much.” She’d been so carried away by the invitation, she’d momentarily forgotten about the little one having a quiet chat with herself over lunch in the other room, who’d now gone conspicuously quiet.
“Daniel will come by to pick you up around five thirty.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary. I can drive over.”
“I know, but he wants to come get you.”
There was the part that tripped her up. Was Maureen arranging this between them, or was Daniel a willing participant? If so, why wasn’t he the one to call?
After having the nicest afternoon and early dinner with Daniel at the Busy Bee yesterday, he’d walked them both back to her car at the hotel parking lot, patted Anna’s head goodbye, then looked wistfully into Keela’s eyes and said good-night with a mere squeeze of her upper arm. Why would he want to drive over to pick her up when he’d obviously been keeping a safe distance between them?
Keela sensed he held back a lot where she was concerned. The fact she’d be returning to work on Monday and he’d be her boss again probably had a lot to do with his being cautious. Still, there were those moments when her gaze eagerly latched on to his. When all kinds of crazy thoughts flew through her mind and sensations through her body. Positive he’d felt something, too, she only wished she could figure out what kept him from acting on it.
Don’t push things. That was her takeaway after the dinner at her house, where she’d obviously made him uncomfortable. Then yesterday, there were times when it felt like they were one happy family—especially horsing around at the beach—and he seemed a completely willing participant. Yet others where she still sensed it was hard for him to interact with Anna.
Then he’d rushed an underwhelming goodbye in the parking lot. An arm squeeze?
Talk about mixed messages!
Now she’d been invited to the family dinner and she hadn’t a clue if Daniel had requested it or if he’d been coerced by his overeager mother to bring her. Though she’d clearly said otherwise. Still, confused or not, having dinner at the Delaney pub made Keela smile. She missed big family dinners.
She watched dust motes float in the sunlight through her front window and remembered the tour of the pub Padraig Delaney had taken her on the day of his eighty-fifth birthday. Tucked in the back corner of the hotel restaurant, where huge windows at the front and along all sides ensured gorgeous ocean views from every angle, were double doors. On the glass panels, classic cursive script spelled out Padraig’s on one side and Pub on the other. He’d swung the doors open to a beautiful midcentury modern version of a pub. Heavy with wood, the dated American-style bar was long and clean, with varnished oak floors and rows of round, dark wood tables and leather-topped stools. The actual bar was classic mahogany, but not ornate, and it was the only area that had high-backed stools that rested on top of small seventies-era checkerboard tile. The distinct aroma of beer had sat heavy in the room, and the head of the Delaney clan had been proud to point out the long row of draft beer dispensers, but also how he kept the sacred Guinness faucet separated from all the others.
“Biggest choice of beers in these parts,” he’d said, like a king in his castle.
Padraig had also bragged how he’d had the decorative round lights and four lamppost fixtures shipped all the way from County Sligo back home. She’d remembered seeing lights like those not so long ago along the River Fergus and on Parnell Street in Ennis, her hometown. He’d also mentioned how Maureen and Sean had insisted on adding tray ceilings to “class” the place up about twenty years back. Which did make the ceiling feel higher and, combined with the pub’s view, bigger.
The main difference from other Irish bars and Padraig’s Pub was the fact it wasn’t dark or dingy inside. That was thanks to three circular windows spaced out in the long outside wall, showcasing the Pacific Ocean just across the road.
Keela smiled and imagined having dinner with the Delaney family in the far back corner in the pub, where she’d noticed a long and weathered dining table. Sudden nostalgia for her family took hold and her eyes moistened. She’d left so much behind, but if she hadn’t ventured to California, she never would have had her beautiful daughter.
“Who was that?” Anna came shuffling into the room and, after resting the crutches against the arm, plopped beside her on the couch.
“Mrs. Delaney just invited us for dinner. What do you think about that?”
“That’s supertastic!”
Content like she hadn’t been in ages, Keela was inclined to agree.
* * *
Ten feet from the pub door, Daniel slowed and tugged Keela’s hand. She stopped and turned. “No matter what happens tonight,” he said, “or whatever is said or implied by my family, you and I are what we decide to be.”
She gave him an odd look. “Should I be worried?”
�
�Not at all. Well, maybe a little. It’s my family and they can be overbearing. Grandda likes to say outrageous things. Don’t hold that against me.”
She gave a nervous laugh, maybe not completely understanding. “Is my job secure?”
“Always will be.” Then he took a breath and swung open the pub door.
He had to work extra hard to avoid his grinning grandfather’s stare when he entered with Keela and Anna in tow. Still, Patrick made a point of tugging him aside. “She’s a woman a man could warm to,” he whispered with a wink.
So subtle, Gramps.
Also his mother’s quiet yet pleased expression seemed downright suspicious. Were they in cahoots, playing matchmaker? If they were, Daniel would put a stop to it later. It had been his idea to invite and pick up the dinner guests, and he’d let his mother make the call only because she wanted the invitation to be part of her thank-you to Keela. They were his friends first, and if he wanted to invite them, he would. He didn’t need his family’s encouragement.
After all the time he’d spent with Keela lately, things were beginning to feel like dating. Not on his agenda! Especially now, after landing the community college account. Yet here he was, unable to resist sitting next to Keela, but putting Anna between them at the long pub table—it was the right thing to do, since he’d invited them—and being glad they were there. He couldn’t very well bring them to supper, then abandon them. He made the mistake of glancing at Grandda again and couldn’t look away fast enough before seeing that smug, toothy grin.
Did you know that the name Keela in Irish means “beauty that only poetry can capture”?
He did now, but he’d always sworn he’d been born without the poetry gene, a shameful shortcoming for an Irishman. All Daniel could hope was that Keela didn’t feel half the pressure he was getting.
“Potatoes?” Keela handed him the huge bowl of mashed potatoes over Anna’s head after first serving her daughter.
He liked how her accent made the word sound like “bah-day-tus,” the same way his grandfather said it. No wonder the old guy liked her. This part of the family meal, right after Grandda said a short grace, was always fast and furious as the dishes got passed from both directions.
Conor always planned his dinner break to the T in order not to miss the extra special meal on Sunday nights. If he didn’t show, they all knew there had to be some kind of law enforcement emergency. Tonight he handed the gravy across the table to Daniel as if reading his mind. Got potatoes, need gravy. But he also made an inquisitive lift of brows in the direction of Keela as he did. What gives? those sea-blue, kid-brother eyes seemed to ask.
Daniel braced himself for a grilling later, back at their shared three-bedroom suite. No wonder Grandda was trying to marry them all off, they were taking up hotel rental space!
What gives? That was the big question of the night. Was he or wasn’t he dating Keela, and if he was, wasn’t it about time he admitted it and considered taking it to the next level? Actually ask her out? He cringed, remembering his chaste squeeze of her arm yesterday evening, when what he’d really wanted to do was kiss her. In front of Anna? Somehow that didn’t seem right. Why confuse the kid, when he was confused enough for both of them?
“Someone’s bought that B and B across the street.” Sean Delaney brought up the safe subject, and Daniel was grateful for the change in topic.
“It’s about time,” Grandda said.
“We don’t need the competition.” Maureen chimed in, snatching a dinner roll and passing the basket on. “That’s why I’m stepping up the amenities with our guests. Keela did a great job as our part-time masseuse yesterday. Thank you, darlin’.”
Keela blushed and bowed her head, humble and so damned appealing.
“Anyone interested in giving nature walks?” his mother added.
“There won’t be competition,” Mark said. “Places like that appeal to a different crowd than we get here.” He spoke for the first time that night, and Daniel noticed he wasn’t the only one who was surprised. “And don’t look at me for the nature walks.” About to slather butter on a roll, he raised the butter knife for dramatic effect. “Surfing lessons, maybe.”
Mark’s reputation as surfing hero still stood in Sandpiper Beach, even though it was a title he’d earned in his teens, long before he’d enlisted in the army. He had half a dozen trophies to prove it.
“Hey, that’s a great idea!” Daniel was happy to hear his brother volunteer for anything after the tough year he’d had. Working full-time as the hotel fix-it guy since getting honorably discharged from the service surely couldn’t be satisfying. Though Daniel suspected it was the kind of solitary and serene work a vet with ongoing, though improving, PTSD preferred.
“Oh, I’m going to write that down.” Maureen smiled. “Surfing lessons. Wonderful! Any other ideas?”
“How about beer tasting?” Grandda spoke up.
Sean hesitated but responded soon enough. “Da, we don’t want to encourage people to get drunk.”
“Drunk! From tasting beer? There’s no such thing.” Padraig feigned insult and shoved in a forkful of food as his eyes sought out Keela. “Ever heard of such a silly notion?” he asked, his mouth full.
She gave her usual melodic laugh, and if Daniel’s ears could, they would smile over the lovely sound. He glanced her way, and when their eyes met, hers seemed to be sparkling in the dim pub light. Why did she have to be his employee?
Anna’s bedtime dictated an early departure after Maureen’s apple spice cake. As Daniel walked the little girl and her mom to their doorstep, Keela lightly touched his forearm—that was another thing he liked about her; she was a toucher when she talked. “Can you stay on for a bit?” she asked.
“Sure.” It was time to take that risk—to kiss her. To find out if there was something there or not. “Say good-night to Daniel, Anna.”
The obviously tired little one put her crutches against the couch and waited for him to kneel down in front of her, then gave him a big hug, complete with hugging noises. Ooh! He smiled, even as he tensed. “Sleep tight, bug.” The term came out before he’d had a chance to think.
Great, now he was giving nicknames to the squirt.
But Anna beamed at the tag. “I’m not a bug!” she exclaimed, pretending to be insulted.
“What should I call you, then?” If he wanted to date the mom, he needed to get used to the kid, and to be honest, being around her now wasn’t half the torture it’d been at first.
She thought intently for a second or two. “Sweetie?”
“That’s what I call you.” Keela faked concern.
“How about Anna-bug?” Daniel suggested.
With her arms akimbo, Anna acted like he’d just said the dumbest thing in the world. “I guess so.” That surprised him. So now she had a nickname, and he still wasn’t sure it was a good idea for a kid who already had a dad. Especially with the way his feelings had been building for Keela.
“All right, Anna-bug it is.” He high-fived her. When Keela got in on the action, first slapping hands with her daughter, then him, something came over him. His fingers interlaced and tightened around hers, holding her hand in the air a second longer than he should to make his point. After a short pause, she curved her fingers over his. Then he made sure she was looking straight at him when he slowly smiled.
Her huge, appreciative blue eyes told a story he was more than ready to hear...but only after Anna got put to bed. So he let go of Keela’s hand and sat on the couch, happy to wait.
Sharing a kiss with a woman wasn’t the same as loving someone who didn’t love him back. If he kissed Keela, it would just be a kiss with a lady he was extremely attracted to, not desperately in love with. Why not give it a try? What could it hurt?
That was the problem: hurt was his old friend. He’d been dragging it around with him ever since Emma had died and Kathryn had left. Wasn�
�t it time to move on from Kathryn, though never forgetting Emma? Keela, being an employee, wasn’t exactly the ideal person to move on with, though he understood there would never be a perfect situation. Still. They worked together!
Finally, Keela came quietly into the room, ending his ongoing inner battle. Her expression seemed shy, this from a person who never had a problem stating her mind. He liked that he might have some effect on her like that.
He patted the cushion next to him and she obliged. When she sat, a whiff of a light tropical flower scent invigorated his thoughts. “So, I get the feeling something’s going on between us, am I right?” Why not be straightforward?
Her smile was demure, again unlike her. “Correct.”
“The question is, what are we supposed to do about it?” He took her hand in his and laced fingers again.
“Is there a problem?”
“I think so.”
“Because I work for you?”
“Part of the problem, yes.” He took a moment to formulate his words. “You’ve spoken about your divorce some at work, and I’ve seen firsthand how disappointed you’ve been with men. American men.”
“Just Ron.” She sighed.
“Now see, that’s another concern. He’s a bad example for men. That makes two reasons not to...” How should he put it?
“Not to what? Explore this little gift that’s dropped in our laps?”
A gift? She thought of getting involved with him as a gift? The idea helped put the dilemma in perspective. “So you’re attracted to me, too?”
A light puff of air escaped her lips—a frustrated laugh because he was being dense? “I’ve obviously done a terrible job of letting you know.” Her cheeks flushed pink.
Forever a Father Page 10