"I thought we weren't going to talk about work," Lily said. "Although it will probably be a moot point before too long anyway."
"Why's that?"
Lily shrugged. "I'm thinking of turning this job over to one of the other people at the agency. I'm not sure I can be as effective as I should be."
"You'd leave Boston?" Brian asked.
She nodded. "I shouldn't have come to the station the other day. It shouldn't have bothered me that that story hit the papers." Lily paused. "But it did."
Brian stared out the street, unable to believe what he was hearing. Then with a soft curse, he pulled the car over the curb. "You don't have to leave," he said. "If that's the worst you're going to dish out, I can handle it."
"But I-"
He stopped her words with his lips, yanking her from across the car into a desperate kiss. The thought of her leaving Boston shouldn't have affected him at all. He shouldn't have cared. But he did-and he wasn't sure why. All he knew was that he needed to keep her close for now.
Brian reached up and smoothed his hand over her face. "You don't have to leave. Not on my account. Do what you have to do for Patterson, Lily. I'll understand. No hard feelings."
"You say that now, but it's still going to affect the way I do my job." She laughed softly. "Wait until you meet Emma Carsten. She'll have no mercy. By the time she's done with you, you'll be recommending Richard Patterson for sainthood."
"I thought we weren't going to talk about work," Brian murmured, his gaze fixed on her mouth as he ran his thumb over her lower lip. This was not how he wanted the day to go, caught in a debate about whether she'd be staying in Boston or walking out of his life for good.
"I'll stop talking about work, if you'll tell me where we're going on our… mystery date."
"Well, it involves food and water."
"That's it?" Lily asked.
Brian glanced over his shoulder and then pulled back into traffic. A quick left took them toward the waterfront. He'd been down to the Fish Pier a million times when he was a kid and knew the area well. Though his father offloaded his swordfish catch in Gloucester, the Mighty Quinn's home port had always been South Boston with most of its regular crew coming from Southie.
"Over there is Commonwealth Pier. That's where all the excursion boats leave from." He found a place to park, then pointed straight ahead. "And that's the Fish Pier. Those buildings are almost a hundred years old. This used to be the center for the fishing industry, but not anymore. Commercial fishing has fallen on hard times. There's a plan to develop this area with luxury apartments and a park. Some folks want to leave it the way it is. For the fishermen and all the history."
"Is this the Wellston project?" Lily asked, sending him a suspicious gaze.
Brian shook his head. "No. But it might as well be. It's the same kind of thing. Developers are snatching up waterfront property all over Boston. To them it's just real estate. To the folks who make their living on the water, it's their life. Pretty soon you won't know there were even fishermen in this town." Brian paused. "And now, I'll get off my soapbox. You should be here early in the morning, about six-thirty. They have the fish auction. It's a lot of fun."
"I'd like to see that," Lily said. "Maybe we could go sometime."
They got out of the car and strolled toward the two long buildings that made up Fish Pier. An arcade ran along the street level and Brian remembered playing there as a kid, racing in and out while he and his brothers played tag. He grabbed Lily's hand and drew her toward the building's arch, pointing up at the carving of Neptune's head.
"Some people say that Boston was built by the codfish aristocracy. But there's not much money to be made in commercial fishing anymore. When my da realized that none of his sons were going to follow in his footsteps, I think he was disappointed. That's when he bought the pub." He paused, searching for a change of subject. "That's the No-Name over there. It's a real popular tourist spot now, but when I was a kid, it was just a place where the dockworkers and fishermen ate. They make really good 'chowdah.'"
"Chowder?"
"No, that's not the way to say it," he said with a chuckle. "If you say it that way, they'll know you don't come from Bahston. You have to make all your vowels very flat. After we pahked our cah we stopped at the bah for a bowl of Bahstan chowdah."
"Chowder," Lily repeated.
Brian grinned. "Not chowderrrr. Chow-dah."
"Chow-dahr."
Brian pinched her cheeks together. "Chowdah. No 'R'."
"Chowdah," she said.
"Very good." He pointed to a line of boats tied up along the pier. "We're going over there."
"We're going on a boat?" Lily asked.
"Not the Mighty Quinn. That's tied up in Gloucester. My brother Brendan just got married and Amy's father bought them a boat for a wedding present. Brendan wanted to take it on a cruise so he asked if we wanted to come along."
When Brendan and Amy had first offered the invitation, Brian had been reluctant to go. But they'd called again and he'd caught himself saying yes, knowing how much he'd enjoy sharing the experience of a warm summer's day on the water with Lily. Though he knew it was a big step introducing her to members of his family, he had his reasons.
Right now, Lily was a fantasy to him, a woman who occupied a secret spot in his life that no one else could touch. They shared an incredible passion. But if he really wanted to understand what was happening between them, then he'd have to look at her in the real world, a world where relationships dissolved and people moved on with life.
As they strolled down the pier, Brian saw Brendan standing on the deck of a shiny new cabin cruiser. He waved, then held Lily's hand as they walked to the boat. "Geez, Bren, this is a step up from the Mighty Quinn."
Brian jumped down onto the deck and reached up for Lily, grabbing her waist. He swung her safely down, her body sliding along his until her feet touched the deck. Lily ran her hands over his chest, her fingers warm through his T-shirt. Desire snaked through him, but he quelled it by quickly turning back to his brother.
"I think I'm supposed to call it a yacht," Brendan said. "We asked for a new generator for the Mighty Quinn as a wedding present and Amy's father gave us a new boat. I don't think Avery Sloane likes his daughter riding around in an old tub like the Mighty Quinn."
Amy, Brendan's wife, stepped out of the cabin. She wore shorts and a tank top and her hair was mussed, as if they'd just gotten out of bed. "Honey, my daddy has ulterior motives. He thinks if he gives you the boat then you'll teach him how to drive it. Then he'll be able to borrow it and take all his business buddies out for an afternoon of motoring and martinis." She glanced at Lily and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Amy Aldrich Sl- I mean, I'm Amy Quinn. Brendan's wife."
Brian quickly took up the introductions. "Amy, this is Lily Gallagher. Lily, this is my brother, Brendan. Brendan is a writer and Amy gives away money." He gave his sister-in-law a quick kiss on the cheek. "I could use a few hundred if you've got some laying around."
"Last time I checked, your wallet wasn't a registered charity," Amy teased.
"Brendan and Amy just got married last month," Brian explained.
"Another victim of the Quinn family curse," Amy teased.
Lily frowned. "The Quinn family curse?"
"I don't think Lily wants to hear about our family superstitions," Brian said, slipping his arm around her waist and drawing her closer.
"But I do," Lily countered.
"We'll save that story for later," Brian said. "You can't know all my family secrets. Or was that in the report?"
He watched the smile fade on Lily's face and he instantly regretted what he'd said. The report had become a sore spot between them and Brian should have known to avoid talking about it. Somehow, Amy sensed the shift in mood and grabbed Lily's hand. "Come on, I'll give you the grand tour. Brian said you wanted to experience a real New England clambake."
Lily blinked in surprise. "I-I-"
"Don't worry. The boys are doing al
l the cooking. We just have to sip drinks and soak up the sun."
Brian watched as they both disappeared into the cabin. Then he turned back to his brother, who watched him with a perceptive grin. "She's pretty," Brendan commented. "Is she the one?"
"The one?"
"Yeah. Did you save her? Family rumor has it that you did."
"Who told you?"
Brendan shrugged. "I think Sean may have mentioned it to Li and Li told Ellie who had lunch with Amy a few days ago. You know how the Quinn family grapevine works. You sneeze in the morning and by dinnertime, we all know you have a cold. I've been thinking about starting a family newsletter so we're all sure we have the facts straight."
"Very funny. Are we ready to go?"
Brendan nodded. "Catch that stern line, then go up to the bow and cast off after I start the engine."
Brian did as Brendan ordered, pushing off from the pier as the engine accelerated. Before long, they were cutting through the water and headed out into the wake left by one of the passenger ferries. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon with just a light breeze and a little chop. He crawled up the steps to where Brendan sat behind the wheel and took the seat next to him.
Brendan handed him a beer. "It's not the Mighty Quinn," he said staring at the wide panel of electronic gear.
"No, it's not," Brian agreed. "There's no boat like the Mighty Quinn."
"I figure I'll give this back to Amy's father as soon as he knows out how to run it on his own. But for now, I'll have a little fun with it."
"Are you going to live on the Mighty Quinn this summer?"
"I don't know," Brendan said. "Doesn't really matter where I live, as long as Amy's there. I know it sounds corny, but-"
"It doesn't," Brian interrupted. He paused. "It doesn't sound corny at all. It sounds nice. Hell, a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have understood what you meant, but I do now."
"You do?"
"Not that I want to spend the rest of my life with Lily. Still, I can see how that might happen… how someone… how I might want to settle down. I guess you could say I'm open to the possibility."
"There's just you and Sean left now."
"Sean will never surrender," Brian said. "He's a rock."
"Even Da is softening up. I talked to Keely last week, and she said our parents went out to dinner. Da even sent Ma flowers the morning after. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks."
Brian's mind flashed back to the conversation he'd had with Sean about their mother's infidelity and wondered if Brendan knew anything about that. "Sean mentioned something the other day that surprised me. He said that Ma cheated on Da. Do you remember that?"
Brendan frowned, clearly surprised by the revelation. "Nah. That can't be."
"I think that's why Sean is so angry with her, why he doesn't want to talk to her. Do you think he saw something?"
"Wow." Brendan slowly shook his head as he stared out at the horizon. "I don't know. I suppose that would explain a lot of things. But I still don't think it's true." He paused. "Sometimes, I wonder what might have happened if they'd just had it a little easier, if he'd just loved her a little more. Da didn't make her life easy. I think about my marriage to Amy and I'd never even consider doing half the things Da did to Ma."
Brian had to admit that he'd harbored the same thoughts himself. He'd always known that love wasn't supposed to be easy. Yet with his brothers, it seemed to be so natural, as if they didn't even have to think about it, never had to doubt their feelings or sacrifice who they were. But with Lily, everything was complicated and unsettled, a disaster waiting to happen. It couldn't possibly be love, so what the hell was it?
They'd shared the most incredible intimacy the night they'd met, stripping away everything but their need for each other. And though he'd known the curves and angles of her body from the start, he didn't really know her. He needed to find out more about the woman who'd made him feel such overwhelming desire. Just who was Lily Gallagher and why did he want her so much?
Today, he'd have his chance to learn. They'd spend the day and evening well chaperoned. With Brendan and Amy around, they couldn't possibly lapse into a passionate interlude they'd regret later. By the end of the day, she wouldn't be some powerful fantasy, she'd just be an ordinary woman, a woman who couldn't possibly hurt him.
Brian stared out at the tiny islands that dotted Boston's harbor. Then, maybe when she left Boston and went back home to Chicago, he could say goodbye without any doubts or regrets. He could put her in the past as he had every other woman in his life and begin again. After all, Lily couldn't be "the one." Could she?
6
The fire blazed in the stone pit, sending sparks up into the night sky. Lily snuggled against Brian, wrapped in a rough wool blanket. His arm draped around her shoulders as they rested their backs against a long log on the beach. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so completely content. She felt… happy. It was such a simple word but it was the only one she could find to describe her condition.
Here, on this little island out in the middle of BostonHarbor, they seemed a million miles away from all the troubles between them. She could almost imagine living like this every day. She and Brian could get to know each other better, they could do things that normal couples did, like eat take-out Chinese and watch videos and argue about the position of the toilet seat.
"I could stay here forever," Lily murmured.
"We could send Brendan and Amy back," Brian suggested. "I'll build you a little grass shack and I'll fish for food-although it's not recommended that we eat the fish from the harbor."
"It's a fantasy," Lily said. "We don't need to think about that. I'll collect sea grass and I'll make plates and curtains and clothes for us."
"Oh, hell, I thought we'd do this thing naked," Brian teased. "Isn't that all part of the fantasy?"
"And what are you two going to do when winter rolls in?" Brendan asked from his spot on the other side of the fire. "When everything is covered with snow and the temperature is barely above zero."
Amy slapped him playfully. "Don't spoil their fantasy," she said.
"I'm just being practical. Remember our trip to Turkey? We had tents with cots and down-filled sleeping bags and you still had to send me out to buy you more socks from the local market. They're going to dress in grass clothes and live in a hut. Let's get real here."
"You're right," Brian said. "We'll spend summers here, except for black fly season, no-see-um season and the mosquito season. And when it turns cold, we'll go to Tahiti, to our winter hut."
"This fantasy isn't such a fantasy anymore," Lily complained. "If I have to give up Twinkies and Fresca for bananas and papayas, I'm not sure I'll live."
A long silence descended around them, the snaps and pops from the fire the only sounds in the night. Lily sighed, then snuggled closer to Brian. "Hey, why don't you tell me about the Quinn family curse? It's dark, we're sitting around a campfire. A spooky story might be fun."
Brian groaned. "Oh, no, we're not going to go there."
"Why not?" Amy asked. "Lily deserves to know what she's getting into. I'll get the marshmallows."
"I vote we tell her," Brendan said. "She might want to get out now."
Amy pushed to her feet. "First she should hear a Mighty Quinn tale, just to put everything in context."
Brian groaned again. "I might as well find the nearest cliff and just jump off. Don't you think the Mighty Quinn thing is more of a fourth or fifth date revelation?"
"A Mighty Quinn story," Brendan said in a deep voice. He cleared his throat. "I'll give a Reader's Digest condensed version. We begin with a Quinn ancestor, usually clever or handsome or strong, but clearly not living up to his potential. He performs an act of courage or mercy or cunning and suddenly he's a hometown hero. Usually, if there's a woman involved, she's evil, manipulative or greedy. Example, Paddy Quinn plants the magic bean and climbs up the vine to slay the giant, but there's a woman on the ground chopping the vine out from under him."
Lily frowned. "So the stories don't have a happy ending?"
"Oh, always," Brian said. "The Mighty Quinn prevails, the dragon is vanquished and the woman turns into a toad. My da thought these tales would teach us to beware of women. They only confused us."
A long silence grew around the fire. "And that's the curse?" Lily asked.
"The curse is a more of a modern-day phenomenon," Brendan explained. "It actually started with our oldest brother, Conor, and then moved to Dylan, then me and then Liam."
Amy returned to the fire and handed Lily the bag of marshmallows. "They played the Mighty Quinn and rescued a woman in trouble," she explained. "And they ended up-horror of horrors-in love." She giggled. "Such a sad, sad tale. All those stalwart ancestors protecting the family image only to have this generation turn weak and pathetic."
Brendan growled playfully, grabbed her around the waist and wrestled her to the ground. Amy scrambled to her feet, then ran toward the water with Brendan following her. "We'll go find some sticks for the marshmallows," he called, before they disappeared into the darkness. Brendan laughed and Amy teased him, her voice echoing in the cool night air. But then their voices faded, replaced by the sound of the water lapping on the shore.
"I think they're still on their honeymoon," Brian said.
"They're good together," Lily said. "That's always the way I thought marriage should be." She hesitated. "Not that I'm thinking about marriage. I mean, I think some people aren't meant to be married."
"Maybe so," Brian said. "I used to think that. But when I see my brothers with the women they love, I wonder if I'm missing something."
An uneasy silence grew between them and Lily wasn't sure what to say. All this talk of love wasn't what she expected from a guy like Brian. "The food was wonderful," Lily said, changing the subject. "Now, I can go home having experienced a true New England clambake. I'll have to send you some deep-dish pizza in return."
"Technically, this wasn't a clambake," Brian said. "More like a lobster boil with a few clams tossed in."
"It was still good," she murmured.
Brian Page 11