Читать книгу A Kiss, A Dance & A Diamond - Helen Lacey - Страница 11

Chapter Three

Kieran awoke with a crick in his neck, an aching back and two sets of curious eyes staring at him.

Marco and Johnny were both sitting on the opposite sofa clearly waiting for him to wake up. He grimaced when he spotted a ridiculously pink blanket draped over his legs and quickly swung his feet to the floor. He ran a weary hand through his hair and glanced at the clock on the wall. Seven fifty. He’d been asleep for over nine hours. And on Nicola’s couch, no less!

“Did you sleep over?” Marco asked, eyes wide.

“Looks like it,” he replied and stretched out his back.

“To make sure I was okay?”

“Of course,” he fibbed and rubbed a hand over his face. “How are you feeling, champ?”

Marco nodded. “Okay, I guess. Aunt Nicola said I don’t have to go to school today. She said I could go to JoJo’s with her. But Johnny has to go to school.”

The older boy scowled. “At least I’ve got friends at school.”

“Didn’t I specifically tell you boys not to disturb Kieran this morning?”

They all looked toward the door. Nicola stood at the threshold, dressed in a knee-length black skirt, tucked-in white blouse and black heels. Her hair was pulled back, and she wore gold loop earrings. She held a mug in one hand, and the other hand was perched on her hip. She looked smoking hot and, as awareness curdled in his blood, Kieran tried not to stare at her—but failed.

“Breakfast is on the table,” she said to the boys. “Scoot. And make sure you put the dishes in the sink when you are done.”

The kids took off as though their heels were on fire, and Nicola ruffled their hair as they passed. Then, she walked into the living room and passed Kieran the mug she carried.

“Thanks,” he said and inhaled the heady coffee aroma and tried not to stare at her legs. “And sorry I crashed.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Sorry I made you come here last night after pulling a double shift. I think I was a little crazy with worry and didn’t think about anything else.”

“Once I sat down on this cushy couch last night the fatigue hit me.” He drank some coffee and grinned slightly. “Well, at least you have a comfy couch. Better than the ones that are usually in the doctors’ lounges at hospitals.”

Her lips curved. “Would you like breakfast? I have oatmeal on the stove.”

Kieran grimaced. “No thanks.”

She laughed softly. “Toast, then?”

Kieran got to his feet and straightened his jacket, figuring he must look a mess in his crumpled clothes and with five-day whisker growth. “I’m good. I need to head home to shower and change. And the patient seems chipper this morning,” he said, drinking the rest of the coffee and then placing the mug on one of the lamp tables. “He said you’re letting him stay home today, which is probably a good idea.”

She nodded. “He can hang out at the restaurant with me.”

“Didn’t you say you have a large tourist group coming in today that you have to cater for? Won’t he be in the way?”

Her jaw tightened. “It’s too late to call a sitter. There’s a lady down the street who regularly watches the boys for me, but she’s not available today.”

Kieran nodded, thinking it wasn’t any of his business, pulled his keys from his pocket and looked at her. “Okay...well, thanks for the couch and the coffee.”

“Thank you for coming over last night and helping me with Marco.”

He walked past her, picking up the fragrance of her perfume, and the scent quickly hitched up his awareness a notch or two. He stopped when he reached the door and turned back to face her. Her eyes looked huge in her face, and he was overwhelmed with the sudden need to stare at her some more. She was biting her bottom lip, which she also did when she was nervous, and he wondered if she’d picked up on the weird energy that was now in the room. She was close, barely a foot away from him. Desire snaked up his spine and simmered in his blood, and he swallowed hard, thinking that he hadn’t felt anything so intense for a long time.

He cleared his throat and spoke. “You know, Marco could hang out with me today. I have the next couple of days off, and I was planning on heading to the hotel this morning...my mom will be there with Liz’s youngest daughter,” he said, then explained how his mother looked after Tina for several hours once a week as a way to spend time with her granddaughter. “My mom loves kids. And I could drop him back at JoJo’s this afternoon, once you’ve finished with the tourists.”

She frowned. “I couldn’t possibly impose on you.”

“You wouldn’t be,” he assured her. “Marco is a great kid. Give me half an hour to get home and change, and then I’ll come back.”

He had no idea why, but he wanted to help her out. But she didn’t look convinced. She looked like it was the last thing she wanted or needed. “I can look after my nephews by myself.”

“I wasn’t implying that you—”

“He’ll come to work with me. Goodbye, Kieran. Thanks again.”

He was being dismissed. So he left and headed home. He checked his cell on the way out, finding a message from his brother, reminding him that he’d promised to stop by the hotel on his way home from work the night before—a fact Kieran had quickly forgotten once he’d received Nicola’s call for help. When he got back to his apartment, he showered, changed into jeans, a polo shirt and jacket and then drove into town. Ten minutes later, he was swinging into one the reserved spaces in the hotel parking lot.

O’Sullivan’s Hotel was the best in the county. Thirty rooms, two restaurants, conference rooms and a ballroom for large functions, it had a reputation for its style, ambience and service. And his brother ran the place better than their father ever had. Liam was a hard-nosed and judgmental ass, but Kieran loved his brother dearly. As he did Sean. He was even mellowing toward Jonah the more time he spent with the man. It was hard at first, knowing his father had cheated on his mom and had a secret family in another state for nearly thirty years. But it couldn’t be easy for his newfound sibling either, and he didn’t plan on making things more difficult by refusing to acknowledge that he did actually have another brother.

The foyer was already busy with guests and several staff milling around the reception area assisting them, their green corporate jackets giving them a professional and upscale look. He spotted his brother by the concierge desk and headed for him. Liam looked up and waved.

“Where were you last night?” Liam asked, one eyebrow cocked. “I thought you were coming here on your way home from work. We need to talk about Mom’s birthday thing.”

He shrugged. “I was tied up with a favor for a friend.”

Liam’s eyebrows further cocked with humor. “Making friends already? Good for you.”

His brother knew he wasn’t in any kind of emotional shape to get involved with anyone...but he wasn’t averse to making fun if he had the chance. Kieran shrugged indifferently, ignoring his brother’s tone. “No comment.”

Liam grinned. “It’s a small town. You know I’ll find out.”

Kieran managed a wry smile. “Yes, Godfather,” he said and shook his head. “But if you must know, I stopped by Nicola’s after work,” he said and then quickly explained about Marco’s injury and how he had attended to him at the hospital but then glossed over Nicola’s frantic phone call and didn’t mention how he’d ended up sleeping on her couch.

“So,” Liam mused, “you and Nicola, eh?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I need breakfast, are you coming?”

“Sure,” Liam said and hooked a thumb in the direction of the restaurant. “Mom’s already here, by the way. With Tina and Kayla and the baby.”

Liam and Kayla’s son, Jack, was three weeks old and the light of their lives. “Okay.”

“Don’t let Mom know you were hanging out with Nicola Radici. If you do, you know you’ll get the third degree. And then Mom will start sending out wedding invitations.”

Kieran spluttered. “Can’t I help out an old...a former...someone I used to...”

“Keep digging,” Liam mocked. “If the hole gets any bigger, you’ll end up in Montana.”

“Sometimes I wish I was an only child.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Liam teased. “And I think it’s great. It’s time you came back into the land of the living. I’m tired of watching you pretend to be happy. Your fake smile makes my jaw ache.”

“You know what else would make your jaw ache? My fist.”

Liam laughed. “Actually, come to think of it, this is all great timing. You should join the Big Brothers program at the hospital. I’ve been the patron of the program for a couple of years, but I think I need to pass the baton to you. I was only talking to Nicola about it a couple of weeks back. She’s been having a few problems with the younger boy... I suggested Big Brothers might be exactly what both of those kids need. And since you work at the hospital...”

Kieran’s gut churned. The last thing he wanted to do was be responsible for troubled kids looking for a brother or father figure. Particularly kids linked to Nicola. Liam should have known better than to suggest such an idea to him. He wasn’t anyone’s father. Not now. Probably not ever again.

“I need food and coffee,” he said.

Liam laughed. “Okay, let’s go.”

When they entered the restaurant, Kieran saw his mother and sister-in-law immediately. Kayla was stunningly beautiful, but she was also kind and clearly loved his brother dearly. And Kieran had never seen Liam happier.

His mother, Gwen, was clearly delighted to see him, and her happy expression made him smile. She liked having her chicks close by and was thrilled that Kieran had returned. He knew she worried about his brother Sean’s rumored wild lifestyle in LA and would be over the moon if her youngest child decided to give up his success, money and women and return home, where she believed he belonged. But Kieran wasn’t so sure of that. Sean had never been small-town. He’d always craved the action of a bigger city and had certainly carved out a successful life for himself as a music and movie producer. Kieran was different. And, for him, returning to Cedar River had been an easy decision. Staying in Sioux Falls, where everything reminded him of all he had lost, was never going to be an option.

Gwen O’Sullivan was tall and statuesque, with a silvery bob and a creaseless face that defied her sixty years. She’d been a model long ago and still carried herself as though she could grace the catwalk.

“You were missed last night,” his mother said when he reached their table. “We decided you are going to be in charge of sending out the invitations.”

His mother’s sixtieth birthday party was going to be a big bash, with out-of-state relatives already committed to the event. “We?” he echoed and smiled. “How come you’re on the organizing committee for your own party?”

“Well, if I leave it to you and Liam, I suspect nothing will get done,” she said and raised both her brows. “Thankfully, I have Kayla and Connie to help.”

Liam’s wife and Liam’s personal assistant. Kieran suddenly felt like apologizing for the fact that he was divorced and single and had inadvertently robbed his parent of her daughter-in-law and the grandchild she’d loved. Logically, he knew that there was no malice in his mother’s words. Gwen knew what he’d been through, knew how broken he was at losing his son and his marriage. But he still experienced an acute sense of failure. From his broken relationship with Nicola to his busted marriage, he clearly sucked at commitment. He glanced toward Kayla, and his sister-in-law gave him a quick, reassuring wink, as though she knew exactly what was going on in his head.

Nothing is going on...

Watching his family, Kieran couldn’t help but reflect on all he had lost. He’d loved being a father and missed Christian so much he ached inside. And he missed being a husband. And then, as always, the ache was replaced by a feeling of betrayal and rage so intense he had to take a couple of long breaths to stop the sensation taking hold.

“Everything all right?”

Liam’s voice. His brother knew him better than anyone. “Yeah, fine.”

“You look tired.”

“I did a double shift at the hospital,” he said casually.

“And then had a date with Nicola Radici.”

And just like that, his hold of the situation spectacularly fell apart because two feminine sets of startled eyes immediately zoomed in on him. Kayla’s eyes were as wide as saucers. His mother looked at him with a kind of delighted shock. He had to backpedal—and fast.

“It wasn’t a date.”

Thankfully, a couple of orders of pancakes arrived just then, but Kieran knew he wasn’t about to be let off the hook so easily.

“I’ve always liked Nicola,” Gwen said quietly. “She’s a sweet girl. She’s helped out on the hospital committee a few times, you know. She’s so good at organizing things. I might stop by the restaurant today and see if she’d like to help me with the latest fundraiser. And the way she’s taken to caring for her nephews when her brother was killed...really, such a sweet girl.”

“You said that already,” he muttered, feigning interest in the food his mother placed in front of him.

Liam chuckled, and Kieran scowled in his direction. Just because his brother had found his happily-ever-after with Kayla, it didn’t mean that everyone else would. Kieran had believed he’d had it once...until it blew up in his face. He wasn’t about to go down that road again in a hurry.

He picked up his fork. “Stop reading anything into it. She hates me, remember?”

“That’s true,” Kayla said and smiled. “She does.”

Liam chuckled. “It’s a double-edged sword, though, don’t you think?”

Kieran stared at his pancakes, feeling heat rise up his chest and throat and then hit him squarely in the face. He didn’t want anyone speculating about him and Nicola. Because there was no him and Nicola. Not now. Not ever again. And, when he glanced at his mother, he saw that she was still smiling, still watching him with a curious regard that spoke volumes. He knew that look. It was a matchmaking face.

I’m so screwed.

* * *

Tour groups were usually Nicola’s favorite. They were generally cheerful, always finished their meals and tipped big. But today she was too tired to handle the exuberant crowd. Her limbs felt heavy with a kind of odd lethargy that had everything to do with the fact she’d barely managed to get any sleep the night before. Really, how was she supposed to sleep when Kieran was spread out on her couch directly below her bed? If she’d had any sense, she would have woken him up and sent him packing. But the kindness he’d shown toward Marco was impossible to discount. And she wasn’t a mean-spirited person—even toward the man she hated most in the world.

Okay...so maybe that was a stretch.

It wasn’t exactly hate. It was...it was anger and resentment and a whole lot of bone-deep, heart-wrenching hurt. The way he’d ended their relationship still stung. The pity she’d endured from her friends and the humiliation she’d experienced had been almost impossible to bear. In the end, escaping to college in California had been a lifeline. And, for a while, falling in love with Carl had been a lifeline, too. After Kieran, Nicola wasn’t sure she could have those feelings again. Sure, she’d dated in college and had had a couple of short-term boyfriends, but no one had really touched her heart until she met Carl. And then, once she was in love and believed she’d finally get her fairy-tale ending, the so-called man of her dreams simply turned out to be another man who didn’t want her.

As she stacked the dishwasher with pizza trays, she checked the time. Two o’clock. The lunch crowd had thinned out, and there was only one couple remaining at one of the booth tables. Her father was slowly shoveling the coals in the fire pit at the other end of the kitchen, while Marco did some reading in the small office off the kitchen. Josie, one of the two waitresses working that day, came through the swing doors carrying a tray of glassware.