Chapter 1
Chapter One
~MAGGIE~
“ F or the love of all that’s holy, it’s blustery out there,” I announce and shiver as I hurry into the pub, just a little late for my shift. I’m on table duty, and despite the monsoon outside, it’ll be a busy Saturday night in the bar, full of regulars and tourists alike, taking refuge from the storm. “Sorry, I’m late. My car was giving me fits.”
“Mary Margaret, you need a new vehicle,” Keegan says as I wiggle out of my rain slicker. “You’ve needed one for years.”
“I don’t drive very much.” I can hear the defensiveness in my voice. “Just here and home. The store once in a while. It does fine.”
My brother looks as if he wants to disagree, but I shake my head at him.
“It’s fine,” I repeat and grab a clean black apron, tying it around my waist. “What do you want to wager that the customers won’t have the sense to stay home and out of this mess?”
“I hope they don’t,” Keegan says with a laugh. “We need them, lass.”
“How are Izzy and the baby?”
I swear, I’m surrounded by babies these days. Between Keegan and Izzy and Kane and Anastasia, we have two little ones about, and my sister, Maeve, is halfway through her first pregnancy.
We’re just a baby factory around here.
Keegan’s face softens into a gooey smile. Never thought I’d see the day that I would describe my brother as gooey , but here we are. He’s completely and utterly smitten with his gorgeous wife and their newborn daughter. It’s fun to watch.
“They’re the sun and stars,” he says. “And doing well. Izzy’s overseeing some things at the new house.”
“When do you move in? I thought it was done. Also, how you managed to build a house in less than a year, I’ll never know. Construction crews have been short-handed the past couple of years, slowing everything down.”
“We were lucky, and that’s the truth of it. Izzy wants things to be just so before we move in so we don’t have to do any work with the house once we’re in. I can’t blame her. She has her hands full with the baby, as well.”
Izzy hasn’t wanted any of us to come to the new house, not until it’s all furnished and ready so she can have a grand reveal. I’m dying to see it.
We O’Callaghans are a tight-knit bunch, we know everything about each other, and it’s unheard of for us not to be involved in a project from start to finish.
But it’ll be a fun housewarming party when Izzy decides she’s ready.
“Good God, it’s a mess out there,” Maeve announces as she walks inside. She has Rachel, her new stepdaughter, with her. Rachel’s been working for us for a while now, clearing tables and delivering food orders, and I don’t know what we’d do without her. “I guess the rainy season is upon us. Again.”
“I made an extra pot of stew,” I say as I wipe off my tray and get ready to wait tables. “It’ll go fast in this weather.”
“Brilliant,” Keegan says just as the door opens and a table of four walks inside. “Here we go.”
Despite the moody early spring weather, the customers are jovial and happy to be out of the rain. The Guinness flows, hot food from the kitchen is dispatched thanks to my brother Shawn and his wife, Lexi, and the night moves on without a hitch.
“I need two pints of Guinness and a cola, please,” I say to Keegan and wait for him to fill the drink order as Maeve approaches and calls out her order, as well. Despite being in her second trimester, the woman can move . And she never complains. “Was that guy bothering you?”
I noticed a man in his thirties with bright copper hair giving my sister a toothy grin. He was a little too friendly for my taste.
We’ve seen all kinds in here. Been groped and slapped. Even had to hit back and kick them out a couple of times. Press charges.
Thankfully, that’s rare, but it’s not unheard of.
“Nah, he’s harmless,” she says, waving off my concern. “So, what’s up with you? Are you going to see Mr. Pickup Truck again?”
I roll my eyes at the thought of Monday’s date.
“No. Turns out he’s still legally married.” I sigh and lean on the bar. “Online dating is hard. Why are so many people horrible?”
“If I knew the answer to that, I’d be rich,” Maeve replies.
“You are rich.”
“My husband’s rich,” she retorts. As a former MMA fighting superstar, Hunter has more money than God himself. “I’m not rich.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes and shake my head at my stubborn sister. “And to answer your question about Mr. Pickup Truck, no, that idiot isn’t allowed to speak to me again. We got halfway into dinner when he casually mentioned that not only is he still legally married, but he also lives with his wife and two kids.”
“So, he’s just plain married ,” Maeve says.
“Exactly. What a jerk. But I am going to dinner tomorrow night with a guy who says he just moved here to the island. I don’t have high hopes.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m meeting him at the diner. Easy, casual, and no one should be able to screw this up. Then we’ll take it from there.”
“Good plan.”
Maeve’s gaze leaves my face and focuses on something just over my shoulder. When I turn around, I find Cameron Cox standing right behind me.
I freaking hate the way my body comes alive when I see him. How I immediately remember what it was like to be half-naked and in his arms—and then frustrated and embarrassed when he abandoned me.
The jerk.
“Hi.” I hear the moodiness in my voice that always appears when Cameron’s near.
“Hey, yourself. So, going on a date tomorrow, huh?”
“Yeah.” I load my tray and, without sparing him another look, set off to my tables. I deliver drinks and take food orders. I joke with my regular customers and sing along with the band as I weave my way through the tables.
All the while, I’m acutely aware of Cam’s gaze following me through the pub.
We’ve had moments alone since that night. He’s been a good friend.
But that’s all he’ll ever be. A friend. Because he doesn’t stay. And I’ve been in that relationship. I’ve been alone while my husband goes off to God knows where. I’m not doing that again.
But when I return to the bar and see Cam’s blue gaze on mine, I feel that flutter in my belly that I always do. I still want him.
I just can’t have him.
“So, you work at that Irish pub in town?”
My date’s name is Derek Lewis, and when he saw the menu here at the little diner in town, he wrinkled his nose.
Apparently, Derek is vegan, and there’s pretty much nothing on this greasy-spoon menu that looks appetizing to him.
His eating preferences don’t bother me, but it’s a diner.
“I do,” I reply and set my napkin in my lap. I’m excited to eat the cheeseburger that’s on its way out to me. “It’s a family business. My brother owns it?—”
“So, you don’t own it?” he interrupts.
“No, my brother?—”
“What are your ambitions for your career then?”
Okay, Derek is a bit of an asshole. I sit back as the waitress sets a big plate in front of me with my burger and a small mountain of fries. Derek ordered the dinner salad.
Before I can dig into my meal, I see Cameron come into the diner with a woman I don’t recognize.
I narrow my eyes.
Cam looks my way, gives me a slight nod, and then sits with his date, three tables over, right in my line of sight.
Great.
“Maggie?”
“What? Oh. I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
“What do you have planned for your career? You can’t work in a bar forever.”
I pop a fry into my mouth and study Derek. He’s in his mid-thirties with a little gray at the temples. He has a bit of acne on his chin and a crooked nose. It looks as if someone hauled off and punched him at some point, and he never had it fixed.
Frankly, I wouldn’t mind punching him myself.
“Why do you say that?” I take a big bite of my burger and watch as Derek’s nose wrinkles. The fact that I’m pleased by his repulsion of my food choice probably makes me a bad person.
I’m not sorry.
“Because that’s not ambitious. How will you support yourself?”
“I haven’t had a problem so far.”
Okay, so I can’t afford that new car I need, but my bills are paid, and I’m not hurting. I’m a simple girl.
Cameron laughs across the room and smiles intimately with his date, and I take another big bite of my burger.
Is he doing it on purpose? Is he trying to make me jealous? Because it’s not working.
Cam reaches over and wipes something off his date’s lip, and I have to fight the urge to go over there.
This is ridiculous.
“So, you’re telling me that you have no intention to better yourself?”
I turn my attention back to my date and narrow my eyes at him as I feel my Irish temper starting to heat up.
“What do you do, Derek?”
“I’m a banker.”
“Ah, so you just sit around and count other people’s money all day.”
His jaw tightens. “No, I open accounts and help people with loan applications.”
“Groundbreaking.” I slather a fry with ketchup and pop it into my mouth. “What are your aspirations?”
Cameron laughs again, and my stomach lurches, so I take another big bite of my burger.
“I’ll eventually move up in the bank, and I’d like a family. A wife who also has a strong work ethic in an acceptable career. A couple of children. A home.”
“If your wife is working her ass off in an acceptable career , who’s taking care of the kids?”
“You notice I said, ‘a strong work ethic.’ She’ll be able to handle it.”
I nod and watch as Cam pays his check,—I guess they only wanted coffee?—and they walk out.
“I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be that wife,” I say and finish my burger.
“I don’t know, you’re pretty enough. I’m sure you could take business courses or something and work in an office.”
“Here’s a little something about me, Derek.” I crook my finger as if I want him to get closer so I can tell him a secret. “I was married to an asshole once already. I won’t be making that mistake again. I hope you don’t find some poor girl that you can control and mold into your idea of the perfect wife.”
I toss a twenty on the table because I’ll be damned if this man will pay for my dinner, and then I stand and, without a look back, stroll out of the restaurant.
I walk toward home. It’s not far, and the weather cleared after our huge storm yesterday, leaving the air cool but not unpleasant.
Not to mention, my car wouldn’t start again.
I’ve had that car for years. Joey bought it, and he was horrible about getting it serviced. He always claimed to forget, but the truth is, he just didn’t care. I got stranded more than once, always to the dismay of my family, who had to come and get me. Not because they minded helping me out, but because my husband was a big jerk who didn’t take care of me.
After he died, I found out that Joey had a couple of million dollars hidden from me in different bank accounts all over the United States.
And every one listed a young girl and her mother as the beneficiary.
His daughter.
A baby he had with a woman after he married me.
That was a hard pill to swallow.
Joey left me with nothing. No money, a shitty car, and very little dignity.
And despite what dickhead-Derek said, I worked my ass off to come out the other side of that in one piece. I have a good job, a great family and friends, and, thanks to that family, a good home.
I make the mortgage payments, but Kane pulled me aside and told me he was making the down payment, and I wasn’t about to argue.
He would have just bought it for me outright, without thinking twice. Family helps family, and Kane and I have a special relationship. We always have. I love him so much.
But I’m an adult, and I want to make my own way. I work hard, and I’m proud of the life I’ve built. I may not be wealthy, and my job may seem small to people like Derek, but I like it. I’m happy at the pub.
I get to the end of the street and sigh.
I could turn right and go home, or I could turn left and go to Cameron’s house. Which would be completely stupid. He’s probably with that girl.
I have no right to be upset over that idea.
No right at all.
But I turn left and head toward the house that Maeve helped him buy a few months ago. My sister not only works at the pub, she’s also a real estate agent.
And a damn good one.
The house is only two blocks down, and I slow my steps as I get closer.
I’m just making an ass out of myself, and I’ve done enough of that where Cameron is concerned. What if he’s naked with that girl? Maybe they’re at her house.
But I can see that his car is parked in his driveway, and the porch light is on.
I stand on the sidewalk and stare at the porch, then start to pace back and forth.
What am I going to say? Hey, I’m mad at you, but I don’t want you to date other girls.
“No, that’s dumb.”
I don’t even know why I’m here. I should turn around and go home before Cam realizes I’m out here.
“Are you going to come inside?”
Too late.
I freeze, then turn to find Cameron on his porch, leaning against a white column, his arms crossed over his chest.
“I haven’t decided.”
He nods and waits while I return to pacing.
Damn him! Why does he have to look so smug? So damn hot? Why can’t I just forget about that night with him and move on with my life as if nothing happened?
“It’s a little chilly out here,” he says and looks up at the darkening sky. “Might rain.”
“You can go back inside. Won’t hurt my feelings.” And then I can have my existential crisis by myself.
“I’ll wait.”
I sigh and realize that my fingers and nose are cold.
There’s no harm in going inside to warm up.
“Fine. I’ll come in.”
I climb the stairs, and a slow smile spreads over Cameron’s lips as I get closer to him. He gestures for me to go inside ahead of him.
“If you have company, I can leave.”
“No one’s here but you and me.” His voice is calm. Mild. Friendly.
And, damn it, he looks amazing in that tight T-shirt and jeans that hug his hips in just the right way. I know what’s under those clothes and how he feels. How he smells.
This was a huge mistake.
“So, did you have a nice date?” I blurt out. I can’t even turn and look at him, so I walk to the window and stare outside. I have all these emotions swirling inside, and I don’t know what to do with them.
“Maggie.”
“Did you do it on purpose?” I turn and stare at him, propping my hands on my hips. “You overheard me telling Maeve last night that I’d be at the diner, so you paraded some tramp in there to make me jealous, right?”
“Actually, no.” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “I’d already made the date—with a client —a few weeks ago.”
“So, you’re dating, then.”
He narrows his eyes. “I just said she’s a client. But let’s set that aside for a second. You’re dating, too.”
Damn it, Mary Margaret, stop this! You sound like a fool.
He looks frustrated. Cam’s always calm and collected, so I’ve clearly gotten him worked up. His voice is firm but quiet as he asks, “How did it go with your date?”
“Oh, he’s a moron.” I wave that off and pace back to the window, feeling completely mortified. “He’s a misogynistic, basic asshole.”
“So, you didn’t like him then?”
I can’t help but chuckle. “No. I didn’t like him.”
“Why are you here, Maggie?”
I don’t turn around. I don’t want him to see the hurt on my face. Damn it, why does this whole thing hurt my feelings? He just said the bimbo at the diner was a client.
“I was in the neighborhood.”
I feel him walk up behind me and rest his hands on my shoulders. “Mary Margaret.”
“I was just in the neighborhood,” I repeat and pull away from him, angry all over again. At him, at myself for letting him get under my skin. “Good for you for going on dates, even if the girl obviously has fake boobs.”
“What’s wrong with you?” He raises his voice, and that’s something I’ve never heard from Cameron before.
“Nothing.” I march to the front door, but Cam stops me before I can reach for the knob.
“You’ve made it clear to me that I don’t have a chance in hell with you, Maggie.” His voice is raised, full of frustration and anger. “I’ve tried, damn it. I’m your friend, and I will be forever, but you’ve established that that’s all it is for us. You can’t even fucking look at me.”
“You left me!” I round on him, the anger spilling out of me so fast, I couldn’t have stopped it if I’d tried. “You embarrassed me. And, damn it, I’ve had it up to my eyeballs with men who do that shit to me. I won’t have it. I. Will. Not. Have. It!”
“Don’t you dare lump me in with that fuckup you married.”
“Why not?” I lean in closer to him. “You acted just like him. Worse, actually, because I cared when you took off, and I never did when he left.”
“Mags.” He reaches for me, but I back out of his grasp and shake my head.
“Forget it.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “This was obviously a horrible idea, and it was dumb to come here. I don’t know what I was trying to accomplish or prove. Good luck with Fake Boobs.”
Before he can say anything else, I hurry out of the house and run down the stairs, walking toward my house, my feet moving swiftly.
Jesus, why do I always embarrass myself with that man? What is it about him that has me continuously making a fool of myself? Did I think I’d catch him in the act with that chick? And then what?
I’m ridiculous, and I need to get over him. Cameron will always be a part of our family, so I’ll see him from time to time.
That’s fact.
I just wish I didn’t feel pulled to him as if he’s meant to be mine when it’s perfectly clear that that’s not the case at all.
And I really need to stop letting my temper take over. That’s what gets me into these messes.
Instead, I need to take a deep breath, count to ten, and then walk away.
Man, I’m an idiot.