Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
T hankfully, the storm was over when Amanda got up the next day, and just as she was despairing the lack of hot coffee, the electricity came back on. She made a pot and then hammered away at her to-do list.
Things were starting to come together for the festival. She should never have let some of the naysayers—and Connor—let her doubt herself. The musicians were booked. She’d rounded up plenty of food. Even found a funnel cake vendor to come. She couldn’t leave that detail out after her fond memories of having one with her father.
The perfect reward for all her efforts was a long beach walk. Afterward she planned to pour herself a glass of wine and read the book she’d picked up from Beverly’s lending library.
The fresh sea air invigorated her. She headed toward her cottage after finishing her walk. Connor stood just inside his workshop, the doors wide open. She hesitated and debated whether to stop and say hi. He’d made it perfectly clear he preferred to be left alone, despite his neighborly gesture yesterday.
Before she could decide, a little girl darted past her, her dark curls bouncing with each step. The girl’s face lit up with pure joy when she spied Connor.
“Uncle Connor!” The girl launched herself into Connor’s arms, and he scooped her up, a genuine smile transforming his face. Well, that was a first. She’d never seen the man smile.
Amanda watched him, surprised by the warmth and affection in his expression. He looked so… happy.
The little girl looked over at her and wiggled out of Connor’s arms. “Hi, I’m Brooklyn. Are you Uncle Connor’s friend?”
Amanda glanced at Connor, unsure how to respond. His smile faded, replaced by the same guarded expression she’d grown accustomed to seeing. Her brief glimpse at his unexpected softer side vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
“I’m Amanda. I’m staying next door.” She gestured toward her cottage.
Brooklyn skipped over to her and looked up, her eyes filled with excitement. “Have you seen Uncle Connor’s carvings? They’re aaaa-mazzzzz-ing. You have to come see them.” Brooklyn tugged on her hand.
A woman with the same dark hair as Brooklyn’s approached, a warm, friendly smile on her face. “Hi, I’m Megan. Connor’s sister. And that little whirlwind is my daughter, Brooklyn.”
“Hi, Megan. Nice to meet you.”
“Please, go ahead and take a look. My brother is incredibly talented, even if he’s too modest to admit it.” Megan nodded toward the workshop.
Connor shifted his weight, his discomfort evident. “Megs, I don't think?—”
“Nonsense.” Megan waved her hand dismissively. “Your work deserves to be seen and appreciated.”
Brooklyn tugged on Amanda’s hand insistently. “Come on, I’ll show you!”
She looked over at Connor who shrugged slightly and nodded, if very reluctantly.
Amanda let herself be led into the workshop. As she stepped inside, her breath caught. The workshop was lined with shelves full of intricately carved pieces—birds in flight, dolphins leaping out of waves, a sea captain in a rain jacket, and even some replicas of local landmarks.
“Oh, Connor. These are… magnificent. I’ve never seen anything like them. You are so very, very talented.”
“That’s what I keep telling him,” Megan said as she hip-checked her brother.
Connor shrugged. The very shrug of his that was beginning to annoy her. “It’s just a hobby of mine.”
“This is not just some hobby… It’s art. It’s beautiful. It’s… remarkable.” She could barely stop the flow of praise.
Megan shook her head. “He’s always so modest about his work. He really is talented, isn’t he?” Sisterly pride shone in her eyes.
Taking a deep breath to gather her courage, she turned to him. “Connor, you should put some pieces in the art show at the festival.”
“No.” His answer came quick and firm.
“But—”
He held up a calloused hand, his jaw set. “I said no.”
Megan let out a long sigh and exchanged a look with Amanda that spoke volumes about her brother’s stubbornness. “Connor, you should. Your work deserves to be shown. I don’t know why you keep it all locked up here in your workshop.”
Connor’s eyes flashed with frustration. “Megs, I’m not going to argue with you about this. Just drop it. Please?”
“Hey, Uncle Connor, let’s go shelling.” Brooklyn grabbed Connor’s hand and tugged, interrupting the confrontation. “You promised we would next time we came to visit.”
“Sure thing, princess. Let’s go shelling.” He grabbed a bucket from the workshop and slipped past Amanda and Megan, looking grateful for a reason to escape. “Be back soon.”
Amanda turned to Megan. “Well, it was worth a shot. He’s pretty stubborn when he makes up his mind, isn’t he?”
“Most stubborn man to walk the earth. Good thing I love him and he’s a fabulous brother and uncle.”
“I was just going to pour myself a glass of wine and sit on my deck. Would you like to join me while you wait for Brooklyn and Connor to get back?”
“I’d love to.”
They walked to her cottage, and she poured them glasses. They settled onto the plump cushions on the wicker chairs.
“So, the town is having an art show?” Megan asked as she stretched out her legs.
“It’s part of the Heritage Festival. I was hoping Connor would show some of his work. But I think that was a pretty firm no.”
“He rarely changes his mind once it’s made up. I’ll work on him some, but I can’t make any promises.”
“I’m helping plan the festival and I do need some more local art for the show.”
“How long have you lived here on Magnolia Key? I don’t remember meeting you before.”
“I don’t live here. I’m just here for a few months. Taking a break from real life.” She held up a hand. “And I know what you’re going to say. Why am I working on the festival then?”
“No, I think it’s great that you are. Honestly, I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing for a few months.”
“I’m an event planner by trade, so it made sense to jump in and help. And I’ve made some good friends here on the island already. Though some townspeople aren’t thrilled with an outsider being in charge. And Connor thinks I’m ridiculous for doing it.”
“Connor’s bark is worse than his bite. He really is a sweetheart under all the gruff exterior of his.”
“If you say so.” She still was skeptical.
“He’s not much of a joiner, so he probably can’t understand why you’d want to head up the event.” Megan took a sip of her wine.
“I’d love to see the festival get back to what it used to be. I went to it with my parents when I was a young girl. I still have such great memories of it and of the island.”
“Are they coming to the festival this year?”
“Ah… no.” Amanda’s voice caught. “They… they passed away when I was young.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. That’s so hard. I know how hard it is. Connor and I lost our parents a long time ago too. I was in college and Connor was just finishing high school. It was rough going for a while.”
“I’m sorry for your loss too.”
“So, who did you live with after your parents died?”
“First, I lived with my grandmother. It was nice. She helped me get through it all. But then… she developed Alzheimer’s.” She looked out at the water for a moment as emotions crept up on her, then turned back to Megan. “ I tried to take care of her, but I was so young. My family finally said I had to move out, and they put her in a memory care unit. I was heartbroken. It was like losing my parents all over again. Then I was kind of passed around from family member to member. Lived with my aunt and cousins for a bit. Then another uncle. Went to college with the money I inherited, moved to New York City, and became an event planner. That’s my life in a nutshell.”
“Must have been hard losing your grandmother, too, and moving around like that.” Megan’s eyes were filled with empathy. “We at least were old enough to live on our own. I had an apartment at college, and Connor moved in with me. He worked odd jobs and then started up with his wood carving. He had quite a bit of success with it.”
“So why did he move to Magnolia?”
“I’m not sure why he picked it. I teased him it was because it’s so hard to get here. Have to take the ferry and everything. But I try to bring Brooklyn as often as I can. She adores Connor.”
“Looks like he adores her too.”
“Brooklyn has him wrapped around her little finger. He’d do anything for her.”
Just then, Connor and Brooklyn came back from their shelling adventure. Megan stood up. “Thanks for the wine. I should go. I promised to cook my world-famous mac and cheese to go with the burgers Connor is grilling.” Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh! You should join us.”
Amanda shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ll let you all have family time.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. Megan walked down the stairs and trotted over to Connor’s. Brooklyn danced around the two of them and pulled shells out of the bucket, proudly displaying them to her mother.
Connor looked over toward her deck one time, his gaze lingering for a moment before turning back to Brooklyn and scooping her up in his arms.
One thing was certain. Connor Dempsey was a complicated man.