Chapter 13
Sophie woke up the next morning tucked into her bed. She opened one eye then closed it again. For once, the sun was out, which was lovely, of course, but did it need to shine on the one morning she had a whacking hangover? She groaned and turned over away from the window and its evil sunlight. The scent of fresh coffee drifted in, tickling her nose. And by the scent she could tell it was Keefe’s special coffee. Now that was worth dragging her sorry carcass out of bed for.
She sat up and noticed a note on her bedside table beside a glass of water and two white tablets. “Your aspirin, Your Majesty,” it read. She swallowed the aspirin then crawled out from under her warm covers and staggered to the kitchen.
Keefe heard her stumble out of bed and swear when she bumped into the doorway. “How’s the head feeling?” he asked as he finished pouring her a cup of coffee.
“Not great, but better than it should.”
“I bet it hurts when you carry it underneath your arm for so long.”
“Bite me.” He placed her coffee, made just the way she liked it, on the counter and slid it in front of her. She lifted the cup to her lips and sipped the hot libation. “Bless you.”
“That’s more like it. Scrambled eggs and pancakes sound good?”
“Mmm, yes, please.”
“How about some potatoes too?” Sophie had her face buried in her cup so she gave him a thumbs up. Keefe opened the refrigerator door and brought out the tray of eggs. “You know, you might have told your brother.”
She placed her cup on the counter. “Tell you what?”
“That you’re seeing Liam.”
With a fond smile, Sophie sipped her coffee. Things had been so busy she’d forgotten to tell Keefe. Oops. She was just grateful he hadn’t heard it through the O’Brian grapevine first—then he’d be upset. “It only just happened. We’re taking it slow.”
Fast or slow, made no difference to Keefe so long as his sister was happy. “I’m happy for you, Soph.”
On the far side of the counter sat Bobby’s crumpled up letter beside the contract she was expected to sign. After a long gulp of coffee, she marched over, grabbed them, and stuck out her tongue.
“What do you want to do with that?”
“I need a pen.”
Shocked by her reply, Keefe dropped an egg on the floor. “Don’t tell me you’re going to sign it! Have you lost your mind? Soph! You can’t! Have you lost your fucking mind? Think about what you’re doing!”
Her brother’s concern was touching. Granted, she wished he had expressed it at a lower octave, but she understood his distress. “Keep your hair on. I’m not signing it. But I’ll need a pen to write his address on the envelope that I stuff the shredded papers into.” She turned on her heel and made her way to the office down the hallway. There was a paper shredder whose service she required.
“That’s my girl!” Keefe cheered.
Keefe had just finished wiping up the cracked egg on the floor when a knock sounded at the front door. As he expected, Liam was there on the doorstep. “Morning, Keefe. How’s her Royal Highness this morning?” The sound of the paper shredder echoed from the hallway. “What’s that noise?”
“Wait till you see,” Keefe said with a smile. “She’s good. More than good thanks to you. Come on in. Want some breakfast?”
“No, thanks but I’d take some coffee.” Liam followed Keefe inside to the kitchen.
“There. That ought to do it! I—Liam, I didn’t hear you come in,” she said brightly.
“Good morning, your Your Majesty,” Liam said as he bowed.
Sophie shook her head and snickered. “Hilarious.”
“What have you got there?”
“This,” she held up her hands, full of paper scraps, “was that letter and contract. Which I have just made into confetti that I will now place into an envelope and mail back to Bobby.” She stuffed the strips of paper into an envelope and sealed it with two solid pounds of her fist, just to make extra sure it stayed shut. Wouldn’t want that confetti to go falling out before they crossed the ocean. Then she exhaled hard with an exhausted smile.
Liam picked up her cup of coffee and brought it to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
Sophie rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Liam smiled and held her tighter. Everything was going to be fine.
“Will you stay for breakfast?”
“I was just stopping by to check in on you but would you like me to stay?”
“Yeah, I would.”
Keefe looked over his shoulder at his sister and Liam and thought to himself how right they were together. “So, Liam, how do you like your eggs?”
“I’m not picky. I’ll have what Sophie’s having.”
“No problem. Two hangover platters coming right up. Listen, I’ll be going after breakfast. The roofers are starting today.”
“Are they? That’s great,” said Sophie. She sat down back at the counter and Liam sat beside her. “I’ll be putting another coat of varnish on the bar today. Two more and it should be all set.”
“How long will that take?”
“I should be done in a week or so.”
Liam couldn’t help but be disappointed that she wouldn’t be coming to his house all the time anymore. He wondered if she would pull away from him again once the bar top was finished.
As if she’d heard his thoughts, Sophie leaned over and nudged him with her shoulder. “Thanks for coming over yesterday.”
“You can always count on me.”
“Are you busy this afternoon?”
“Not really, why?”
“Well, I was just thinking that once I get that coat of varnish on that I will have the rest of the day free. You don’t need me at the pub today right, Keefe?”
Keefe called back over his shoulder from the stove. “No, not at all. If anything, you would be in the way. The crew is working all over the place now and making great progress. I’ll only be there myself to make sure they're properly fed.”
Sophie turned her attention back to Liam. “I was thinking maybe we could spend some time together? You could take me on that walk and show me the view behind your house.”
Liam smiled over the rim of his coffee cup. Sophie really was coming around. “That would be nice.”
“Then it’s a date.”
“It’s a date.” Before he got lost in this blissful moment, Liam changed the subject. “So, how are the renovations going?”
Keefe turned around with two full plates of food in his hands and placed them in front of Sophie and Liam. They were works of art, of course. Liam didn’t know how to simply bang out pancakes, eggs, and home fries. He had to take it to the next level and garnish the eggs with scallions, colored bell pepper rings, and fancy dollops of cream cheese. “So far, so good. The new electrics are nearly finished, the chimney repaired, the dining room is practically finished, and the kitchen won’t be far behind. We are in good shape to open in time for spring.”
“If you ever need any help, I’d be happy to lend a hand.”
“Thanks, Liam.” Keefe had eaten while he was cooking so he was all set to head out the door. “Okay, that’s me off. Soph, I’ll see you when I see you.”
Sophie had a mouthful of food so she waved and nodded with a smile.
Liam waved goodbye to Keefe after thanking him for breakfast then waited until he heard the click of the door to talk more with Sophie. “I hope you aren’t rushing the refinishing job because you think I need my space.”
“No, I’m not. If anything, I’m being too careful with this job and have taken longer than I should have.” She took a sip of coffee, then placed her cup down. “And I might have enjoyed seeing you all the time.”
“You had a funny way of showing it seeing as you avoided me like the plague.”
“True but in order to avoid you, I actually had to see you more than I would have if I’d just gone about my business.” She laughed at her own stupidity.
“So, you were spying on me? Soph that’s called stalking. That’s a punishable offense. I feel quite violated thank you very much.”
Sophie listened to his dramatic speech with little enthusiasm. When he finished, she waited a beat, and took a bite of pancake before flatly saying, “You wish.”
Liam threw his head back laughing. “That’s my Sophie. God, I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.”
* * *
Sophie knocked on Liam’s front door and heard him call out to come inside. “It’s only me,” she said back.
“It’s always been only you,” Liam said as he met her at the door. “Sorry, was that cheesy?”
“A little, but I liked it.” She smiled up at him. “I’m done out there for the day. Are you still up for a walk? It’s a nice day outside.”
“Of course, I was just making tea though. I’ll turn off the kettle. Unless you would like a cup first?”
“Maybe later.” Sophie waited at the door with her hands inside her pockets and looked around admiring Liam’s home. It really was very comfortable and inviting.
“All set,” Liam said after putting his boots and coat on. “You’ll want this.” Liam pulled a navy blue wool cap out from his coat pocket and handed it to her.
It wasn’t all that cold outside but Sophie found his concern thoughtful so she put the hat on. “How do I look?” Liam smiled and tugged it down over her ears. As they stepped outside and rounded the house she asked, “So, what are you going to show me?”
He looked at her with a mischievous smile and simply replied, “You’ll see.”
They walked mostly in silence as the wind picked up, growing stronger with each step. Now she understood why he had given her the hat to wear.
So far, Liam’s backyard was nothing out of the ordinary—large and sparse, with no trees or gardens. Then again, he hadn’t lived there long so why would he have much landscaping?
As for the lack of trees, that was typical of Ireland. She wasn’t much of a history buff, but she remembered her uncle Henry once explaining that many of the country’s forests had been harvested by the English for shipbuilding. Not that the Irish had much say in the matter. It struck her as a cruel fate—to strip an island of its trees, leaving its people with barren land even centuries later.
“What’s up with this wind?” She zipped up her coat to her chin. “You know, you really live out in the middle of nowhere. And you’ve got hardly any neighbors. How did you ever find a place with this much open space?”
“Well, when there’s a storm you would think a tornado was coming through so most people don’t want to live here but I think it’s worth the occasional double wind.”
She couldn’t imagine where this wind came from seeing as he wasn’t near the sea.
Then she noticed it: The wind carried the scent of salt. But his place was far too high in the mountains for that, surely. It wasn’t much further when she finally saw it.
“Holy...” She exhaled, her voice barely more than a whisper. There, at the edge of Liam’s land, she stood gazing out in awe. Far below them, the sea stretched wide and endless. Across the water, the mighty snow-capped mountains rose to the sky, their peaks kissed by the last golden light of the evening. White-capped waves rolled toward the crescent of beach nestled between the cliffs. “Liam, there are no words. You really did buy the house for the view.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to her, the depth of his gaze matching the endless horizon before them. And then, he closed the space between them.
His lips met hers—soft but sure—and Sophie melted into him as if no time had passed at all. The kiss was familiar—achingly so—but different, too. A rediscovery. His hand slid to her waist, drawing her in, and the warmth of him wrapped around her like something she'd forgotten she needed.
Her fingers curled into the thick fabric of his coat, grounding herself against the surge of feeling. His scent—clean and woodsy—flooded her senses. Their connection, even after all these years, was still there. Still deep. Still unshaken. The past hadn’t stolen this from them.
When they finally broke apart, the world around them seemed to still. Even the wind from the sea stopped as if holding its breath.
“Jesus…” Liam sighed.
“Uh-huh…”
“You felt that too, then?”
A little shocked, she nodded slowly, eyes wide.
Liam waited, searching her face. When she said nothing, he glanced away, his voice low. “I’m sorry. I thought you wanted me to kiss you.”
“I did,” she said quickly. “It’s just… Jesus, Liam. No one’s kissed me like that since…”
“Me?”
“Yes! Are you proud of yourself? You’ve ruined me for other men. I was doomed from the beginning. I just didn’t know it.”
“Neither did I, love. Neither did I.” He slipped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, tucking her close. “Just make sure you don’t start avoiding me again?”
She looped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her, and kissed him—slow, sure, and full of promise. That was a deal she could make.