12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Maeve
Not wanting to give my brain time to think, I stretch the hairband always on my wrist and pull my hair back and up into a messy bun before I walk to the kitchen sink to wash my hands.
I glance around the almost-finished kitchen, liking what I see.
The countertop is a big piece of wood carved out in one piece, and the white ceramic sink is gorgeous as well as practical with its two basins.
I do my best to ignore Aidan as he walks past me, but I barely manage it.
He’s just too much everywhere all at once, and I can’t fully relax.
I glance at his broad back as he leaves my side and walks over to his parents, chatting softly next to a brick wall with a curved opening.
He places a hand on each of their shoulders.
“A word, please.” He gestures to the room with his chin. I move up on my toes to see it better, but it’s filled with so many tools and wooden planks that the real purpose of it is hidden from me.
The three of them move under the curved archway and leave the kitchen together.
I release a shaky sigh. Now, I can relax.
I turn off the tap and shake my hands a little to get rid of the excess water. Katie steps up to me and hands me a dishtowel.
“Thank you.” I smile at her and dry my hands. “What do you need me to do?”
“We’re almost done, but I’d like your help with seasoning the ground beef before we start up with the lasagna sheets.” She shrugs. “And then you can do that if you want to.”
I smile down at her. “Sounds good. Where do you keep your seasoning powder?”
“Erm, that’s not really what we use in this house.”
“It isn’t?”
She shakes her head and then looks pointedly at all the herbs lined up in the white pots in the windowsill behind the sink that I saw the last time I was here. Only now, there are at least six of them. Understanding dawns on me.
“Oooh. Of course.”
He’s a farmer. Naturally, he also has a herb garden.
Tongue in cheek, Katie moves to one of the shelves. She grabs a pair of scissors and then turns to fetch a stool. She sets it in front of the sink, steps up, and reaches for one of the pots. She points at it and quirks an eyebrow, making me twitch my lips in amusement.
“I know that one.” I grin. “Basil. We definitely want that in the sauce.”
“Agreed.” She grabs a bunch and snips it off before placing it on the counter. “Can you get the mortar from the cabinet on top of the oven, please? We’ll mix the herbs in it, and once they’re ground together, we’ll add them to the sauce.”
“Okay.”
I turn around, my eyes scanning everywhere to find the kitchen utensil I’ve only ever heard of but never used before, but she doesn’t need to know that.
I shorten the distance and reach up, pushing on the cupboard door, and it flips open.
Immediately, a simmering heat pools in my belly as I think back on the last time I was here.
When Aidan caged me in, so close that our bodies came close to brushing.
If I were the flirting kind, I wouldn’t have held back from doing just that. How I sometimes wish I were different.
But then again, maybe Aidan wouldn’t have welcomed my feeble attempt at flirting, and then it would have ended up super awkward between us.
Besides, I’m not in the market for another boyfriend.
The last one I had did enough damage to last me a lifetime.
As it does each time I think about Colin, the memory of catching him having sex with his secretary flickers before me.
The betrayal still hurts, but it’s the act more than anything else. Not him.
Perhaps it means I’m finally over him.
I shake off the melancholic thoughts and lift down the white marble mortar carefully.
The heavy weight in my hands surprises me, but the flash of a memory of Nellie handing me a similar one, a soft smile playing on her lips, sends me rooted to the spot.
My lips tip up at the corners from remembering something I’ve kept buried deep for so long.
It puzzles me more that I forgot it in the first place, because why wouldn’t I hold on to the fond memories I share with my foster parents?
This is not the time to examine it further, and I push the thought away for later.
I have to get through dinner with the man who starts in all my recent fantasies, his daughter, and his parents.
Good Lord, send help, please.
“Seamus, you’re shameless!”
Rosie’s laughter startles me out of my thoughts. I look up at Aidan and his parents as they walk back into the kitchen, the three of them laughing together. A twinge of envy hits me square in the chest. Envy and something else…
Is it longing? Curiosity? Whatever it is, I want it for myself one day. It doesn’t take a detective to know that this family is close.
Aidan gives his father a clap on the back, raising his head.
When his carefree gaze travels the kitchen, searching, I wonder what he’s looking for.
Then, as if he can’t help himself, his eyes land on mine. He makes a slow, deliberate search of my face, one that I can feel everywhere, and I swallow the sudden knot in my throat when he aims a wide smile, dimples on full display, at me.
My tummy doesn’t do a slow swoop this time. It’s a full-fledged somersault instead, and the power is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.
This isn’t going to be awkward.
Nope.
Definitely not.
But aside from the fact that I’m practically an outsider, dinner isn’t awkward at all.
Seamus and Rosie are very easy to be around, keeping the conversation flowing freely, and I end up relaxed and at ease.
Katie’s a delight to be with, too. I sit between her and Seamus, taking care to listen to everything they want to share of their lives with me.
So far, I’ve learned that Katie is quite taken with her new hobby, and Seamus tells me of his volunteering at the community centre as well as tending the gardens at the church now that he’s retired.
Since Aidan still hasn’t gotten his new dinner table, we sit around the temporary kitchen island, and I actually like that his home isn’t pristine and perfect.
It’s a home, not a fancy country hotel.
While I love the luxury of my cottage, I love being inside a family home so much more.
“Maeve, dear?”
I smile at Rosie sitting opposite me, closest to the kitchen where all the food is laid out, ready for our taking. She passes a plate to me that’s filled to the brim with food. I smile in thanks but gulp inwardly at the sight.
How am I going to get through all that?
“Have you settled in well in our small village?”
“Slowly getting there. It’s a beautiful place, and I love getting so much fresh air.” I throw her a smile and place the plate in front of me.
Rosie returns my smile. “That’s good. Bet it’s a far cry from Dublin, though, isn’t it?”
“I needed the change.” I shuffle in my seat, wanting to get out of the spotlight. “What do you do now that you’re retired?”
“A little bit of this and that.” She sits down and reaches for her knife and fork.
“I help out at the local daycare when they want to go on day trips. But since alpaca wool is part of the family business, I spend the winters knitting a lot of hats that I either sell at our Saturday markets or at Seafield’s Wool & Craft Co.
” She turns her head to Aidan. “That’s the name of the yarn mill.
Aidan made the deal with them shortly after we got the lovely animals. ”
“That’s brilliant.” I chance a glance at him. “What do you do the rest of the year?”
“Oh, just help out where I can.”
Seamus bumps our shoulders together. “Don’t you listen to her. She does a lot, not a little. She practically arranges the flowers for St. Brigid all on her own.”
“That’s not true.” She lifts her fork and waves it in the air, making a point. “Maureen and Holly help, too.”
Seamus stabs salad on his fork, and I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.
“Do you knit, Maeve?”
I turn back to Rosie and shake my head. “No, that’s not one of my talents.”
“That’s a shame, but it’s never too late to start learning. Oh!” She claps my hand. “We have our own knitting club. You’re more than welcome to join us.”
I lift my glass for a quick sip before answering. “Thank you. If I’m still here come winter, maybe I’ll try my hand at it.” Then I nod at Katie. “What about you? Can you knit?”
Katie makes a face. “No. I don’t have the patience.”
I smile in understanding. “To be honest, I’m not sure I have the temper for it, either. I like to run. Stay active that way.”
“Because of your job?”
I nod at Aidan. “That’s partly the reason, yes. I love running in the early mornings the most. It quiets the mind.”
He nods, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve seen you run much since you’ve arrived at Cloonmara.”
I shake my head. “No, I…I can’t run much these days, but hopefully soon I’ll be back at it.”
He opens his mouth as if to say something, but then closes it again.
“Well, if you’d like to get to know more people in the village, you should come to one of the park runs. We have them most weekends during the warm seasons.”
I smile in thanks to Rosie before turning my attention back to the food on my plate. I’m already stuffed, and unease settles inside me about all the food going to waste.
“Maeve?”
I raise my head and meet Aidan’s eyes across from me. He rests his hands on the table and looks pointedly at my plate. “You can take the rest of it home with you if you want. Have leftovers tomorrow.”
I smile in earnest and lean back in my chair. “Thank you. I’m sorry. The food’s delicious, but I can’t manage more tonight.”
He shakes his head once. “Don’t apologise. Mum thinks everyone needs more meat on their bones.” He leans closer to Rosie and kisses her cheek, chasing the sting of his words away. “I’ll find a container for you.”
I scrape the chair back, wincing at the sharp sound on the floor. “I’ll help.”