14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Maeve
Before I know it, it’s Sunday, and I’ve got a date with a twelve-year-old and her dad.
Just thinking about it almost makes me break out in a cold sweat, but I’m absolutely not going to text Aidan and come up with a stupid excuse to cancel.
I don’t want to make a fuss about their invitation, but showing up on their doorstep without bringing even a small thing as a thank you gift feels off as well.
Or am I overthinking this?
I search my brain for ideas when I leave the station, but when my eyes catch sight of Roísin’s bakery, I lift my arm to check the time. I stop on the pavement, waiting for a group of mountain bikers to clear the road, and take out my mobile from my pocket.
ME: I’m picking up lunch from Roísin’s before coming to you. What would you like?
AIDAN (FARMER): Just need coffee and a fizzy drink for Katie. We’ve made plenty of sandwiches.
“Well, that’s annoying,” I murmur. “Annoying, but thoughtful.”
ME: Right, then I’ll get us something sweet instead. Any allergies I need to be aware of?
AIDAN (FARMER): Nope.
ME: See you soon.
AIDAN (FARMER): ??.
I look first to my left, then my right, before I cross the street in a light jog. Just as I reach for the handle to the shop, the door opens, and Roísin comes out.
“Oh! Hi, Maeve.” She gives me a one-armed hug, her other balancing an enormous basket filled to the brim with stacks of papers.
“Hullo.” I point to her basket. “What are those?”
She grabs one of them and hands it to me. “Flyers.”
I raise my eyes in question.
“For the Cloonmara Spring Rising Festival, of course.”
“Oh. Oooh.” I click my tongue. “I’ve heard of that one. It’s only a few weeks away, isn’t it?”
“Mmhmm. We need to make sure everyone hears about it, so I’m off to Kinsale today to pass these out. Then I’ll drive to Cork later in the week.”
I smile. “Don’t forget to leave a stack of them with Franny. She’ll find a spot in our reception.”
Roísin beams at me. “Ah, thanks. You’re a sweetheart. Where are you off to?”
I tip my head to her bakery. “I need something sweet for my afternoon visit.”
“Which is where?”
I blow a raspberry. “You’re nosy.”
She rolls her eyes. “Village life, remember?”
“Ah. Katie and Aidan asked me to visit Lynch Farm today. Thought I’d pick up a snack or two for us.”
Her mouth forms an O. “Whoa. Are you and Aidan dating?”
“What?” I shriek. “No! Absolutely not.”
She throws me a look, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Really?”
“Really. Don’t you remember that Katie asked me if I wanted to see the animals?”
Her shoulders sag. “Crap. Yeah, I remember now.”
I pull my brows together. “What do you mean?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing. Sorry, I forgot. We’ve got some nice lemon tarts in the shop. I’m trying out a new recipe, and I’d love for you to let me know what you think of them.”
“Are they going to go straight to my hips?”
She grins. “Probably more like your bum.”
I grin at her. “Fine. I’ll burn off the calories tonight, then. Lead the way.”
She puts the basket down and walks back to the shop. “Do you need coffee as well?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.”
“I’ll get you a latte macchiato today. And the boring one for Aidan, I take it?”
“Yup. No surprise there. I’ll have a pop for Katie as well, please.”
“Got it.”
Before long, I’m back on the street, my tarts and drinks safely in a large paper bag.
There’s a faint scent of sea salt in the air, teasing my nostrils, and everywhere I look, there are signs of spring giving way to summer.
The closer I get to the Lynch farm, the more anxiety coils in my stomach, making it so much harder to relax.
If this burning attraction would just stop tripping me up, it would be so much simpler.
But it seems my life isn’t supposed to be simple, no matter how hard I try.
I round the bend in the road and come face to face with a massive log burned with the words Lynch Farm in black, swirly script.
I shuffle closer to it and let my fingers run lightly across the L.
It’s sturdy, solid. It fits its owner. My lips pull up at the corners, and I square my shoulders.
I have to treat my attraction towards Aidan as just another challenge to overcome, and then I’ll be fine.
The gravel driveway isn’t long, but it winds in a wide curve, opening up to a generous-sized courtyard with the main house situated in the middle.
The style resembles Rose Hill, only on a much larger scale and with grey slates instead of a thatched roof.
I walk towards the main door and admire the whitewashed house with the almost doll-house-like windows filled with pots of flowers spilling out and down the walls.
It’s the first time I’ve seen the farm in daylight, and I almost feel that there’s an aura of old tales surrounding it, as if the bricks could tell a pleasant story about the past. I crane my neck to take in as much of the two-story house as I can.
I raise my hand to knock on the door, but a deep voice behind me stops me, and I turn my head.
Aidan strides towards me, and I tamp down the flutters that erupt inside me from the sight of him.
His gaze bores into mine so intently that it feels as if he can see every thought I’ve had about him since I left him in his car.
He stops close in front of me and tips his finger to an imaginary hat.
“Detective.”
“Are you ever going to stop calling me that?”
“Unlikely.”
“I guess I can live with it.” I blow out a breath and decide to let it go. I raise my hand, holding up the bag. “Tarts and coffees from Roísin. I didn’t know which pop to get Katie, so I went with the safe choice.”
He takes it from me and opens it, peering into it.
“Raspberry is fine.” He closes the bag and gestures towards the house. “Are you hungry?”
I shrug. “I could eat.”
“Great. Katie’s inside, finishing up homework.”
I ram my hands into my pockets to stop from fidgeting and follow him inside. He puts the bag on the temporary kitchen island and then walks through the archway to the staircase I’ve only just noticed at the far end of the kitchen.
“Katie!” he shouts up the stairs. “Our guest is here.” He doesn’t wait for her before he returns to me. “Take a seat. I’m sure she won’t be long.”
No sooner have the words left his lips than I hear running feet above, and I grin at Aidan. His eyes crinkle at the corners, and he returns my grin. Katie runs down the stairs, hair flying wildly around her until she skids to a stop right in front of me.
“Maeve! You came!”
“Of course I did.” I lean down to give her a brief hug. “Said I would, didn’t I?”
She reaches up her hand and twirls her hair around her finger. “I know, but I thought you might’ve got stuck at work.”
“Come now, love.” Aidan’s soft admonishment makes us turn our heads at the same time. “You fret too much.”
“Sorry, Dad.”
The knowing look they share makes me frown. Why do I get the feeling that they’re talking about more than what’s being said? My eyes flicker between them for a few seconds until Aidan jerks his chin towards the kitchen.
“Why don’t we all get something to eat, and then we’ll show Maeve around, okay?”
My tummy makes a sound so loud that I clap a hand over my mouth.
“I’m so sorry,” I gasp through my laughter and place a hand over my belly button. “That’s embarrassing.”
Katie giggles. “Come on. I made some chicken salad sandwiches on sourdough bread for us.”
“Oh, wow. That sounds fantastic.” I take my coat off and hang it on a chair. “Do you need a hand with them?”
Shaking her head, she pulls the fridge open.
“No, thank you. I’ve got them.” She removes a large plate filled with a mountain of food, and my eyes widen.
Aidan joins us in the kitchen and pulls out our drinks from the bag, and we spend the next few minutes setting the table in companionable silence.
“What’s your favourite animal, Maeve?”
I smile at Katie as I sit down next to her.
“That’s a hard one.” I purse my lips in thought. “But I think I’ll go with dogs. What about you?”
“I can’t choose.” She pulls the plate closer to me. “I love all our animals, but the chickens are funny. I really like the alpacas, too, and horses.”
I turn my head to Aidan.
“What about you?”
He shakes his head. “The farm animals are here for the business, so I don’t see them as pets like Katie does. But Little Miss is my princess.”
My heart melts when he leans from his chair and reaches down. I move my head to watch, and when the feline bumps her head against his fingers, I swear my belly does a little somersault.
“Dad.”
He straightens up and sits back. “It’s true.
I thought I could resist her, but since she sleeps in my bed most nights, I think it’s safe to say that she’s mine.
” He takes a bite of his sandwich. “As long as she keeps the mice outside and doesn’t bring them inside as a present for me, we’ll be fine. ”
The fact that Aidan calls his cat she instead of it sends a sweep of warmth through my body.
I don’t think I can handle another dose of male cuteness, and I lift my hands, already wrapped around my own lunch.
Being with Aidan and his daughter shouldn’t be this easy, yet I’m already enjoying myself in their company.
My gaze flickers between them as they share knowing grins.
I wonder what happened to Mrs. Lynch.
I don’t want to pry, though. Even if they choose not to divulge anything about her, I’m sure some villager will share the story with me at some point.
In any case, it doesn’t matter. I’m just grateful that they’ve chosen to be my friends.
That Aidan wants me to settle down in the village touches me in a way that’s foreign yet familiar at the same time.
A long-forgotten hope that I buried in the ground so many years ago.
A dream that I squished with the soles of my feet to protect myself from getting hurt.
It’s funny how all it takes for me to realise how much of the little girl inside me–the one with those hopes and dreams–still lives on, never completely forgotten.