24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
Maeve
The day goes by in a whirlwind of colours, scents, and noise.
It seems like the village has grown in size with the sheer number of people visiting for the day.
I pass one stall after the other, taking everything in.
Everywhere I look, people share greetings and smiles, inviting everyone who wants to see their goods or services inside their stalls. Nobody is in a rush today.
I stumble when a group of children bumps into me and let out a low whistle. The last one of them, a gangly boy barely in his teens, turns back, his hands raised in apology. His floppy fringe falls across his freckled cheeks.
“Sorry, Ma’am.”
I shake my head at the boy. “I’m fine, but you need to be more careful.”
He flashes a smile at me and then scurries after his friends. I crane my neck and look after them, and when I notice them stop at a long line of people in front of a sign that reads, Sweets / Treats, I roll my eyes, my lips twitching.
I shouldn’t be so surprised that I almost got run over by children desperate for a sugar rush.
I pass the same stand I spotted earlier and admired with Roísin, my eyes falling on a pink-and-white-striped cup dotted with tiny strawberries along the sides and the curved handle.
A blonde woman smiles hesitantly at me, her eyes flickering as she pushes her hands in the back pockets of her beige jeans, then removes them again to fiddle with a long leather necklace hanging around her neck.
A rose-coloured ceramic disc with small, black beads hangs at the end of it, and she keeps running it between her fingers.
It’s almost as if she’s using it as a coping mechanism, the same way I do with counting when I sense an anxiety attack is about to hit me.
As she turns it six times, then repeats the same number the other way, my instincts tell me that I need to be a bit careful with her.
She worries her lips between her teeth but then seems to muster up some courage and squares her shoulders.
“May I help you?”
I take another step closer to her stand. “I was just admiring your cups.” I glance at her. “You do lovely work. I’m really taken with the strawberry cup.”
This time, when she smiles at me, she looks less nervous, and her shoulders drop. She pushes a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair back up under a large, crocheted bucket hat. I can barely make out her eyes as she keeps her head down.
“Thank you.”
I point at the cup.
“Would it be okay to look at it more closely?”
“Oh, yes, of course.”
She picks it up, handing it to me. I smile in thanks and twist the cup carefully, moving it around to examine it from all angles.
“How much is it?”
“Twenty-nine euros, please.”
“Maeve!”
I turn my head sharply to my right and spot Katie waving at me from Aidan’s farm stand right next to me, and I wave at her before I turn back to seal the deal with the nervous seller.
“I’ll take it, but can you hold on to it for me until later this afternoon? I’ll pay for it now, of course.”
“Yeah, no worries. I’ll make sure to wrap it up for you.”
“Perfect, thanks.”
I push my hand into my handbag to find my purse while she wraps up my new cup. I hand the woman the money and smile at her.
“What’s your name?” She holds a Sharpie in her other hand and points at the parcel. “I’ll make sure to write it down in case I forget it. I’m horrible at names.”
“Maeve.”
I still can’t see her eyes properly, which, for some reason, irks me a little bit, but since I don’t have a good enough excuse to stay at her stand, I’ll have to let it go.
I glance over my shoulder before I turn to leave. “Do you have a business card or something, so I know how to reach you if I want to make another purchase sometime?”
She sets the Sharpie and mug down carefully and turns around to another table behind her. There’s a stack of flyers with a big stone resting on top of them, no doubt to prevent them from being caught in the wind. She tugs out one of them and turns back to me.
“All my social media is listed here.”
I take the small flyer and scan it quickly, happy to finally put a name to her face.
“Thank you, Niamh Whelan. I’ll see you later.”
“Sure. Thanks so much for supporting my small business. I…” She opens her mouth, then closes it and breathes deeply, her tawny-brown eyes meeting mine for the first time. I wait for her to finish. “This is my first time at a festival, and I think I’m a little overwhelmed.”
“I’m sure you’re not the only one.” I reach out my hand for her to shake. “It’s nice to meet you. Believe in yourself, and I’m sure you’ll be sold out before the day ends.”
She laughs.
“That would be pretty incredible. Thanks again.”
“See you later.”
I back away from her counter and head towards Aidan and Katie’s food stand.
I scan the wooden crates inside, all lined up neatly in rows, several on top of each other.
Some of them are double-sided, with wide racks lined up, and I crane my neck to read the sign at the very top, but I can’t quite make it out.
All of them are filled with different produce, and my fingers are itching to get my hands on a little bit of everything, even though I don’t know the names of half of them.
Small chalkboard signs showcasing both what they sell and their prices, urging people to buy local and support their farmer, make me smile.
The line is long, but that doesn’t surprise me. Not when I know how much Aidan and his family mean to the community. The history between the Lynch Farm and the village only goes to show their roots and deep respect, and I’m not surprised that the locals sometimes call him Lord Cloonmara.
My eyes wander to Aidan behind the counter, chatting with a customer.
His sunny smile is like a balm to my soul, filling me with his warmth and light.
He’s so focused on everyone around him, friendly and attentive.
Not in a hurry at all. He grabs a box of strawberries and wraps them in a brown paper bag before he passes it along to the man in front of him, and my eyes take in his tanned arms.
Gosh, he’s sexy.
My mouth waters, more from the man himself than the strawberries, though I hope I’ll manage to snag a box of my own before he sells out.
For the first time in my adult life, I start to wonder what mine would be like if I hadn’t been a detective. A simpler life, perhaps? One that meant more physical, hard work, but less of a strain on my feelings.
I shake a little at my rampant thoughts.
Where did that come from?
Finally, the line thins, and it gets to be my turn. I smile at Katie as I step up to her.
“Wow, this looks gorgeous.”
Satisfaction dances across her face. “Thank you. We’re proud of what our farm offers every year.” She points behind her. “And we’ve also got a partnership with the local beekeeper. His honey is fantastic.”
I take in all the produce and plates with samples laid out on the counter between us, my mouth watering from the temptation before me.
“I need a box of strawberries, please, and you’ve already sold me on the honey, but what else do you recommend?”
“I’ll give you one of my favourite jams, too.” Keen to find out what she comes up with for me to take home, I watch as she picks up a tall glass jar from the shelf behind her and holds it out to me.
“Our raspberry jam is the absolute best in the county.” She puffs out her chest, clearly proud. “And we’ve also got some lemon curd if you’d like to try it.”
“Please.”
She picks up a paper napkin and a cake server. Fascinated, I watch the multi-level, tower-like cake stand next to her, and she picks up a little bun topped with butter and the yellowy lemon curd dolloped on top. Then she hands me a smaller bowl, and I take one of the toothpicks.
“Here you go. You need to try our apple cider, too, but let me just get those strawberries for you before we run out.” She grins at me. “They’re always popular.”
She dashes away, and I can’t help but grin at the small businesswoman she already is. I jab the toothpick into the small bun and pop it in my mouth, and the moment the sweet and tart flavour hits my taste buds, I let out an appreciative moan and close my eyes.
“Good?”
I pop my eyes open and stare straight into Aidan’s smirk. I lick my finger and smile at the choked sound from his throat, please by his reaction. “Can’t you tell?”
He clears his throat, his eyes a raging storm as he fixates on my lips. “I’m glad,” he murmurs.
I glance around me to make sure I’m not holding back the next customer in line, but no one’s behind me. I place my basket on the counter just in time for Katie’s return. She’s wrapped up the jars and strawberries already and gingerly places them in the basket.
“It looks like you’ve run into a lull.”
Aidan nods. “Yeah, but hopefully not for long. As you can see, we’ve still got lots to offer.”
I point to the jars lined up on the counter between us.
“What are those?”
He picks one up and offers it to me. As our fingers touch, I stiffen, my gaze flickering up to meet Aidan’s. I narrow my eyes at his cocky grin but ignore it and read the label.
“Pickled walnuts?”
“That’s for cheese and crackers,” Katie jumps in.
Aidan’s eyes darken even further, and a delicious shiver runs down my spine. “And for figs, too.”
I lick my lips and place it carefully back. “Too bad I don’t like cheese.”
He shakes his head and puts it in my basket, and I raise my eyes at him. He shrugs. “Take one, anyway. I’m sure you’ll find another use for it.”
His rugged voice only adds fuel to the fire, heating my already raging libido, but I try to ignore the implications of his words. I can’t run away from the fact that my cheeks are flaming, though.
“Are you okay, Maeve?”
My head snaps in Katie’s direction, and I pull at the scarf around my neck.
“Yes. It’s just a lot warmer now than when I first got here.”
She frowns but then shrugs. “I suppose it is.” She glances between us before turning to her dad. “Dad, I promised to text Jamie about our sleepover. Is it okay if I do it now?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“Thanks.” She makes to leave but pauses and looks back at me. “I’ll see you later, Maeve.”
“Absolutely.”
I watch her retreating back for a moment, and once she’s out of sight, I look up at the infuriating man in front of me.
“You’re a fiend,” I hiss.
He leans a hip against the counter and crosses his arms. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
I glance around me to make sure no one’s around to eavesdrop on us and lean closer. “You were insinuating some hot and creative food sex with me in front of Katie!”
The urge to slap him only grows stronger when his smirk turns into a full-fledged smile.
“Relax, Mae. She didn’t notice anything.”
I sigh and rest my hand on the basket, pulling my shoulders up to my ears. “It’s not funny,” I grumble. “But I trust your judgment.”
He tips his head at me. “Thanks.” Then he frowns and peers down, his gaze flickering over my loot. “Wait, let me just get you a few more things.”
He backs away from me and reaches for a box from one of the double-sided racks I noticed earlier.
Then he moves to a small fridge at the very back, opens it, and pulls out two bottles of a cloudy, honey-coloured liquid.
I blink when he makes one final turn around the stand and reaches for another small basket with potatoes.
His arms full, he returns to me, and all I can do is gape as he carefully puts everything in my basket.
“You can’t leave without my potatoes. First of the season.”
I look down at my now full basket and peer into the other box he brought me. It’s got leeks, scallions, and a bundle of carrots as well. I’m lost for words, overwhelmed in the strangest way.
I fiddle with the paper, my mind reeling so fast that I grapple for words. “So, are strawberries good with the pickled walnuts?”
I look up at the sound of his chuckle. “It’s the fucking best.”
I gulp. “Great. How much do I owe you?”
I make a grab for my purse, but his hand covers mine, pulling it back to rest on the handle of the basket.
“Nothing at all, Mae. Consider it a gift.”
My heart thaws a little more at his sweet gesture. “I can’t. It’s too much, Aidan.”
“You can argue all you want, but I still won’t take your money.”
I huff, shaking my head. “Fine. I’ll find another way to thank you, then.
” I pick up the basket, needing to escape his probing gaze, handsome face, and his too sexy eyes that won’t stop leaving a hot trail over my skin.
“I need to get home with all these goodies. I’ll see you tonight at the concert. ”
Slowly, he lets his hand slip from on top of mine, leaving my skin buzzing. “Can’t wait.”
I pull at my scarf again and wrench my eyes away from his.
Without another word, I lift my heavy basket and turn on my heels.
The longer our distance grows, the harder my heart beats in my chest. Already on edge, needy, and so freaking horny for him, I walk home, wondering what the best way to reward him would be.
When the answer comes to me, my lips tip up in a slow smile.
Aidan Lynch won’t know what’s hit him when I see him again.