Chapter 16 #2
Grace left the hotel and headed for the nearby ferry landing.
Her leg muscles were tired and sore from the workout she’d put them through the night before, and her heart was heavy after her talk with the girls.
She could no longer deny the implications of what Evan had done.
He’d meant it when he said there couldn’t be anything more between them.
Grace had to admit that she’d entertained the slightest hope that she might be the exception to his rule. Apparently, that was not the case.
It didn’t take years of experience to get that something significant had occurred in that hotel room last night, and knowing that she’d rocked him gave her a measure of satisfaction.
If he was too much of a coward to face what’d transpired between them, she had no choice but to get on with her life and file away the experience as something special and magical to remember on lonely nights.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t good and mad about him being a coward, though.
While she wanted to nurture the anger, more than anything she was disappointed when she thought of what could’ve been.
She approached the window where ferry tickets were sold.
“May I help you?” the woman working the counter asked.
“I need to speak to someone about moving household goods to the island.”
“That’d be Seamus O’Grady, our general manager. Let me see if he’s available.”
“Thank you.” While she waited, Grace studied the breakwater that formed the northern end of South Harbor. The surf crashing against the rocks sent spray high into the air. Off in the distance, she made out the hulking shape of the next ferry heading toward the island.
“Would you be the lass looking to move to our fair island?” a man asked in a lovely Irish accent.
Grace turned to him and caught herself before she could let out a gasp.
What was with the men on this island? To call him a redhead wouldn’t do him justice.
His hair was a rich auburn, his eyes a startling green and his smile full of the devil.
In short, he was positively dreamy, a word Grace hadn’t used since middle school when she was lusting after Trey.
“Um, yes,” she said, giving her head a slight shake to regain her focus. “I’m the one looking to move.”
“Well, isn’t that fortunate for the single men of Gansett?” With a teasing grin, he added, “I call dibs.”
Oh my God, was he flirting with her? Grace wished she could press Pause, call Laura and get her over here to read the subtitles. She decided she could at least attempt to flirt right back. It was good practice. “How do you know I’m not married with five kids?”
Feigning shock, he rested his hand over his heart. “Are you?”
“No,” she said, laughing at his outrageousness.
With a wink, he said, “Thank God for that. Follow me, lass. We’ll get you squared away.”
Grace went with him into the ferry company’s main office, located across the parking lot from the ticket area.
Once inside, he gestured for her to take a seat on the other side of a desk scattered with binders, coffee cups and stacks of paper.
A khaki-colored Gansett Island Ferry Company ball cap sat on top of the disarray.
From one of the desk drawers, Seamus produced a form and walked her through the scheduling of a midsize moving truck on the ferry.
“Nothing flammable like propane tanks, for example, can be packed in the truck,” he said, drawing her attention to the list of rules.
He fired up his computer and scanned through a complicated-looking spreadsheet.
“Next available date for a truck of that size is two weeks from today. You could bring it over in the morning and send it back the same evening. Would that work for you?”
Grace had already arranged to hire her college-age brother to drive the truck and help her move in. “That’d be great.”
“It’s all yours, Gracie, my love.”
Yes, definitely flirting. She didn’t bother telling him that no one called her “Gracie,” but she liked how the dreaded nickname sounded coming from him.
“So what brings you to live on Gansett?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
He flashed an offended scowl. “I’ll protect your secrets with my very life. Back in my village in County Cork, they call me ‘the Vault.’ Nothing gets past these lips,” he said, leaning in closer, “unless you want it to.”
Grace rolled her eyes at the double entendre, charmed by him despite herself. “In that case, Mr. Vault, I’m buying Gold’s Pharmacy.”
“You don’t say! How exciting for you—and for us.”
“I’m thrilled and scared and excited and all sorts of things.”
“I can only imagine. Nothing simple about running a business. I ought to know. When Joe Cantrell hired me to run the show for him while his missus is in vet school in Ohio, I figured, how hard can it be? Well, let me tell ya . . .”
“Not as easy as it looks, huh?”
“Not at’all. Forms and inspections and staffing and licenses and more inspections and safety drills and a million decisions every day. Oh my.”
“And you love every minute of it.”
“Best job I ever had.” Flashing a rakish grin, he added, “Did I mention I’m a seafaring captain, among my many other talents?”
“No, I don’t believe you did,” Grace said, suppressing a laugh.
He looked around to make sure no one was listening, even though he was well aware they were alone in the office. “Since we’re going to be neighbors,” he said gravely, “I’d be happy to show you my license.”
Grace made sure to show the proper deference. “I’m sure it’s quite impressive.”
“Oh, lass, it’s very impressive indeed.”
By the time they’d ironed out the rest of the details for her move, he had her laughing so hard she was wiping tears from her eyes.
Seamus had succeeded in restoring Grace’s good mood and her self-confidence.
Nothing like a gorgeous Irishman with an overabundance of charm and blarney to make a girl feel good about herself.
“Once you get settled, I insist you let me take you to dinner to welcome you to our fair island.”
“That’d be very nice. Thank you for asking.”
Seamus took her hand and bowed gallantly before her, kissing the back of her hand. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
“I appreciate your help with the scheduling.”
“Also my pleasure. I’ll see you around, Grace Ryan.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“Aye. Me, too, lass. Me, too.”
With the luck of the Irish on her side, Grace returned to the Beachcomber to freshen up before she headed to Gold’s to talk details. Entering her room, she zeroed in on the phone next to the bed, hoping to see the message light blinking. Nothing.
“That’s okay,” she said. “Evan McCarthy is hardly the only fish in the sea.” As she brushed her hair, she wondered how long it would take—once she mentioned it to Laura and Stephanie—to get back to Evan that Seamus had asked her out.
Hopefully, not long. She wouldn’t want Evan to think she was sitting around waiting to hear from him.
She had far better things to do with her time.