Luna grinned. “So, what’s the proposition?”
Nicky’s glittering, perfect red nails with faux diamonds on them looked lovely. “I hate cleaning, so I thought I could run Jonah around instead and maybe do some other things for you. This way, I don’t have to clean this place.” Smiling, Nicky’s eyes looked around the room. “I don’t like this antique look. I think you need new furniture.”
“No. This was my parents’ stuff, and I love it. It never goes out of style.” Luna took pity on her. “And yes, that’s fine. Let Ronan and Shaun do all the work with me. Donnie's van helps, too and Jonah. I have an idea that might get me back on my feet so I can focus on my next novel.”
“What’s that?”
“Good morning, Ronan. Hey, I have an idea I wanted to talk to you about.” Shaun said.
Ronan gripped the weights and lifted them in the air, mindful of his aging back. “What’s that?” He groaned.
“Luna needs money, and this town could use a boat charter business again. I think we should get you to run it for her. She isn’t probably going to ask, but I know the idea is simmering in her mind, too. With some work, we can get the two boats ready in no time and make money. It will be good for revenue and drive up business for everyone in this town, including me.”
Ronan dropped the weight bar as gently as he could. Pains raced up and down his body, and he noted he should reduce theweight tomorrow until he got used to working out again. “Sure, I guess so. That sounds like a good idea. It will give me something to do as well. I can’t just sit around here and do nothing. Maybe that’s why I had to come back, to help her get back on her feet.”
Shaun looked amused as he leaned against one of his machines. “Why you came back is just like you. I can picture you two starting over. I can feel it in my bones.”
Ronan kept his thoughts to himself, feeling the same thing deep inside. “You and those Irish bones. You know you're not all Irish.”
“Yeah, and you're not all of a tough guy, either. You care to go a few rounds in the ring for old times’ sake, old man?”
“Absolutely.” Ronan smiled. “Just go easy on me, old man.”
After a few rounds, both he and Shaun struggled to outdo each other. They called it quits.
“Nice shot, Ronan. Maybe tomorrow we can try again. I was thinking of taking Jonah under my wing unless you want to do that.”
Eyebrows raised, Ronan wasn’t sure what Shaun was getting at, or if it was good for Luna’s son. He played along. “Alright, I will teach him the ropes. He’s got the build for it. If I didn't know better, he reminds me of me when I was a kid.”
“You don’t say. Well, we best be getting that dog of yours. Donnie is taking a liking to her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she falls head over heels for him, just like the boys do with my daughter.”
“Yeah, well, that's another story entirely. I don’t know how you do it. I would lose my mind. I can’t understand how Luna let the father slip away. She was never the type of woman to let a man get away with anything he shouldn’t. Did she ever talk to you over the years about his father? I’d like to hunt him down and demand he make amends.”
“Really now, Irishman. And what’s he gonna do now that the boy is almost grown?”
“Be a father. You know as well as I do that he’s going to need his father for many years yet.”
“Well, I guess you got your hands full then if you are going to fill in.” Shaun was serious.
Ronan smiled. “Perhaps I do, but I don’t see it like that. I would have liked to have a child.”
Ronan rounded the corner into Donnie’s office, and sure as Shaun said it, Olive was eating cheese curls from his fingers. “Who’s a good doggie? Look at you, aren’t you cute!”
“I’ll take my dog, thank you. If you keep feeding her junk food, she's going to be sick. She’s an old lady.”
Five
Luna’s shift at the restaurant was long and tiring, and by the time she was done, her feet hurt so much she could barely stand. After refusing Shaun’s offer to give her a ride home, Luna rounded the corner of the building and ran into Ronan holding a helmet.
“Ronan…What are you doing here?”
He smiled. “Well, I gave your son a ride home, and now I’m going to give you one. We need to talk about something, and I bet your feet are hurting.”
Narrowing her eyes at him, she tried not to think about the dangers of riding on a motorcycle. “Is this yours?”
“Yes. I just bought it this afternoon. Carl at the car dealership outside of town had two left, so I bought one. I’m never sure what the future has in store for me, but I need wheels right now. Besides, it's always a good time to ride a motorcycle along the coast. Here.”
The black helmet he held out had an orange stripe across it. “I’m not putting that on.”
