“Mom, you know where everything is!”
“Move it.” Emma flashed a smile at Luna and left, tugging Bonnie with her.
“It's a long story. Ronan is a man I once loved very much.”
“Seriously. Well, can I meet him? I never knew Dad and I’ve met no one you’ve had an interest in. I’d like to meet this guy.” He popped a few corn nuggets in his mouth. “These are good.”
“Oh, you don’t want to meet him. It was ages ago when I was in school like you.”
“Really? Well, that’s okay, let's see what the guy looks like.” Jonah was pushing her buttons. A humorous laugh followed that comment as he wandered to the kitchen door leading to the dining area. “That guy sitting with Shaun?”
“Yes.”
“He looks okay and seems harmless. Looks like one of those weird poet guys, always spilling songs and poetic words at women. So you guys dated?”
Frustrated and trapped, Luna wanted to rip her hair out and snapped a bit harshly at her son. “Yes. Now, why don’t you make yourself useful and help take this food to the front counter?”
“Mom, I don’t work here. Besides, I'm headed home. I’ve got a ton of homework to do. I just got here, and they don’t give you a break. Seriously.” He paused at the door, much like Shaun, and smiled. “You should go say hi and at least talk for a few minutes. Maybe he’ll take you out to dinner or something. It would be nice to see you do something other than work all the time.”
Her tears had dried. Watching him leave, Luna wanted to crumble to the floor.
Emma and Bonnie came back into the kitchen. “You mean to tell me you never told him?” Bonnie said.
Luna felt a headache coming behind her eyes, and pinching the bridge of her nose wasn’t doing anything. “No. Why would I do that? He wasn’t in his life and never came back. I had no reason to do it. Besides, it nearly broke me when he left. I was all alone, trying to be a single mother and work. If that wasn't enough, I spent all my free time trying to find Phoebe.”
Closing her eyes, Luna let out the breath she was desperately holding onto. “Why did you tell your daughter?”
“I didn't. My husband, your good friend, did. He doesn’t believe in secrets in families, and we know everything. You’d be surprised what this young woman knows. Right, Bonnie?”
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree as Bonnie threw her hands up in the air. “Mom, I don’t know why you and Dad always drag me into this nonsense. I’m sorry, Aunt Luna, I don’t care about your love life. I have enough to deal with on my own. Your business is yours, and in all honesty, Mom and Dad should stop sharing everything. If they only knew my secrets, they’d probably send me to my grandmother’s in Ireland.”
Luna smiled, feeling the first stirring of relief wash over her thanks to this young woman who’d adopted her as an aunt. “You are fine. It’s okay. This has been the craziest of days.”
“Well, the crowd is getting noisy out there. Dry those eyes. We got a ton of food to serve.”
Luna struggled for a bit and fussed in the kitchen but couldn’t find any excuse to avoid the dining room anymore. After Emma nearly shoved her out the door with a tray of food, she was on high alert, noticing Ronan and his furry friend Olive cozy in a booth.
It was hard to focus with the constant sensation of eyes upon her as she worked and tried to ignore him. Eventually, Shaun came over. “Get on over there and have a seat. Take five minutes and talk to him. There’s no way around it, so the sooner you get it done, the better.”
Shaun’s gentle nudge pushed her forward, and before she blinked, she was in front of him, sitting at the table. Shaun placed a cup of coffee in front of her. “Sorry, I don’t have any of that whiskey left, otherwise I’d spice it up a bit. Have a chat. You’re old friends, and I’m not going to have this awkwardness in my restaurant.”
Luna smiled and sipped the black coffee, cringing inside. “So, what brings you back to town now, Ronan?”
Their eyes met, and Luna felt her heart melt. Hating herself for never completely letting go of that last little bit of love she felt for Ronan, she smiled.
“It was time. I had a feeling someone needed something and decided to come home. I sent Shaun a note, but this isn’t the first time I’ve been back.”
Anger tore through her, even though it was wrong. “Really. I guess you never found your way back to the Caribbean to check on me. I was there all by myself.”
His eyes softened as he smiled, slight wrinkles forming beside his eyes. “You didn’t need anyone checking up on you. That was one of the last things you said to me before I left. ‘I’m strong. I don’t need you or anyone. I’m going to stay here until I find my sister and you can go to hell.’I think that was it.”
Ronan looked heavenward, thoughtfully. “Yup, that was it.”
“So, where have you been all these years? Tell me about your life. Any children, a wife, a girlfriend, a house in France or Cambodia?” Hearing the anger in her voice, Luna sat back and tried to focus on the dog instead. “Cute dog.” She reached her fingers out for the adorable little baby to sniff and was surprised when it turned its nose away.
Ronan’s amusement echoed in her ear. “Olive doesn’t make friends too easily, and she’s very protective of me. She can probably pick up on your frustration.”
“Frustration? Why would I be frustrated? It’s been so, so long since I’ve seen or heard from you after you left. Now, here we are suddenly back in Enchanted Cove together.”
