“Well, now that my wife has stuffed your belly and Jonah is nowhere to be found, you can explain to me what your plans are. You want to open the boat charter business again and fix the house. It’s going to take a lot of money to get that house back to where it needs to be. If you’re interested, I can offer you a deal that might help us both.”
“What's that, Shaun?”
He’d seated them at a corner table after Bonnie, his gorgeous, part redhead and part blonde daughter, came to say hello.
“You come to work for me, and you can keep an eye on my daughter so none of the men get handsy and maybe find out what she's up to. Her mother and I find that she’s become really tight-lipped and rebellious. I think she gets it from her mother’s side. Anyway, you do that for me, and I will work for free at your house. You’ll have to buy materials, but I’ve got some connections and we can get good discounts.”
“I’ll think about it.”
He eyed her critically across the dining table. “Just like that stubborn sister of yours. It must be genetic. That’s why younever returned from the Caribbean. Well, don’t think too hard. I might change my mind.”
“You’d never do that, Shaun. That’s not the Irish way. Once you’ve made a promise, you keep it no matter what.”
“I did not make a promise.”
Luna smiled back at him. “Fair enough, but you love me, so you’ll do it.”
“You are like the sister I never had.” He sobered up. “I remember sitting in this very spot watching that crazy young woman race you across town on her bike and always winning. God, I miss her lovely face. Well, time passes, and it heals all, at least in my case. You, on the other hand, have a lot of wounds to heal. Ahh, perfect, just in time. The Italian princess has arrived.”
“Don’t you start with me, Shaun, or I’m going to make sure you pay later when I tell Emma.”
“Your words hold no weight in my house, Nicky. She might love you, but she adores every square inch of me.”
“I won’t be ordering that lovely little green dress you liked so much for her as a surprise for your anniversary, then.”
Luna wasn’t shocked by the cheeky banter between them. That’s how it always was, even in their youth. “I remember when Nicky didn’t have a date for the prom because she didn’t want to go with anyone from town. You made her go with you and Phoebe. You told the teacher at school you were thinking of starting a harem and told him you wanted to do this as a trial run to see if you could handle it. I will never forget the look on his face. He actually thought you were serious.”
“Yeah, well, you and Ronan would not do it, and I couldn’t see the Italian princess over here without a night of dancing.” Shaun was so matter-of-fact about life that it was amusing.
Ignoring his mention of Ronan was hard to do, but Luna pushed past it.
“What can I say? I was always made for greater things than this town.” Nicky focused her energy on her phone, snapping pics and scrolling.
“Put that thing down girl.” Clearly annoyed, Shaun took her phone away much like he would his daughter’s.
“It’s a little late in life to be calling me girl, Shaun.”
“Then stop acting like one. So, Luna is going to do some work on her house and get the boat charter up and running again to generate some money. This will be good for the revenue of this town. She’s going to need our help, and when I say our, I mean you, too. And she’s going to come work for me once she lets the idea simmer in her brain a bit. Take a break from that writing, find her inspiration again, and it will come naturally.”
It was hard to not love Shaun, but there were moments in life when Luna regretted knowing him. Narrowing her eyes at him, she spoke. “I said I will think about it. And if I have to go toe to toe with you in that boxing ring back at the gym, don’t think I won’t.”
He smiled. “I might have to fetch Ronan from across the water to see that one.”
“Shaun, we said we’d not speak of him. So, Luna, we have to get our hair done and do so many other things. I’ve gotta go talk to Emma to see if we can get her and Bonnie to come along for a spa day.”
Luna fought the urge to roll her eyes like her dear friend Shaun as Nicky clip-clopped away on her fancy high heels. “God, I love her to death. Do you remember that party she had at her house? It was supposed to be just us, and thirty other people showed up from out of town. Not sure how that happened.”
Shaun looked bashful, stared at the sugar packets at the table. “I’m not sure. I think somebody might have slipped up and told a few friends who told a few friends.”
“That somebody wasn’t you, was it?”
“Can’t say that it was, but I won’t say it wasn’t either.”
Donnie and Jonah showed up, both smiling as they approached. “Hey, Mom, Donnie’s going teach me how to deadlift.”
“What’s that? And anything that starts with the word dead can’t be good.”
Shaun and Donnie’s laughter should have been amusing, but Luna knew the helicopter mom was back.
