That made sense, since the two of them were now together. Of course he’d want to step up.
But I couldn’t understand what Alan’s motivation was.
****
Alan
“She should be ready for you in about fifteen minutes,” Lainey said when she came back out into the storefront with a tray of croissants and cupcakes.
The place was quiet, Lainey called it the lull before the lunch rush. Her employee, Paulina, was busy wiping down the tables and chairs while Lainey refilled the display cases.
I almost felt guilty while I sat enjoying my croissant and jam, but Lainey had insisted I take a break.
“And not that I’m complaining about free labor,” she said, “but are you planning on hanging out here all day?”
“All week, actually. If you don’t mind.”
She looked up at me. “You’re going to work here all week? For free?”
“Yep.”
Lainey shook her head and murmured, “You Callahan boys are tenacious, I’ll give you that.”
Working in the kitchen with Jess hadn’t felt like work, it’d felt like foreplay.
It was a chance to get to know her. And I wanted to know every single thing about her.
One thing I had gleaned from our conversation—she was a helluva lot stronger than people gave her credit for.
“Are you going with Adam to pick up your parents at the airport?”
Lainey’s question brought me back to the present.
“I don’t think so. I have to take Jess and Ruth home at four-thirty.”
“I’ve got Marie coming in to close so I can leave early today and get ready for your parents. I can drop them off.”
No, no you can’t.
“I see my parents all the time. In fact, I had breakfast with them three days ago, right before I left to drive here. I don’t need to go to the airport to pick them up. It’ll give Adam a chance to catch up with them.”
Considering it’d been almost four months since my brother last saw them when he was recovering in the hospital, I didn’t think that was a bad thing. He’d never made it back to Lancastle after he was discharged from the hospital—and the Marines. His one-day pitstop in Haven Springs on his way home turned into something permanent once he’d met Lainey.
“But you are coming to dinner tonight, right?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Looking for allies?”
“You know it.”
“Of course I’m coming to dinner, but I’m going to tell you right now, my parents are going to love you and Conor. They’re going to adore being grandparents.”
“You better not let the O’Briens hear you say that. Teresa and Hugh are very defensive about their grandparent title.”
“Even with your parents?”
“My parents live in Savannah, and we see them about five times a year, so Teresa begrudgingly allows that. I think if Katelyn ever gets married and has a baby, they’ll ease up. But right now, Conor is their only grandchild.”
“He’s going to be my parents only grandchild, too.”
