Beyond Affection (12 page)

Behind the bar, countless shelves held bottles in every possible color size and shape, reflecting like stained glass in the mirrors behind them.  Soft, muted lighting gave everything a decidedly homey feel, whether from the recessed tracks cleverly hidden above or the antique-looking brass lanterns spaced along the walls.  In every corner, a flat screen was suspended, each showing a different sports-based channel.

The place was immaculate and well-kept.  For someone who had never stepped foot in a bar before and was unsure what to expect, Lacie was pleasantly surprised and felt instantly at home.

* * *

J
ake took one look at the young woman taking in every detail of his Pub with wide-eyed wonder and unmasked curiosity.  Even without the tell-tale pink cast, he would have known exactly who she was.  With the conservative skirt and blouse, the soft blonde waves held in check at the back of her neck, and a presence that exuded a patient gentleness, he would recognize Shane’s
croie
anywhere.  She was perfect for his soft-spoken, organized younger brother. 

The Pub wasn’t crowded at this hour, just a couple of locals.  More would be stopping in as it got closer to evening.  Those who were already there regarded the newcomer with interest.  A woman like Lacie would have stood out, even if she hadn’t been standing in the middle of the bar looking around as she was.  Jake chuckled. 

“Looking for someone, sweetheart?” one of the patrons asked, rising from his stool.  Jake allowed it.  Stan Campbell was well into his seventies and a real old-fashioned gentleman.

“Yes, actually,” she said, smiling at Stan.  “Shane Callaghan?”

Stan chuckled.  “Well, you’ve come to the right place.  Can’t shake a stick without hitting a Callaghan boy,” he winked.  “No guarantee it’ll be the right one, though.”

She laughed easily, her eyes sparkling even as a hint of color rose in her cheeks.  Jake instantly liked her, and decided to take pity on her.

“You must be Lacie,” he said, emerging from behind the bar.  “I’m Jake.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jake.  This is a beautiful place.”

He acknowledged the compliment with a nod and a smile.  “First time?”

“That obvious, huh?” she grinned.  “I’m afraid my sister and I grew up with the ‘nice girls don’t go to bars’ lesson drilled into us from our father.”

“Smart man,” Stan nodded approvingly. 

“I don’t think this is the kind of place he was talking about, though,” Lacie said, her eyes meeting Jake’s head-on for a long moment before taking in the room again.  “This is really nice.” 

The fact that she was able to look him in the eye without turning away was an encouraging sign; Callaghan women had to be made of strong stuff, regardless of how docile they appeared on the outside.

“Thanks,” Jake replied.  “Shane’s not here, but I’m expecting him shortly.  You’re welcome to wait for him.”

She looked around uncertainly.  “Well, I really just wanted to give him something...”  She pulled out the small notecard and handed it to Jake.  He looked down at it, saw it sealed with stickers, and grinned.

“Sure.  But before you leave, my wife would love to meet you.  Do you mind?”

* * *

C
aught by surprise – why would Jake Callaghan’s wife want to meet
her
? – she fumbled for words.

“Shane mentioned that you were the Kindergarten teacher, and our daughter Riley will be starting next year,” he explained.  “My wife Taryn is a little anxious about the whole thing.  Maybe meeting you will help.”

Lacie relaxed instantly.  “Of course.  I would love to.  Your first, I take it?” 

Jake nodded.  “It’s always harder on the parents than on the kids,” she told him truthfully.

“Come on,” he encouraged, leading her to the private kitchen in the back and doing a few quick introductions.  “Lacie, my wife, Taryn.  Taryn, baby, this is Lacie McCain,” he said, his eyes twinkling.  “I told her you were a little anxious about Riley starting school next year.”

A beautiful young woman looked up from the counter where she was slicing up some carrot sticks.  Not much older than Lacie, she had a mane of riotous hair, streaked black to platinum and the most unusual violet eyes.  Wearing faded jeans and a black maternity tank, Lacie’s eyes were immediately drawn to the blue and green eyes of the dragon peeking over her shoulder.  The tattoo was hypnotizing.

Two small children looked up from a table covered in Lincoln Logs and LEGOs.  One was a lovely little girl who had the trademark Callaghan hair but her mother’s violet eyes; the other, a little boy who could not be mistaken for anything but a Callaghan.  They eyed her warily.

Two baby swings moved in the background, each holding a sleeping infant.

“Hi,” Taryn said, her smile friendly and welcoming.  She turned to Jake accusingly.  “You told her
I
was nervous?” Jake grinned, unrepentant, and returned to the bar.

Taryn snorted, then looked at Lacie.  “Coffee?”  When Lacie nodded, Taryn continued, “I don’t suppose he told you that
he’s
already done background checks on everyone associated with the elementary school and their immediate families.”

Lacie’s eyes widened.  “No.  He didn’t mention that.”

Taryn shook her head and poured a cup for Lacie.  “Don’t sweat it, sweetie.  Comes with the territory.”

“The territory?”

“Yep.  Callaghan men.  Irresistible but overprotective as hell.  You get used to it after a while.”

Was there a warning in there somewhere, Lacie wondered?  “So I suppose since I’m sitting here with you I passed inspection?”

Taryn grinned.  “And then some.”

* * *

F
ifteen minutes later Shane walked into the bar.  He was in an ill temper.  Checking his phone once more, he frowned.  Surely Lacie was home by now.  Why hadn’t she called him to confirm their coffee date tomorrow night?  He thought the rose and apple had been a nice touch, but maybe he’d freaked her out by leaving it on her desk.

No, he argued, Lacie wasn’t the type to get spooked easily.  She knew he’d been a SEAL, and her brother was in the Army.  There must be some other reason she hadn’t gotten back to him.  His scowl deepened.  Maybe Davidson was giving her a hard time again.  Maybe he’d been lying in wait for her when she returned to her apartment, itching for a chance to warn her away from him again.

That thought had him quickening his stride.  He was going to run upstairs, change, then head right over there and make sure she was okay.

The huge grins on Jake’s and Ian’s faces didn’t help improve his mood any.  “What are you dickheads grinning about?” he asked sourly.

“This.”  Ian tossed Shane the folded note embellished with stickers.  His heart leapt as he snatched it up and unsealed it.  His bad temper instantly vanished, until he started to wonder how it came to be in Ian’s hands.  His head snapped up and he scanned the bar.  “Lacie was here?”

“Still is.  She’s in the kitchen with Taryn,” Jake told him, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. 

Shane’s heart stuttered when he walked into the private kitchen.  Lacie and Taryn were sitting at the table, sipping coffee as if they had been friends forever.  Jake’s daughter Riley was in Taryn’s lap, and Ian’s son Patrick was on Lacie’s.  It was such a perfect image, he stopped for a moment just to savor the beauty of it.

It was Taryn who spotted him first.  Lacie’s attention was on the small Lincoln Logs dwelling she and Patrick were constructing together.  Taryn winked and gave Shane a discreet thumbs-up.

“Is this a private party or can anyone play?” Shane asked, stepping into the room.  Lacie looked up, and the smile she gave him felt like a hundred supernovas firing in his chest.  She turned to Patrick.  “What do you think?  Should we let your uncle play, too?”

At Patrick’s enthusiastic nod, Shane sat down next to them.  “Miss Lacie’s gonna be my teacher next year,” he said proudly. Shane shot a questioning look at Taryn.  It was a well-known fact that Patrick was very much opposed to the idea of starting school.

“Changed your mind, have you?” Shane asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“How come?”

Taryn coughed back a laugh when Patrick gave Shane what could only be described as a “duh” look.  “Cuz.  Miss Lacie says I’m really good at stuff, and I can help her out with the other kids who aren’t so good as me.”

“I see.  Well, Miss Lacie’s pretty smart.  I’d listen to her if I were you.”

“Is that why you like her Uncle Shane?  Cuz she’s so smart?”

Damn, the kid had bat ears just like his nosy father.  He must have overheard them talking earlier. 

Lacie’s face turned pink.  Taryn had to look away to hide her laughter.  Shane took it all in stride.  “One of many reasons,” he said honestly.  “She is also very kind, and she laughs at my jokes.”

“She’s pretty, too.”

“That she is.”

“Okay, runt,” Taryn said affectionately.  “Your mom’s going to be home any minute.  Let’s get you cleaned up, huh?”

Taryn shepherded both children over toward the sink where step stools awaited.  “He’s a great kid,” Lacie said to Shane, scooping the Lincoln Logs back into their container.  “I’m going to enjoy having him next year.”

Shane didn’t respond.  When she looked up, she caught him staring at her, a questioning expression on her face.  She couldn’t possibly know that in watching her with Patrick, he had visions of her with their own children.  Crystal clear visions that were so real it felt as though he could reach out and touch them.

“You’re wonderful with kids,” he said, his voice unusually thick, simply because she was still looking at him and he had to say something. 

“Thanks,” she said, her lips twitching.  “It helps with the job, you know.”

“Do you want kids of your own?” he asked bluntly.

“Yes,” she admitted shyly.  “Do you?”

“With the right woman, yes.”  He pinned her with his gaze, silently communicating just who that woman was.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he whispered, pushing a strand of hair away from her face, leaning toward her until his lips hovered over hers.  Catching him by surprise, Lacie took the initiative and pressed her lips to his.

Shane’s hand slipped beneath her hair, cupping the back of her neck, and he deepened the kiss.  He thought he had accurately remembered the impossible sweetness of her mouth.  He’d been wrong.  His tongue danced with hers, playfully, sensually, taking everything that she would give him, binding her to him that much more.  Lacie McCain was his, and he would never have enough.

“Ugh, they’re kissing!” said Patrick before Taryn could grab his hand and snatch him back to the sink. 

“Busted,” Shane grinned as Lacie began to laugh.  Her cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink.  Holding up the stickered notecard, he asked, “So... does this mean you’ll have coffee with me tomorrow night?”

“Yes,” she said.  “The rose was beautiful, by the way, and the apple, delicious.  Thank you.  You made my whole day brighter.”  Shane grinned, pleased.  He would spend a lifetime doing little things to make her smile, especially if it got her to kiss him like that.

“Well, I guess I’d better be going,” Lacie said, rising.  “I promised Rinn I’d hang out with her tonight.  She doesn’t like staying in that big house all by herself.”

“Big plans?”

“Huge.  Take-out and some
Supernatural
binge watching on Netflix.”

That sounded safe enough.  “Make sure you lock the doors. 

Lacie gave him a patient smile.  “Always.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Tomorrow,” she confirmed.

The knot of worry eased a little, knowing that Lacie would be with Corinne.  He’d spent a good portion of the day with Ian, investigating Craig Davidson.  The more he learned, the more anxious he was to put as much space between Lacie and Davidson as possible.

* * *

“A
single rose you say?” Corinne said later as Lacie told her about the presents awaiting her when she arrived at the school that morning.  “What color?”

“Why?”

Corinne rolled her eyes.  “You might be older, but you are woefully naïve.”  At Lacie’s blank look, she explained with exaggerated patience, “
Because
, my dear sister, roses are like a secret code, a very specific language.  Everything matters – number, color – it all says something.”

Lacie shook her head.  “I doubt he put that much thought into it.”

Corinne arched a brow.  “We are talking about Shane Callaghan, aren’t we?  Lace, I would bet that man has a very deliberate meaning for everything he does.”  She pulled out her smartphone and started tapping away.

“What are you doing?”

“Decoding your secret love message,” Corinne said, waggling her eyebrows.  She fired up Google and typed in “meaning of roses”.  Lacie looked on curiously, even though she continued to mumble her skepticism.

“Okay, just one rose, right?  That means.... Ah, here it is – ‘
The gift of a single rose of any color depicts utmost devotion
’.  See? That means he’s really into you.” 

Lacie tried not to put too much faith in that.  It was a romantic interpretation.  It might just as well have meant ‘I like you, but I’m not that into you, so I’m only getting you one so you don’t get ahead of yourself’.  After all, it wasn’t as if they’d post
that
as a possible meaning. 

Then she thought about the way Shane had kissed her and felt bad for doubting him.  It was just so hard not to, when everything about him screamed
perfect
.  She might be a hopeless romantic at heart, but she’d seen enough to know that ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, something that seemed too good to be true, was.

“And, hmm, that is a really interesting color,” Corinne was saying, studying the rose more closely.  Lacie had placed it in a delicate bud vase the minute she’d gotten inside.  During the school day it had sat regally in the small, reusable water bottle Lacie brought with her every day, and had stood proudly in the cup holder on the ride home.  “I’m going to say that it’s ... peach.  Hmm.  Okay, here it is.”

“What does it say?” Lacie asked, despite herself.