Catch Your Breath (17 page)

Sunday afternoon came much sooner than Moira was ready for. She’d spent the morning
doing more research and thinking about interviewing Rose Laws. What was the likelihood
the woman would agree? Before requesting, though, she wanted to have questions prepared,
to have a plan. Time escaped while she was planning, and then she was running late
for dinner.

She pulled up to her mom’s house and looked across the street at Jimmy’s. Eyeing the
clock, she decided she could run there and drop off his slip of paper and then go
to dinner. It offered her a quick escape so she wouldn’t have to deal with the awkward
conversation after almost having sex.

She knocked on the door and waited. Mr. O’Malley answered the door. “Hi, Mr. O’Malley.
I’m Moira from across the street. Is Jimmy home? I have something to return to him.”

The old man nodded and yelled over his shoulder, “Jimmy, come to the door.” Then he
shuffled away.

Moira wasn’t sure if she should go in, so she waited on the porch. The TV blared in
the living room and she wondered if Jimmy heard his dad. Maybe she should shove the
paper in the mailbox and text him.

Too bad she hadn’t thought of that plan before she knocked.

“Hey,” Jimmy said from the other side of the screen.

“Hi. I brought your paper.” She held it up.

He opened the screen door and held it open with his leg. Taking the paper from her,
he said, “Thanks. I need this for work. Want to come in?”

“No, thanks. We’re all having dinner at Mom’s.” She pointed over her shoulder as if
he didn’t know where her mom lived.

“Okay.”

She edged away.

“I’m sorry about last night.”

“Sorry about what? That you didn’t finish what you started?”

“Yes. No. I’m sorry about the way I treated you.”

What the hell was he talking about? “You’re apologizing for getting me hot and bothered
and then leaving?”

“No. I’m apologizing for pushing you up against a door and ripping the buttons off
your dress. You’re not the kind of girl—”

“Stop right there, Jimmy. Don’t even think about finishing that sentence. The thought
of you wanting me so much you almost took me up against a door was hot. I wouldn’t
trade that for anything. And before you start thinking anything about what kind of
girl I am, know this. Every girl wants to have her buttons torn off on occasion.”
She turned away. Ten years since she attended a Catholic school and she was still
being treated like a good girl. As if she wasn’t supposed to have any desires. Like
she should lead a passionless life. She might as well be a nun.

“Wait.”

She stopped on the walkway at the bottom of the steps and turned.

“Can I take you out after dinner?”

“Tonight?”

He nodded.

“On one condition.”

His eyebrows rose.

“You promise not to treat me like a nun.”

He chuckled. “Trust me, that is never how I’ve thought of you.”

She headed back to her mom’s house and heard the screen door slam behind her. Stopping
at her car to grab the pan of brownies, she checked herself in the mirror to make
sure she wasn’t blushing. Answering her siblings’ questions might ruin her plans for
the night.

Moira stepped through the front door and heard Colin yelling. He and Liam were on
the couch watching a baseball game. She never understood the appeal. They didn’t even
like baseball all that much. It was like they just wanted to have something to yell
at.

“Guys,” Quinn called. “I just put Patrick down. Please stop yelling.”

Colin smiled. “He might as well get used to the noise while he’s young. It’s not likely
to get any quieter.”

Quinn rolled her eyes and went back to the kitchen. Moira followed, but slowed because
she felt Liam come up behind her. “No, Liam, you are not getting any brownies until
after dinner.”

“Like I need your brownies. I can bake my own whenever I want.”

She turned to face him and set the pan on the dining room table. “Then what do you
want?”

“Why did you go to the O’Malleys’ house?”

Nothing got by her family. At least not when she really wanted it to. “I had something
of his I needed to return.”

“Whose?”

Like she wanted to visit with any of the O’Malleys besides Jimmy? “Jimmy.”

“How did you end up with something of his?”

“He dropped it at my apartment.” As soon as the words left her lips, she clamped her
mouth shut. One day, she’d learn not to talk so much.

Liam’s usually serious face became more solemn. “What was Jimmy doing at your apartment?”

“I told you I’m helping him with some stuff for work. We ran into each other at an
event last night. He had some questions and stopped by to talk.” God, she hoped the
partial truth was enough.

“Last night?” Colin called from the couch. “Elizabeth said you had man trouble last
night.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be watching the baseball game?”

He laughed loudly. “I think the show in there is better than the one on TV.”

Liam’s jaw tightened. Through clenched teeth, he hissed, “Follow me.”

If it had been any of her other brothers, she would’ve refused and headed defiantly
in the other direction. But Liam wasn’t like them. He was levelheaded, so she followed
him onto the front porch.

He inhaled through his nose a couple of times before speaking. “What’s going on with
you and Jimmy?”

“Truthfully? I’m not sure.”

“Shit, Moira. I know you were stuck on him as a kid, but I thought you outgrew it.
Please tell me you’re not playing out some childhood crush.”

“It’s not one-sided, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m not a stalker.” She
sat on the concrete step and waited for him to join her. “I’ve always been a little
in love with Jimmy. You know that. But something changed between us. I’m not sure
what, but he’s attracted to me.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m not stupid, Liam. The man kissed me. I know lust when it smacks me like a freight
train.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“What makes you think Jimmy would hurt me? He’s a good guy.”

“He is. I’m not sure you both have the same goals in life, that’s all.”

She bumped her shoulder against his. “That’s what dating is for, isn’t it? Figuring
that stuff out. Please tell me you’re not going to go bonkers about this because I
already told Jimmy you’d be okay with it.”

“You did, huh?”

“Of course. You’re Liam the levelheaded. I’ve always been able to trust you with my
secrets.”

He threw his arm over her shoulder and gave her a noogie. She swatted his hands away.

“Moira, get in here and set the table,” their mother called.

She sighed. “Like Colin is incapable of putting out dishes?”

“Come on. I’ll help.” He stood and held his hand to pull her up.

They walked back into the house together. Moira always felt comfortable with Liam
at her back.

Jimmy finished washing the dishes and checked the time. He had maybe an hour until
Moira was done with dinner. He’d never attended an O’Leary dinner like Griffin had.
Liam had invited him, but he never went because he didn’t want the family’s pity.
Back then, he believed people were only being nice to him because his mother was dead.

He knew better now, and looking back, he wished he would’ve gone to some of those
family meals. It might’ve taught him how to keep his family together. It would be
nice to share time together over a meal instead of beers in the middle of the night.
He longed to have what Liam always had.

He wiped his hands on a towel and headed upstairs. Norah had taken over his space,
leaving him to sleep on the couch or at Kevin’s, but having his stuff in his room
gave him a reason to check on her. He knocked on the door and waited for her to welcome
him.

“Hey, I just need to use the computer.”

She sat on his chair in front of the TV, watching some sappy movie. Without looking
away from the screen, she said, “Who was the woman at the door?”

The question threw him as he booted up his computer. What woman? Then he realized
she was talking about Moira. “Moira O’Leary. Do you remember her?”

“I remember the O’Learys.” She shifted in the seat, dangling her legs over the arm.
“So is she your girlfriend?”

“ No.”

“But you’re taking her out.”

“We’re going on a date.”

“Where?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out now.” He pointed at his computer screen.

“Don’t take her to a movie.”

He stared at the movie times he’d already pulled up. He needed to keep her nearby
so there was no chance of his cover being blown. No one would look for James Buchanan
in this neighborhood. “Why not?”

“This is one of your first dates, right? You have to go somewhere to interact. At
a movie, you sit in silence for two hours. What’s the point?”

How sad was it that he needed to take dating advice from his pregnant little sister?
“Any suggestions?”

She shrugged. “I don’t live here anymore, remember?”

The words were spoken with enough bite to let him know she was still bitter about
him sending her away. He’d believed they’d gotten past that.

“There’s a carnival.”

“Huh?”

“One of those neighborhood carnivals. There are rides and games and cotton candy.
I saw it when I went for a drive earlier.”

The way she said it told him she wanted to go. He looked at her bulging stomach. “Want
me to bring you cotton candy?”

She smiled, the first he’d seen since she arrived. “The blue kind.”

“You got it.” A carnival was the perfect place for Moira. He remembered her begging
Liam to take her when they were kids. Her parents wouldn’t let her go with her friends,
so she begged Liam.

Jimmy hadn’t wanted to babysit. That’s what he told Liam anyway. They were sixteen,
and he wanted to look for girls, not hang out with Liam’s fourteen-year-old sister.
In truth, Moira always distracted him in ways she wasn’t supposed to.

But Liam had felt sorry for her and agreed. When they arrived at the carnival, Liam
told Moira to go off with her friends, sure she’d be fine. Jimmy spent the night keeping
an eye on her and ignoring every other girl there. Moira was young and beautiful and
far too trusting. He needed to keep her safe.

He showered and changed and then went downstairs to make sure Dad had taken his medicine.
He’d never thought that at the age of thirty he’d have to play nursemaid to not one,
but two members of his family. Norah still hadn’t said anything about what she’d planned
to do about the baby, and he was doing his best not to pressure her, but it’s not
like they could pretend and it would all go away.

The pressure of having to do everything in the house pressed down on him, so he went
to the porch to wait for Moira. He should probably go and pick her up, but then he’d
be under the scrutiny of her entire family, and he wasn’t ready for that. The heat
and humidity outside pressed on him too, but it wasn’t nearly as oppressive as the
O’Malleys inside. He looked to the sky and saw some ugly gray clouds. He hoped the
storm would hold off until after his date with Moira. It would be just his luck to
get her excited over a carnival and then be rained out.

Voices across the street drew his attention. Colin and his girlfriend were leaving.
Dinner must be over. He kept his eyes trained on the house, waiting for Moira. Ryan
came out next, carrying a baby car seat, followed by his wife. Immediately behind
them, Moira bounced out. She pulled back the shade on the car seat and made noises
at the infant. Ryan gave her a little shove, but she walked them to their car anyway.
Once they were settled, she looked across the street at Jimmy.

He couldn’t stop the smile from forming. Moira always had that effect on him. She
continued her springy step across the street without looking for cars. When she reached
the lawn in front of his house, she said, “Anxious for our date?”

“No, just waiting patiently. I know how the O’Learys like their all-afternoon meals.”

“Our family dinners don’t take all day. We have lives, you know.”

He stood and walked down the steps to meet her. The smile on her face caused something
in his chest to swell. It strangled him in a different way than being in the house
with his dad and Norah had, but still forced his lungs to constrict.

“So what’s the plan?” she asked as she grabbed his hand.

She was always so easy with affection. Most of the O’Learys were. They were the kind
of family that hugged and kissed hello. The girls squealed in delight, even as adults.
He had no idea if Norah was a squealer.

“Hello?”

His attention snapped back to Moira, who was staring up at him. “What?”

“I lost you to something there for a minute.”

“Nothing. I hear there’s a carnival we could check out.”

Her eyes brightened, and she skipped a little next to him. “I love carnivals. I haven’t
been to one in a couple of years. Remember when they used to do one at Saint Matthew’s?
All the families would come out. The eighth-graders ran the games, and everyone won
a prize.”