Wild Irish Soul (8 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Baird watched Aislinn
traipse up the hill in the village, away from him. He could have sworn that she was taking pictures of him but when he had looked, she'd been focused on Flynn's restaurant.

Part of him wanted to run after her. He wanted to ask her about her work, listen to her laugh…just to be with her.

Stretching his calves against the wall of the boardwalk, Baird thought about what his research had uncovered this week.

Which was next to nothing.

There was simply no documentation that he could find about the cove glowing. Granted, he'd stumbled on hundreds of articles about luminescent fish but they didn't just switch on and off like that. Frustrated, Baird ran his hand through his hair as he climbed the steps to his small apartment.

Refusing to believe that the cove was enchanted, Baird settled on the next explanation. Someone had rigged a light on the bottom of the cove. Baird hoped with every last ounce of himself that it wasn't Aislinn who had done so. He kept running her face through his mind…she'd been disconcerted, panicked even. Nothing about her mannerisms had suggested that she was lying.

Baird wondered who else could be behind it. The legendary Fiona would be the next choice and Baird was determined to dig a little deeper there.

In the meantime, he had his first client to get ready for. 

Chapter Nineteen

Aislinn spent the
next week in the hills around Grace's Cove, focused on her painting. And, most decidedly not thinking about Baird, Aislinn thought with a huff as she jammed her paintbrush into the pot of water sitting next to her. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down. No need to take her angst out on her supplies.

Aislinn was in her courtyard, rinsing out her paint brushes from a day of painting the cliffs on the other side of the penisula. She'd been moody all week and her work reflected that. Morgan said she'd never seen more stunning seascapes and Aislinn secretly agreed with her. Maybe there was something to the old adage about artists and broken hearts.

Broken heart? Aislinn scoffed at herself. She'd been the one to walk away, she reminded herself. Baird and her simply weren't a good fit. Except, she'd trusted him with her secret. And when he'd rejected her it had hurt more than she'd expected.

A ball of shame and anger rolled in Aislinn's stomach and she clamped down on it fiercely. There was no way she was going to let Baird make her feel like less of a person. Who cared what that man thought anyway?

Aislinn crossed her courtyard to the small garden shed that she had converted into a darkroom. She had developed pictures earlier today and left them to dry. Opening the door quickly, she ducked through the dark curtains that she had nailed up to cover the entrance and conceal any last traces of light. Aislinn reached for the lamp switch on the table next to the entrance and flicked it on. A warm red glow illuminated the shed and bounced off the pictures that she had strung up.

Aislinn stood in front of them and crossed her arms, studying each critically. The one of the dog in the old truck would sell in moments and she made a note to print more.  The men laughing outside the pub would also sell well and it brought a smile to her face to see their happiness. Aislinn's heart jumped a bit as she stopped in front of the pictures she had promised herself that she wouldn't develop.

In the first one, Baird was running, his face creased in concentration, sweat dripping down his bare chest. Aislinn itched to reach out and run her finger over the definition in his chest muscles. Moving to the next picture, she sighed as she looked at a close-up of Baird's flexed bicep and his chest muscles rippling as he performed a triceps dip. Stepping back, she looked at the grouping of photos objectively. From an art standpoint, they were outstanding. The way she had zoomed in and positioned each shot showed expertise…as though she was in love with her work and her subject.

Aislinn stopped.

In love?

In lust, she corrected herself and reached to tear the pictures down. Her hand lingered over the photographs. The artist in her couldn't deny what she saw printed on these pages.

"Not happening," Aislinn said out loud and pulled the prints down. Moving through the room, she pulled the rest of the prints down and placed them delicately in a file with tissue paper between each photo. She'd spend tonight framing the larger ones and have Morgan arrange them tomorrow.

Stepping out of the shed, Aislinn blinked at the last of the daylight.

"We come bearing gifts!" Keelin shouted over the fence and brandished a bottle of wine. Aislinn all but jumped out of her skin.

"Sure, and you're trying to give me a heart attack then?" Aislinn called with a laugh and waved her in. Cait followed closely behind.

Aislinn smiled at her pretty, mismatched extended family. Keelin had a newlywed glow about her that came with finding love and discovering her own unique powers over the past year. She was Aislinn's half-sister and was becoming a powerful healer in her own right. Cait, owner of Gallagher's Pub and with a talent for reading minds, and a decided contrast to Keelin's lush curves and statuesque height, laughed beside her, looking for all the world like a pixie fae.

Aislinn stopped and stared at Cait, her eyes narrowing in on the aura that surrounded Cait. There was something different about her. When she realized what it was, Aislinn gasped and tried to think about anything else.

Cait dropped the basket she carried.

"No!"

"Shit, I'm sorry, Cait, I tried not to think about it. You're not supposed to read my thoughts anyway," Aislinn exclaimed.

"No, no, no." Cait shook her head in disbelief.

Aislinn stared at Cait helplessly. Keelin danced around them in confusion and curiosity.

"What, you guys are killing me. No fair, using your powers. Spill," Keelin demanded.

"I'm pregnant," Cait whispered.

Chapter Twenty

"What?" Keelin screeched
and grabbed Cait by the shoulders. "Is this true?"

"I…I don't know. I was supposed to get my period this week," Cait said in a dazed manner. "I had planned to take a test tomorrow before we go to take my mum to her new place."

Keelin turned and narrowed her brandy-colored eyes at Aislinn. "What do you see?"

Aislinn shrugged her shoulders nervously. "I just saw something different about her aura is all," Aislinn said quickly.

"Okay, let's sit and talk about this. Mandatory girl's night," Keelin said quickly and directed them into the shop. Aislinn followed meekly, her hands still full of her pictures. She squeezed past the girls into her kitchenette and laid the file of photos on her workbench. Keelin and Cait whispered in hushed tones as they opened the wine and laid out snacks on small plates.

Keelin brushed past Aislinn and into the shop.

"Wow, this place looks amazing. I'm sorry that I haven't been down in a while," Keelin said as she walked around the room examining Aislinn's work.

"Thanks, Morgan rearranged it for me."

At that, Cait popped her head out of the back room.

"Sure, and my ears aren't deceiving me," Cait said in disbelief. "You hired Morgan?"

"Aye, I did at that." Aislinn nodded her agreement.

Curious, Cait stepped into the room and looked at what she had done.

"She knows her stuff," Cait said begrudgingly.

"I must have this," Keelin declared, standing in front of a picture of Flynn's boat docked on the other side of the cove. The water was almost glass-like and the boat was a thing of beauty.

"Aye, and we all know why you like that boat so much," Cait leered at Keelin and Keelin laughed at her. It had been the site of her and Flynn's first official date…and more. Aislinn was quite sure that Keelin had fond memories of that boat.

"No problem. Take it down and I'll wrap it up for you," Aislinn said. Aislinn turned at a long whistle from Cait.

"Whoa, Dr. Yum in full effect. If I wasn't head over heels for Shane, I'd make a play for him too," Cait declared as she looked down at the pictures of Baird.

"Let me see," Keelin demanded and muscled her way past a frozen Aislinn to grab a picture of Baird. She repeated Cait's whistle and turned to raise an eyebrow at Aislinn. "Details," she demanded.

"Um, I think we are missing the bigger picture here. Cait's pregnant!" Aislinn said.

Cait batted that away quickly. "We won't know for sure until tomorrow, so no changing the subject."

The two women crossed their arms across their chests and stared at Aislinn.

"Alright, I need a glass of wine," Aislinn concurred.

"Let's go outside, it's a nice night," Keelin said and Aislinn nodded her head. They all grabbed something to take outside and soon Aislinn's picnic bench was covered with snacks, wine, and several fat candles. Aislinn got up and walked around her small courtyard, lighting various torches and candles that she had stashed haphazardly along the fence and in between plants and sculptures.

"We have enough light. Stop procrastinating," Cait called and Aislinn laughed at her.

"Aren't you freaking out right now?" Aislinn wondered as she slid onto the bench across from the two. Keelin handed her a glass of wine and Aislinn took it gratefully.

"I'll freak out when I'm good and ready to freak out," Cait said, lifting her chin stubbornly. "Now, tell me about Dr. Yum. What happened after the night at the pub? You told me that something more happened but refused to get into details. I've been dying for a moment to come get the gossip."

"I'm surprised it took you this long," Aislinn said with a snort.

Cait flashed a wicked grin at her. "Aye, well, I've been busy with my own slice of yummy male."

Keelin's laugh tinkled across the both of them. "I've missed a lot. Tell me what happened at the pub. Who is this Dr. Yum anyway?"

Cait hurriedly filled Keelin in on what she knew while Aislinn gulped at her wine.

"And then he ran through the pub after her…" Cait finished dramatically.

"Oh stop. He did not run," Aislinn protested on a laugh.

"Oh, but he did. I was dying to get outside but I had my own drama to deal with," Cait said knowingly. She reached for the wine and then hesitated.

"Aye, and you'd better not, Cait," Aislinn said.

Keelin threw up her hands. "I don't know where to start! With Cait or you," Keelin said, looking between the two.

Cait and Aislinn pointed at each other across the table and they broke out laughing.

"Fine," Aislinn grumbled and filled them in on every last deliciously naughty detail. By the time she was done, Keelin had gulped down the rest of her wine and Cait was fanning her face.

"He is Dr. Yum," Cait breathed.

"Well, not so yum if he doesn't want to believe that Aislinn is telling the truth," Keelin said, coming to Aislinn's defense.

"Of course not. I'll get to that, but for a moment, can we all just appreciate the hotness of the sexy time with Dr. Yum?" Cait implored and Keelin laughed at her.

"Duly noted. Hot indeed," Keelin murmured and turned to Aislinn.

"Hot, yes, disturbingly so. He…he bothers me," Aislinn admitted on a sigh. She sipped at her wine and allowed the flavor to sit on her tongue for a moment.

Instantly concerned, Keelin reached out and ran her hand down Aislinn's arm.

"What do you want from all of this?"

"I…I don't know. See, that's the problem. I'm convinced he is wrong for me and yet I'm mooning around like a lovesick puppy," Aislinn said in distress.

Cait watched her knowingly.

"Seems to me like you have an itch and Dr. Yum is just the one to scratch it."

They all dissolved into giggles.

Keelin cast a worried gaze over her. Tucking her strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear, she pursed her lips nervously.

"Just say it, Keelin," Aislinn sighed.

"I…I don't know. I think you are probably doing the right thing. Giving it a little space. I'd wait and see if he comes to you."

"That's my plan. I'm certainly not running after him," Aislinn agreed and then turned her steely gaze on Cait.

Cait looked between both of them.

"I think you should show up wearing just a trench coat and nothing under it."

Keelin laughed and swatted Cait on the shoulder.

Aislinn eyed her and said, "Those are just the hormones talking."

"Eeep!" Cait squealed and leaned back to wrap her arms around her stomach.

"Aislinn, how can you tell?" Keelin asked.

"Just…I don't know. I see a new color mixed in with her aura. It blends beautifully. I suppose it could be that she is in love now, but my first instinct was pregnancy. Is that possible?"

Cait looked studiously down at her hands.

"Cait!" Keelin said.

"Well, ahem, one night, yes, we didn't use protection." Cait shrugged her shoulder. "I honestly thought it wasn't the right time of the month for that anyway."

"But, what will happen if you are? Will Shane stay with you?" Keelin asked, a worried frown creasing her face.

"Of course he will, the man's besotted with her," Aislinn said quickly. She had it on good authority that Shane was proposing tomorrow as she'd helped to pick the ring. Knowing that Cait could pluck the thoughts from her mind, she quickly changed the subject. "Tell me about the place you are taking your mom to."

"Aye, it's a good place for her. She'll have round-the-clock care and she can watch her shows all the time. I'm at peace with it," Cait said.

"Let's get together when you get back for a bite. I'll meet you at the pub," Aislinn said quickly.

"Sounds like a plan. Keelin?"

"Aye, I'm in."

Cait turned and leveled a look at Aislinn. She popped a piece of cheese in her mouth and chewed furiously. Aislinn waited.

"Morgan. What's the deal? She looked ready to kill us a few weeks ago," Cait said. She was referencing a night at the pub when Cait had tried to read Morgan's mind and Morgan had skewered them with a look of hatred.

"She's all bark," Aislinn said.

"I saw her dancing with Patrick at the wedding," Keelin said.

"Patrick has the hots for her," Cait concurred.

"I won't reveal everything that she's told me in confidence. But, she had it bad. She's an orphan," Aislinn said, figuring that detail would be something that even Morgan couldn't hide for long.

"No!" Keelin said, her face creased in sympathy.

"Hmm, I suppose that explains the anger," Cait murmured. "She's one of us, though. I can tell. I guess that had to have been hard, growing up without any help in that arena."

"I can attest to that." Keelin raised her hand.

"What can she do?" Cait asked.

"Honestly, I think far more than any of us. I wouldn't be surprised if she is another Fiona. But this is a new one." Aislinn waited for a dramatic beat. "It's telekinesis."

"No!" Both Keelin and Cait's mouths dropped open.

"Yes." Aislinn nodded at them before reaching for more wine.

"We need to have girl's nights more often," Keelin decided. "I just can't handle all of this news at once."

"Well, at least now I know why Baird is mooning around my pub at night," Cait declared.

Aislinn's stomach dropped a bit as she stared at Cait.

"He is?"

"He is. Whether that man will admit it or not, he's hooked."