Page 57 of An Enchanted Spring

“Change in plans,” he murmured. Louder, he said to Emma, “Would you mind checking the car for my jacket while I finish up in here?”

“Sure.” She headed out the front door, swiping the keys off the table in the living room. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Aidan stepped out the back door and gave Reilly the signal that all wasn’t yet clear for him to return.

Aidan scanned the tree line once more, but he saw nothing. He headed back inside as Reilly made himself scarce, and rubbed his jaw.

Reilly was back. But who the hell had followed him home?

Aidan distracted Emmaby insisting she shower before they left. Bemused, she finally agreed, though she clearly knew something was up.

As soon as she disappeared up the stairs, Aidan rushed to the living room and pulled his sword out from under the sofa. He checked his person - all four dirks strapped to his body in easily-accessible places. He twisted the lock in the front door, then quickly checked each of the downstairs window locks.

He skidded back into the kitchen, where Reilly sat at the table, his expression troubled. “No one followed me back from the past. I’m certain of it.”

“And I’m certain I saw someone behind you,” Aidan retorted. He drew his hand down his face. “We’ve kept a very low profile. There’s no way MacDermott could have tracked us down.”

“Did you drain his accounts? Leave him without means to get over here?” Reilly demanded.

Aidan shrugged. “The man had nothing to drain. He owes too much money to too many people for there to be anything left. He doesn’t have the resources to find us.”

Reilly glanced at the sword clutched in Aidan’s hand. “Yet somehow, I believe he has.”

“Only a suspicion, one I don’t want to share with Emma if I don’t have to yet. If it turns out to be merely a wanderer, I care not to alarm her.”

Reilly sat back in his chair and sighed. “What’s been done to stop him?”

Aidan shot another glance out the window. “Colin pressed charges and got him a 30 day jail sentence for aggravated assault, though how he did it, I don’t know. We left MacDermott out cold on the sidewalk.”

“Colin’s a clever lad. I’m sure he made a compelling case against the vermin, if he landed in jail for a month.”

“Aye, but he got out and we traced him back to New York City. I haven’t had any reports of his whereabouts for the last week,” Aidan replied tersely.

“Perhaps we now know why,” Reilly mused, his eyes searching the trees. He turned back to Aidan. “What’s the plan now?”

“I would appreciate your aid for tonight,” Aidan replied slowly. “I don’t want to scare her.”

Reilly nodded once. “Aye. She’s safe with us.”

“Thank you. I’ll sleep outside her door tonight, and in the morning, we’ll leave for my home. Cian will watch if we’re followed and alert me. I’ll need you to take to the forest in the morning for another look.”

Aidan pushed backfrom the table, his belly pleasantly full. Flagging the server, he ordered another glass of wine for Emma and whiskeys for him and Reilly.

“Are you trying to liquor me up?” Emma asked, placing her napkin on the table next to her dish.

Which, he noted smugly, was nearly licked clean.

He had a lot of pride in this restaurant. It had been his first foray into the unknown world of food and food service; Colin and Colin’s brother, James, had pushed him to take a risk with it. At the time, he needed to do something more than land ownership (which in modern times had a completely different meaning than it did in his own). After he sold most of his belongings for coin (people paid a lot of money forthings he used in everyday life), he figured the next step was to become a landowner. He thought he’d be managing a clan, or at the very least allowing people to live a comfortable life under his lairdship when he purchased a large parcel of land on the coastline of the North Atlantic.

He didn’t realize that, in modern-day Ireland, a landowner was not a laird. It merely meant unpopulated acreage and an overpriced tax bill.

James understood Aidan’s need to do something important. Growing up, Aidan’s own brother had regularly placed him in charge of obtaining food for their clan. Aidan would ride out, see what he could do to rope a beast or steal cattle, and help feed his people. James thought it might be a good idea for him to invest in a failing restaurant, as it would save jobs, giving employees financial stability. It would also feed others, giving them nourishment.

James was right. It was perfect for him. He managed people well, and was careful with coin. In a strange way, his upbringing gave him what Colin called “people skills” to make this modern business work, and work well.

The restaurant they currently sat in was the original Colcannon. It too was decorated in medieval Irish style, but the decor was not as upscale as his New York location. It had a cozier feel; tables and chairs were mismatched, a fire roared in the much smaller hearth, and the bar stools weren’t rooted to the floor. People stood, sat, and milled about, comfortably interacting with each other.

“The food here is delicious,” Emma said, interrupting his thoughts.

“Aye. Liam knows his way about a kitchen,” Aidan agreed, referring to his head chef.

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