Page 106 of After Indigo Irish Nights
Linc jingled the change in his pocket, interrupting the ensuing silence. He was different as well. Like Donal, he’d returned right before the fight, finished for now with his wheeling and dealing. They hadn’t been alone either.
The whole thing felt weird.
Being in love with two men made her the Queen of Weird.
“Well, if you don’t object,” Linc drawled slowly, “I’ll be driving over to find Ellie and Kathleen to share the news. Then I’ll give Sophie and Tom a jingle…”
“I’ll call Angie and Megan… There are so many people to tell. It’s such great news.”
So why didn’t she want to shout from the rooftops? Right. Because somehow she knew the other shoe was about to drop.
“I’ll be letting you get to that then.” Linc nodded like a turtle crossing the road, the action rich with what was unspoken. “I’ll be seeing y’all.”
Was he leaving again? She watched him walk out of her parlor. Taking a breath, she looked at Donal. He was waiting quietly, patiently. She could see love in his eyes, but it was banked.
She sighed. “Isn’t it strange that no one is jumping up and down and suggesting we all have a bourbon?”
He sighed too and sat in the squeaky chair across from her. On the edge. As if he didn’t plan to stay. “I think you know why.”
Her throat hurt along with her heart. “Donal, I—”
“No, let me start.” He swallowed thickly. “I’ve finally got my courage to say things. I wasn’t honest with you about being happy with keeping things the way they are. I did want to live together. Hell, I wanted to get married.”
She caught the past tense, and her heart tore at the hurt between them. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Hell, I shouldn’t have said otherwise. It wasn’t fair of me to hope you’d change your mind, Bets. I’m the one who needs to apologize.”
Tears burned her eyes. So he was going to do this. She had to meet him partway. “It’s understandable. Hoping for that. I would have done the same in your place. It doesn’t mean I love you less.” She couldn’t make herself use the past tense just yet.
“I know that.” He rose and gestured to the golden couch. “Shall we sit?”
They’d sat together on that couch more times than she could count. She knew in her heart this would be the last time. Nodding, she joined him, with him still resting on the edge. But he took her hand, which made the first tears fall.
“We helped each other open up to what was inside ourselves,” he began slowly. “I’ll always be grateful for that. The truth is you had a lot inside you that was banked. So did I, it seems.”
He paused a moment and smiled ruefully. She tried to smile back.
“Bets, I know you’re in love with Linc.”
She gasped and pressed her other hand to her mouth. “I didn’t mean for it to happen!”
“I know that too.” His eyes were overbright. “I also know Linc didn’t plan on falling in love with you either.”
Her breath stopped. “We haven’t—”
“Of course you haven’t.” He squeezed her hand. “You’re both good people, and ones I count as friends. If I were on the outside looking in, I’d say he’s a good man to fall for. We talked about it last night, he and I. After the fight. As I knew he’d be moving out today.”
She shot to her feet. “You did what?”
He shrugged. “There was whiskey and frankness was in the air. I told him you were in love with both of us and as confused as I’d ever seen you in the last thirty-odd years.”
Her legs trembled, and she sat down again before they gave out. “I don’t know what to say. Part of me is angry at myself. The other part is a little ashamed. I don’t know how I got this crazy. It’s not like me.”
His wide smile was the old Donal all over again. “Maybe it’s having more choices in life. I’ve been thinking a lot about that. Our little village has stayed the same until now, but the arts center has ushered in so many changes. Might be retirement too. Suddenly, it feels like there are so many new possibilities to explore.”
She was the one who gripped his hand this time. “It does, doesn’t it? It’s a little scary.”
“We’ll stick to the good stuff right now. Bets, do you know this is the first time I could stay in Dublin and see my girls without having to rush back to handle my sheep? I played tourist. I went to museums I’d never visited. I saw the Harry Clarke stained glass. I ate at new restaurants with fancy tablecloths and food termed fusion. I haven’t done anything like that since I was a young man. And I loved every minute.”
