Page 33 of After Indigo Irish Nights
My God. Her heart was pumping faster at these ideas. “You reallyhavebeen thinking about this, aren’t you?”
“What the hell do you imagine I’ve been doing in this mostly retired stage?”
“Watching Eoghan’s videos in your hot tub, apparently.”
He snorted out a laugh. “Guilty. But I like me a good hot tub. Sugar, put your thinking cap on.”
“Done,” she said, miming the action.
Another snort. “You need to think about where you want to be in five or ten years with the center. If we’re going to do it, Bets, we might as well do it well. We’re striking Podunk, Ireland, from everyone’s minds. Not to brag, but my daughter and the other artists are too good to be associated with anything less than excellent. I want the Sorcha Fitzgerald Arts Center and its museum to be one of the best in Europe, if not the world. What do you say to that?”
She had to take a breath, that’s what. “From the moment you blew into town, you were a force of nature. We’ve missed you. Get your ass on your fancy private jet and come for dinner.”
His soft chuckle made her miss him all the more. “I’ll bring the wine—and a bottle of that bourbon you love so much. See you at dinnertime.”
With that, he hung up.
She set her phone down with a smile. He would be there tonight. That was how Linc Buchanan lived, and she rather liked that about him.
She texted Ellie about coming for dinner with Brady and then decided to widen the invitation by having her bring Kathleen. When she called Donal to invite him, she got his voicemail. He was probably punching something.
She decided to punch something herself and headed to the kitchen to make bread for dinner.
Only Ellie texted she had night class—Bets had forgotten what day it was—and Brady was working at the pub, another change Bets needed to get used to. So she asked Liam and Angie and Carrick. Angie declined, saying she was too pregnant to do much these days and was usually asleep by eight. Megan and Kade liked to put Ollie to bed early so she didn’t reach out to them. Liam and Kathleen would do just fine, she thought, and to her delight, they confirmed they were indeed coming.
Hours later, the smell of baking bread was still present as Donal arrived with fresh bruises on his cheekbone. She was gentle when she gave him a kiss.
Donal didn’t lengthen it. He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Your voicemail said you spoke to Linc just today. He’s making it for dinner tonight? Isn’t that a nearly seven-hour flight?”
She fought her disappointment about the kiss and walked over to the counter. “You know Linc.” She tossed the salad as he helped himself to a whiskey. “He probably called his plane the minute he got off the phone with me. With the time change, he’ll be here when the roast is ready. Liam is coming early to help.”
That was probably a good thing since Donal didn’t seem in the mood for any pre-dinner fun. She decided to churn some homemade butter with honey, the way Linc and Ellie had told her they served it back home.
When Liam arrived, she kept up a steady stream of talk. Donal didn’t join them much, opting instead to read news on his phone since he hadn’t caught any today while at the boxing club. She’d just shut off the oven when Linc and Kathleen arrived at the front door, a bottle in each hand.
“Linc told me he left Oklahoma right after you called,” Kathleen said, laughing as she held out a bouquet of flowers. “That’s Linc for you.”
“I didn’t have plans tonight,” he said, giving an amused grin. “Plus, when Bets gives a summons, you listen. Right, Donal?”
“Right,” Donal said, shaking Linc’s hand after taking one of the bottles. “Good to see you.”
“You look like someone took you to the woodshed too often,” Linc replied, gesturing to the yellow bruise on his jaw.
“It builds character,” Donal replied with a rueful smile.
The hell it did, Bets thought. “He’s going for the Rocky look,” she said, leaning in as Linc kissed her cheek.
Liam shook Linc’s hand before taking the other bottle. “I saw a new bruise on Fergus’ jaw when we met at the store today.”
“He ran into my father’s fist last night,” Donal said with a laugh as they entered the parlor. “Those two are wiry fighters, age aside. What are we drinking?”
“Let’s start with the wine,” Linc said, putting his arm around Kathleen. “Although this one likes beer more, don’t you?”
“I can drink French wine.” She nudged Linc playfully. “I’ll certainly drink the bourbon later.”
“So will I,” Bets said, eyeing what she knew to be a prized nearly thirty-thousand-dollar bottle. She’d enjoyed a similar bottle with him on their infamous trip to Paris.
She wondered if Donal remembered. When she looked over, hoping to meet his eye, he was grabbing wineglasses with Liam from the bureau.
