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When I walk back to the men, Kane’s shaking Trevor’s hand.
“I’ll be in touch, then,” Kane says with a nod and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “Are you ready, darling?”
“I am. Have a good day.”
“Enjoy your stay in our little town.” Trevor waves as we turn to leave. Once we’re on the sidewalk, I face Kane.
“Can I be brutally honest?”
“Always, you know that.”
“My feet are killing me.”
His lips twitch, and he kisses my forehead. “It’s no wonder, we’ve been walking all day. I’ll call the shuttle.”
Ten minutes later, the driver arrives. It’s given us enough time to find a latte to take back to the inn with us.
On our way through the lobby to the elevator, I can’t help but make a stop at the goody station and snatch a cranberry orange scone for a snack.
“Take two,” Kane urges me. “I’ll join you.”
Armed with our coffees and scones, we set off for our room. While we were gone, housekeeping came in to make the bed and leave fresh towels.
There’s a brown teddy bear in our room, and the housekeeper arranged it on the bed with the remote control in his hands as if he’s watching TV.
“That’s adorable.”
I kick off my shoes, quickly change into some yoga pants, and walk out to the balcony.
“These cushioned chaise lounges are so comfy,” I inform Kane as he joins me.
“And wide enough for two. Convenient.”
“Mm.” I sip my coffee and watch the waves for a moment. “This is a nice break.”
“I’m glad you suggested we take it easy this afternoon. We’re here to relax, and if this is how you want to do that, I’m all for it.”
I kiss his cheek and lean against his shoulder. “You know, Maeve reminded me the other night that you and I still have a lot to learn about each other.”
“Did she now?” He kisses my temple. “She’s probably right. What would you like to know?”
“Well, first of all, when is your birthday?”
“December the twelfth.”
Good. I didn’t miss it. My birthday plans for that painting are perfect.
“And yours?” he asks me.
“October tenth.”
He pulls away to stare down at me.
“What?”
“That’s next week.”
I nod and take a bite of my scone. “I seriously need to get the recipe for these. I wonder if the baker would give it to me?”
“You’ve changed the subject.”
“I thought we’d finished the other subject.”
“Were you going to tell me that your birthday is next week?”
“It probably would have come up in conversation.”
He quietly chews a bite of his scone.
“I should take you over my knee, Anastasia.”
I laugh, then kiss his chin. “Don’t change the subject.”
“Your eyes are the same color as the ocean right now,” he murmurs, his voice lazy and calm. “I noticed at the barbeque with your family that many of you have the same eyes.”
“We do. Your family all has green eyes.”
“Aye,” he says with a nod.
“Why did your parents move to Seattle?”
He sips his coffee, watching the water. “Da said it was for more opportunity. The village we’re from is outside of Galway, and it’s small. Poor. Mostly comprised of farmers. Da wasn’t a good farmer. But he was an excellent pub owner.”
“And he didn’t want to own a pub in Ireland?”
“He wanted us to have more options,” Kane says, choosing his words carefully. “Education, experiences. He’d read an article about Seattle, and loved the photos featured, so he and Mum packed us up and moved.”
“Because of an article? He’d never been before?”
“There wasn’t enough money to send him out on a scouting mission. No, we all just packed up and came. Shawn was only two, and Maggie hadn’t been born yet. Da wanted us to be closer to the water, so he bought the building the pub’s in. We lived upstairs for a year until they saved enough to buy a house. Maggie was born upstairs.”
“That’s incredible.” I have the best view of the ocean a person could ask for, but I can’t stop watching Kane, and the love on his face as he speaks about his family. “You must be so proud of them.”
“I was angry,” he confesses. “I didn’t want to come to America. I wanted to stay with my grandparents, learn the fiddle, raise horses, and learn to make glass with my uncle. I loved our life in Ireland. But I was only twelve when we moved and didn’t understand that they were doing what they thought was best for our family, not leaving because they wanted to take us away from everything else.”
“Are your grandparents still alive?” I ask.
“They are.” He smiles. “And healthy as can be. You’ll meet them.”
“You said you go to Ireland every year?”
“Aye, for two months in the summer. It’s the best time to be there. But I enjoy the winter, too. It reminds me a lot of Washington, with rainy weather and cool days.”
