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We work in companionable silence for at least five minutes.
“We like you,” he says at last, catching my attention. “One of the reasons we came this weekend was to get to know you a bit, to see how you are with Rachel and our boy.”
Jay smiles kindly and wipes his wet hands with a towel.
“And, of course, to see their new home,” he adds.
“And what did you think?” I lean on the countertop and smile at him.
“The house is a slam dunk,” he says. “Absolutely beautiful. You just can’t beat that view.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“Rachel’s smiling more, coming out of her shell. She says she loved her first week of work at the pub and that she even met a couple of friends while working that she’ll end up going to school with.”
I nod in agreement but let him continue to talk.
“And then there’s you.” He tosses the sponge into the sink and turns to me. “We needed to see for ourselves how all of you fit together. To make sure that everything is…good.”
“That I’m not just hanging around for your son’s money?”
He doesn’t immediately deny the statement. Instead, he nods slowly. “Hunter is a very wealthy man, Maeve. He’s a smart man. And he’s never been one to blindly fall in love or assume the best of everyone. In fact, we’ve never met anyone he’s dated. We didn’t even meet Rachel’s mom until she was pretty far into the pregnancy.
“So, I knew that Hunter wouldn’t be spending time with a woman who had ulterior motives.”
“No. He wouldn’t. Rachel means far too much to him. He wouldn’t allow anything of the sort.”
“And what does Rachel mean to you?” he counters.
I blow out a breath and turn to look out the window. “She’s my friend,” I say at last. “She makes me laugh, and I know that she cares about me. And I adore her. I enjoy working with her at the pub, and I just love the person that she is. You’ve all done a wonderful job of raising her to be a kind human being. Not to mention, I think my da has fallen in love with her. They put their heads together and eat my ma’s cakes.”
“I noticed that they’ve already formed a sweet bond,” Jay says.
“Does that hurt you?” I ask him.
“No.” He smiles and crosses his arms over his chest. “If Carla’s parents were part of the picture, Rachel would have another grandfather. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that girl having more people in her life who love her.”
“I don’t either. It’s just my family’s way, to include anyone we love.”
His face softens. “That’s the word I was looking for.”
“Things are still new,” I remind him. “But I wouldn’t be living here while my house is fixed if I didn’t love your son and Rachel. I have other places to go.”
My stomach jumps at the words that just spilled from my mouth. Love. I love them. I’m completely in love with Hunter.
I can’t imagine my life without him.
“I suspected as much. Do you think you’ll be able to move out when your house is done?”
I frown. The thought of leaving them already leaves a gaping hole in my chest.
“I guess Hunter and I will cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Smart.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders. “You’re a smart woman, Maeve.”
“I have my moments.”
“Are we going shopping yet?” Rachel asks as she bounces into the kitchen. “Or is Gramps still giving you the third degree?”
“We’re going shopping,” I assure her. “Let’s go get the others and head out.”
We’ll take the ferry to Seattle with Jay and Angie, and then Hunter and I plan to take Rachel shopping for school clothes and supplies. It’s going to be a busy, exhausting day in the city.
“Seven pairs of jeans,” Rachel says to Maggie the next afternoon at the pub. We’re all working this afternoon, and Rachel is telling everyone all about our shopping trip and the loot she scored. “And way too many tops to count. Of course, new jackets because it’s colder here on the island. And tons of shoes.”
“By tons, she means three pairs,” I add.
“You scored,” Maggie says and offers her a high-five. “What about makeup?”
“Maeve took me into Sephora, and we picked out some things, but I don’t usually wear much makeup.” The door opens, and a family of four stands near the podium, waiting for a table. “Oops, that’s me.”
Rachel runs to seat the family, and Maggie grins at me. “She had fun.”
“We all did. But let me tell you, I slept good last night. It was a lot. Angie and I went through Rachel’s closet on Saturday to see what she already had, and we discovered that she’d outgrown most of it. So, she pretty much got a whole new wardrobe. And we’re still a ways out from school starting, so she might need more.”
