The Mighty Quinns: Ronan (9 page)

“I never thought of that,” he said.

A long silence grew between them, but Charlie didn’t feel compelled to speak. She knew he was thinking about his parents, something he hadn’t done very often in the past. Whatever he was working though, she wanted to give him the space to do it.

They shared the glass of wine and when the water in the tub had cooled, she stepped out into a towel he held. He took her hand and walked into the bedroom with her. They curled up on the bed facing each other, talking about the events of the day, discussing the problems she’d encountered and the solutions she’d chosen.

Every day he was learning more about the business and with each day that passed, Charlie was left to wonder if he might just stay in Sibleyville a little longer than he originally planned.

She silently scolded herself. It wouldn’t do to plan a future around Ronan. From the beginning they’d been careful to keep their expectations in check. It was enough to enjoy the physical relationship and the emotional attachment, but a real commitment was something entirely different.

“What else did you and my mom talk about?”

“She invited me for Thanksgiving in September tomorrow night.”

“Oh, boy, more of my family. I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”

“I like your family,” he said. “They’re what I imagine a real family is like. Everyone fits. And you love each other, even though you’re all a little crazy. I don’t think you realize how lucky you are.”

“I know,” she said in a soft voice. After hearing Ronan’s story, it did make her more appreciative. It was strange how he’d made her look at things so differently. He was making her a better person just by helping her to see her life through clear eyes.

“If you want to do that play, I’ll come along and help,” Ronan said. “It might be fun.”

“I don’t know,” Charlie replied. “I’ve kind of left that part of my life behind.”

“But if you’re good at it, you should do it. And we have some time.”

“You mean you want to take time out of our sex life for community theatre.”

He chuckled. “Well, if you put it that way, maybe not.”

“Let’s see if Lettie finds someone else first. If she doesn’t, maybe I’ll help her out.”

He smoothed his hand over her temple, pushing the towel away from her hair. There were moments when she felt so close to him, as if they were connected by a tether strung between their souls. It was a strange feeling because Charlie had always assumed that this was what love was.

But she and Ronan had known each other less than two weeks. Granted, since they’d met, they’d spent every waking, and sleeping, hour together. And they’d even managed to work happily together. Though Ronan had all the confidence in the world, he didn’t seem to have an ego, something she’d never seen in the most men she’d known. He was happy to defer to her when it came to work, taking each task she directed in stride.

“Make love to me,” she murmured.

Ronan smiled then touched his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. Pulling her against his body, they rolled over until she was on top of him, her legs straddling his hips. He grabbed the towel and pulled it open, revealing her naked body beneath.

As his mouth found her nipple, she wrapped her arms around him, her fingers tangling in his thick hair. Everything she’d ever needed was here in this room. She wanted it to last forever.

But maybe for her, forever would have to come one day at a time.

* * *

T
HE
S
IBLEY
HOUSE
was filled with the scents of a Thanksgiving meal. Ronan stood in the foyer and drew a deep breath through his nose, searching for a sense memory of his childhood. But the memories that had bubbled up since he’d arrived in Sibleyville weren’t always the kind he could summon at will. They usually snuck up on him, surprising him with their clarity and intensity.

Charlie turned back to him, motioning him forward. “Come on. You’ve already seen them at their worst.”

“The last time I was here, I was just the guy that you’d hired to work the oyster farm. Now, I’m the guy you’re sleeping with.”

“Are you under the impression that I come from a straight-laced, conservative family? I think they’ve made it quite clear that Peyton and Penelope Sibley didn’t follow the normal rules raising their children.”

“Hey, there!” Peyton Sibley appeared from the back of the house, his movement aided by a cane. “It’s turkey day. We all love turkey day.”

Ronan held out his hand. “Hello, Mr. Sibley.”

Peyton grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically. “Is my old man here? He’s the only Mr. Sibley I’ve ever known. Now that we know each other, you can call me Peyton.”

“Peyton.”

“I hear you’re doing a bang-up job on the boats. Jake’s been telling me that you can haul oysters with the best of them.”

“I like the work,” Ronan said. “And I’m pretty fond of oysters, too.”

Her father laughed. “Well, that will probably change. Most folks would probably enjoy an endless supply of fresh oysters. Me? I’d like a job at Dunkin’ Donuts. I could eat donuts all day long.”

“No you couldn’t.” Penny Sibley appeared from behind her husband, stepping up to give her daughter a hug. “Hello, Charlotte. And Ronan, I’m glad you decided to come.”

“I wasn’t about to miss Thanksgiving in September,” he said.

“Well, I thought you might want to avoid me,” Penny explained. “After our little sex talk the other day. I fear I might have put you on the spot and I want to—”

“Mother, stop. You don’t need to apologize. Just try to remember the difference between your family members and everyone else in the world. You can say whatever you like to us, but the rest of the world doesn’t really understand you.”

“Mom? Do we have any sulfuric acid?” Garrett came running through the foyer wearing a football helmet and carrying a hatchet. “Hey, Ronan.”

“Hey, Garrett.”

“Do we, Mom?” he asked, looking up at Penny.

“I don’t think so, dear. But you could probably get some down at the drug store. What do you need it for?”

“An experiment,” he said. He continued through the foyer and out the front door. “Hey, Isaac, can you drive me to the drug store?”

“Are you sure he should have acid?” Charlie asked.

“I suppose if he knows that he wants sulfuric acid, he’s aware of what it does, don’t you think?” Penny asked. “Besides, I doubt that Clayton down at the drugstore will sell him acid anyway. But I’d rather let Clayton be the bad guy.” She smiled. “I have to get back to my turkey. Find Ronan a drink, dear. He looks uncomfortable.”

“Got it!” Abby walked through the foyer, a freshly opened bottle of beer in her hand. “Here you go.” She handed the beer to Ronan, then ran up the stairs, singing the refrain from a Lady Gaga song.

Peyton clapped him on the back. “Glad you came back,” he said. With that, he wandered into the library and closed the doors behind him.

“Show me your bedroom,” Ronan said.

Charlie grabbed his hand and they walked up the stairs to the second floor. But they didn’t stop there. She opened a door to another narrower stairway and when they reached the top, he realized they were in the attic. The space had been finished into two bedrooms with a bathroom in between.

“This is where the servants used to live,” she said. “Two maids in one room and the cook in the other.” Charlie pointed to the door with her name emblazoned on the front with glitter. “This one’s mine as you can see.”

She opened the door and stepped inside, then waited for him to enter. Ronan wasn’t sure what he expected. He’d only ever known Charlie as a grown woman. And when he tried to imagine her as a child, or even as a teenager, the picture became vague and unfocussed.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and watched him as he circled the room, taking in his surroundings. “Are you looking for anything in particular?” she asked.

“No, just checking it all out.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “Curiosity,” he said. “Am I the first guy you’ve ever brought up here?”

“God, no,” she said with a laugh. But when he turned to look at her, he saw a blush rise in her cheeks. “Sorry. That came out wrong. No, Danny used to climb up here on occasion. He’d crawl up the trellis to the second floor porch, then climb the drainpipe.”

“Tell me about him,” Ronan said, searching the
photos in her room for a guy who might fit her description.

“I don’t have any pictures,” she said. “I burned them all after we split up.”

“Tell me.”

He couldn’t help but be curious. After all, she’d spent six years with Danny. She’d thought she was in love. And yet, he was here and Danny was in New York.

“He was handsome and funny and popular,” she began. “And he had this confidence that just rubbed off on all the people around him. People just seemed to gravitate toward him. Whenever you saw him, he was always in the middle of a group and everyone was watching him.”

“Sounds like the perfect guy,” Ronan said, feeling a twinge of envy. In high school, he’d barely attracted the attention of any girls. And those that had been interested were slightly odd, girls who preferred their boyfriends tragic and broken. He was the exact opposite of the typical golden boy.

“He was. But he wasn’t the perfect one for me. That’s the thing. Most people think that guys like that are generically attractive to every girl. And he was, for a while. But the longer I knew him, the more I came to realize that most of the good stuff about him was on the surface. There wasn’t much underneath.”

“And that’s what you want. A man with depth.”

Charlie shrugged. “I guess so.”

Ronan grabbed her high school yearbook from the bookshelf and crossed to the bed, flopping down on the mattress behind her. “Let’s see. Charlotte Sibley.” He flipped though the senior section and found her picture. “You were beautiful even then,” he said. “Hell, if we’d gone to high school together, you wouldn’t have given me a second look.”

“Believe me, I would have looked. In case you haven’t noticed, you’re pretty hot yourself. You must have had girls following you everywhere.”

“Not so much,” he said. “Girls thought I was weird.”

“No! How?”

“I never talked. I never smiled. I didn’t have friends. I mean, I talked to some of the guys in class, but we didn’t hang out. I listened to music a lot and usually walked home for lunch just so I wouldn’t have to spend time in the cafeteria. And I didn’t play any sports.” He stopped suddenly, then shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“It’s like you flip a switch inside of me and I just start babbling. I can say anything to you. In fact, I can’t seem to stop.”

Charlie sighed, then rested back across his chest, pulling the yearbook out of his hands. She worked at the buttons of his shirt, then pressed a kiss to the center of his chest. “I think that’s a very good thing.”

“What are you starting,” he said, rebuttoning his shirt.

“I’m just kissing you,” she said.

“Not here. Not in your parents’ house.”

Charlie laughed at him. “My parents own the apartment at the boathouse, so technically, that’s their place, too.”

“What if someone walks in?”

She jumped off the bed and walked to the door, then pulled it closed and locked it. “Better?”

“No. Now if someone tries to open the door, they’re going to know what we’re doing in here.”

“Don’t be such a prude.” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast and Ronan gave her an impatient glare. “There is something kind of exciting about doing it here.”

He crawled off the bed, shaking his head. She was teasing him and he wasn’t going to let her get away with it. “No way. Besides, I’d only be second best in that bed, after your friend, Danny.”

“Oh, now I understand. You’re jealous.” She jumped off the bed and crossed the room, slipping her arms around his waist. “There’s nothing to be jealous of.”

“Yes, there is,” Ronan murmured. He cupped her face in his palm and kissed her. “He had you for six years. He had a life with you. He saw you every day and every night for months on end.”

“Maybe it’s the quality instead of the quantity,” she said.

“What does that mean?”

“I had all those days and nights with him. But all of them put together didn’t even come close to those that we’ve had. Danny and I were kids. We had no idea what passion really was.”

“And now you do?” he asked.

Charlie nodded. “I think maybe I finally have it figured out.” She cocked her head toward the bed. “I can show you if you want.”

“You can try. But you’re going to have to do it with your clothes on. And with my clothes on. Using only your lips.”

“Oh, a challenge.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the bed, then gave him a gentle shove. He fell backwards onto the mattress. Charlie laid down on top of him, pinning his hands over his head.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” she murmured.

“You are crazy,” he said just before she captured his mouth in a playful kiss.

“And you’re starting to like crazy,” she said. “Admit it.”

He groaned as she kissed him again. In truth, he needed her, crazy or not. He’d come to appreciate her quirky personality and irresistible smile. And in the end, he’d do anything to keep her in his life.

6

“I
F
YOU
BEND
this just a little bit, it should be okay.”

Charlie stood over the broken dredge basket and shook her head. “No, no, you can’t bend that.”

“Sure you can,” Ronan replied.

“It will break and then the whole basket will be useless.”

“No, it’s not that kind of steel.”

“I know what my dredge baskets are made of,” she said.

“And I know the characteristics of metal. I do have an engineering degree.”

She looked up, surprised by his admission. “You do?”

He nodded. “Yeah. And that little piece of metal right there will bend. Once it does, the basket will work.”

“You never told me you went to college.”

Ronan grabbed the basket out of the bottom of the skiff and hefted it up on the deck, then jumped out of the boat. “It never came up.”

“Yes, it did. We talked about how I skipped college for New York and how you went to work for your grandfather’s business.”

“Well, I went to college. Not away to college. I lived at home and took a lot of night classes.” He braced his hand on his waist and stared down at her. “Is this a problem? Are we having a fight?”

“No,” Charlie said. “I—I’m just trying to explain that I—” She cursed softly. “Never mind. Just take the basket up to the shop.”

He held out his hand to her. “Come on.”

She climbed out of the skiff and the moment both feet were on the dock, he pulled her into an embrace. “Kiss me,” he said.

She dropped a quick kiss on his lips.

“You can do better than that,” Ronan said.

Frustrated, Charlie decided to make her point in the only way she knew how. She slipped her hand around his neck and pulled him into the most passionate kiss she could manage. She seduced him with her tongue and her lips, refusing to retreat until she knew he couldn’t take anymore. “Better?” she asked as she stepped back.

He laughed softly. “Ah, yeah.” He hugged her again. “Good thing I’m wearing waders.”

He took her hand and they walked up to the boathouse. Charlie was surprised to see her youngest brother, Garrett, sitting on the step for the front door. He glanced up as they approached, then jumped to his feet.

“Hey, Ronan. I brought my video games over. I thought maybe you might want to play a little.”

Ronan glanced over at Charlie and she smiled. After dinner Saturday evening, Ronan and Garrett had teamed up against Isaac and Ethan in a video game battle. Isaac and Ethan had always been very close, with Garrett usually the odd brother out. But once he’d claimed Ronan for his side, Garrett seemed to think that the scales were back in balance.

“Is there a system in the apartment?”

“In my dad’s office,” Garrett said. “He put it there for when we were younger and we’d come to the boathouse after school. But we can hook it up in the apartment.”

“Well, all right. I guess I’m up for some fun before dinner. If that’s all right with Charlie.”

Garrett turned to his older sister, a hopeful look on his face. “Is it all right?”

“Sure,” she said. “Maybe you can stay and have pizza with us. How does that sound?”

Garrett grinned. “That would be cool.”

Ronan opened the door to the boathouse and ushered Charlie and her brother inside. “Why don’t you get the system set up,” Ronan suggested, “while I get cleaned up. I’ll meet you upstairs in a few minutes.”

Garrett raced to the door for the stairway and they both listened as he ran up the stairs. “I guess our plans have been made for us,” he murmured, grabbing her hand and weaving his fingers through hers.

Charlie couldn’t help but feel a flood of affection for him. He’d been so sweet to Garrett at dinner and it was clear that he understood the way her brother was feeling—like an outsider. “Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“No, I wanted to. Hey, if it’s a choice between video games and hot sex with the most beautiful girl in Sibleyville, I’m afraid I have to go with the video games.”

Charlie gasped and gave him a playful slap. “So that’s how it is?”

“No. Garrett’s a good kid. And I like to play video games. It’s no fun to play them alone. Believe me, I did that enough as a kid.”

Charlie gave him a hug. “You’re a nice guy, Ronan Quinn.”

He gave her a quick kiss. “Come on. Let’s go get cleaned up and then maybe Garrett will let you play with us.”

“No, I think I’ll leave you two to have your fun.”

They both stripped out of their waders and boots and put them on the rack near the door, then walked upstairs. Ronan took a quick shower, then joined Garrett in setting up the X-box on the apartment television.

Charlie called for the pizza and left enough cash on the counter to pay for it, then retired to the bathroom. She’d grabbed the script for Lettie’s play, then filled the tub with warm water, adding a measure of her favorite lavender bath salts at the end.

She tossed her work clothes on a pile and stepped into the tub, then sank down beneath the surface until the water covered her body completely. A tiny moan slipped from her lips and she closed her eyes.

Over the past few weeks, she and Ronan had fallen into an easy daily routine, their days spent on the water working and their nights in his bed, discovering the pleasure between them. The more time she spent with Ronan, the more she realized that a life with him could be something very good.

The notion had snuck up on her. She didn’t want to think of Ronan as a potential husband. Thoughts like that frightened her. But she could imagine him staying with her, for another month or another year, or even longer.

She grabbed a washcloth from the rack next to the tub and dampened it, then put it over her face, the scent of lavender filling her head. Her thoughts drifted to the man in her life and she couldn’t help but smile at herself. He was her man, at least temporarily. He made it clear to her every day in a million ways that they were a couple.

Charlie had always been so clear about the direction of her life. She’d seen her dreams and gone after them. The move to New York when she was eighteen had been bold and determined. But for some reason, she couldn’t do the same with Ronan. Even though her feelings for him had grown deeper with each day, even though she couldn’t imagine the moment that he’d walk out of her life, she wasn’t prepared to make him her dream.

With a soft sigh, she reached out for the script that she’d dropped on the floor beside the tub. She held it out in front of her and began to read, but it only took a few pages to know that Lettie’s theatrical talents lay somewhere other than play writing.

“The Curse of Bridie Quinn” was an overwrought melodrama that had no resemblance to Romeo and Juliet at all. Bridie was a mix of the Wicked Witch of the West and Cruella DeVille. Edward was a typical brooding anti-hero in the mold of Heathcliff. And Moira was a reasonable copy of Blanche DuBois from “Streetcar.”

Some of the dialogue was laughable and the rest made her cringe. But for an amateur show, it would do what it was supposed to do, entertain. She made a mental note to call Lettie and tell her that she was going to be out of town on the night of the play so she’d be unable to step in, no matter what the circumstances.

She dropped the play on the floor. Her life as an actress seemed a long way away right now. Though she’d loved every minute of it, she could barely remember the woman she had been a year ago. So much had changed over that time. So much had changed since Ronan had arrived.

Charlie closed her eyes and let her body relax into the scented water. Her thoughts continued to drift, touching on images of Ronan, in her bed, his naked body stretched out beside her. A delicious warmth seeped through her body and for a moment, she felt herself caught up in the dream.

A soft knock sounded on the door and Charlie opened her eyes. A few seconds later, Ronan peeked in. “Pizza’s here,” he said.

“I’ll be out in a few seconds,” she said.

“You do know that I’d rather be in here with you, don’t you?”

She smiled. “Yes. But we can pick up on that later.”

He closed the door behind him and Charlie sighed. There were moments that she didn’t want to believe how wonderful her life had become for fear that it would all change tomorrow. How much longer could she deny her feelings for him? No matter how she tried to rationalize their relationship, she knew one thing for certain. She was falling in love with Ronan Quinn.

* * *

R
ONAN
RUBBED
THE
sleep out of his eyes. The early morning light had turned the eastern sky a dusky blue and the area around the wharf was beginning to come alive with everyday activity. He’d left Charlie in bed to get a few more minutes of sleep while he went out to fetch bearclaws for their breakfast.

In Seattle, he’d always eaten a healthy breakfast. But he worked so hard out on the oyster beds that a bearclaw or two was burned off by nine in the morning. He pushed open the front door to the bakery and nodded at the patrons who had become familiar to him over the past three weeks.

The older woman behind the counter smiled at him as he grabbed a numbered ticket from the roll. Ronan walked over to one of the small tables and picked up a discarded copy of the Boston Globe, distractedly scanning the front page.

“I thought I might see you here.”

Ronan slowly lowered the paper to find the smiling face of Leticia Trowbridge standing on the other side. Though he’d only had a couple of encounters with her, he knew that she’d come looking for him for a reason. Was she about to enlist him in convincing Charlie to appear in her play? Or was there something else on her mind?

“Hello,” Ronan said. “How are you?”

“I’m wonderful. Well, not exactly wonderful. My play is a disaster of monumental proportions. I can’t seem to find the talent I need to really make the roles sing with authenticity. Have you ever aspired to the stage, Mr. Quinn?”

“No, no, no,” Ronan said. “I’m not one who enjoys the spotlight.”

“Well, the spotlight would certainly enjoy you,” she said. “Come and sit down. I have a very serious matter to discuss with you.”

“I—I really have to go. Time to get to work.”

Lettie pointed to the ticket. “But you haven’t been called yet. I only need a few minutes. I promise.”

“All right,” Ronan said. He nodded toward one of the tables and they sat down across from each other. “What can I do for you?”

“You can marry Charlotte Sibley.”

Her words caught him by surprise and his first reaction was to laugh uneasily. But when he did, everyone in the shop turned around to look. “Are you kidding?” he whispered.

“Oh, no. Let me be as direct as possible. The village of Sibleyville pays me a yearly salary to act as matchmaker for the single residents who desire my help. But with your arrival in town, I have the ability to make the very last match this town will ever need. I’m here to ask you how much it would take for you to marry Charlotte.”

“Take?” He frowned. “Are you talking about money?”

“Yes. Or some other type of compensation if you prefer. A car? Property? I’m not sure what you might want.”

Ronan shook his head. “You’re going to pay me to marry Charlotte?”

“Is there any other way we might convince you to marry her?”

“No,” Ronan said. “I—I mean, I’m not going to marry her for money. Not that I don’t want to marry her, but—but—” He cursed beneath his breath. “This is really a ridiculous conversation.”

“If you marry her, the Sibley and Quinn families will finally be united. The curse will be broken and perhaps more of our young people will choose to fall in love and stay in Sibleyville.”

Ronan glanced around at the patrons in the shop. They’d all gone back to their business and no one seemed interested in the conversation going on at Ronan’s table. But he had no doubt every ear was trained on their conversation. “Have you talked to Charlie about this?”

“Of course I have.”

“What did she say?”

“That she would consider it.”

The answer shocked Ronan. Though Charlie wasn’t afraid to show her affection for him, they’d never really discussed the future. Actually, she seemed to purposely avoid any mention of what might come of their relationship at the end of six weeks. Had she really considered marriage a possibility for them?

As Lettie chattered on, Ronan couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on in Charlie’s head. There were moments during their workdays when he’d watch her and know, deep inside his soul, that he’d never be able to let her go. But those thoughts hadn’t yet transformed into a real plan for his life. It seemed that all the planning was being done by Lettie.

The woman behind the counter called Ronan’s number and he jumped up from the table, grateful for the excuse to end the conversation. “It was really a
pleasure,” he said. “Have a nice day.”

He hurried to the counter and ordered three bearclaws, laying the money out in front of him. The moment the clerk handed him the bag, he hurried out of the bakery.

As he walked back to the apartment, he decided that maybe it was time to talk about the future. He’d been in Sibleyville for exactly three weeks now. He knew the last three weeks would fly by faster than the first three. Nothing he could do would slow them down. So why not just stay? Why not forget the six-week deadline and stay until
he
wanted to leave?

He had a job that he could keep. He was learning more and more every day about the operation of the oyster farm. He’d already found a way to make himself indispensable—at least to Charlie. But he would have to work out this living situation.

Charlie had refused to take rent out of his paycheck and he couldn’t continue living in the apartment for free. If he was going to set up a life in Sibleyville, then he’d have to close out his life in Seattle.

When he got back to the apartment, he found Charlie still sleeping soundly. They’d had a lot of late nights, spent in the pursuit of pleasure, and maybe the lack of sleep was beginning to catch up with her. He walked out to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee into a mug, then carried it into the bedroom.