Flirt With Me by Kristen Proby

Chapter 12

~Maeve~

“It was so nice of your mother to give us this tub of stew,” Angie Meyers says. Hunter’s parents have been in town for three days, and the five of us are gathered in Hunter’s home, enjoying Sunday brunch before Angie and Jay head back to Seattle. “I’m going to freeze some of it so it lasts us a while.”

“We’re not that far away,” Hunter reminds his mom and kisses her head before setting a platter of bacon on the table. “You two can come over anytime, stay in the guest house. Eat stew.”

“We might do that,” Jay says, looking up from his newspaper. “In fact, your mother and I were talking last night. We were going to wait to mention it. Give it some more thought.”

“Let’s just tell them,” Angie says with excitement and reaches over for Rachel’s hand.

“We’d like to move to the island,” Jay says. “Of course, we need to sell the house in Seattle and look for something here, but we want to be close to you. You’re our family.”

I glance over at Hunter and see a smile spread across his handsome face—one so much like his father’s.

“That might be the best news I’ve heard in a very long time,” Hunter says. “I didn’t want to pressure you guys to come here, especially because it was my decision to move out of the city. And I know you like it there.”

“Well, it’s just a ferry ride away,” Angie reminds her son. “We love it here. The views are gorgeous, and we enjoyed Maeve’s family very much. And being close to you is important to us.”

Hunter and I share a look. He was hoping that having them here this weekend would have this exact result.

“Well,” he says with a nod and takes a bite of bacon, “I know an excellent realtor.”

“I was hoping to talk to you about this,” Angie says to me. “Give you an idea of what we might be looking for and see if there’s anything available.”

“I have quite a lot for sale right now,” I reply. “What are you thinking?”

Rachel is all smiles as we discuss what Jay and Angie would like in a new home. They want charm, not too much space, a pretty view, and to be nearby in case Rachel needs them.

“I’ll start doing some digging tonight after we get back from Seattle,” I assure them. “Speaking of that, we should probably get ready to go.”

“I’m stuffed,” Jay says. “I’ll help with dishes.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I assure him, but he shakes his head and stands to clear the table.

“That’s his way of saying he’d like a moment alone with you,” Angie says with a wink and carries her plate to the sink. “I’ll just go out to the guest house and make sure we’ve got everything.”

I glance around, suddenly realizing I’m alone with Jay, who’s busy rinsing dishes and loading them into the dishwasher.

He’s a tall man with silver threaded through his dark hair. He’s in excellent physical shape, just like his son.

I set the leftover juice in the fridge, put lids on the fruit bowls, and stow them away as well.

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.”

“You know what I like?” Maggie asks as we watch Rachel smile and talk with the family she just seated. “That she’s grateful. I mean, she has to know that her dad is wealthy. But she’s not a spoiled brat.”

“She’s not,” I agree. “But I will say that she also doesn’t really look at price tags or worry about how much things cost. She just picks stuff out. So, while it’s true that she’s grateful and excited, it’s also clear that she’s never had to worry about a budget.”

“That makes sense, though,” Maggie reminds me.

“It’s none of my business, but I wonder if she’ll ever have to worry about a budget.”

“She might not,” Maggie says. “She’s not afraid of hard work. She’s shown us that much since Keegan hired her. But she may be lucky enough to work because she likes to, not because she has to. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

I nod in agreement and then pick up my tray and make my rounds, checking in on my tables. I take a few drink refill orders and then wave at Shawn and Lexi when they walk in, ready to get started on prepping for the dinner crowd.

Since Ma and Da have been here, Ma’s covered lunch. Then Shawn and Lexi take over for dinner.

I love having my parents here. When Ma’s in the kitchen and Da’s behind the bar, it feels like old times.

But I know they miss Ireland and will likely return there in the next couple of weeks.

Hunter pushes through the front door and blinks as his eyes adjust, then grins at me. He points to the bar and takes a seat, already chatting with Keegan.

He’s started coming in every day that Rachel and I are on shift to say hello and grab a bite to eat.

We’ve settled into a nice little routine.

“Well, hey there, handsome.” I kiss his cheek and set my tray on the bar as I turn to Keegan. “I need three Cokes, one diet, and a pitcher of water.”

“How’s your day so far?” Hunter asks.

“Great. It’s been steady but not crazy, and everyone is happy and tipping well. We can’t complain.”

“Do you have a minute?” he asks.

“Sure.” I flag down Maggie. “I’ll be right back.”

“No problem, I’ve got this.” She winks at Hunter. “Hey there.”

“Hey, back to you,” he replies and walks behind me as I lead him to the storeroom.

“What’s up?”

“First, this is in order.” He frames my face and kisses me, long and deep. “It’s been a while since I was alone with you when we weren’t both exhausted.”

“We had a busy weekend,” I agree with a laugh and brush my fingers through his hair. “How are you?”

“I’m great.” He kisses my nose. “I got a call from my agent today. ESPN wants me to come be a guest commentator at a fight that’s happening in Vegas in a few days.”

“Wow, that’s cool. Did you accept?”

“Well, I wanted to check with you first.”

“You don’t need my permission to work.”

His lips twitch. “I know that. But I didn’t want to leave Rachel. At least not until I talked to you about it. I can ask my parents to come over and stay with her if you’d rather. I know she’ll have work, and she enjoys it here on the island. I don’t want to shuttle her back and forth to the city if I don’t have to. But I can if you’d rather.”

“You should absolutely go. Rachel and I will be fine,” I assure him. “Honest. If your parents want to come, they’re welcome, but I don’t think they need to. How long will you be gone?”

“Just one night. I’ll leave here that morning and be back the following afternoon.”

“Oh, we’ll be fine,” I repeat.

He leans in and kisses my forehead. “Thanks.”

“We’ll have ice cream and talk about boys while you’re gone. You know, like girls do.”

“There’d better not be any boys to talk about,” he says.

I just laugh and pat him on the shoulder. “You’re painfully unprepared for your daughter to have a boyfriend.”

“Has someone been sniffing around her?”

“Not that I’m aware of. I’m just saying, in general. It’s going to happen, Hunter. She’s adorable and sweet. Some nice kid is going to be smitten.”

“I’ll smash his face in.”

I cup his cheek. “No, you won’t.”

“How did we go from Vegas to my daughter having a boyfriend?”

I laugh and lead him back out to the bar. “I have to get back to work. What are you up to this afternoon?”

“I’m going to meet with some contractors. I’m having a gym built. I need more private space than I have in the house.”

“You have plenty of property for it,” I agree, knowing that he bought the land next to his. “That’ll be great.”

“What I have in mind will be better than great.” He winks at me and sits back on what I’ve come to think of as his stool, and I see that one of our regulars, Freddie, is sitting next to him.

“Well, it’s a fine afternoon indeed if Freddie’s here.” I kick up my accent a bit as Freddie’s Irish himself, and I know he enjoys it. “How are you today?”

“Ah, there’s a fine lass,” he says with sparkling blue eyes. “Maeve, me love, when are you going to run off and marry me?”

“As soon as I finish me shift,” I assure him with a wink. “Now don’t you dare go pledgin’ your love to anyone else while I’m away.”

Freddie takes a sip of his beer, both of us pleased as punch with our typical exchange, and I see Hunter smiling at me, clearly enjoying the show.

I take my tray of drinks and deliver them to my tables. When I glance to my right, I see a woman walk through the door and survey the room.

I don’t know her, though she looks vaguely familiar.

“Um, Maeve?” Rachel asks. She slips her hand into mine, and her face has gone bone white.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Rachel licks her lips and nods toward the woman who’s now grinning and hurrying over to us.

“Uh, that’s Carla. That’s my mom.”

“Darling!” Carla wraps her arms around Rachel, hugging her tightly. But Rachel isn’t grinning. And she doesn’t hug the woman back.

She only watches me with worried eyes.

“Oh, my sweet girl, it’s so good to see you. Be a dear and go tell your boss you need the rest of the day off so we can catch up.”

“I didn’t know you were coming, Carla. I can’t just take off of work.”

“Since when do you call me Carla?” the woman demands and then shifts her attention to me, her blue eyes icing over. “Rachel is leaving.”

“No.” It’s Hunter’s voice from behind me. “She isn’t leaving.”

“Well, she certainly is. I’m here.”

“Just go,” Rachel whispers. “You’re embarrassing me. I’ll call you when I’m finished with my shift.”

“Well.” Carla’s face is mutinous. She brushes her hands down the red top that shows way too much cleavage. “Fine, then. I’m in town indefinitely, so I suppose there’s no hurry.”

I blink in surprise, and Hunter sighs as Carla spins on her heel and stalks out of the bar.

“You don’t have to stay,” I whisper to Rachel. “If you want to go.”

“No. I have a job,” Rachel insists. “She can’t just come in here and demand that I leave.”

And with that, Rachel hurries away to buss and wipe down some empty tables.

“Did you know?” I ask Hunter.

“No. But I should have.” He glances down at me. “She’s not here for Rachel. She’s here for you.”

I frown. “Me? She doesn’t even know me.”

“She saw the ESPYs,” he says. “And she’s jealous. She’s come to check you out and make trouble. I’m not going to Vegas. No way.”

He turns away, but I tug on his arm, stopping him.

“You’re going to Vegas. She’s not going to mess up everything here, Hunter. She’s not that important.”

He just shakes his head. “We’ll see how big the shitshow is by tomorrow.”

He watches Rachel with worried eyes.

“Has she pulled this before?”

“No, because I’ve never given her a reason to. We’ll talk more later. I think I’ll hang around, just in case.”

“Want some stew?”

“Yeah. And a beer.”