A Mighty Quinn Seduction (The Mighty Quinns) (6 page)

He turned to look at her. “No. I actually got a lot done. How was school?”

Claire shrugged. “The usual. We’ve got exams this week so the students are tired and cranky, but other than that we’re all looking forward to the holidays next month. Can I get you a drink?”

“I could use a whiskey,” he said.

Claire walked to the kitchen and grabbed a pair of glasses and the bottle, then carried them back to the sofa. After she poured him two fingers, she held it out. “Sláinte,” she murmured, clinking her glass against his.

He downed the whiskey in one gulp and she poured him another. “Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” she asked.

“No,” he muttered.

“Why not?”

“Because I just want to have a lovely dinner and a quiet evening here with you.”

“And what you’re keeping from me would upset those plans?”

“Most definitely,” Ian said. He pulled her into a long, whiskey-laced kiss and though the intensity of it took her breath away, it didn’t answer her questions. Had he heard from his parents? Was he having doubts about their relationship?

He tossed back the second drink as Claire cursed silently. What relationship? An uneasy feeling twisted at her stomach. Had he already tired of her? The look on his face was a familiar mix of dread and regret, the same look she’d seen on Simon’s face when he’d found her standing at his front door.

“Tell me,” she demanded. “Before you get so drunk you can’t talk.”

“I’ve had an offer,” Ian began. “A teaching position at the university in York. The head of the history department recommended me and they called and are very interested in speaking with me.”

Claire gasped. “But that’s wonderful.”

He turned to meet her gaze. “Is it?”

“Isn’t it?”

“They want me to start in January.”

As she stared at his expression, she realized why he was upset. He was thinking about their future together. The notion hit her like a brick to the head. Their future. “You don’t want to teach?”

Ian shrugged. “I don’t know what I want,” he said. But then he shook his head. “That’s not entirely true. I know exactly what I want. You. That’s it, nothing more. And I know I don’t want anything that’s going to interfere with me having you.”

“Don’t you need a job?” she asked.

“Yes. But I need one here, not in York or London or anywhere that isn’t within twenty kilometers of you.”

“If this is some kind of marriage proposal, then you’re making a bloody hames of it.” The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them and Claire forced a smile. Oh, God, what if that’s what he really had in mind? What if he wanted to talk about their future? What if he wanted answers she couldn’t give him?

“Sorry, I sometimes say things that are completely inappropriate.” Claire scrambled off the sofa. “Can we talk about this later? I just remembered I’ve got something I need to pick up.”

“I can drive you.”

Ian started to stand, but she pushed him back down. “No, you stay here and enjoy your drink and I’ll just run out. I’ll be back soon.”

Claire grabbed her jacket and her keys and hurried to the door. She glanced over her shoulder to see him watching her, a concerned expression on his handsome face. He must think she’d gone mad. But then, Claire didn’t care. She
had
gone mad—especially if she was considering marriage to a man she’d known for only a fortnight.

She needed time to think about her response. Time to consider the question. Was she ready to love Ian Stephens for the rest of her life? Claire groaned. She couldn’t even be certain she was in love with him now. How on earth was she supposed to decide her entire future when she was so confused?

6

I
T
HAD
BEEN
one of the strangest nights in Ian’s life—beyond the night of his parents’ anniversary party. He’d led a predictably normal existence until he’d met Claire Kennedy. And now, he never knew what to expect from day to day.

He’d never meant to talk to her about the job offer. He was going to delay a decision until he knew exactly where they stood. But now he had to wonder if he’d ever know how Claire felt. She seemed determined to avoid any discussion of the future.

She’d returned to the flat with six bags of groceries and immediately threw herself into preparations for an elaborate dinner. Ian had helped her cut vegetables, waiting patiently for her to broach the subject of their earlier conversation. But she hadn’t. In fact, it was as if he’d never mentioned it all. Or she’d never made the joke about a marriage proposal.

Had she really thought he was about to propose? He couldn’t deny that he’d had thoughts of marriage, but they’d only just met a few weeks ago. And with the exception of his parents, no one even knew they were together, not even her brother.

“You seem a million miles away.”

Ian looked up to find Aileen watching him from across her desk. “Sorry. Did I miss something?”

“No. I was just saying that I’ve re-read Chapter 6 and I think I might want to make a few more changes.”

Ian fixed his eyes on his notes. Chapter 6 was the orphanage chapter. Had Dex finally talked to Aileen about Claire’s discovery? “All right. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No. But you could tell me what’s on your mind. You’ve been distracted lately and I think it might have to do with that pretty thing that occasionally shows up at my house. Claire?”

Ian gasped. “Is it that obvious?”

“No, dear. But I’ve learned, through careful observation of the human race, that it’s often easy to see the state of someone’s heart by looking at their face. I suspect you’re in love with her.”

“I suspect you might be right,” Ian said.

Aileen clapped her hands and smiled. “Oh, isn’t that lovely. I’d hoped you might find someone. At first, I thought it might be Marlie but it’s clear she fancies Dex. But I think Claire is quite perfect for you.”

“I’m not sure she would agree.”

“I have learned a lot in my very long life,” Aileen said. “Don’t leave anything unsaid. Trust me when I tell you it’s the only thing you’ll regret when you come to the end of your time on this earth...those words that you never uttered, those thoughts that no one ever knew you had.”

Ian slowly nodded. “You’re right. Even though I’m afraid of the answers, I have to ask the questions.”

“If the girl has a brain in her head, she’ll know what a good man she’d have in you. And that’s all any woman really wants. A good man.” Aileen slowly pushed up from her desk and grabbed her cane. “Now, go along with you. Go find your girl and tell her how you feel.”

Ian gathered his things. “I think I’d better do just that before I lose my nerve. Claire Kennedy has a knack for scrambling my thoughts.”

“Wait,” Aileen said. “Before you go, I have to give you something.”

She called her housekeeper, Sally, into the library and whispered some instructions. Sally hurried off and Aileen motioned to him. They walked slowly to the front door, their footsteps echoing through the silent house.

Sally reappeared a minute later with a small box that she handed to Aileen before giving Ian a wink. “You have a pleasant day, Mr. Stephens.”

“I will,” Ian said, his gaze following her as she retreated to the rear of the house. When he turned back to Aileen, he found her holding out a small velvet box.

“Take it,” she said.

“What is it?” He opened the box to find a beautiful ruby ring in a stunning Art Deco style. “I can’t take this.”

“I bought that in Paris right after the war. I had finally made enough money with my writing that I could afford buy something completely extravagant and I decided this would be it. It belonged to some famous French countess from what I recall. I want you to take it and give it to Claire.”

“But—But I couldn’t. This is far too dear to you to—”

“Stop,” she said. “I have no children. I’ve given most of my money away. And if you’re going to convince this girl to spend her life with you, it will go easier if you bring her a gift. It’s not an engagement ring, my dear. It’s just a gift. A token. A remembrance of the day you realized you loved her.”

He stared down at the ring and then snapped the box shut. “All right. But I’m going to tell her it once belonged to you.”

“And a countess,” Aileen said. She patted his arm. “Now, go ahead. Get your girl. And you can let me know how it all went the next time I see you.”

She opened the door and he walked outside into the damp afternoon air. “Thank you,” Ian said. At the last moment, he leaned down and kissed Aileen’s cheek.

She smiled broadly, placing her fingertips on the spot. They’d always maintained a very professional relationship, but it was about time she realized the affection he held for her. “No, dear boy, thank you.

Ian jogged to his car and hopped inside. As he drove out, he tooted the horn and Aileen waved. He’d gone through most of life without any real connection to family. He and his parents maintained a cool relationship that had never included much true affection. But now, he’d found people who truly cared about him. Aileen had become like a grandmother to him, offering kindly advice and urging him to follow his dreams. And he couldn’t imagine a future without Claire.

Ian chuckled to himself. Life had a funny way of working itself out, even for the most skeptical of participants.

* * *

“I
F
YOU
TURN
this in by tomorrow morning, I’ll give you credit for a completed assignment. But I won’t guarantee that you’ll get a better grade. Only that you won’t get a worse grade.”

Denny Flynn sighed dramatically, then took the paper from her outstretched hand. “Even if it’s perfect?” he asked.

“Perfection would be a lovely thing,” Claire said. “And I think you should strive for that when rewriting your essay. But I know your writing abilities, Denny, and I’ll be able to tell if you’ve copied anything off the internet.”

He headed toward the door of her classroom but was stopped as Shauna Donnelly rushed through the door. “Miss! Miss! You have to come!” She paused to take a breath, pressing her palm to her chest. “Right now! Come!”

Concerned, Claire hurried to her side. “What’s happened? Is someone injured?”

“No, no,” Shauna said, waving her hand. “He’s here. Out in the car park. He’s here.”

“Who?”

“Your sweetheart. That man who came to see you. He’s standing out by your car with a bouquet of flowers.” She giggled. “It’s so romantic. You have to go.”

Claire smoothed her hands over her skirt. What was this about? Surely he wasn’t going to make an attempt at a proposal here, in front of all these teenagers. She glanced up at the clock. School had let out a half hour ago and there were sure to be at least a few witnesses in the area.

She drew a deep breath and nodded. “Shauna, why don’t you go get a drink of water and relax. I’m sure it’s nothing important.”

“But he has flowers. A huge bouquet.” She held out her hands “At least this big. Maybe enormous is a better word.”

Claire patted her on the back. “All right, I’ll go see what he wants. And you need to go to the library and work on your essay for tomorrow. I’m going to call on you to read it aloud.”

Shauna nodded, then walked out the door, but when Claire got to the hallway, she found the girl standing with a group of friends, whispering to each other.

“Go!” Claire said.

The girls scattered and she hurried to the front entrance of the school. To her relief, there were very few students left in the yard and even fewer in the car park. As she approached, she found Ian relaxing against the bonnet of her car. As Shauna reported, he was holding an enormous bouquet of flowers.

She stopped about ten feet away from him, her arms crossed over her chest. “What are you doing?”

He slowly approached her, then held out the bouquet. “This is for you.”

She gave him a skeptical look. “Was this really necessary?”

“If I’m going to make a proposal, I want to do it right.”

Claire gasped. “A—a proposal? Here?”

Ian grabbed her hand. “Now, don’t even think of running. It’s nothing to be frightened of. Just let me say what I’ve come to say and then you can send me away if you like.”

“You’ve lost your mind,” she murmured, glancing around to see if they were being watched. “This is crazy.”

“No, it’s not. Actually, these feelings that I have are a bit crazy. But telling you about them is the smartest thing I’ve ever done. Claire, I have a proposal for you.”

“Don’t do this,” she warned.

“I’m not going to get down on one knee because I’m sure that would embarrass you. And I won’t be pledging my undying love for you since that would probably send you scurrying in the opposite direction. I’m not asking you to live with me in London or let me live with you here in Ireland because I have no idea where were should live. But I am telling you, right here and now, that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together. And I’m proposing that you agree with me so that we can settle this between us.”

Claire stared at him, confusion clouding her expression. “You’re not asking me to marry you?”

“Absolutely not,” he said. “Although, I reserve the right to do that at a later date.”

“And you’re not telling me that you love me?”

“No. Even though I do and I suspect you love me. But we can discuss the particulars of that some other time.”

“All you’re proposing is that we spend the rest of our lives together?”

“Oh,” Ian said. “There is one more thing.” He reached in his pocket and withdrew a small velvet box, then flipped it open. “And I’m proposing that you accept this gift as a memento of this moment.”

Claire stared, dumbfounded, at the beautiful ruby ring. It was exactly what she might have picked for herself, a vintage design that looked like nothing she’d ever seen before. “I—I can’t take this—”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Aileen gave this to me,” he explained. “She thought if I was going to win the day, I’d need more than flowers and fancy words.”

She reached for the box. “This was Aileen’s?”

Ian nodded. “She wanted you to have it. It’s from Paris. I once belonged to a countess.”

“And it’s not an engagement ring?”

“No,” Ian said. “It’s a gift.”

Claire thought about his offer for a long moment. It was such a sweet gesture, how could she possibly refuse? She wasn’t sure about a lot of things, but she was sure that there was no one she wanted in her life more than Ian. Promising him a future was simple. They belonged together and she’d known that from the moment they’d met.

As for the rest of it—marriage, children, jobs—that would all work itself out. As long as she knew they’d be together, they’d be able to sort it all out. “Ask me again,” Claire said.

He cupped her face in his hand and locked his gaze on hers. “Claire Kennedy, will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

“Yes,” Claire said. “I think I’d like that.”

He pulled her into a fierce embrace, but with a few of the student watching, Ian chose not to risk a kiss. “Then my life will be perfect.”

“Mine, too,” she said.

He gave her another hug, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Why don’t we go grab your things and get out of here? We have some celebrating to do. And we’ll have to see how that ring fits.”

She glanced down at the ruby and smiled. “As lovely as the ring is, I thing we might have other things on our agenda this afternoon.”

He grabbed her hand and they headed back into the school. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t professed their undying love for each other or talked about getting married. This was exactly right for the two of them and that’s all that mattered.

They’d spend a lifetime together, starting today. And there would be plenty of time for all those other things later. She’d found a man who could make her deliriously happy and he wasn’t going anywhere. That was the only promise she needed.

* * * * *

Read more about Claire and Ian and their
shocking connection to the Quinns in
THE MIGHTY QUINNS: DEX!