The Mighty Quinns: Danny (15 page)

“Yeah?” Danny asked.

Jordan nodded. “Will you teach me?”

“I can do that.” He slipped his arms around her waist, then bent closer to kiss her.

When they got back to the pub, Nan rushed up to them both. “We thought you'd left,” she said. She held out the presents Danny had set on the end of the bar. “You didn't need to bring us a gift. Didn't you see the invitation?”

“Yes,” Jordan said. “But I wanted to. I won't be here for the wedding, so that's what they're for. And you've given me something in return.”

“Can I borrow Jordan for a moment?” Nan asked.

“Sure,” Danny said. “As long as you give her back. I've grown rather fond of her.”

She and Nan walked through the pub and into the kitchen. “This is the only quiet spot in the pub,” Nan said. “So tell me, why are you thinking about leaving?”

“Actually, I'm not. I'm thinking of staying. But in case I don't, I wanted to give you the gifts.”

“So, are you in love with him? It's all right, you can admit it to me. Believe me, I spent a long time denying it myself. But there's just something about a handsome Irishman that I find completely irresistible.”

Jordan sat down on a stool next to the work table, exhaustion overwhelming her. “I've tried to keep everything in perspective,” she said. “But I can't seem to help myself. I get lost in the fantasy of living here with him. It's like someone or something has put a spell on me and I'm seeing everything through magic glasses.”

“I know exactly how you feel,” Nan said. “But don't be so quick to write it off as a fantasy. Maybe you were meant to be here all along.”

“Danny told me about your search for your father. You have a place here. I have an Irish last name, that's all.”

“You could make a place for yourself,” Nan replied. “It's not that hard. And with the Quinns, it seems, the more the merrier.”

It wasn't difficult to like Nan. She seemed so sweet and friendly. Jordan had never had many girlfriends. She'd always been so obsessed with her career, she hadn't made time for friendships. And she'd never been interested in hanging out and talking about manicures and boyfriends and designer shoes.

Jordan was amazed at how easy it was to confide in the other woman. Though they came from completely different places, they seemed to have so much in common. She almost felt as if she would have a family here in Ireland if she stayed. “We should probably rejoin the party,” Jordan said. “You
are
the guest of honor.”

“We should,” Nan said. “But promise that we'll see you again, soon. And if you leave, you must say goodbye.”

“You should come and see the house. It's almost done. The furniture arrives this next week. Bring Danny's mother and we'll have lunch.”

“Then it's decided,” Nan said. “Just call when you'd like us to come and we'll be there.”

Jordan picked up the presents. “Do you want to open these now or later?”

“Oh, now,” Nan said. “I can't stand to wait for a surprise. And I love presents.” She paused. “You said before that I'd given you something. What did you mean by that?”

Jordan hesitated, but found no reason to hide her feelings. She could trust Nan. “When I saw you and Riley together, saw how you were that first time we met, how he looked at you and how you looked at him…well, it made me think that I might find that for myself someday. And I don't think I've ever felt that way before.”

“Maybe it wasn't just me and Riley,” Nan pushed. “Maybe it's Danny?”

“Open it,” Jordan said. “I hope you like it.”

Nan tore at the paper and pulled open the box then gasped. She reached into the box and withdrew the old silver. “Oh, this is lovely. Look at the monograms. It's
hotel silver, isn't it? My favorite restaurant back home uses it. I love it. It's so heavy, so much nicer than what you can buy new.”

“Danny didn't understand why I was giving you old silverware.” Jordan pointed to the smaller package. “Open that one.”

Nan withdrew the book from the paper and smoothed her hand over the cover. Then she opened to the flyleaf. “It's a first printing?”

Jordan nodded. “I know how much you like books. And Yeats is Irish. It seemed like a good gift.”

“I—I don't know what to say. It's beautiful.” Nan smiled, then reached out and gave Jordan a fierce hug. “Thank you.”

Jordan drew a deep breath, satisfied that she'd done well. Someday maybe she'd be planning for her own wedding and her own home. She hoped that she'd have a friend like Nan to talk to when that did happen.

 

“W
HERE ARE WE GOING
?” Jordan asked, the bedclothes rumpled around her naked body. “It's Sunday. We're not supposed to get up so early.”

“Dress warm,” Danny said, tugging on his jeans. “And put on a jacket and some sturdy shoes.” He picked up her favorite sweater and laid it on the bed.

“Are we going on a hike?”

Danny bent over and gave her a quick kiss. “A short one.”

“Shouldn't we have some breakfast first?”

He sat down next to her and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “After you fell asleep last night, I was just
lying here, thinking. I have a theory and I want to check it out.”

“A theory about what?”

“Our brownie problem,” he said. “I think I might have figured out how they got in.”

“No more brownies? I'm all for that.” A smile broke across her face as she scrambled out of bed and Danny felt a small measure of relief. Since yesterday evening, Jordan had seemed so melancholy, as if the weight of the world were bearing down on her. He'd tried to coax her worries out of her, and she'd put on a smile and insisted that nothing was wrong. But Danny knew her too well.

He didn't want to think that their time together was coming to an end, or that she'd walk away without a second thought. Hell, how could he compete with a job that she loved and a family who lived on the other side of the Atlantic?

They walked out into the crisp morning air, past the walled garden and the forge and toward the rocky cliffs that separated the green from the ocean. They headed north for a few hundred yards before Danny began to look for the familiar landmark that signaled the entrance to Smuggler's Cove.

“Here,” he said, pointing to the narrow pathway between the jagged rocks. “Follow me.”

“Where?” Jordan asked.

“Don't worry. I've been down here before. Not for a very long time, but I know the way. Just be careful.”

He carefully picked his way along the path, stepping over rocks that had fallen and tossing aside driftwood blocking the way. When he finally reached the end of
the path, he jumped down the last three feet, then turned and reached for Jordan.

She stood on the sand and slowly took in her surroundings. “I never knew this was here. It's a little beach. How did you find it?”

“We used to come here when we were kids. We called it Smuggler's Cove. I discovered it. Or at least I thought I had. But if the castle was used for smuggling, then this is where the boats would have come to shore.” He turned and scanned the cliff. “If there's a tunnel, it starts right there.” He pointed to the cave.

“Can you swim here?” she asked, completely distracted by the prospect of her beachfront castle.

“We used to. The current is pretty strong, but if you stay close to shore, it's fine. Are you ready?”

“For what?”

“We're going to see where the other end of that cave lies. We never had the courage to explore it when we were kids, but if I'm right, it may be the entrance to a tunnel that leads to the house.” He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket. “Let's give it a try.”

“I'm not going in there,” she said. “There might be bats. Or spiders. Or snakes.”

“There are no snakes in Ireland.”

“Right,” Jordan said. “St. Patrick took care of that years ago.”

“Maybe this is where the brownies and fairies live.” Danny scrambled up the cliff to the entrance of the cave. “If I'm not back in ten minutes, call for help,” he said.

Jordan frowned. “Danny, I don't think you should go in there. It could be dangerous. It could collapse and you'd be trapped.”

Undeterred, Danny entered the cave. He and his brothers had explored about fifteen feet beyond the entrance before being scared away by strange noises and invisible animals. But as an adult, Danny found nothing in here that was frightening. He knew high tide was hours away and now was the time to see if he was right.

The crates that they'd brought down to sit on years ago were still against the cave wall. And a pile of driftwood that Danny had dragged inside was still where he'd left it so long ago. “Hello!” he shouted.

“Who are you talking to?”

He spun around to find Jordan standing behind him, a worried expression on her face. She squinted against the glare from the flashlight and he motioned her over. “Watch out. This first part is slippery until you get to the sand. The water comes up in here at high tide.”

They slowly walked deeper into the cave, the light from the opening fading the further they went. Fifteen feet, twenty, then thirty. And then, to Danny's surprise, the cave suddenly ended. “No,” he said.

“This is it?”

He examined the back wall carefully, looking for another way. But there wasn't any. “I guess I was wrong,” he said.

They walked back to the entrance and he helped Jordan climb back down to the beach. Danny raked his hands through his hair. So much for his brilliant theories. He plopped down on the beach and stared out at the water. Jordan sat down beside him, smoothing her hand along his shoulders.

“It was a good theory,” she said. “And I'm really glad
you showed me the beach. I'm going to see if we can build a stairway down the cliff. It's a perfect spot.”

Danny leaned against her and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Stairs are going to take a lot longer than a week to build. Does this mean you're going to stay a few weeks longer?”

“I might be here longer than that,” she said. Jordan folded her arms over her knees and fixed her gaze on the horizon. “I think I quit my job.”

Danny's breath caught in his throat and he stared at her in disbelief. “You think?”

“Well, I'm not really sure if it's official yet. Of course, I have to finish this project. And my father wants a letter of resignation, which I haven't written. And he could always change his mind, although I don't think he—”

“This is brilliant,” Danny said, drawing her into his arms and kissing her. “You won't have to leave.”

“Well, I will at some point. I still have an apartment back in New York. Everything I own is there.”

“Is this why you were so distant last night? Why you were late for the party?”

Jordan nodded. “I gave him my ultimatum. I told him if he didn't give me the hotel project I'd quit.”

“What did he say?” Danny asked.

“He didn't say anything,” Jordan replied. “I texted him. I was too nervous to talk to him. It was so much easier. He couldn't bully me and I had control of the conversation. There was no shouting, just little letters on the screen.”

Danny took her face in his hands. He couldn't believe it. Everything that he'd been wishing for had suddenly
come true. They had time, which meant that he had a chance. “And how do you feel now?”

Jordan frowned. “I'm not sure. There is some relief that I actually managed to express my feelings to my father. There's humiliation that it meant nothing to him. And I guess there's a lot of fear, because I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do to make a living.”

“What about Kellan? You said he offered you work.”

“It would probably be easier to find a job there. I don't even know if I could legally work here. There are probably all sorts of laws.”

He bent closer and gave her another kiss. “But I want you to stay here,” he said. “With me. What do you say?”

“I say, I'll think about it.”

Danny pulled her down on top of him and settled her hips against his. In a single moment, his life had changed. They had a chance, a way to make this all work out. After Jordan was finished at the castle, she could move in with him. They'd figure out what to do about work and then they'd start a life together.

And somewhere along the way, he'd tell her exactly how he felt. Danny Quinn was in love.

 

J
ORDAN STARED AT
Danny's profile, outlined by the daylight streaming through the tall windows of the bedroom. She smiled to herself then turned her face into the pillow. A giggle bubbled up and she groaned softly.

This was what it felt like to be in love. It was the most frightening, exhilarating, confusing feeling she'd ever had in her life. All the silly stereotypes were true. She felt as if her head was in the clouds, as if she was walking on air, as if nothing would ever be the same again.

Why hadn't it snuck up slowly? Why had it hit her now, while he was asleep beside her and she wasn't expecting it? Jordan's impulse was to question her own feelings, but even that didn't work. She was in love with Danny Quinn, no doubts, no hesitation.

She pushed up from the pillow and took another look. That face, those dark lashes and those beautiful lips. She'd grown so familiar with his features that she almost took them for granted.

She'd decided to stay in Ireland for a little while. Her savings could stand a year or two without work, if she was frugal. But, in truth, she wanted to see where all of this was leading.

Jordan leaned over and dropped a soft kiss on his mouth, then waited to see if he was ready to wake up. When he didn't, she kissed him again, this time running her tongue over the part in his lips.