He smiled. “That would be grand, lass. Real grand.”
Three
A short while later, Kieran and Emmy were in the café area of the shop, two mugs of hot chocolate in front of them. “Are you sure I’m not keepin’ you?” he asked.
“I needed a break.” She sat back in the chair. “I can’t believe Sheryl didn’t tell you about my shop.”
“This is your place?” At her nod he added, “Don’t go blamin’ her. I’m sure she told me, just as sure as I am that I forgot.”
“Or you weren’t paying attention.”
Busted. “Guess you know me pretty well.”
“I also know Sheryl. She can get pretty far into the weeds when she talks.” She lifted her mug and took a sip.
Kieran’s gaze went to her left hand. No ring. That didn’t mean anything, although Emmy had always been the more traditional type compared to their peers back in school. He would have expected her to wear one if she were married.
“I see you finally cut your hair,” Emmy said, setting down the mug.
“Yep. Mum always hated it long. She actually cried when she saw my short hair when she visited at Christmas five years ago. I told her it was one of her birthday presents.” He crossed his ankle over his knee. “I remember you having long blond hair.”
She self-consciously touched the side of her pixie cut. “I got rid of that years ago. Too much trouble.”
Inexplicably he couldn’t take his eyes off her. A pair of green-framed glasses that matched her cardigan rested atop her head, and she wore a white turtleneck underneath her sweater. There was nothing extraordinary about her outfit. But there was something aboutherthat made him pay attention. His pulse started to pitter-patter, throwing him off guard.
“How long are you planning to stay in Mistletoe?” Emmy asked.
Grateful for the distraction, he said, “Till the twenty-third.”
Her brow lifted. “You’re not staying for Christmas?”
Kieran shook his head. “I’ve got an investment opportunity back in Ireland. Dublin area this time. I’m supposed to sign the papers on the twenty-sixth, and with weather being unpredictable and all that...” He paused at her frown. “I don’t have a choice. It’s the perfect deal for me to invest the profit I made from the castle.”
“Are you buying another one?”
“Nope. A very contemporary apartment complex. As soon as I settle things there, I’ll come back for another visit.” But even as the words came out of his mouth, he knew the possibility was slim. From her expression, he could see she didn’t believe him either.
A switch of topic was in order. “Catch me up on what you’ve been doing,” he said. “Have you lived here the whole time?”
Emmy tapped her finger against the Styrofoam cup. “Yes. My junior and senior year I worked at Preston’s General Store.”
“Which used to be here,” he said, tapping his index finger on the table. “What happened to it?”
“Six years ago the Prestons retired and sold the building. I turned the lower level into the store, and I live in the apartment upstairs. It’s not as exciting as owning a castle.”
“No less impressive,” he said, sipping the hot chocolate.
“Several years ago, I started watching those antique and picker shows on TV. That piqued my interest. Carina loves to go shopping and picking with me too. She’s my daughter, and the assistant manager in my store.”
Ah. So she was married or had been married before. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
With a smirk she added, “I take it Sheryl never mentioned her to you either.”
He really needed to pay more attention to his sister’s conversations.
“Let me give you a tour,” Emmy said, rising from her chair. She grabbed her cup and led him around the store. He was impressed with the variety and quality of antiques she had acquired, particularly the Irish glassware displayed in a locked curio cabinet near the front counter.
“I had no idea you liked Irish glass,” he said, turning to her.
