Someone Like You. Karen Rock
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Happy Fourth. Sorry that you have to work.” She glanced down at her buzzing phone.
“Wait for me, okay?” MaryAnne said, ducking into the nurses’ station.
Kayleigh scanned her screen. A text from Gramps read, I’m toning you. That’s phoning you on my text. xo.
She chuckled and typed, xo X infinity.
MaryAnne hung her stethoscope on a peg in the nurses’ station then rejoined her, carrying her purse. “Actually, I swapped shifts so I could be home for our family barbecue. Are you leaving?”
Kayleigh smiled. “I think Gramps has a date.”
MaryAnne leaned in. “He’s quite the catch around here.”
“Well, I’m glad he’s happy,” Kayleigh said as they waited for the elevator.
The elevator chimed and they stepped inside.
“So what are your plans for today?” MaryAnne rummaged through her purse, pulled out hand sanitizer and squirted some into her palms. The astringent smell filled the enclosed space and made Kayleigh sneeze.
“I’m stopping in to see my sister-in-law and nephews before heading home. Nothing much.”
“Why don’t you come home with me? We’re having a family party.” Her eyes slid toward Kayleigh. “And Niall will be there. We could pick up your family and bring them.”
The elevator door opened on the ground floor and Kayleigh stepped out, stunned at the unexpected invitation, her head feeling light at the thought of seeing Niall again.
“I wouldn’t want to impose. Plus, I don’t know if Niall mentioned it, but our lunch meeting didn’t go very well.” She could only imagine Niall’s reaction to her being there. Then again, it was an opportunity to see him and make her case. Change his mind. Was this the corner she needed to turn?
MaryAnne pushed open the glass double doors, and they plunged into the bright, midafternoon sun. “Sorry, Kayleigh. Niall’s a tough nut to crack these days, but I wouldn’t give up. As for imposing on a Walsh family barbecue? Please. We’ll have loads of food and not enough people to eat it. Plus, we have a pool for the boys. Even better, you’d be doing me a favor. Niall is so uncomfortable at parties. You could talk to him, keep him busy.”
“Well—” Kayleigh considered. If there was a more perfect opportunity for her to approach Niall again, she couldn’t imagine it. And as Gramps had said, failure was giving up right before you succeeded. Here was her chance, and she’d be a fool not to take it. And she couldn’t deny that she looked forward to seeing him again. Hoped she’d find her old friend this time instead of the stranger in the restaurant. “Okay. I’ll call Beth. Ask if she wants to come and to have the boys ready. They love to swim.”
MaryAnne beamed and pulled out her car keys as they crossed the cracked asphalt parking lot, the heat so strong it wove clear ribbons in the air. Kayleigh took off her overshirt, glad she’d worn a tank top with her shorts. It’d been a sticky bus ride from her apartment.
“Good. And I know Niall will be glad to see you, even if he wasn’t on his best behavior. I can tell he enjoyed your lunch.”
Kayleigh stopped for a moment, then hurried to catch up. She thought he wanted nothing more to do with her. “How? He wasn’t willing to help when I shared some ideas with him.” Had he said something to MaryAnne? Did he want to see her again? Her heart thumped at the possibility.
MaryAnne flicked a glance her way before they stopped in front of a blue sedan. “Because he has a Five Leaves matchbook by his computer, and all of your messages are saved on his answering machine. Usually he deletes them, especially mine, but yours he keeps. When I dropped off his laundry, I snooped a little before he kicked me out.”
“Huh.” Kayleigh mulled over what that might mean. Was he thinking about her start-up? Had he decided to help? Deep down she knew that they’d succeed at anything. He just needed to remember how great they used to be together. How they could be again if he’d give them a chance.
Her pulse raced. There was only one way to find out. Although, if he got on board, she didn’t need another Brett telling her what was best for her. She needed her old friend. Partnering with someone who considered his feelings ahead of hers would be repeating history.
She’d come too far to go backward again.
NIALL SIDESTEPPED HIS older brother, Aiden, who rushed from the back of the pub and across their backyard bearing a hamburger-laden platter.
“Coming through!” shouted his brother, and the crowd parted as he dashed to the grills. Hickory-scented smoke rose from a far corner of the fenced-in yard, mingling with the aroma of grilled meat. In the still summer air, the chatter of Walsh family members, visiting and local, grew louder by the second. Niall’s head ached. His leg throbbed. His eyes burned. He’d been outside for over two hours, and if it wasn’t for an aunt or a cousin grabbing him every time he tried to duck inside, he’d be in his old room over The White Horse Tavern.
He leaned against a tall oak tree, taking the pressure off his prosthetic. Although the weather was warm and dry, he wasn’t comfortable. Peace and quiet. That was what he needed. When a breeze tussled through the leaves, he squinted up at the limbs he and his siblings once climbed. Life had been full of empty promises then. Now he just wanted to make his excuses and take the train home.
“Happy Independence Day, soldier.” His twin brother, Liam, saluted Niall, then held out a hand. “Thanks for keeping the world safe.” His green eyes twinkled, and dimples created half-moons on either side of his smile.
Niall returned the gesture, feeling like a hypocrite. As a marine, Liam had fought on the front lines. He’d saved the lives of allied forces, not cost them. Still, it was good to see his brother again.
After cutting into a watermelon on the table beside them, Liam passed Niall a piece. “How’s life?” He studied Niall as he chewed. It was a measured gaze, the kind Liam had worn as a kid whenever he’d scrutinized bugs under a magnifying glass.
Niall returned his brother’s assessing stare. “Same.” The fruit’s sweetness barely registered as he bit into it and braced himself for a lecture. Liam only showed that much concentration when he was about to dissect something—in this case, Niall’s life.
“Still holed up in your apartment?” Liam spit a few seeds into a napkin and dropped his rind into a garbage bag, his eyes never leaving Niall’s, his expression serious.
Niall shoved his hair off his damp forehead. “Leave it, bro.”
Liam stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Not a chance. As your older brother by three minutes, I want to hear that you’re getting out, working with people, maybe even dating the next time I visit. Got it?” Liam gave him a light punch and tried to grin, but it slipped off his face before it stuck.
Niall glanced away and shrugged. He wasn’t making promises he couldn’t keep. “I heard you. So how’s the new job? Saved any stranded campers yet? Tranquilized any bears?”
Liam’s low laugh rumbled. “Being a park ranger isn’t as exciting as that. Mostly I’m checking trails and filling out paperwork. You should come upstate. Visit.”
“Maybe,” Niall temporized. He missed his brother, but unlike his twin, he’d had enough of outdoor life.
“Shoot,” Liam exclaimed as he angled his head and peered over Niall’s shoulder. “Looks like Ma’s upset.” He started in her direction then stopped and turned back, his eyes direct. “We’ll catch up later before I head back, okay?”
Niall nodded then watched his brother stride away. In the doorway to the family’s upstairs apartment, his mother turned in circles and wrung her hands, her eyes wide. He held himself back, wanting