Imagine With Me (With Me in Seattle #15) - Kristen Proby Page 0,8
on or off the island?”
“It’s the shortest route, but it’s not the only way.”
Her eyes whip to mine again. “You mean we could have driven?”
“It would have taken several hours,” I say, trying to reason with her. “This ride is only an hour, tops.”
She nods but doesn’t seem reassured.
“Are you afraid of the water?”
“Of course, not.” She firms her lips and raises her chin almost defiantly. “Like you said, I’m on a big boat. No need to be scared.”
She’s quiet for the rest of the journey, and much to my relief, we don’t see any more whales. When we’re given the signal, we return to my SUV, and I drive us off the boat and back onto dry land.
Lexi visibly sighs in relief next to me.
“What did you think?”
“It wasn’t bad.”
“You hated it.”
She smiles but shrugs a shoulder. “It wasn’t bad,” she repeats.
I drive to the other side of the small island and turn into my driveway. “I bought this place last year when my sister, Maeve, told me it was for sale. She’s a realtor here on the island. The previous owner passed away, and with no family, it went back to the bank. I got it for a spectacular deal. I had parts of it updated, but it’s the view that stole my heart.”
I park the car and jump out, excited to show Lexi the inside of my home.
“I’ll come back for your things,” I say as she steps out of the vehicle. “Let’s go inside. I’ll give you a tour.”
“Thank you.”
The house isn’t enormous. At just over two thousand square feet, it’s modest but has plenty of space for me.
“The kitchen is brand new,” I inform her. “I love to cook, so I needed an updated space.”
“I like that it flows into the living space, and we can see the ocean from here.”
“It didn’t used to be this way,” I reply. “There used to be a wall here, but I tore it out. My room is over there, to the right. The guest rooms are upstairs. Come on, I’ll show you.”
She follows me up, and I can already see a difference in how she’s holding herself. She looks almost relaxed.
“Oh, this is lovely,” she says as she sits on the side of the queen bed in the guest room. “I love all of the colors. And this vase is divine.”
She points to a teal and yellow glass piece beside the bed.
“My brother made it.”
“He made it?”
“Yes. Kane O’Callaghan.”
She blinks at me and then looks at the vase. “Your brother is the famous glass sculptor?”
“One and the same. Your bathroom is through here. All of the linens are new and washed. No one’s used them yet.”
When I turn around, Lexi is standing at the big picture window, staring out at the ocean.
“This is a good place, Shawn.”
“It is, yes.”
“Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Thanks for coming along,” I reply. “Feel free to settle in. I’ll bring your bags up. And I’ll have dinner ready by six. Then, we’re going to the pub.”
“We’re going to a pub? Tonight?”
“That’s right. It’s Friday, and Keegan can probably use my help. If you’d rather not go, you’re welcome to stay here, but you’ll have much more fun at the pub.” I wink at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk you into it.”
Chapter 3
~Lexi~
I’ve seen places like this in movies, but I always assumed they were just the product of a writer’s overactive imagination. Or they existed in Europe somewhere. Maybe a small village in Ireland or Scotland. It never occurred to me that loud, lively pubs like O’Callaghan’s Pub existed in real life.
But here I am, sitting on a barstool at the end of a long, mahogany bar, watching in fascination as a man who looks very much like Shawn pulls beers from the taps and laughs at something an older customer says.
I couldn’t tell you for sure what that might have been, given how thick the Irish accent is on the older man. But it seems it was quite funny.
“So, you’re the lass working on the movie with Shawn,” Keegan says. I was introduced to several of Shawn’s siblings as soon as we arrived. Keegan owns the bar and works it, as well. I see Maggie swinging through the crowd with a loaded tray of drinks and food, and Shawn is in the kitchen, helping to serve up dinner orders.
Which leaves me out here alone with Keegan.
“That’s right,” I reply. I have to speak loudly to be heard over the loud, live