kissing you,” he said. Ronan’s fingers tangled in her hair and he gently pulled her closer. He was ready to take her to bed, to find out how good they could be together. But he wasn’t sure they ought to move so fast. He had six weeks with her. Taking such a big step on their first night together didn’t seem like a sensible course of action. Still, if she offered, he wasn’t going to refuse.
“I enjoyed meeting your family,” he said, taking her hand. “They’re so different from mine.”
She watched him toy with her fingers as she spoke. “They’re different from everyone’s family. My mother has always let us go our own way. She wanted us to express our individuality. I think that’s really good in theory, but it doesn’t always work out in practice. We were known around town as a houseful of hooligans.” She shook her head. “That’s why I ran away to New York.”
“At dinner, your mother mentioned that you lived there.”
“I left Sibleyville the day I graduated from high school. With my boyfriend, Danny. We were going to take Broadway by storm. We did all the shows in high school and did a few years of summer stock up in Bar Harbor. Lots of people said we’d be big stars.”
“It didn’t work out?”
“Not at first. But after three years, things started to click for me. I got a few decent acting jobs. I found an agent. Got my SAG card. But then I had this long dry spell and I decided, if I was going to be miserable, I’d rather be miserable at home, with my family around me.”
“Did you like being an actress?”
“I did. I really liked it when I actually got work. But I spent six years going nowhere. And Danny and I weren’t getting along, so when I moved out, I came back home for a while. I was just going to stay for a month or two, but then I never went back. When my dad got hurt, I started to run the farm for him.” She glanced up at him. “So, that was my big dream. Over by the time I turned twenty-four.”
“I’m just impressed that you can sing and dance as well as shuck oysters and drive a boat.”
“Yes. And I’m an excellent tap dancer. I actually got a callback for the revival of Anything Goes. But I didn’t get the part.”
“But you followed your dream, right?”
“Yeah, but where did it leave me? I didn’t go to college. What I should have been doing was getting a business degree.”
“Were you in love with him?”
“Danny?” She shook her head. “We were so young. Everyone thought we’d be the ones to break the curse. The first couple from Sibleyville to fall in love and get married. But I’m not sure we ever were in love. We thought we were. We pretended to be in love, but we were just kids with big dreams.”
“I’m glad you came back. If you hadn’t, I’d still be looking for a job right now. And I’d be sleeping on a park bench.”
“Oh, I’m sure some pretty girl would have picked you up and taken you home with her.”
A long silence grew between them as that idea hung in the air. Ronan waited, wondering if she’d change her mind and spend the night. He could see the indecision in her expression and decided to help her along. “What time does work start in the morning?”
“Sunrise,” she said. Charlie glanced at her watch. “It’s almost nine-thirty. I should probably let you get to bed.”
She started to rise, but Ronan grabbed her hand and pulled her back down. He gave her one last kiss, his palm smoothing over her cheek as his lips captured hers. “I’d ask you to stay, but I’m not going to do that.”
“You shouldn’t,” she said, breathless, watching him with wide eyes. “I—I think that would probably be best. I might just agree to stay.”
He ran his thumb along her lower lip. “We wouldn’t want to move too fast,” he said.
“No. Fast is bad,” she said. She slowly got to her feet, her fingers still tangled with his. “I’m going to go now. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“In the morning,”
“I enjoyed meeting your family,” he said, taking her hand. “They’re so different from mine.”
She watched him toy with her fingers as she spoke. “They’re different from everyone’s family. My mother has always let us go our own way. She wanted us to express our individuality. I think that’s really good in theory, but it doesn’t always work out in practice. We were known around town as a houseful of hooligans.” She shook her head. “That’s why I ran away to New York.”
“At dinner, your mother mentioned that you lived there.”
“I left Sibleyville the day I graduated from high school. With my boyfriend, Danny. We were going to take Broadway by storm. We did all the shows in high school and did a few years of summer stock up in Bar Harbor. Lots of people said we’d be big stars.”
“It didn’t work out?”
“Not at first. But after three years, things started to click for me. I got a few decent acting jobs. I found an agent. Got my SAG card. But then I had this long dry spell and I decided, if I was going to be miserable, I’d rather be miserable at home, with my family around me.”
“Did you like being an actress?”
“I did. I really liked it when I actually got work. But I spent six years going nowhere. And Danny and I weren’t getting along, so when I moved out, I came back home for a while. I was just going to stay for a month or two, but then I never went back. When my dad got hurt, I started to run the farm for him.” She glanced up at him. “So, that was my big dream. Over by the time I turned twenty-four.”
“I’m just impressed that you can sing and dance as well as shuck oysters and drive a boat.”
“Yes. And I’m an excellent tap dancer. I actually got a callback for the revival of Anything Goes. But I didn’t get the part.”
“But you followed your dream, right?”
“Yeah, but where did it leave me? I didn’t go to college. What I should have been doing was getting a business degree.”
“Were you in love with him?”
“Danny?” She shook her head. “We were so young. Everyone thought we’d be the ones to break the curse. The first couple from Sibleyville to fall in love and get married. But I’m not sure we ever were in love. We thought we were. We pretended to be in love, but we were just kids with big dreams.”
“I’m glad you came back. If you hadn’t, I’d still be looking for a job right now. And I’d be sleeping on a park bench.”
“Oh, I’m sure some pretty girl would have picked you up and taken you home with her.”
A long silence grew between them as that idea hung in the air. Ronan waited, wondering if she’d change her mind and spend the night. He could see the indecision in her expression and decided to help her along. “What time does work start in the morning?”
“Sunrise,” she said. Charlie glanced at her watch. “It’s almost nine-thirty. I should probably let you get to bed.”
She started to rise, but Ronan grabbed her hand and pulled her back down. He gave her one last kiss, his palm smoothing over her cheek as his lips captured hers. “I’d ask you to stay, but I’m not going to do that.”
“You shouldn’t,” she said, breathless, watching him with wide eyes. “I—I think that would probably be best. I might just agree to stay.”
He ran his thumb along her lower lip. “We wouldn’t want to move too fast,” he said.
“No. Fast is bad,” she said. She slowly got to her feet, her fingers still tangled with his. “I’m going to go now. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“In the morning,”
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