chickens into his uncle’s living room.” He told me more jokes, and I laughed so hard, I had to cross my legs.
“And your siblings?” I wiped the laughter tears from eyes.
“My oldest sister designs saddles and western wear and sells it in her store in town. The next kid, my brother, has a tea company in Portland and it’s going gangbusters. My younger sister is a full-time mom, lives in town, has five kids, and her husband sells plumbing equipment, and my other brother is a cameraman for major motion pictures. They live in Los Angeles.”
“All doing something different. Same house, same parents, completely different occupations.”
“And all married, except me, the rebel son, and they all have children. My parents have fifteen grandkids.”
“I bet they’re happy with that.”
He winked at me. “Always room for more O’Briens.”
“Ah, well, good luck to you and your siblings and your fertility. I’ll do a dance to the fertility goddess for you.”
“It would be exciting to see that. But if you’re on the beach doing your fertility dance, make sure you watch the waves. Scratch that. I’ll be with you, and I’ll watch the waves. You dance.”
I thought of dancing in front of him and blushed. Honestly. Blushing? Wasn’t I a little too old for that? A little too mean for that?
“By the way, I’ll pay your emergency room bill,” Reece said. “I know you didn’t think you needed to go, but I feel better that you did and since I insisted, it’s on me.”
I dropped my spoon into my clam chowder and it splattered out of the bowl. “You’ll do no such thing. I have money. I can pay it and I will pay it.”
“Please. Allow me.”
I could feel myself getting frazzled and angry. It had started that way with him , too. Being chivalrous. Manly. Take charge. He’d fling it back in my face later, asking for compliments and thank yous. It was all a ploy to pretend he was someone he wasn’t.
“No. I’ll pay whatever my insurance doesn’t pay myself.”
“I’d like to pay it.” His expression was determined, but gentle.
“Why? That’s ridiculous.”
“Because you went through a hard time. It’s traumatic. You’re going to have nightmares for weeks, maybe longer, and I want to do something for you that brings one good thing to this situation, and if that good thing means I pay your bill, then—”
No. “No. I’m not going to owe you anything.” My voice was tense and a bit screechy. “I’m not going to let you have that over me. I can pay for myself. I don’t need a man taking care of me. Do I give the impression that I need a man to pay my bills? Do I come off as weak? Poor? Helpless?”
“Whoa.” He held up a hand, his voice surprised. “Whoa. That’s not what I meant. I want to do something nice for you, that’s it. There’s no other ulterior motive here at all.”
I gritted my teeth, then took a breath, knowing I was bringing in way too much of my past baggage. “Maybe I needed help when a sneaker wave tried to eat me, but I don’t need help otherwise and I certainly wouldn’t put my trust in a man to help me.”
“You wouldn’t put your trust in a man to help you?” He leaned forward. He was genuinely saddened, I could see it in the lines of his face. “Why not?”
“Why not? Because I don’t trust men.” I could hear Leoni’s and Estelle’s voices echoing in my head, Be nice!
“All men? There’s no man you trust?”
“I trust my father and my brother.”
“What happened to you to make you not trust men?”
“I don’t want to talk about it because it might make me throw something at the captain’s wheel or the buoys hanging from the ceiling.” I could feel my anger bubbling away.
“I’m sorry you don’t trust men. I’m sorry for whatever happened that made you not trust men.”
I tried not to get drawn into the sincerity I saw on his face, the strength in that squared-off jaw.
“It’s not something you need to chew on for long. One
“And your siblings?” I wiped the laughter tears from eyes.
“My oldest sister designs saddles and western wear and sells it in her store in town. The next kid, my brother, has a tea company in Portland and it’s going gangbusters. My younger sister is a full-time mom, lives in town, has five kids, and her husband sells plumbing equipment, and my other brother is a cameraman for major motion pictures. They live in Los Angeles.”
“All doing something different. Same house, same parents, completely different occupations.”
“And all married, except me, the rebel son, and they all have children. My parents have fifteen grandkids.”
“I bet they’re happy with that.”
He winked at me. “Always room for more O’Briens.”
“Ah, well, good luck to you and your siblings and your fertility. I’ll do a dance to the fertility goddess for you.”
“It would be exciting to see that. But if you’re on the beach doing your fertility dance, make sure you watch the waves. Scratch that. I’ll be with you, and I’ll watch the waves. You dance.”
I thought of dancing in front of him and blushed. Honestly. Blushing? Wasn’t I a little too old for that? A little too mean for that?
“By the way, I’ll pay your emergency room bill,” Reece said. “I know you didn’t think you needed to go, but I feel better that you did and since I insisted, it’s on me.”
I dropped my spoon into my clam chowder and it splattered out of the bowl. “You’ll do no such thing. I have money. I can pay it and I will pay it.”
“Please. Allow me.”
I could feel myself getting frazzled and angry. It had started that way with him , too. Being chivalrous. Manly. Take charge. He’d fling it back in my face later, asking for compliments and thank yous. It was all a ploy to pretend he was someone he wasn’t.
“No. I’ll pay whatever my insurance doesn’t pay myself.”
“I’d like to pay it.” His expression was determined, but gentle.
“Why? That’s ridiculous.”
“Because you went through a hard time. It’s traumatic. You’re going to have nightmares for weeks, maybe longer, and I want to do something for you that brings one good thing to this situation, and if that good thing means I pay your bill, then—”
No. “No. I’m not going to owe you anything.” My voice was tense and a bit screechy. “I’m not going to let you have that over me. I can pay for myself. I don’t need a man taking care of me. Do I give the impression that I need a man to pay my bills? Do I come off as weak? Poor? Helpless?”
“Whoa.” He held up a hand, his voice surprised. “Whoa. That’s not what I meant. I want to do something nice for you, that’s it. There’s no other ulterior motive here at all.”
I gritted my teeth, then took a breath, knowing I was bringing in way too much of my past baggage. “Maybe I needed help when a sneaker wave tried to eat me, but I don’t need help otherwise and I certainly wouldn’t put my trust in a man to help me.”
“You wouldn’t put your trust in a man to help you?” He leaned forward. He was genuinely saddened, I could see it in the lines of his face. “Why not?”
“Why not? Because I don’t trust men.” I could hear Leoni’s and Estelle’s voices echoing in my head, Be nice!
“All men? There’s no man you trust?”
“I trust my father and my brother.”
“What happened to you to make you not trust men?”
“I don’t want to talk about it because it might make me throw something at the captain’s wheel or the buoys hanging from the ceiling.” I could feel my anger bubbling away.
“I’m sorry you don’t trust men. I’m sorry for whatever happened that made you not trust men.”
I tried not to get drawn into the sincerity I saw on his face, the strength in that squared-off jaw.
“It’s not something you need to chew on for long. One
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