Page 46 of Harbor Lights (Inishderry Island Romances #3)

THIRTY-ONE

“So, this will be your consulting room.” Con stepped aside in the doorway of the spare consulting room to allow her newly appointed practice nurse to step inside.

“Nice.” Daisy Walsh approached the modern new desk and dropped into the chair. She spun it toward the window. “And an amazing view. I didn’t have this in Dublin.”

“It’s views everywhere you look here. As you must be aware.” Con was still a little nervous about sharing her practice with a virtual stranger, but Daisy was a Walsh and at least knew the area well, from a lifetime of summer vacations.

She’d provided excellent references and with her advanced nursing qualifications, she’d be working at a level that meant she could do initial consults and really take a significant load off Con.

Daisy swung around in the chair. “Yeah, I didn’t value it when I was a kid, but a lifetime working in Dublin has made me more appreciative.”

She’d dressed smartly enough for the interview, but Con had been a little taken aback by her appearance today. Baggy sweatpants hung off her hips and her short, auburn ponytail was crammed through the back of a cap with a label stuck to the peak.

Daisy touched the hat and smiled ruefully. “Sorry, it’s Paudie’s. Didn’t have time to wash my hair this morning.”

Con hoped she’d be more organized when she started work. “What about your boys? It’ll be a big change for them.”

“Ah, they’ll get used to it. Conor’s very into his music, and there’s plenty going on here, so he’ll cope. Paudie’s the most easy-going kid you’ve ever met, and he loves surfing, so he’s all over the move.”

“And what about… Declan, is it?” Con had a working knowledge of the entire Walsh clan, so she was familiar with this particular branch of the family. She’d been trying not to pay too much attention to the rumors about Daisy’s middle child.

“Ah, yeah. That one’s not so keen.” Daisy scratched at her hair under the cap. “But it’ll be the making of him. And probably keep him out of prison, if I’m honest.”

Con didn’t want that level of honesty. Or drama.

She wondered again if she was making the right decision, but as she showed Daisy around the surgery and they discussed the systems she used, Daisy was already making suggestions for innovation.

This was exactly what she had needed; new blood in the practice and someone to share the load.

Still, she sent off a quick text to Shiv as she made tea.

I hope my new recruit is more together than she appears!

Shiv’s reply came back in moments.

She’s a Walsh. We’re all amazing x

Con pictured Shiv up a stepladder, dropping her screwdriver into her toolbelt while she took the time to reply, and smiled.

She’s a nepo baby and you’re all as bad as each other. Text me when you’re on your way x

She finished the tour with Daisy and wished her luck in her move back from Dublin. She’d be starting in a couple of weeks and Con felt mainly good about it.

She got stuck back into paperwork after Daisy left, and lost track of everything until the loud thunk of a water bottle jolted her back to the present.

“Honey, I’m home!” Shiv looked irresistible in her work clothes, and Con wanted to strip them off her, and take her against the door.

“I’m starving. What’s for dinner?” Shiv grinned at her own cheek.

“So far, nothing, because you were supposed to text me.” She wasn’t actually annoyed. They hadn’t gotten into a regular routine yet, and she was happy to let things develop naturally. She was glad Shiv appreciated her cooking, though, and thrilled to find she enjoyed being a cook.

“Well, surprise!” Shiv lifted an insulated box onto her desk—the type Joey used to keep shellfish cool. “See what I brought you.” She was grinning from ear to ear.

Con stood and opened the box, to be hit by a cloud of aromatic odors. “Ooh, not my favorite Thai takeout?”

Shiv nodded. “I was finishing that job in town, so I thought you’d appreciate it.”

Con’s mouth watered at the thought of the feast ahead. She grabbed the box and marched to the kitchen. “I’ll get plates. You find cutlery.”

As they ate, she paused for a moment to reflect on her day.

Shiv dangled a steamed dumpling before her eyes. “Are you still worrying about your new signing?”

“Of course not.” Con snagged the dumpling and pushed it into her mouth.

“It’s understandable. You’ve been flying solo since your dad retired, so it’ll take some adapting. But it’s what you want, isn’t it?”

Shiv’s gently caring tone dispersed Con’s worries.

She swallowed the delicious morsel and straightened her shoulders.

“You’re right. I want this practice to be the best it can be for my patients.

Daisy brings a lot of skills and experience.

” She took a sip of water to wash down the food.

“But even more importantly, it’ll cut down on my workload and those pesky out of hours calls. And that means more time with you.”

She placed her hand on Shiv’s. She’d given her some space over the last week while her mom had been visiting, but Con had missed her like hell.

“Sounds perfect to me.” Shiv’s smile was full of love and Con wondered once again at the way their lives had transformed over the last few months.

When the empty boxes were all that remained of their feast, Con sat back, wiped her mouth on a serviette, and resisted the urge to burp her satisfaction.

“You need to work in the city more often.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Shiv started to clear away the debris.

Con stilled her hand. “I’ll get that.”

“No, you get a shower and relax. I’ll follow when I’m done, and then maybe we could sit out in the yard? It’s a mild evening and the planting is starting to bloom.”

Con wanted to suggest they showered and went straight to bed. She was behaving like a teenager these days. “Grand. Perhaps you’ll join me in a whiskey?”

Shiv nodded solemnly, though her eyes laughed. “Perhaps I will.”

An hour later, Con poured a finger’s depth of her best whiskey into two glasses.

She carried them carefully out into the garden and up the renovated stone steps onto the patchy lawn finally thickening up in the places it had been carefully raked clear of moss.

The legs of the stone bench had been beyond repair, but Shiv had replaced them with two roughhewn lumps of granite, and the bench now sat proudly on the raised garden.

Shiv had already settled on the bench, legs crossed on the wide surface. She’d spread numerous throws and rugs onto the seat and backrest to make it more comfortable. As Con approached, she turned, revealing an easy smile.

“This better be worth all the hype. The evening’s not as mild as I thought, so I need warming up.”

“As a physician, it’s my duty to tell you that alcohol actually lowers your body temperature. It just makes you feel warm.” She sat alongside Shiv and rested her arm along the back of the bench. “But I like the burn as it goes down.”

Shiv took her glass and stared into the liquid the color of her eyes, swilling it around.

“You don’t have to try it. I can get you a 7-Up.” She admired Shiv’s lack of interest in alcohol, and she didn’t want to be the person to change that.

“Nah, I want to try this thing you enjoy so much. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna get hooked.” Shiv clinked her glass against Con’s. “Cheers.”

“Sláinte.” While Con took a taste, Shiv lifted the glass to her lips and took a healthy slug. She moved it around her mouth and slowly swallowed.

“It tastes like smoke.”

“Yup, it’s a peated whiskey. It’s what I like.”

“It’s interesting.” Shiv took another taste. “I don’t hate it, but I wouldn’t reach for the bottle out of choice.”

“Perhaps just on special occasions, out here, watching the sunset?”

Shiv shuffled up the bench until she rested in the crook of Con’s arm, leaning into her chest. “It’s a special occasion just being here with you.”

Con smiled and released all her stress. She could get used to this at the end of the day.

When Shiv’s breathing lengthened, Con wondered if she’d dozed off.

“I’d like to move in. If you still want me.”

Shiv’s voice was barely a whisper, but Con smiled at the words. Clearly, Shiv had just needed time to think it through.

She rested her glass in the bench, took Shiv’s shoulders and turned her. Looking into her beautiful amber eyes, she said, “Yes, I want you. I’ll want you until the day I die. I don’t wish to ever wake up without you in my bed.”

Shiv’s smile showed she now believed what Con was telling her. Honestly, Con finally believed it, too. She didn’t know what life might throw at them, but she would face it with her head held high, and love Shiv fearlessly with every inch of her being.

Con kissed her soft lips for a moment. Then she pulled Shiv back to her resting spot and together, they watched as the burning golden orb of the sun sank slowly behind Inishderry.

The End.