Aidan returned the older man’s smile, chuckling inwardly at Conlan’s affectionate familiarity and authority. It had been a long time since anyone had called him a “lad”, and even longer since someone attempted to treat him like one, but Aidan didn’t mind. It was kind of nice, actually. Conlan always treated Aidan like one of his own, and he was decidedly more grandfatherly than Aidan’s Fortune 500 grandsire.
Sliding into the booth across from him, Aidan looked at the ledger and the stacks of receipts, invoices, and payroll checks. “You do know they have computer programs that do all that for you, right?”
Conlan snorted. “Computers. Got no use for the blasted things.” Aidan laughed.
A pretty young waitress came over to take his order. When Aidan smiled at her, she blushed ten shades of pink before heading off to fill it.
Conlan chuckled. “Ye have a right gift there, lad, but she’s too young fer ye.”
Aidan laughed. “No worries there, Daideo.”
Conlan moved the stacks aside and closed his ledger. “So. What brings ye te Birch Falls?”
“Checking out the competition,” Aidan replied with a half-grin that had Conlan chuckling. The Celtic Goddess was a five-star restaurant, among the best of the best, but O’Leary’s was the gold standard of old-school diners.
“Ye’ll not get Keely’s recipe for cinnamon rolls, no matter how many of my waitresses ye smile at.” It was a running joke between them. Keely – now one of Conlan’s ten granddaughters-in-law – had once worked as a waitress at the diner. Her homemade recipe for the sweet, gooey treats had given O’Leary’s the distinction of having the finest on the east coast, or so he claimed.
“Maybe not today,” Aidan’s eyes glittered with amusement. “But I’m working on it.”
Right on cue, the cute little server brought him a roll and a cup of coffee. As Aidan took his first bite and rolled his eyes in bliss, a thought occurred to him. Conlan had lived in Birch Falls a long time, and probably knew everyone in town. Not to mention the Diner was a well-known gathering place for the locals.
“Actually, Daideo, I’m looking for someone. Maybe you can help me out.”
“Might this someone be a woman?”
“Might be.”
Conlan’s eyes glittered as he leaned back in his seat, bringing his own mug of coffee to his lips. Everyone knew the old man was a hopeless romantic who was only too glad to lend a nudge when necessary. “Go on, then.”
Aidan wiped some of the icing from his lips. “I don’t have a lot to go on. Her name is Mary. Brown hair, brown eyes. Has a yellow Lab named Max. Drives a Jeep. I realize it’s not much,” Aidan said, “but do you know anyone like that?”
“Now what would ye be wanting with our Mary?” The amusement had faded somewhat from Conlan’s eyes, and his expression was more serious than it had been only a few minutes earlier. If Aidan had to categorize it, he would call it protective.
“You do know her,” Aidan breathed, feeling a rush of relief.
“Aye. Answer my question, lad.”
“She, uh, did something very kind for me. I’d just like to do something nice for her in return.”
The older man said nothing, but continued to stare at Aidan until he felt the urge to squirm in his seat like a boy. Aidan exhaled, knowing Conlan would say nothing until he was honest with him.
“I was at Tommy’s on New Year’s Eve. I had too much to drink. Mary took my keys and drove me back to her house to sleep it off,” he admitted. “But nothing happened,” he quickly added when he saw Conlan’s features harden slightly.
“Why were ye at Tommy’s?”
Aidan shrugged. “I don’t know. I just... felt the need to get away from Pine Ridge for a little while.”
Conlan nodded in understanding, the lines in his face softening again. “Mary’s a good woman. Most folks around here say she’s an angel.”
An angel. Yeah, he could see that. “Why is that?”
“Ye are no’ the first she’s taken under her wing,” Conlan said vaguely. His eyes bored into Aidan’s. “She’s a good woman,” he repeated meaningfully.
Yeah, Aidan had figured that out for himself. “I promise you, Daideo, my motives are pure. I just want to thank her. Maybe buy her some flowers or something.”
That made Conlan chuckle, but Aidan had no idea why. “Ye sure about that, lad? A woman like Mary has a way of getting under a man’s skin afore he even realizes what’s happening.”
Didn’t he know it, Aidan thought. “No,” he breathed. “I’m not sure about anything, actually. But I do want to do something nice for her.”
Conlan studied him for a few more moments. “Alright. Ye are a good lad.”
Aidan let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, feeling like he’d just passed a critical test. “You’ll tell me how to get in touch with her?”
“I’ll do ye one better,” Conlan grinned and winked, looking at his watch, then turning his eyes to the front door. “Ah, there’s a good lass. Right on time.”
Aidan followed his gaze, turning over his shoulder to where a familiar face was coming through the door. “Hi, Amy!” Mary said cheerfully, walking up to the counter and placing a brightly-colored floral bouquet there.”
“Hey Mary,” the young girl answered back with a genuine smile. “The usual?”