Giving herself a mental shake, Faith forced herself away from those thoughts. She couldn’t afford to think things like that just because a man was nice to her. Yet she still found herself asking, “And how’s that going for him?”
Lacie laughed. “Honestly? I think he’s seriously considering joining the priesthood.” Faith looked over at her and caught her twinkling eyes. “Not really,” Lacie admitted, “but I wouldn’t blame him. He’s got women throwing themselves at him all the time.”
“And he doesn’t like that?” Faith gave her a sideways glance. That didn’t sound like any man she had ever known.
Lacie thought a few moments before answering. “No,” she said finally. “I don’t think he does. Callaghan men aren’t like other men,” she added carefully.
“How so?”
Lacie gave her a devilish grin. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Faith wasn’t quite sure what to make of that, so she remained silent.
With Lacie’s help, Faith managed to procure nearly everything on her “first-run” list, as she called it. Food, paper products, additional cleaning supplies. Faith carefully considered each purchase before it went into her cart. She had to count every penny.
Thankfully, Lacie seemed to understand. Faith didn’t know much about the local school system, but as a young, elementary school teacher who most likely hadn’t been vested yet, Lacie was probably on a fixed budget herself and could relate. She seemed to know where to find the best deals, and willingly shared her knowledge with Faith.
Chapter Five
When Faith and Lacie returned a few hours later, the men were just cleaning up, which involved dousing themselves with water from an outdoor spigot.
Faith had to concentrate on her steps when she saw a shirtless, wet Kieran laughing with his brother and her son. The sight made her stumble at least once. Dear Lord, she thought, catching her balance, if she looked closely enough she was pretty sure she could see an eight-pack in those abs.
It did not improve her concentration any when they slipped on clean white T-shirts and helped the women carry things into the kitchen. The thin white cotton clung to Kieran’s skin, still damp from the hose, and tiny prismatic droplets of water dangled teasingly from the ends of his blue-black hair.
“Will you stay for dinner?” Faith asked, once she swallowed past the huge lump in her throat and found her voice again. She figured it was the least she could do. They had spent nearly an entire Saturday making her and Matt’s new house livable.
“Thanks,” said Shane with a friendly smile, “but Lacie and I have dinner plans.”
Kieran didn’t say anything right away. “What about it, Kieran?” asked Matt hopefully. “My mom’s an awesome cook.” Faith was surprised. Not because Matt was praising her culinary skills, but because he rarely warmed up to anyone as quickly as he had to Kieran.
Kieran’s eyes met Faith’s, and her heart stuttered. They were at once tremendously powerful and completely unreadable.
“I think your mom’s done enough for one day. How about I take you guys out for pizza instead?” Matt turned hopefully to Faith. Pizza was one of his favorites, but eating out was something they usually reserved for special occasions.
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Faith said hesitantly, “but you’ve done so much already.”
“It’s no problem. You’d be helping me out, actually.”
Faith didn’t see how taking them out for pizza could be helpful in any way, but Matt took Kieran at his word without question. “Come on, Mom. Please?”
The word “no” hovered on her lips. Going out in public looking and feeling the way she did – tired and in need of a good shower – was the last thing Faith wanted to do at that moment. Shopping at the farmer’s market was one thing, but a restaurant?
There was also the issue of money – or, more accurately, her shameful lack of it. The trip north and today’s purchases had all but obliterated their petty cash.
As if reading her mind, Kieran turned those amazing blue eyes back to her and said, “I need to head back to my place and get cleaned up first, but then I’ll come back to pick you up. It’ll be my treat.”
When Faith worried her bottom lip with her teeth, he turned to Matt, and added slyly, “Did I mention I have a Porsche?”
Matt’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He regarded Faith with a look of such longing she felt the pull on her heartstrings. “A Porsche, Mom.”
Faith felt herself weakening. She really should say no, but it was next to impossible when Matt looked at her like that. It wasn’t like he was asking for anything extravagant, either, just some pizza. He had been working hard all day, and this was kind of a special occasion.