Faith watched as the men made their way to their wives. All except Kieran. He walked over to one of the many water coolers, grabbed a wet rag and attempted to clean himself off. Faith wasn’t sure if she should offer to help him or not, but the sight of him trying to reach a spot in the middle of his back made up her mind.
“Come here,” she commanded, taking pity on him. Faith swung her leg up and over, balancing on the railing of the pavilion so she could reach between his shoulder blades. Kieran grinned and handed her the wet cloth.
“Thanks,” he said, gratefully.
Faith suddenly became aware of the interested looks of his family. She blushed dark red and handed the cloth hurriedly back to Kieran before leaping from the railing. “You’re welcome.”
She shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jean shorts, cursing the fact that they still tingled from where she had run her hands across his back. Talk about awkward.
Matt chose that moment to approach her. “Mom! Ian says I can help with the fireworks, but only if you say yes. Can I?”
Fireworks? “Oh, Matt, I don’t know about that,” she hedged, biting her lip. She didn’t want to embarrass her son in front of everyone. “What do you know about fireworks?”
“We won’t let him do anything too dangerous,” Ian said, joining them. He had a mischievous glint to his eyes and Faith instinctively knew he was the smooth-talking trouble-maker. Every family had one.
Faith raised a doubtful eyebrow, giving him her full-fledged mother glare that let Ian know that she knew he was full of shit. His response was to grin even wider. Maybe it didn’t work as well on grown men who towered a foot or so over her and had families of their own. Go figure.
“I won’t let anything happen to him, Faith,” Kieran promised quietly. “You have my word.”
Against her better judgment (she seemed sorely lacking in the willpower department today), Faith nodded.
“Don’t worry, Faith,” Ian said, sharing a fist bump with Matt. “We’ll bring him back with all of his parts.”
“And if we don’t,” the one called Sean added over his shoulder, “Mick can reattach them.”
Faith paled, despite the fact that she knew they were teasing. “He really will be alright, you know,” assured Lacie. Nicki laughed, and Faith was almost hypnotized by her super light silvery eyes. “You know men. Explosive incendiaries are like a rite of passage. A male bonding ritual, if you will.”
Unable to watch, Faith excused herself to visit one of the fairground’s restrooms. The port-o-potties would have been closer, but she welcomed the chance to walk for a bit and stretch her legs. It felt good to be swallowed up by the crowd, just another anonymous face. The intense scrutiny at the pavilion was starting to wear her down.
It was clear to see that they were very protective of Kieran, and she couldn’t blame them. Lacie had already warned her how desirable Kieran was, and Faith had seen enough with her own eyes to substantiate that claim. What none of them seemed to understand, however, was that she was not trying to “catch” Kieran. She was simply his friend, and wanted nothing more from him.
Liar, her conscience scolded as she slowly made her way back to the pavilion, keeping to the shadows as a force of habit. She did want more. Just as she wanted a lot of things she knew she could never have. It didn’t make a difference, though. She’d made her bed a long time ago, and now she had to lie in it, as her father had so often said.
A pang of disappointment went through her, but she stifled it immediately. She had no cause for self-pity. She was blessed with a wonderful son, a steady job with good benefits, and a roof over their heads. They were healthy and happy, adjusting to their new life and making new friends. She should be grateful for all of the gifts she had been given, instead of longing for those she hadn’t.
Chapter Nine
“Kieran said she works for the Goddess,” Taryn said to Lexi, looking out toward the walkway where Faith had disappeared into the crowd. “Do you know her?”
“No,” Lexi said, sipping her tea as her baby daughter Kate snuggled in her lap. “But then I wouldn’t unless she was part of the kitchen staff. Aidan?”
Lexi’s longtime friend and business partner, Aidan Harrison was the owner and CEO of the Celtic Goddess chain. “I hadn’t met her personally before tonight, no,” he answered carefully.
Lexi looked at him, her surprise evident. Aidan made it his personal business to meet with everyone who worked for him. “Why not?”
He shrugged. “Marco’s been handling it. She’s a transfer from our Georgia location.”
“Marco?” Lexi mused, trying to put a face with the familiar name. “Head of Environmental?”
Aidan nodded. Lexi frowned. Something didn’t sound right. “Kieran thought she was hired as an interior design consultant or something like that.”
“No.”
“Then what does she do, exactly?” Nicki asked.
“Environmental handles upkeep and maintenance.”
“You mean she’s a maid?” Taryn blurted out. Aidan, looking slightly uneasy, nodded.