Page 76 of Hold a Candle

Chapter 18

By 2:30 p.m. on Mondayafternoon, the hearing was over. No charges were brought against Luca and he was feeling exhilarated as he stepped out of the door of the courthouse and paused with Pauley, Jamie and Darro. He lifted his face to the sun, fully relieved that he was standing where he was instead of sitting in jail. He shivered at his close calls with both death and prison. Belton was the one waiting on a court date now for his hearing. He was actually charged with selling drugs though, but his mother had bailed him out, even when she couldn’t afford it. They didn’t expect he would serve any time, though.

Brushing thoughts of Belton aside, he turned to Darro. Darro MacCandish had been at the hearing and had stated his intention of keeping Luca on as a hand at Neamh until he started college. That had worked in his favor with the judge, and Luca was grateful. Besides, he liked Neamh and already had plans formulating in his mind. For the first time in a long time, he was actually excited to be planning for the future.

“Thank ye for keeping me on at Neamh, sir,” he said, turning to Darro and sticking out his hand to shake.

“It’s my pleasure,” Darro responded to the handshake and then clapped Luca on the shoulder. “Dal said ye did a fine job helping with the birthing of the kittens. He thinks ye might be a natural.”

Luca flushed with pleasure at the praise, but glanced furtively around. Disappointment had flooded him when he realized his dad wasn’t going to get to the hearing before it was over, but he still hoped he might come. He’d sent Luca a text that he would, but the opportunity to see him was fading fast.

Jamie stepped forward. “There is a bedroom at my place whenever ye need it,” he said with a nod.

Luca eyed him. He still wasn’t sure how to feel about the new man in his mother’s life. He knew she dated occasionally, but the few he had met never came more than once to the house to pick her up for a date. Jamie MacNamara was different. They’d been practically glued at the hip since last week. Elliott liked him, though. Even his sister, Natalie, had grudgingly changed her tune about the man. He’d never seen his mum so comfortable with someone besides his dad. And she was living at his house. Were they getting serious?

He nodded back at Jamie. “Uh...thank ye, sir, but I’ll be staying at Neamh.”

“Ye won’t be there all the time,” Pauley said with a smile. “On the week-ends ye can come into town can’t ye? I’ll be staying with Jamie until our house is repaired, which may take a while. Apparently, there was some structural damage that may take longer to fix.”

Luca took his mother’s hand when she reached up to cup his cheek. “Of course, I’ll come and see ye, Mum,” he replied warmly.

The sudden screech of tires caught their attention as a white car turned sharply and rammed into a parking space nearby. When Peter MacBride jumped out and hurried towards them, Luca was relieved to see his father looking neat and clean, his hair combed, and...sober.

“It’s Dad,” he exclaimed.

“Glad to see he finally made it,” Pauley drawled.

“How did it go?” Peter asked as soon as he reached them. He stared anxiously at Luca. “Did they charge ye, son?”

Luca shook his head. “Nay, Dad. I’m free to go. It was ruled self-defense.”

Peter slumped in relief. “Thank the lord for his mercies,” he exclaimed. “Where are ye going to stay now with the house in such a mess? Do ye want to come home with me?” He eyed Darro with a respectful nod and threw Jamie a stony glance. He ignored Pauley.

Luca shook his head. “Nay. I’ll be going back to Neamh with Mr. MacCandish. I have a job there until I start college. I just have to decide where I want to go.”

“That’s one thing I wanted to talk to ye and yer mother about,” he said, throwing Pauley a side eye. “I want ye to know that ye can go wherever ye choose. Even if it’s in the states. My retirement was very healthy, and I have the money for yer education. I want to pay fer it.”

Luca was shocked. “Are ye sure ye can afford that, Dad?”

“I’ll help of course,” Pauley added, a surprised look on her face.

“I can afford it,” Peter replied. Then he turned to Pauley. “When the house is repaired, I’d like to buy ye out of yer half.”

“What makes ye think I want to sell?” she asked curiously.

Peter glanced at Jamie again, a flush creeping up his neck. “I’m getting married soon and I want to buy a house,” he blustered. “Can ye afford to buy me out of my half if ye don’t want to sell? I want to get this settled, I’m tired of living in an apartment.”

“Married?” Pauley asked in disbelief, her eyes narrowing. “To Ella?”

Luca echoed his mother’s sentiment but didn’t say anything. How could his father suddenly be engaged? Then the lightbulb went on. If his dad had received his retirement, had he suddenly become more interesting to Ella? He’d been seeing the woman for the last year.

Peter’s voice suddenly dropped to a rueful tone as he shuffled from one foot to the other. “Aye, Ella. She’s finally ready to take a chance on me.”

Pauley’s eyebrow shot up in a skeptical arch. “Well...congratulations then. Ella’s a nice woman. I’ll let ye know about the house, one way or the other.”

“Thanks,” he replied, shooting Jamie another withering glance before shifting his gaze back to Luca. “Son, would ye like to get some dinner with me and Ella before ye return to Neamh? That is, if Mr. MacCandish can spare ye for a few hours? I’ll run ye back up there when we’re finished.”

“I can spare him” Darro replied, “if it’s agreeable to Luca.”

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