Page 47 of On The Rocks

He pointed down the far end of the road. “Down there, you’ve got Monument Street. It leads to the park, and you’ll find most of the civic and government offices down there, too, like the town hall and the mayor’s office. Kennedy has her law firm there, too, along with a psychologist, who has a practice attached to the town’s family doctor and a clinic where they do all the midwifery and baby stuff.” He pointed across the street. “That’s the salon the guys were talking about. Tristan owns it now. It’s where all the ladies go to gossip along with this place.” He grabbed the handle of the building we’d arrived at. “This is the coffee shop, Martha’s.” He pulled, and I heard a bell tinkle just as a wave of warmth hit me along with the sweet smell of sugar and good coffee, and Callum ushered me inside.

Studying the room, I almost clapped with joy.

It was beautiful. The quintessential bakery and tearoom had been updated in creams and taupes, with a mosaic-tiled floor that picked out the accent colors. One long couch ran acrossthe window, surrounded by wooden, spindly tables and chairs where you could sit and people-watch. To the side of the counter was a glass wall where a man transferred some delicious-looking cookies onto a glass platter with a woman beside him.

“Sweet baby Jesus, my ass is about to be the size of a house,” I declared, smiling at a group of pre-teens who sat across the room. It was busy but not packed, and there were plenty of seats available, which was just as well, seeing as I never wanted to leave.

“The bigger your ass, the better, as far as I’m concerned,” he muttered.

My eyes snapped toward him just as the lady bustled through from the side of the shop. “Hey! Good to see you, Callum. The usual?”

“Yeah, thanks, Martha,” Callum replied, nodding down at me while he went for his wallet. “This is Maeve. Maeve, meet Martha.”

I stuck my hand out. “Hey. This place isamazing!I was just telling Callum how big my ass is about to get.”

The other woman laughed and gave my hand a hearty shake before pivoting and pointing down at her rounded, ample derriere. “Tell me about it. I gave up on my ass years ago. Though I’ve got an excuse, seeing as I have to sample the goods, you know, quality control and all that.”

“Hush, woman,” a deep voice carried from the kitchen. “I keep telling you, your ass is perfect.”

I looked around Martha to see a tall, handsome, but weathered man come into view.

“Yo, Cal,” he greeted, walking toward the counter, pausing to give Martha a kiss on her temple as he moved past. “Haven’t seen ya since your pa’s funeral service. How ya doin’?”

Callum’s face blanched slightly, and I realized the question caught him off guard. Still, he recovered quickly.

It was crazy how profound a loss could be and how deeply it could affect you, but in fleeting moments, how it was so easy to forget. That was until somebody reminded you, and the pain tore through you again.

“I’m good, Ed,” Callum replied. “Keeping busy. I’m glad I’ve seen you. I’ve been thinking of making some changes to the bar. Dischordium’s gonna start playing one weekend a month, so Donny’ll need help on the door. How would you feel about helping him organize security?”

The man, Ed, gave Callum a sharp nod. “No problem. We’ll set something up for Thursday. It’s my day off from the Demons.” His gaze slid to Martha, who by then was already at the coffee machine banging filters around. “That cool, woman?”

She smiled, looking at me and rolling her eyes. “I don’t know how my husband coped before we met, and I certainly can’t work out why he checks in with every move he makes.”

He grinned. “I didn’t cope without you, M. You keep me on the straight and narrow. And I told you I’d take you over to the Superstore in Mapletree on Thursday.”

“You can do both,” she assured him. “Emmy’s coming in, so I have cover.”

“I’ll get to you by early afternoon,” the guy told Callum. “We’ll be back from Mapletree by lunchtime. My wife’s a morning kinda gal.”

“My wife is, too,” Callum announced, lips twitching. “But Maeve’s more likely to wake up before the birds to finish her book, right, babe?”

A hush fell over the room, apart from the sound of the metal tongs Martha dropped, which clattered loudly on the tiled floor.

“Umm. Y-Yeah?” I replied questioningly, looking around.

“Add a couple of slices of lemon heaven onto that tray, please, M,” Callum asked breezily, ignoring the shocked silence.“I’m introducing Maeve to your culinary delights one dessert at a time.”

“You’re married?” Martha breathed, eyes wide. “You. Callum O’Shea, got married?”

His chest puffed out. “Yep. Last Friday in New York.”

The entire coffee shop came alive at once because everybody began talking. One of the teens stuck his fingers in his mouth and wolf-whistled while another one called out their congratulations.

Callum looked toward them and grinned his thanks.

“This is lovely news. Best of luck to you both,” Martha told us warmly.

“Thanks.” Callum glanced down at me, his expression softening when he saw my look of shock. “You okay with announcing it to the town?”

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