Chapter 24

Ian hadn’t seen Jo since the night of the Christmas party. He had hung back; she was busy with her family, driving her father’s rental car. From Nana, he’d heard they had gone to Killarney and Kenmare.

The truth was, he missed Jo. Things weren’t the same without her there. Things seemed bleak and desolate. But he’d kept busy. He did some Christmas shopping online for his parents, Nana, and his sisters. He was appalled at the rush delivery fee, but he’d no one to blame but himself for leaving it until the last moment. On the morning of Christmas Eve, he made a phone call to Frank, the physical therapist, to set up an appointment in the new year. It was time to start moving on. He’d even surprised his parents by ringing them to see how they were doing. It only took his mother a moment to recover from her surprise over hearing from him before she launched into how she’d received the photo of him and Jo going to the Christmas party. Ian grinned. Nana was a little more savvy with technology than she let on.

He spent a lot of time thinking of moving on with Jo. He had no clue as to how they would manage a long-distance relationship but if she was agreeable, he’d figure out a way. He was already thinking about when she could return to Ireland or when he could possibly visit the States.

***

Jo’s family squeezed into Bridie’s sitting room on Christmas Eve.

Bridie and Mary ran back and forth to the kitchen serving cake, tart, and tea, refusing any offers of help from Jo or her family.

Ian thought Jo’s family was nice. Her parents and her brother, Marc, all seemed genuine, friendly, and easy to talk to. Ian had expected nothing less; after all, the acorns usually didn’t fall too far from the tree. At least that’s what his Nana always said.

Once everyone had a plate of dessert and a cup of tea, Nana and Mary returned from the kitchen and sat down with the group, setting their plates in their laps. Ian thought both women looked tired. They’d been on the go every day since Mary and Jo had arrived. And there had been plenty of late nights. Ian didn’t know how they did it. They had a lot of years behind them. But he also knew that when Mary went home in two weeks, his Nana would be lonesome without her.

And Scruff had taken a shine to Jo’s mother and was currently resting on Mrs. Mueller’s lap. Barbara Mueller petted the dog as she talked.

Jo sat across from him on the sofa, ensconced between her parents. She looked really pretty tonight. Her hair hung in loose waves, and she wore a green blouse and black skirt. Ian had a hard time keeping his eyes off of her. The rest of them were dressed in casual wear, and Nana and Mary had decided on ugly Christmas jumpers, which did not disappoint. But Johanna—she stood out like the star on top of the Christmas tree.

“It all worked out well in the end, didn’t it?” Mr. Mueller said to no one in particular. To his mother he said, “You got to see Bridie, and at Christmas too, so that makes it extra special.” He took a belt of his tea and turned toward his daughter.

There was a rumbling of agreement among them.

“And you worrying about money and how you were going to earn your keep,” Bill continued with a laugh. He bent his head, cutting a bite of tart with his fork.

Jo gave her father a quick smile and stared at her hands in her lap.

“More tea, Bill?” Nana asked, jumping up.

“No, thanks, I’m fine, Bridie,” Bill said. He looked at Ian. “Well, Ian, how was our girl?”

Ian blinked, uncomprehending. “I’m sorry?”

“Does she get a good performance review?”

Ian wasn’t sure what Mr. Mueller was rattling on about. What had he thought his daughter was doing with him? He didn’t think he wanted to know. Jo had her head bent, not looking at him or anyone, for that matter. A quick glance over at his grandmother and he noted that she had gone pale.

Ian frowned. “I’m not sure I’m following you, Mr. Mueller.”

Bill Mueller gave a dismissive wave, and Ian wondered briefly if he’d had too much Irish whiskey.

“I’m talking about Jo being your paid companion,” he explained.

Ian stared at him. His gaze bounced over to Jo, who had finally lifted her head. Her cheeks were stained red. His eyes landed on his grandmother, who was concentrating on the Christmas cake on her plate as if she had never seen one before. Nana added nothing, which made Ian immediately suspicious.

“What did you say?” he asked. He wanted to make sure he understood correctly. Jo, a paid companion?

Bill Mueller was only too happy to fill in the blanks. “Jo was so worried about coming to Ireland at Christmastime. She needs to work to pay her rent, you know.”

“No need to go into all that, Bill,” his mother said to him with a pointed look.

Bill carried on, oblivious. “What a stroke of luck for Jo to work here while she’s on vacation. Bridie came up with the idea. And it all worked out. You got out of the house, and Jo got to see Ireland and got paid for it.”

“I think Jo should go into nursing,” Marc chimed in.

Ian saw red. He could feel the muscle in his jaw twitching. He looked from his grandmother to Mary, and then his eyes landed on Jo. No one met his gaze. They’d all conspired behind his back. And was he such a desperate case that they had to pay someone to keep him company? He looked back at his grandmother. All that talk about doing her a favor. Show Jo around, keep her company because she’ll be bored hanging around the two grandmothers. That hadn’t figured into it at all. Here he was, thinking he was going out of his way to keep Jo company, showing her Ireland, spending just about every waking minute with her, and that had nothing to do with it.

His gaze bounced back to Jo and stayed there. All this time, he’d thought there was something between them. That they had a connection. Granted, it had only been a short time, but he really liked her. He liked her to the point that he was trying to figure out a way to continue the relationship after she went back home.

Ian gritted his teeth. She’d been playing him. It was like a punch to the gut. He had her all wrong. She came across as all sweetness and light, but she was a conniver and a chancer and a rogue.

The walls of the sitting room seemed to be closing in on him. The room felt hot. A fine sheen of perspiration broke out on his forehead. His stomach flipped. All he knew was that he had to get out of there.

He leaned forward and set his empty plate on the coffee table.

“Well, that’s it for me,” he announced. “I’ve got to go home.”

Nana’s head snapped up. “You can’t go home now! It’s Christmas Eve and it’s too early.”

“I’ve got a headache,” he said, picking up his crutches, which were leaning against the armchair. He was upright and now heading toward the door.

“Here, let me get the door for you, young man,” Bill said, hopping up from his seat and opening the sitting room door for Ian.

“Thanks,” Ian said. Heading out the door, he called over his shoulder, “Enjoy your stay in Ireland.”

“Ian!” Nana called out, following him out and shutting the sitting room door behind her.

Ian stopped at the front door, leaning on his crutches.

“It’s not how it sounds,” Nana started.

“Really? Because it sounds like you paid Johanna to keep me company.” Only the fact that she was his grandmother and elderly prevented him from exploding and lashing out.

“It was just to give her some pin money while she’s here,” Nana explained.

“How much were you paying her?” he asked.

When Nana told him the amount, he blanched. “That’s an awful lot of pin money.”

His grandmother’s eyes were shining and darting about. “But look, it doesn’t matter because after a few days, she refused the money anyway. Ian, she never took a dime.”

“How gallant,” he said through gritted teeth.

Nana laid her hand on his arm. “This isn’t Jo’s fault. It’s mine.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” he demanded. “Why lie to me?”

“Because you would never have agreed to it,” she said firmly. Her resolve, which had wavered, was returning in full force. “Think about it. If I had told you that Jo was going to be your paid companion, you would have said no.”

Ian sighed, knowing what she was saying was true. It still didn’t give them the right to lie to him.

“And you have to admit that you and Jo have hit it off. You’ve been having a good time,” his grandmother said.

Ian leveled his gaze at his grandmother. “That’s over now. I don’t ever want to see Johanna Mueller again.”

His grandmother laughed nervously. “Ian, you can’t be serious—”

Ian’s gaze was steely, and Nana stopped talking. “I don’t want anything to do with her. It may have turned into something, but the beginning of our relationship was built on a lie.”

Nana stood there, her mouth agape. Ian slipped out the door and closed it behind him.

It was dark and there was a light mist falling. His anger propelled him up the short footpath between his house and Nana’s. He’d just reached his front door with the lighted wreath when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and saw Jo approaching him.

“Ian,” she started.

Ignoring her, Ian unlocked his door and it swung open.

“Ian, please—”

“Don’t, Johanna. Please.”

“Let me explain,” she pleaded.

He turned on her. “What is there to explain? I have all the information I need. You were hired by my grandmother to keep me company. And all this time, I thought I was doing you the favor. I feel like the biggest fool in Ireland.”

He stepped over the threshold.

“I am sorry,” she said. “Can I come in?”

“Are you serious?” he asked. When she didn’t answer, he continued. “No, you can’t come in. In fact, I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Jo flinched at his words, but Ian didn’t care. “All this time, I’ve been thinking we got along great these past few weeks. I really enjoyed your company and thought it was the same for you.”

“Ian, I didn’t take any money from your grandmother,” she said in a pleading voice.

“When did you decide that? Before or after I kissed you?”

Jo looked as if she’d been slapped. Her eyes were wet, and her chin quivered. “Ian, I am so sorry,” she whispered.

“Apology not accepted,” he said, closing the door on her.