All of which made it a distinct pleasure to find Cassie standing on the porch.
Ruby had just woken up from a short nap, but as soon as she saw Cassie, she held out her arms.
“Hello, gorgeous.” Cassie pressed a kiss to Ruby’s forehead as she took the baby from him and cuddled her. They walked inside. “You look like you’re feeling a million times better.”
As if to agree, Ruby pulled the chilled stuffed elephant out of her mouth and thrust it in Cassie’s face.
Laughing, Cassie took it, made it walk through the air, then put on a silly voice to say, “My name is Ellie the elephant, and I love polka dots and little girls named Ruby.”
Ruby clapped her hands, her gummy smile even wider now.
Flynn had been struck by Cassie’s looks from the first—her sexy curves, luminous skin, and open, friendly smile already set her apart. But when she was making Ruby laugh, she truly was the most beautiful woman he’d ever set eyes on. Kindness radiated from her like a beacon of hope.
It was exactly the kind of sweet, caring hope that Flynn and his sister had never known when they were growing up. And exactly what he hoped Ruby would know from this moment forward. Somehow, some way, he needed to figure out how he could give that to her.
“You’re good with her,” he said. “Really good.” He wished he had even a tenth of her natural know-how and comfort with babies. But until Ruby had come into his life, he hadn’t been around a baby since his sister was born. And he’d been only a toddler himself at that point.
“So are you,” Cassie said, obviously just being kind. She rubbed her cheek against the top of Ruby’s head. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see that she’s feeling so much better.”
“You and me both.” Flynn winced as he thought back to the hours of crying the night before. He’d felt so hopeless, terrified that he was doing absolutely everything wrong for Ruby. “I can’t thank you enough for racing over here in the middle of the night to help.”
“That’s actually why I’m here—to give back your thank-you gift.”
“Why?”
Before replying, she made Ellie the elephant dance in the air some more, humming a little tune in the funny voice. Ruby was giggling at her antics when Cassie said, “I already told you that I was happy to help out last night. You didn’t need to give me anything. Especially not a diamond bracelet.”
In his experience, women loved diamonds, no matter the occasion. But the look on Cassie’s face as she took the Tiffany box from her bag and placed it on the kitchen counter made it perfectly clear that he had overstepped his bounds. Big-time.
Wanting to make it up to her, he said, “What can I do for you, then?”
“If you’re really this adamant about showing your gratitude, I suppose you could take me to lunch.”
“Great. How does lunch right now sound?” As if to second the motion, Ruby made a happy sound—a loud happy sound. “As long as you know somewhere baby-friendly, that is. Our restaurant outings on the road to get here didn’t go all that well.”
Cassie grinned. “I know exactly the place.”
* * *
“This is my family’s restaurant.” Cassie pointed to the Sullivan Café awning above the front door and the outdoor seating area. “It’s the best Irish country food on the East Coast. On any coast, if you ask me.”
Cassie and her siblings had grown up underfoot in the downtown Bar Harbor café. As far back as she could remember, her mother had brought each of them into the kitchen. First, to play. And then, when they were older, to help.
Of the seven of them, Cassie was the only one who fell in love with being in a kitchen. By the time she’d graduated from high school, Cassie knew how to make all of the Irish specialties, from beef and Guinness stew to Dublin coddle. But it was making desserts that most captured her interest. She’d graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, then came straight back to Bar Harbor to open Cassie’s Confections. But Cassie wasn’t the only of her siblings whose future had been shaped in some way by the family café and Irish gift boutique. All of them had, in one way or another.
Lola had loved to decorate the café and source pretty items for the store, so it was no wonder she went on to design textiles.
Rory had helped build the tables, chairs, and shelving for the café. He was a highly sought-after bespoke furniture designer now, but he still made pieces for the family business in his spare time.
Turner had drawn the most remarkable pictures of Ireland to hang on the walls. No one had been at all surprised when his illustration skills took him into the animated-film business.
Brandon had been instrumental in convincing their parents to expand the business beyond Bar Harbor and into other parts of Maine. Though he was frequently on a plane to exotic locales to open new hotels, he kept a close eye on the health of the family business.
Long before Hudson had earned his degree as an architect, he had drawn up plans for their new locations in Camden, Portland, and Kennebunkport.
And even as a teenager, Ashley had enjoyed wading through receipts and making—and taking care of—to-do lists. She was the perfect person to head up the day-to-day management of the Sullivan Café “empire.” Plus, her hours were flexible enough that she didn’t need to put Kevin in after-school care.
Cassie, Flynn, and Ruby had barely set foot inside the café when Cassie’s mother, Beth, came out to greet them. She always seemed to know when a baby was on the premises.
Cassie quickly made the introductions, impressed that her mother waited until she was done to ask, “Could I hold Ruby, Flynn?”
Though he hesitated, just as he had with Cassie the first time she asked, he ended up agreeing. Of course, Beth had Ruby giggling within seconds. Flynn seemed both surprised and impressed with how well Ruby had taken to a complete stranger.
“Your little girl is absolutely beautiful,” Cassie’s mother said. “And obviously extremely smart too. Her eyes are so bright—she’s interested in everything around her.”
“Yes,” he agreed, “she’s pretty darn special.” He reached out to stroke Ruby’s cheek before turning back to Beth. “Cassie says you own this café. There are few things I enjoy more than good Irish country cooking.”
“Then you’re in for a treat,” Beth said with a twinkle in her eye, her Irish accent strong even after more than three decades in America. “Would you like me to puree some fruit or vegetables for Ruby’s lunch?”
“She hasn’t taken much interest in solids yet,” Flynn replied. “I’d hate for you to go to any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all. How about I make up a couple of things to see if we can tempt her? In fact, if you don’t mind me taking her into the back, my kitchen staff are all just as crazy about babies as I am.”
Flynn didn’t answer right away, clearly torn over whether he could stand to let Ruby out of his sight. However, when Beth made her giggle again, this time by tickling her tummy, he nodded. “As long as she’s happy, I’m okay with it.”
“Don’t worry. If she starts to fuss, I’ll bring her right back to you. Why don’t you let me warm up a bottle for her too, just in case?” Flynn handed over Ruby’s baby bag, which he’d loaded up with diapers and formula and extra clothes before they left the cabin.