Driftwood Cottage. Sherryl Woods

that he loved. Lately, other than having an occasional drink with a coworker or one of the volunteers working on the foundation’s fundraising efforts, his personal life was deader than the bay’s waters had been a few years back. Now the ecosystem was slowly coming back into balance, but his life wasn’t.

      When he knocked on Mick’s door, it was Megan who answered. She beamed at him and immediately dragged him inside.

      “Get in here out of that nasty weather,” she said at once, her expression welcoming.

      “You have room for one more at the table today?” he asked, lifting his sister-in-law off the floor in a bear hug.

      “We always have room for you,” she assured him. “Why didn’t you call and let us know you were coming?” She grinned. “Or do I need to ask? Were you afraid Mick would tell you to stay away?”

      Thomas laughed. “He can’t scare me away anymore. With our mother and you around, and Kevin working for me, I have allies here.”

      “You certainly do,” Megan said. “Now come in. We’re just about to sit down, so your timing’s perfect.”

      “Maybe I’d better find Mick first, so he doesn’t keel over in Ma’s pot roast at the sight of me.” He regarded her hopefully. “That is what we’re having, right? I thought I sniffed it in the air when you opened the door.”

      “It is, indeed. Mick’s in the den. Go on in, while I start rounding up everyone else. That can take awhile when the kids are absorbed in one of those video games they seem to love.”

      Thomas wandered down the hall to his brother’s den. He found Mick behind a closed door, puffing on a pipe.

      “If Ma catches you in here with that thing, she’ll have a fit,” he taunted as he walked in. “She only put up with Pop smoking a pipe because she never could deny him anything. He always claimed it reminded him of being back in Ireland.”

      “It does the same for me. It reminds me of the trips they took us on,” Mick said, while regarding him with surprise. “What brings you down here? You usually don’t show your face except on holidays.”

      “Only time I know for a fact I’m welcome,” Thomas admitted. “Is it okay? Do you think you and I can be civil today?”

      Mick shrugged. “That’s always an iffy proposition, but I think we’ve done a pretty good job of mending fences recently. You were there when I needed you when I was trying to get Megan to marry me again. I won’t forget that.”

      “Of course you haven’t forgotten all of my sins from the past, either, have you?” Thomas said, referring to the fact that he’d taken the drastic step of turning Mick in to the authorities when he’d wanted to take some shortcuts in protecting the environment back when all three of them—he, Mick and Jeff—had been developing Chesapeake Shores.

      “You’re right. I’m not likely to forget that,” Mick said. “But the truth is, now that I’ve had time to think things through, I admire the way you stood up for what you believed in, even if it was a darned nuisance at the time.”

      Thomas stared at him incredulously. “You mean that?”

      “I do, but I’ll call you a liar if you repeat it. The family enjoys thinking we’re at odds.”

      “O’Briens do seem to enjoy their little feuds, don’t they?” Thomas agreed. “Have you seen Jeff lately?”

      “Here and there around town. We’re not sitting around sipping coffee at Sally’s, if that’s what you’re asking. And he does manage our properties in the business district, though most of the time when I have questions about that, I ask his daughter. Susie’s a smart girl.”

      “She is, indeed,” Thomas concurred. “Think she’ll ever marry that young man who claims he’s not dating her?”

      “That’s a puzzler,” Mick said. “I’d have had them in church by now, but Jeff seems to be oblivious to the situation.” He gave Thomas a quizzical look. “So, why are you here? You didn’t come for a sparring match with me, did you? Was Ma’s pot roast the lure?”

      “Truth be told, I was lonely,” Thomas admitted. “But if you tell anyone that, I’ll call you the liar.”

      Mick’s expression registered surprise. “I’ve never heard you say such a thing before. What’s going on?”

      “I woke up this morning and realized there wasn’t a single person in my life who cared what I was up to today,” he admitted with rare candor. “I hope you know how lucky you are.”

      “Believe me, I know I’m blessed,” Mick said, eyeing him worriedly. “What you need is a woman in your life, maybe even kids. You’re not too old to have it all, if that’s what you want. I thought you were happily married to your work. Your wives certainly thought that, too.”

      “It’s true. There’s no question that I sacrificed two good women to spend all my time with it,” Thomas lamented. “That doesn’t mean I don’t miss having a person to confide in, someone to share my bed or a laugh at the end of the day. You must have missed that when Megan was gone.”

      “No question about it,” Mick agreed. “Neither of your ex-wives had remarried last I heard. Give ‘em a call.”

      Thomas shook his head. “It’s a rare thing to be able to go back again. You and Megan have pulled it off, and believe me, I envy you for that, but it won’t work for me. Those ties are good and broken. My own fault, too.”

      “Well, surely there are available women in Annapolis who’d jump at the chance to go out with you. You’ve a successful career. And you have those handsome O’Brien genes, so you’re not too hard on the eyes. If you need a little coaching when it comes to charm, I could give you a few tips.”

      Thomas laughed. “Charm is not my problem. Neither is a lack of abundance of available women.”

      “Then what’s wrong?”

      “I just haven’t found the right one,” he told his brother. “And since she’s unlikely to be sitting at your dining room table, we should probably let this drop for now. Ma’s pot roast and your family’s company will be enough to console me for one more day. Thanks for not tossing me back out your door.”

      Mick threw an arm around his shoulder as they left the den. “Ma wouldn’t allow it,” he said. “And if it comes down to it, I wouldn’t want to try.”

      Thomas savored the rare moment of peace between them. Coming here today had been the best decision he’d made in a while, even if it meant going home knowing just how much his own life was lacking.

      Somehow Heather had ended up at the dining room table sandwiched between Connor and Mick, who’d ceded his usual spot at the head of the table to his brother Thomas. She cast a desperate look across the table in Shanna’s direction, but Kevin’s wife only grinned. Next to her, Connor squirmed, which proved he was no more comfortable about the situation than she was.

      Mick passed her a plate of home-baked yeast rolls, the kind few people bothered to make anymore.

      “Have two,” he encouraged her. “You need to put on a couple of pounds. Chasing after that son of yours requires stamina.”

      “Heather looks just fine, Dad,” Connor contradicted. “Leave her alone.”

      “I’m just saying, she should keep up her strength, especially when she doesn’t have a man around to help her out,” Mick countered.

      “Lots of single women manage careers and kids just fine,” Heather said, but neither man paid a bit of attention. They scowled at each other over her head.

      “You making ends meet with your shop?” Mick asked.

      Heather flushed. “It’s doing better each week.”

      “You need to speak up if you need anything,”