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“Of course. I’ll follow you right in.”
“Are you hurt?” Gracie threw her arms around Iris, cat and all, and Bubbles meowed in annoyance. Dylan loomed behind her, concern on his handsome face.
“He hit me, but I’m okay. Kane saved me,” Iris said, her eyes once more going to Kane’s face. The man had shut down, seeming to go inside himself, and she wondered if he was upset with her for having to protect her. He’d probably really hurt his hands now that she thought about it, which meant he wouldn’t be able to type. Guilt filled her. “Kane, we should get some ice on your hands.”
“It’s fine,” Kane said, barely glancing at his bloody knuckles. Iris looked at Gracie, who just shrugged her shoulders.
“I’ve got a lovely healing salve that will fix that right up. Come with me,” Gracie said. She tugged Kane with her, refusing to take no for an answer, and Kane went to the back of the shop where she’d dropped off a box of her creams to stock Iris’s shelves.
“I should have seen this coming,” Dylan said, keeping his voice low so the Gardai wouldn’t overhear. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t. It was hard to pin down his location.”
“It was you then?” Iris asked.
“Yes, I figured you’d want your money back. Plus, it’s a lot harder to be on the run if your bank account is empty. But I should have thought about the potential repercussions. I didn’t think he’d be able to track you,” Dylan said. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, this is probably better. Truly. Not only will he be charged but maybe he’ll learn a lesson or two along the way. I don’t think Warren will bother me again.”
They watched as the Gardai hauled Warren up from the floor and dragged him from the shop, his head hanging.
“Well, I think this calls for a bit of whiskey. Shall I?” Beatrice clapped her hands.
“Yes, please,” Dylan said, and Bubbles hopped out of Iris’s arms and followed Beatrice back to the bookstore.
“There now, you’re all sorted,” Gracie said to Kane when Iris walked to the back of the shop. Iris gaped at his hands, which had just sported raw wounds, and now showed no sign of injury. Kane’s face held a bewildered look.
“Those are some creams,” Iris said lightly.
“Come on man, let’s get that whiskey. You’ll get used to the way of things here soon enough,” Dylan said, clapping a hand on Kane’s shoulder.
Chapter 19
Iris would have gone to Kane sooner, but by the time she finished with the police in Ireland and the United States, she had a headache the size of Texas. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed, pull a pillow over her head, and mope.
And so, she did just that.
It felt nice, for once, to take care of herself and put her needs first. She was so used to having a full schedule or always answering Warren’s demands that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d shut the world out for a day. Turned out, it was exactly what she needed. When she woke, groggy and disoriented to a knock on her door hours later, Iris had to wipe the drool from her chin before opening the door to find Beatrice, holding a tray of food, with Bubbles at her feet.
“I shooed everyone away, figuring you needed a rest after your tough day, but I’d at least feel better if you ate something,” Beatrice said.
“Everyone?” Iris blinked at her in confusion.
“Oh, sure, and you don’t think the whole town doesn’t already know what happened?” Beatrice nodded to the hallway, and Iris gaped at where vases of flowers, tins of baked goods, and even one smiley-face balloon sat.
“Are those for me?” Iris stared at the gifts.
“They are. Do you mind if I put this down?” Beatrice pushed past Iris and put the tray on the kitchen counter. There wasn’t much in the way of decoration yet, as Iris had been concentrating on her shop, but she had managed to get a new bed and wrangle a small dining set into the space.
“Who are these all from?” Iris asked, bending to pick up several of the vases.
“Let’s see. The food is from Cait, who says to call if you want anything else, and she’ll have it delivered. Flowers from Gracie, Aislinn, and Kira. Balloon and whiskey from Mac and Niamh. Cookies from Mr. Murphy. A few from the neighboring shops. I made a list for you so you’d know.”
“I…” Iris blinked at the tears that rose to her eyes and dropped into a chair at the table. “I don’t even know what to say.” She felt raw and exposed, like she was standing at the window naked, and everyone was looking at her.
“You say thank you.” Beatrice patted her hand. “We look after each other here, Iris. You’ll get used to it soon enough.”
“But I don’t even know some of these people,” Iris said with a small laugh. “There’s no reason for them to bring me baked goods because my ex-boyfriend is awful.”
“Sure there is,” Beatrice said, her tone sharp enough that Iris looked up. “They do it because you need to believe in the goodness of people. You need to understand community. Family. Just like you’d do the same if someone else was having a hard time.”
