Kate Hoffmann - Danny

“Are we going on a hike?”

Danny bent over and gave her a quick kiss. “A short one.”

“Shouldn’t we have some breakfast first?”

He sat down next to her and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “After you fell asleep last night, I was just lying here, thinking. I have a theory and I want to check it out.”

“A theory about what?”

“Our brownie problem,” he said. “I think I might have figured out how they got in.”

“No more brownies? I’m all for that.” A smile broke across her face as she scrambled out of bed and Danny felt a small measure of relief. Since yesterday evening, Jordan had seemed so melancholy, as if the weight of the world were bearing down on her. He’d tried to coax her worries out of her, and she’d put on a smile and insisted that nothing was wrong. But Danny knew her too well.

He didn’t want to think that their time together was coming to an end, or that she’d walk away without a second thought. Hell, how could he compete with a job that she loved and a family who lived on the other side of the Atlantic?

They walked out into the crisp morning air, past the walled garden and the forge and toward the rocky cliffs that separated the green from the ocean. They headed north for a few hundred yards before Danny began to look for the familiar landmark that signaled the entrance to Smuggler’s Cove.

“Here,” he said, pointing to the narrow pathway between the jagged rocks. “Follow me.”

“Where?” Jordan asked.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been down here before. Not for a very long time, but I know the way. Just be careful.”

He carefully picked his way along the path, stepping over rocks that had fallen and tossing aside driftwood blocking the way. When he finally reached the end of the path, he jumped down the last three feet, then turned and reached for Jordan.

She stood on the sand and slowly took in her surroundings. “I never knew this was here. It’s a little beach. How did you find it?”

“We used to come here when we were kids. We called it Smuggler’s Cove. I discovered it. Or at least I thought I had. But if the castle was used for smuggling, then this is where the boats would have come to shore.” He turned and scanned the cliff. “If there’s a tunnel, it starts right there.” He pointed to the cave.

“Can you swim here?” she asked, completely distracted by the prospect of her beachfront castle.

“We used to. The current is pretty strong, but if you stay close to shore, it’s fine. Are you ready?”

“For what?”

“We’re going to see where the other end of that cave lies. We never had the courage to explore it when we were kids, but if I’m right, it may be the entrance to a tunnel that leads to the house.” He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket. “Let’s give it a try.”

“I’m not going in there,” she said. “There might be bats. Or spiders. Or snakes.”

“There are no snakes in Ireland.”

“Right,” Jordan said. “St. Patrick took care of that years ago.”

“Maybe this is where the brownies and fairies live.” Danny scrambled up the cliff to the entrance of the cave. “If I’m not back in ten minutes, call for help,” he said.

Jordan frowned. “Danny, I don’t think you should go in there. It could be dangerous. It could collapse and you’d be trapped.”

Undeterred, Danny entered the cave. He and his brothers had explored about fifteen feet beyond the entrance before being scared away by strange noises and invisible animals. But as an adult, Danny found nothing in here that was frightening. He knew high tide was hours away and now was the time to see if he was right.

The crates that they’d brought down to sit on years ago were still against the cave wall. And a pile of driftwood that Danny had dragged inside was still where he’d left it so long ago. “Hello!” he shouted.

“Who are you talking to?”

He spun around to find Jordan standing behind him, a worried expression on her face. She squinted against the glare from the flashlight and he motioned her over. “Watch out. This first part is slippery until you get to the sand. The water comes up in here at high tide.”

They slowly walked deeper into the cave, the light from the opening fading the further they went. Fifteen feet, twenty, then thirty. And then, to Danny’s surprise, the cave suddenly ended. “No,” he said.

“This is it?”

He examined the back wall carefully, looking for another way. But there wasn’t any. “I guess I was wrong,” he said.

They walked back to the entrance and he helped Jordan climb back down to the beach. Danny raked his hands through his hair. So much for his brilliant theories. He plopped down on the beach and stared out at the water. Jordan sat down beside him, smoothing her hand along his shoulders.

“It was a good theory,” she said. “And I’m really glad you showed me the beach. I’m going to see if we can build a stairway down the cliff. It’s a perfect spot.”

Danny leaned against her and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Stairs are going to take a lot longer than a week to build. Does this mean you’re going to stay a few weeks longer?”

“I might be here longer than that,” she said. Jordan folded her arms over her knees and fixed her gaze on the horizon. “I think I quit my job.”

Danny’s breath caught in his throat and he stared at her in disbelief. “You think?”

“Well, I’m not really sure if it’s official yet. Of course, I have to finish this project. And my father wants a letter of resignation, which I haven’t written. And he could always change his mind, although I don’t think he-”

“This is brilliant,” Danny said, drawing her into his arms and kissing her. “You won’t have to leave.”

“Well, I will at some point. I still have an apartment back in New York. Everything I own is there.”

“Is this why you were so distant last night? Why you were late for the party?”

Jordan nodded. “I gave him my ultimatum. I told him if he didn’t give me the hotel project I’d quit.”

“What did he say?” Danny asked.

“He didn’t say anything,” Jordan replied. “I texted him. I was too nervous to talk to him. It was so much easier. He couldn’t bully me and I had control of the conversation. There was no shouting, just little letters on the screen.”

Danny took her face in his hands. He couldn’t believe it. Everything that he’d been wishing for had suddenly come true. They had time, which meant that he had a chance. “And how do you feel now?”

Jordan frowned. “I’m not sure. There is some relief that I actually managed to express my feelings to my father. There’s humiliation that it meant nothing to him. And I guess there’s a lot of fear, because I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do to make a living.”

“What about Kellan? You said he offered you work.”

“It would probably be easier to find a job there. I don’t even know if I could legally work here. There are probably all sorts of laws.”

He bent closer and gave her another kiss. “But I want you to stay here,” he said. “With me. What do you say?”

“I say, I’ll think about it.”

Danny pulled her down on top of him and settled her hips against his. In a single moment, his life had changed. They had a chance, a way to make this all work out. After Jordan was finished at the castle, she could move in with him. They’d figure out what to do about work and then they’d start a life together.

And somewhere along the way, he’d tell her exactly how he felt. Danny Quinn was in love.

JORDAN STARED AT Danny’s profile, outlined by the daylight streaming through the tall windows of the bedroom. She smiled to herself then turned her face into the pillow. A giggle bubbled up and she groaned softly.