Chapter 3
Two months later
"Thanks for meeting me, Thomas." Mick takes a seat opposite his brother in a modest downtown New York office complex.
"It's a formality, Mick. Nothing has changed. I agreed to see you because Mom asked. You shouldn't have come all this way for nothing."
"I was coming to the city anyway," Mick says, without explanation.
"Don't make your trip a total waste. Since you're here, how would you like to go to a gallery opening? The Met is curating an Egyptian exhibit, and I was planning to stop by and surprise Megan. I'm sure she won't mind if you come."
Thomas wears an expression of one-upmanship.
"You're going, too? Then I'll see you there!" Mick smiles.
Thomas visibly deflates. "You know about it?"
Mick drops his smile as soon as he sees his brother's change in demeanor.
"I've been making it to most of her openings the past couple of months. Meg mentioned she saw you recently and that you were well."
Thomas nods.
"If you're staying in town, Mick, maybe I could meet you for breakfast at your hotel tomorrow." His eyes narrow. "Perhaps we do have something to discuss."
Mick lowers his head, knowing his next words are sure to cut deep.
"Actually, I stay at Megan's, and we get up late on the days after her galas."
"Just like that, you're back together," Thomas growls.
"No, it's not like that," Mick says softly. "We're friends now. Close friends. Very close – but that's it. She has a guest room, you know."
Mick throws out the last line to soften the blow, but it sounds like an afterthought, even to his own ears.
"You know what? I think I'm busy tonight. And tomorrow," Thomas says. "Give Megan my regards."
That evening
"Did Thomas mention he RSVP'd to the event tonight?" Megan asks, as she scrolls through the guest list on her tablet computer before the doors open to the public.
"He did, but then he said his plans had changed. He sends his regrets."
Megan hears his tone and looks up.
"Oh, no. What happened?"
"He thinks you and I are back together. I tried to set him straight, but because I have an open invitation to bunk at your place when I'm in town, it led him down the wrong trail. I didn't volunteer the information, I swear. He wanted to meet me at my hotel, but, well, my 'hotel' is your apartment. I'm sorry if it makes things awkward between you two. I really am."
"Mick, I'm sorry." She sets down the tablet and places her hands on his shoulders. "If things are strained between the two of you, or between him and me, it's because I'm a willing participant in our, um, unconventional friendship. Your being here is a huge benefit to me." She runs her fingers lightly down his arms and takes his hands. "You help me feel safe, protected – and, yes, a lot less lonely. But now that you mention it, what does our arrangement do for you?"
"Your safety is every bit as important to me as it is to you," he says with sincerity. "But, did you ever stop to think that letting me hang out with you here – and at your home – might put a damper on other relationships?"
"That's the whole point." She flashes her wedding ring as a reminder and takes his hand again.
"But what about Thomas?" Mick looks down. "He always had a thing for you. What if there is something you could build on – with him?"
Megan blinks in surprise.
"Mick, there are reasons why I chose you over Thomas years ago. Nothing has changed that suddenly makes him more appealing to me."
Her phone chirps an alert.
"It's time to open the doors. Are we okay for now?" She lets loose of his hands with a final squeeze. "Maybe we can talk about this later."
"I'm good. For now." He smiles.
"Okay. Pockets ready?"
"Your humble handbag, at your service!"
He holds his right coat pocket open, and she slips her cell phone and lipstick into it.
"Thank you! I hate carrying a purse at these things, especially when I have to keep the tablet close by."
.
See Chapter Four
.
If you love Mick and Megan as much as I do, be sure to check out my other stories:
NEW Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Fear of Flying
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, The One That I Want
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Where the Wind Blows
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Once a Promise
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Mother of the Bride, 2 chapters
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, Love Song
Hallmark's Chesapeake Shores Mick and Megan O'Brien, First Kiss
The Hallmark Channel's 'Chesapeake Shores' — Mick & Megan O'Brien, 9 chapters
Chesapeake Shores — Megan at the Met — Mick and Megan O'Brien, 6 chapters
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Annette Zoaps