“What are you doing here?” Aidan asked him.

“It’s a long and complicated story.” Shawn glanced around cautiously as he stepped inside. “Is Jude at home?”

“She’s upstairs with Darcy. Our sister’s having some trouble deciding what to wear to drive this Dubliner she’s seeing crazy.”

“That should be keeping them busy for a while. Good. I’ve had enough of women lately,” he explained when Aidan looked at him questioningly. “Now there’s the handsome dog.” He bent down to give Finn’s head a scratch. “Growing into his feet, this one is, and fast.”

“He is that, and good-natured with it, aren’t you, lad?”

Finn turned adoring eyes on Aidan, and his tail swished with such enthusiasm that it drummed from Shawn’s knees to the table by the door. “He grows much more, he’ll be knocking lamps off the table with that whip of his. Can you spare a beer?”

“I can spare two, one for each of us. Women,” Aidan continued as they made their way into the kitchen, “as we were on the subject, are always going to be giving you grief of one sort or another. It’s that pretty face of yours.”

Amused, Shawn sat at the table while Aidan got two bottles of Harp and opened them. He laid a hand absentmindedly on Finn’s head when the dog bumped under it. “You did fair in the lady department yourself, as I recall. And you’re not nearly so pretty as I am.”

“But I’m smarter.” With a grin, Aidan passed his brother the bottle. “I held out for the best of them.”

“I can’t argue with that.” After tapping his bottle to Aidan’s, Shawn took a long, appreciative swallow. “Well, then, it wasn’t to talk about women that I came by, but to get away from them for a time.”

“If you’ve a mind to discuss business, I’ve some of that.” He got down a tin of crisps, set it between them before he sat. “I had a call from Dad this morning. He and Ma send their love. He was going to ring you as well.”

“I was out walking. I suppose I missed them.”

“Well, the immediate news is he’s off to New York next week to meet with the Magee.” Since his dog was looking at him hopefully, and Jude wasn’t around to disapprove, he tossed Finn a crisp. “He wants a feel for the man before we go any further on this deal.”

“No one sizes a man up quicker and more true than Dad.”

“Aye. And in the meantime, Magee is sending his man here, to do some sizing up of his own. His name is Finkle, and he’ll be staying at the cliff hotel. Dad and I agree we won’t discuss hard monetary terms with Finkle until we’ve got a better handle on this Magee.”

“You and Dad would know best about such matters. But . . .”

“But?”

“It seems to me that one of the handles we’re looking to grip would be what we’ll make out of the deal. In pounds, yes, but also in how this project of Magee’s will enhance the pub.”