Saving a Legend(19)

“What’s wrong with you today?” a small voice spoke up next to him. Kieran looked down to see Shea watching him curiously.

“What do you mean?” Kieran asked, tilting his head slightly to look down at her.

“You’re louder than yesterday,” she said matter-of-factly before turning to watch the basketball game. She had a book in her hands, but he watched as she studied his stance and then mimicked him. She moved her feet apart a bit wider and crossed her arms over her chest. Her earmuffs were around her neck, and he wondered if she’d been able to hear him over them when he was breaking up the fight.



“I’m louder?” Kieran frowned, not totally sure what to make of her description. “Sorry, guess I’m a little grumpy today.”

“My sister calls me that when I’m hungry,” Shea said slowly, as if she was thinking about it deeply. “My mom used to tell me I don’t understand when I’m grumpy.”

Kieran chuckled. “I think most people don’t understand when they’re grumpy.”

“Really? Like me?” Shea asked.

Kieran shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

“My teacher at school says I’m not like everyone else,” Shea admitted, a hint of sadness in her voice. He had yet to see any emotive responses from her, so it made him pause.

He squatted until he was eye level with her, even though she wouldn’t meet his gaze, and softly patted her shoulder. She stiffened slightly but didn’t move away. “It’s okay to be different, Shea. I’m not like everyone else, either. We can be different together. How’s that sound?”

“Okay,” she replied simply as she looked past him. Then she put on her earmuffs, opened her book, and walked back toward the building. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight; the little girl was really starting to get under his skin in the best way.

Kieran finished coaching a game of basketball with the young boys before heading in and doing a few tutoring sessions one on one, mainly algebra and some science. He thought about what Shea had said and wondered if he could bring MMA to the youth center, give the boys who wanted to fight a way to control their impulses. He made a mental note to ask Nora tomorrow about giving it a try.



A few hours later, he was getting ready to leave, when he found Shea and Fiona standing in front of him in the hallway. Fiona was pulling Shea’s hair back and twisting it into a long braid as the little girl put several books into her backpack and zipped it closed.

“Two times in one day you show up where I’m working. Now who’s the stalker?” He grinned at her. She rolled her eyes, but her smile gave her away.

“Fiona, can Mr. Kavanagh come get frozen yogurt with us?” Shea piped up as her sister finished tying off her braid and stood up.

Fiona shook her head quickly. “I’m sure he’s busy, Shea.”

“Are you busy, Mr. Kavanagh?” The little girl turned his direction, but her gaze just seemed to miss his own.

“I’m not busy at all,” he told her, “but call me Kieran. Mr. Kavanagh is my father, and I’m a lot more handsome than he is.”

“Shea, I don’t think—” Fiona bit her lip nervously, her hands fidgeting as she tried to come up with an excuse not to invite him.

“Come on, I know a great place a couple blocks from here,” Kieran interjected before she could say anything further, then he ushered them toward the exit.

Fiona shot him an unconvinced frown before finally following him.





Chapter 5

“Which flavor are you going to get?” Kieran asked Shea as they stood in front of the ten different frozen yogurt dispensers and tried to decide.

“No-sugar-added vanilla yogurt,” Shea responded automatically.

Kieran wrinkled up his nose. “Really? You like that?”

Shea shrugged as Fiona grabbed a paper bowl off the shelf and handed it to her. She was doing her best to ignore the fact that Kieran was here at all or that this felt way too much like a date.

And she didn’t date.

“Here, hold on a second.” Kieran took the bowl out of her hand and instead handed Shea several tiny little paper sampling cups. “Let’s try a bunch of different flavors and see what you like.”

“Kieran, she always gets the vanilla. Just let her get what she wants.” Fiona had been here enough times with Shea to know that Shea wasn’t going to change her mind about what she ate. Her routines were too ingrained to be changed now, and honestly, it just wasn’t worth a possible public meltdown.

“How’s she going to know what she wants in life if she doesn’t give something new a try?” Kieran’s sea-blue eyes looked at her pointedly. Fiona looked away, suddenly aware of the fluttering sensation in her stomach as she considered the meaning behind his words.