by Magan Vernon
“When I left the U.S., I planned to work here for a while and figure out what I wanted to do. Now… Well, now I’m conflicted honestly,” she muttered before taking a sip of tea.
I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that? I told you, there is my job with the American accounts I’ll need a replacement for, or any other position in Chicago. Or do you not want to stay with the company?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t say that.”
“Then what do you mean?” I asked, leaning forward.
She shrugged. “It’s not that I don’t want a job with the company back home. It’s just… I figured by the time I had my MBA, I’d know what I wanted to do with my life. Know what my dream job was and where I wanted to be. But here I am, twenty-three, getting ready to be married and whatever else happens, and I don’t even know if it’s what I want. I’m not turning down the marriage, or a possible job, and it’ll be great to be close to Nana and Leah again. Don’t think I’m taking that for granted.” She stared at her teacup then her plate, everywhere but at me.
I put my hand on hers on the table between us, causing her to finally look at me. Maybe I shouldn’t have been getting so close to the girl, but I needed her to know that I would do whatever she wanted when this was all over. “Fallon, if you could have any job in the world, what would you want it to be?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. I always figured I’d end up as some business analyst. Maybe even marketing. I guess for a dream job, maybe something where I can do those things and travel. Coming here was the first stamp I ever got in my passport. Before this, I’d never been out of the country or even farther east than Indiana.”
“You’re taking the piss,” I said in disbelief, trying not to let my mouth hang open.
“I’m sure that’s some weird Irish expression, but I’m not taking the piss out of anyone.”
I shook my head. “Kidding, I guess, would be the translation.”
“I’m not kidding. My parents didn’t take vacations. I went to college in Illinois and didn’t have the money to go anywhere else. Nana was already settled into a nursing home when I started my MBA program, so I stayed close. I thought after I graduated, I could find a nice retirement village for her in the city and get a job nearby. But then I found the job here and took that big leap instead.”
“It wasn’t so huge if you haven’t even left Dublin.”
“Rub it in, why don’t you,” she muttered, taking another sip of her tea.
I squeezed her hand. “And that is why we’re leaving early today. Going to do a little sightseeing. A road trip, if you will.”
“You don’t seem like the road tripping type.” She quirked a brow.
“And what qualifies as a road tripper? Do I need a Hawaiian shirt? Maybe a mix tape?” I asked.
She laughed slightly. “I don’t know. Do they sell any of those around here? I’ll pick you up a few shirts and maybe download some boy band music on my phone. My treat.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to get me anything.”
“You can’t be the only one to surprise me with gifts all of the time.” She stood up and walked toward the kitchen, pulling her purse from a hook.
I quirked an eyebrow, turning in my chair. “What are you doing?”
She turned toward me, holding her purse with one hand still inside of it. “This was going to be a surprise for the trip. It’s nothing fancy. Just a little thank you for the clothes, the flat, and well, everything.”
As she pulled her hand out of her purse, I immediately recognized the orange bag she held.
“Cheetos? Where did you find these?” I asked, staring wide-eyed from the bag to her.
Something deep in my chest lightened like a giddy kid on Christmas morning. No girl had ever bought me anything, even if it was just an American snack food.
She smiled, her cheeks tinged slightly red. “I had Leah send me some. I was going to pick up a frozen pizza and Mountain Dew to go with it, but the only frozen pizza I could find was margherita, and it didn’t seem like road trip food anyway.”
I stood up, slowly approaching her. My heart racing with each step. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do this.”
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her close. Her hands went to my back as I embraced her. I took a deep breath, inhaling her clean scent and relishing in the feel of her warm body against me.
My chest heaved as if I just ran a marathon. With the new jolt running through me, I knew I couldn’t linger. I kissed her cheek and whispered, “Thank you.”
I let go of her slowly, my heart still pounding. “I guess we should finish eating breakfast before we break open the road trip snacks?”
She nodded, her lips turned slightly downward. “Yeah. That sounds good.”
I didn’t know where the weekend would take us, but for now, I was going to try and enjoy the ride.
…
With our bags in the boot, we headed out of the city. As soon as we were past Nass, with Dublin no longer in sight, a thought occurred to me. I pulled to the side of the road, letting the car idle.
“Is everything okay?” Fallon’s eyes widened, her hand still in the open bag of Cheetos.
I grinned and got out of the car then opened her door. “Come on.” I waved my hands.
“What? Is there some weird historical landmark that I’m not aware of?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Just come on.”
She huffed before giving me her hand.
I helped her to stand then led her to the front of the car and stopped. I beamed as I looked down at her bewildered smile.
“Okay…what am I missing?” she asked, looking around us.
“This is the farthest you’ve ever been in Ireland. It’s official, you’ve made it out of Dublin.” I put my fist in the air and whooped.
She laughed, shaking her head as the smile took over her whole face. “You’re ridiculous, do you know that? A real gobshite.”
I laughed along with her, squeezing her side, my fingers lingering on her skin. Every time I touched her, a warm chill continued to spread through my chest, and I couldn’t stop. “You kind of used that word right.”
“Exploring Ireland and learning the slang, woo-hoo!” She put her hand in the air, and I gave her a high five.
“Now that we’ve had that moment, shall we move on? Time for the next stop on our road trip,” I said, retaking her hand and squeezing it.
The smile on my face was becoming permanent whenever she was around.
She swung our intertwined hands as we walked to the door. “If you’re going to move another few feet just to tell me I’ve now been even farther out of Dublin, we could just walk that one.”
“Damn,” I swore with a laugh. “I guess I’ll just go to the next stop, then. You ready?”
She grinned. “Ready.”
The M6 wasn’t an exciting way to travel from Dublin to Galway, but it got us there faster.
“You know, it’s kind of like driving through Illinois. Except for greener, and prettier, and with more cows,” she said, staring out the window.
My phone buzzed, and I quickly answered, not looking at the caller ID.
“Hello, this is Connor.”
“Connor, it’s Fiona O’Hara.” My real estate agent’s way-too-cheery voice piped through the speaker.
“Oh, hello. Is everything set?”
“Yes, Mr. Murphy. The walk-through will be on Sunday night. I’ll meet you at the house at half past six?” Her voice rose slightly with excitement.
I glanced at Fallon, whose eyebrows were raised in a question. “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
We said our goodbyes, and I hung up then wiped my sweaty palms on my trousers.
“Just a business meeting set up for Sunday. Sorry to cut the trip short, but we have all day today,” I said, licking my lips to retain moisture.
“A meeting on a Sunday? I thought everyone in Dublin was a die-hard Catholic who didn’t work on
Sundays?”
I smiled, taking her hand and intertwining our fingers, putting our joined hands on the shifter between us, and hoped she couldn’t read my mind or tell something was up. “The pub closes for no one.”
…
Our conversation flowed easily. I almost didn’t want the drive to end, but it was worth it to see Fallon’s eyes widen as we approached the Cliffs of Moher.
“This place is like something straight off a postcard,” she squealed, staring out the window as the stunning limestone landscape came into view with the crystal blue water lapping onto the cliffs and emerald green grass.
Watching it through her eyes had a new sense of pride swelling in me. It was fun to experience all of these firsts again through her.
“These are the Cliffs of Moher I was telling you about,” I said, glancing at her before looking back to the road.
“Wait. Was this place in Harry Potter?” she asked, looking from the cliffs and back to me.
I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m not up on everything Potter, but possibly.”
“How can you not? You should know if one of the greatest movie and book series of all time was filmed in your homeland.”
“The greatest movie and book series of all time? That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Name a better one.”
“Not when I’m on the spot.”
I parked across from the visitor’s center, which was hidden in a hill to blend in with the landscape. Before I could even unbuckle, she was out of the car and staring at the sea, the wind whipping through her blond hair.
“Wow. This place is gorgeous,” she yelled over the wind.
I jogged to catch up with her as she headed up the trail to the famous cliff vista.
She stood staring out at the water, then she pulled her phone out of her pocket, snapping photo after photo.
A smile crossed my face, even though she couldn’t see it with her back to me. Then I pulled out my phone. The click of the camera was like a loud echo, and she whipped around as soon as it went off.
“Did you just take a picture of my ass?”
I shoved my phone in my pocket and slowly walked toward her, my heart beating in sync with my steps. I pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and let my fingers linger on her cheek, trying to keep my breathing steady as I caught her gaze. “The only beautiful view I can concentrate on is you,” I whispered before leaning forward and pressing my lips to hers.
The words came out of me without even thinking, and so did the kiss. I told myself I was going to enjoy my time with her while we had it. Fighting the need to touch her was pure torture, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. I wanted to savor the moment with her lips on mine and ingrain it in my memory, but the sound of kids fake gagging behind us broke that up real quick.
She looked up at me with those big blue eyes, running her tongue over her bottom lip. “Sorry.”
“What’s there to be sorry about?” I murmured, my mouth still tasting of her sweet lip gloss.
“You were just trying to be nice,” she said quickly before she looked to the ground, her cheeks flushing crimson.
I put my fingers to her chin, tipping it up so she met my eyes again. I should have held back and let her think that. But when she looked at me, I couldn’t do anything but kiss her again, this time letting my tongue meet hers.
A small gasp escaped her mouth into mine, and her bottom lip trembled. I wanted to freeze the moment with her and not think about the company and everything else that loomed over us. But I knew it couldn’t last forever.
I slowly broke the kiss and pressed my forehead to hers. “You taste like Cheetos.”
She laughed, her breath tickling my lips. “So do you.”
“Do you want to stand here for a while longer, or should we walk around and have some lunch?” I asked. I didn’t want to stop the moment, but I did promise her an adventure.
She took my hand and glanced behind me before smiling. “By the stink eye we’re getting from those little boys and their mom, I’d say we should move on. You did write something about the cliffs on one of those sticky notes, if I do remember it right.”
I raised an eyebrow and grabbed a note from my pocket, holding the crumpled paper up. “This sticky note?”
She widened her eyes. “You seriously kept that?”
“I found it at your desk last night and thought: maybe I should take Fallon to all of these places I promised her, and not just fill her space with empty sticky note promises.”
Her eyes sparkled as she laughed. “I’d be okay with that. How many more bags of Cheetos will I need to ask Leah to send for all of these travels?”
I smiled. “That’s negotiable.”
Chapter Eighteen
Fallon
I didn’t know what I enjoyed more, the sea wind blowing my hair as I stared at the beautiful waves, walking through a real castle on a hill, or experiencing all of it with Connor.
For the first time, there was nothing complicated between us, where we could just walk together and look at the landscape.
We ate fish and chips at a little café and sat outside, people watching.
“Is the other Murphy’s Pub around here?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink.
Connor smiled. “No, that’s in Galway. It’s a little bit of a hike, but it’ll be worth it. We can drop our things off at the hotel and get some more sightseeing in, or a round of golf. At least one of those was on your Post-it notes.”
“What am I supposed to do while you play golf?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You have an MBA. Didn’t you learn how to golf? That’s the American pastime. My father use to say when he went to America, all the men wanted to arrange their deals after a round of golf and a few pints.”
“My family wasn’t the golfing type,” I muttered, taking a big gulp of my drink.
“I’ll have to get you some clubs and teach you.”
“As much fun as hitting balls with a big stick for a few hours sounds, I’m not the athletic type. I tried out for soccer in middle school and bruised my tailbone when I tried to kick the ball but missed and fell.”
I didn’t even tell Ray that story and lied to Nana and my parents, saying I went for a slide tackle and got taken out by another player. It wasn’t the most flattering story and was just the beginning of my teasing in middle school. Spending time on my academics became my top priority, since I knew I wasn’t getting a sports scholarship. Even as a kid, I’d always been looking for a way out.
His lips quirked into a half smile. “We’ll just have to see how you do with a good trainer. I’m setting us up for a tee time,” he said, pulling out his phone.
“You don’t need to do that,” I said, waving my hands.
He looked up, his eyes meeting mine. “But I want to, Fallon.”
Just hearing my name come from his lips and staring at those big blue eyes made my breath catch in my throat. So, I just nodded in agreement. I could still taste him after one small kiss. Bees buzzed in my stomach with the idea of wanting so much more.
After lunch, Connor paid and grabbed a few mints from the hostess stand. “Want one?” he asked, holding a wrapped green candy out to me.
“Are you saying my breath smells?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
“We did just eat fish and malt vinegar, so possibly,” he said, popping the candy in his mouth.
“Touché,” I muttered, putting the mint in my mouth before taking the hand he held out to me.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“Maybe a little,” I confessed.
A light breeze picked up, sending my hair flying all around my face. I quickly tied it back.
Once we were in the car, he turned to me. “I like when your hair is down,” he murmured, his fingers running through my hair as if it was a fine piece of silk instead of what I imagined a limp and frizzy mess.
I licked my lips, dazed and drunk on his touch.
“That’s better,” he murmured, his words a whisper on my lips.
I opened my mouth to him. His teeth lightly grazed my bottom lip before he ran his tongue across where he nibbled.
My heart fluttered in my chest; I feared I’d melt right there.
He dragged his mouth from mine, and I held in a breath, still reeling from his kiss.
“Shall we head to the hotel?” he asked, adjusting a growing bulge in his pants.
“Yeah,” I muttered, wishing I had as much courage as I did when I was drunk, courage to take what I wanted and not think about what it meant for us. For now, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.
…
A long stretch of brick fence and emerald green trees came into view. Connor pulled the car through a wrought-iron gate then crested over a small hill. I gaped at the massive stone castle.
There was a view of the water beyond the rocky structure, and the green landscape was dotted with hundreds of trees. I even spotted an extensive golf course and what looked like a train car just beyond the castle.
“Is this our next stop before the hotel?” I asked, trying to close my jaw but it was in a permanent state of awe.
“This is where we’re staying,” Connor said matter-of-factly, his dimpled smile prominently displayed on his face.
“What? We’re staying in a castle?” I asked, looking between the castle and him.
He laughed. “It’s more of an abbey, but yes. Do you like it? I did sign us up for a round of golf later, and dinner in the remodeled carriage. Both things I put on Post-it notes, if I remember correctly.”
“We’re going to have dinner in a carriage?” I asked, spellbound. My heart beat wildly in my chest, not just from the beautiful sights, but from the fact he remembered what he wrote on all of those notes.
“Carriage, train, same thing.”
“I’ve never done any of that…” I said softly. He had to think I was some unworldly peasant. I didn’t want him to feel sorry for me, and sometimes my mouth went off quicker than my brain could get to it.
He took my hand and squeezed it gently. “I know. That’s why I want to do all of this and more for you. You’ve put up with me, and I made promises, not just to take care of you, but to help you experience Ireland. I’ve done a shite job of that so far, and it’s time I own up to my promises.”