It was easy to pop back into the hotel and get the car loaded up. Plus each of us only packed one bag since we were only supposed to be in Ireland for a week.
“This is weird,” Mom said as we waited outside the pub for Eagan.
“What?”
“I’m handing you off to a stranger, hoping he doesn’t rape and murder you.”
“Mom!” I gasped. “We’ve talked to him every day since we got here and he’s a nice guy. Not one of my stranger danger alarms has gone off. Promise.”
“I want proof of life pictures every single day.”
“I’ll take them myself with the days’ paper.” His deep voice both startled and warmed me at the same time.
I’d watched Eagan every chance I got the entire time we’d been here.
Mom tossed Eagan the keys to the rental car and when I gave her a questioning look she shrugged.
It made sense. Eagan would know the way better than either of us but Mom always drove at home. Even with Dan.
At first, we rode in silence. Mom and Eagan in the front seat. Me in the back. Nobody talking. It wasn’t as if we’d lapsed into a comfortable silence, either. No, this was the weird quiet of strangers who didn’t know what to say to each other.
I couldn’t stand it. It was time to put my chatterbox skills to good use.
“What’s your favorite thing about living in Ireland?” I asked Eagan.
“I don’t know how to answer that,” he said back. “What if I asked the same about America?”
“Pfh, easy. Chili dogs.”
Mom snorted. “I thought you’d say Sephora. Or Ulta.”
“Mom, you can get makeup anywhere,” I said. “But a good chili dog…that’s special.” Eagan chuckled, so I kept going. “What else could I say? The high cost of education? Crushing medical debt for a sprained ankle? I’ll stick with chili dogs, thank you very much.”
“You’re right,” she said. “I can’t really argue with that logic. Especially now.”
“Living where I live,” Eagan said before glancing in the rearview at me. I’d been watching him almost the entire drive and he’d caught me. “I’d say knowing almost everyone. The only people who come in that I don’t know are tourists but we’re not exactly a dream destination. They stick closer to Dublin.”
“Do you travel?” Mom asked.
“Been through Europe some.”
Mom continued her third degree on Eagan while I pretended not to hang on every word he said.
I couldn’t blame her.
She was leaving me in a foreign country and wanted to know who I was going to be around. She seemed to have forgotten that I was actually an adult who would be fine on her own.
Though I couldn’t deny the simmer of excitement, a warmth curling low in my belly, at the idea of some alone time with Eagan and Ireland.
Might be the perfect way to end this overseas excursion.
Who was I kidding? I’d never been one to hook up, so there was no reason for me to think I would now. Still, just being around Eagan would make me happy.
I almost wanted to kick my own ass for developing a crush on him. This wasn’t middle school. I should’ve probably been past crushes.
“You’re sure about this?” Mom asked when after we stopped before security at the airport.
I couldn’t go any farther.
“It’s not like we have a choice, Mom.”
“True.” She glanced back at Eagan, who’d hung back to give us some privacy. “You’ll go to the embassy first thing Monday morning?”
I nodded and said, “I won’t even wait to make an appointment. I’m sure they’ll fit me in.”
“OK.” She pulled me into a hug and held on so tightly, I thought I might become permanently attached. “Don’t do anything… ”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Mom always being Mom.
“Get on your plane, Mother,” I said pulling back and watched her walk away until she disappeared among the passengers.
When I turned around, Eagan was still leaning against the same wall near where we’d left him, flipping his keys in one hand, holding his phone in the other.
Deep breath in and then out.
Chapter Three
It took an hour to get back to Dunkerry, but listening to Eagan’s voice as he told me about the Ireland of his childhood, what he loved most, made the trip go by too quickly.
I wanted to hear more on the idyllic life he described, filled with family and getting into trouble with his brother. Sounded perfect to me.
I’d always wished my parents had given me a sibling.
“Let’s get you settled,” he said after turning the car off.
Eagan grabbed my suitcase from the trunk, then led the way to the side of the building to a door, hidden inside a little alcove, I hadn’t noticed before. He unlocked the door, then waved me up a flight of stairs.
The top of the staircase opened up into a good-sized, modern studio apartment. The walls were painted a pale shade of grey making the area feel open and airy. Stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. It was no wonder he rented the place out once in a while. I would’ve bet he could get a pretty penny for a place like that.
“This is… ” I couldn’t find the perfect words.
“Not what you were expecting?”
“Yeah.”
“I did a remodel when I bought the building a few years ago.”
“Wait… bought the building. Does that mean you own the pub downstairs?”
“Yeah. I own it with my brother. O’Brien’s. Get it?”
“Does that mean I’ve met your brother? I think I’ve met everyone who works there.”
“Nah. He hasn’t been around the last couple of weeks. Planning a wedding.”
Owning a business. Planning a wedding. Or his brother was, but still. Seemed like a lot for someone my age. Maybe he wasn’t my age. Oh man.
“Wait. How old are you?”
“Twenty-six. Why?”
I shook my head and bit my lips together to keep from laughing or sighing in relief.
“No reason,” I said.
No chance was I going to explain that I’d been worried about crushing on a youthful-looking forty-five-year-old man. A five-year difference wasn’t a big deal. A twenty-five-year difference was.
Eagan dropped my suitcase near the bed, then turned back to me as I awkwardly lingered near the stairs.
“There’s food in the fridge and a market two blocks down if there’s something you need. Fresh towels in the washroom. You should be set for the night.”
As he talked he pulled a bag out of the only closet I could see and stuffed some clothes inside, then went into the bathroom. When he came out, he had a small toiletries bag in his hand.
“Where are you going to stay?” I asked. I was, after all, ousting him from his own home.
“Like I told your ma, I’ll stay at my brother’s. It’s only about ten minutes from here. Oh—” Eagan snapped his fingers, then pulled a notepad off the desk. “This is my mobile number,” he said, scribbling on the paper. “Call or message anytime. The pub opens for breakfast and I usually get there a while before that.”
He heaved the bag to his shoulder, dropped a key on the table, the sauntered toward me.
“Have a good night, Maggie Dwyer.”
I wished he would say my name again. I’d never been particularly in love with being Maggie Dwyer, but when Eagan said it, there was no name I loved more.
I basically went right to bed. It was well past midnight once I got settled and I was exhausted from all the walking and exploring I’d done with Mom.
And I’d expected to be asleep on an airplane, not in a hot guy’s apartment.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, the sun was already shining brightly through the curtain I’d forgotten to close last night. Before even attempting to get out of bed, I groped the nightstand for my phone to check the time.
Almost noon? Ugh. I hadn’t meant to sleep so late. I sure as he
ll didn’t want to spend my precious solo hours in Ireland sleeping.
There were seven texts from my mom waiting for me. Of course. I should’ve predicted that.
She wanted to let me know she’d landed in Paris.
Then in Atlanta. Then Detroit.
Was I OK? She felt like she’d abandoned me.
I rolled my eyes and sighed as I chose her name from my contact list and listened to half a ring before she picked up.
“Oh thank god,” she said instead of hello.
“Mom. You left me in Ireland, not Syria. I’m fine.”
“You weren’t answering.”
“I was sleeping,” I said with a yawn. “Why aren’t you? It’s like seven in the morning there.”
“I needed to meet your dad for breakfast and he leaves on a business trip in a few hours.”
My step-father, Dan, had planned to pick us up from the airport and I assumed he was there when Mom arrived. She must’ve only slept a couple of hours before meeting Dad.
“OK,” she finally said. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I said with a laugh. “I’m fine, Mom. You haven’t even been gone twenty-four hours. What could possibly have happened?”
“I don’t even want to think about what could’ve happened. Listen, I’m with your dad right now and he transferred money into my account for you. Apparently, since Liam banks at the same place I do, he was able to do it online. I’ll only use Dan’s account until you get home so just check the balance before you withdraw. Let him know if you need more.”
“Will do. Let me talk to him.”
There was a rustling, then my dad’s voice filled my ear.
“Hey, sweet pea. How you holding up?”
“I’m fine. Thanks for the cash.” Though it was a Sunday, so I probably wouldn’t get access to it until the morning. Not a big problem. Before she left, Mom took out as much money as the ATM would let her and gave it to me. I couldn’t see how I’d need much more.
Good thing she let her bank know she was going out of the country or they may have frozen the card due to suspicious activity.
“No problem. You let us know what you need tomorrow and we’ll get it to you ASAP.”
“I will, but Mom’s overreacting. I’m fine here. Maybe I should stay an extra week or so just for fun.”
He chuckled quietly. “And kill your mother?”
“Yeah. I guess that’s a bad idea.”
“She’s under a lot of stress right now.” There was some more rustling and I thought I heard him say he’d be right back, but it wasn’t to me. “Hey, I stepped away from the table. Your grandma had a little setback just before Allison left Ireland last night. James didn’t want to tell her before the long flight.”
“Poor Grandpa. I mean, poor Grandma, but that’s got to be hard on him.”
“It is. He called me when she went back into the hospital.”
“He… called you?”
My parents’ divorce had been amicable when I was fifteen. Mom remarried while Dad was “enjoying the single life,” as he’d put it. I never wanted to think about what he meant. But Grandpa stubbornly believed Dad had broken Mom’s heart. She tried to clear it up, but Dad had told her to let the old guy believe what he wanted.
Dad could take the hit.
“Yeah,” Dad said, sounding just as confused I did. “So you know he wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“What happened?”
“They still aren’t sure, but the doctor doesn’t actually think it was anything to do with the injury or the surgery. They’re doing some tests and will know more after that.”
“Take care of Mom for me.”
“She has Dan.”
Of course, she did and I liked Dan, but I could never trust someone more than my dad.
“Take care of Mom for me,” I said again.
He chuckled. “I will.”
After hanging up with Dad, I hopped in Eagan’s shower and took my time. I had one day alone in Ireland. In all actuality, I’d likely be on a plane home tomorrow night and I was going to take advantage of what little time I had as much as I could.
First—food.
The pub was busy when I got down there. I couldn’t blame the people vying for a seat. Eagan’s food was delicious. I searched him out as soon as I entered the place. It wasn’t even on purpose. He was behind the bar, where I usually found him, as it was the busiest place in the pub.
Luckily for me there was an open seat right there in front.
“Morning,” he said, setting a glass of water in front of me.
“Hi.”
“Sleep all right?”
“Yes. Your bed is very comfortable.”
It may have been me being self-conscious, but it seemed like the entire room stilled at what I said. When I glanced around I discovered it wasn’t just me.
Everyone at the bar was staring right at me.
“Mind your own business, would ya?” Eagan said to the peanut gallery. Shaking his head and sighing he said, “Sorry about that.”
“No problem.”
“What can I get ya?”
“Burger.”
“We have other things on the menu.”
“Your burgers are the best and I’m not going to get anything near as good when I go home. Need to get filled up now.”
Again the activity in the room stopped and people stared at me.
“I’ll be happy to fill ya,” someone called out from the other side of the room, causing all the others to roar with laughter.
“What’d I say?” I asked.
It was obvious that Eagan was trying to keep from laughing along with everyone else. Yet he didn’t say anything other than he’d put my order in.
“Did you really stay at Eagan’s last night?” A red-headed woman asked from the previously unoccupied seat beside me.
“Yeah.” Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Is that weird?”
“A little. He rents the flat out of course, but it didn’t sound like that’s what happened last night.”
“He offered me a place to stay. That’s all.”
“With him?”
“He stayed at his brother’s.”
She cocked her head to the side and I was quickly losing my patience with her.
“Is that weird?” I asked again.
“No,” she said quickly. “Well, yes. I’m Alana, by the way.”
“Maggie Dwyer.”
“Very Irish name, Maggie.” She popped a chip in her mouth. It was a fry, but here they called them ‘chips.’ “And yes, it is unusual for a woman to stay at Eagan’s. He’s quite the elusive bachelor. Very hard to snatch.”
“Oh…I’m not trying to snatch him. I was a damsel in distress and he helped me out. Nothing more.”
Alana shrugged, but something about her body language made me think she didn’t actually believe me. Made no difference. I basically ignored the woman once my food arrived.
“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Eagan asked after clearing away my plates.
“I thought I’d wander around for a while. Try to see some of the things my mom would hate. I want to leave early in the morning for the consulate.”
“Just tell me what time.”
“You’re coming with me?” I asked. I had the rental car, so I could drive myself.
“If that’s all right. Want to make sure get what you need.”
I nodded because another hour in the car with Eagan was very appealing.
“After that,” I continued, “I’ll probably just watch TV until I pass out tonight.”
Eagan came around the counter and stood very close, leaning into my personal bubble.
“You want some company?” he asked quietly, though I could feel the eyes of the people in the room on us.
“I’d love some company. When do you get off?”
Alana snorted beside me.
Eagan gave Alana a sharp look and said, “Get away outta that.”
She hel
d up a hand as if in defense. “Don’t eat my head off.”
“I’m free now,” he said back to me.
Glancing around the room, it sure didn’t look like he was free to go. The place was still extremely busy with people in every seat.
Yet he was already walking toward the door.
Chapter Four
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, following him around the corner to his car.
Instead of answering, he waved at me, saying I should just get in. So I did.
“You told me your mum didn’t want to do much that wasn’t planned,” he finally said.
“Right.” I narrowed my eyes at him. It sounded more like a question than an answer.
“So let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Trust me.”
The way he looked over with that sexy smirk, I didn’t know if I trusted him, but I sure as hell wanted to.
I relaxed back into the seat and watched some of the city go by while not even trying to pay attention to where we were going. It didn’t matter. Eagan could take me out into the middle of nowhere, drop me off, and I’d never find my way back, even if I did watch where we were going. I needed a GPS or a good guide.
“We’re here,” he said, bringing me out of the most relaxing ride I’d had since coming to Ireland.
“Where’s here?”
“You’ll see.”
When he got out of the car I assumed I was to follow. By the time I did, Eagan was already in the trunk shoving things into a backpack, including bottles of water from a cooler he had back there.
“We’re walking?” I asked.
“Just come on.”
I followed because I had no idea where we were going, but soon he slowed down and we were side by side.
“This is one of my favorite places,” he said. “People don’t necessarily know about it, so there’s never anyone here.”
“It’s your special alone place?”
His deep chuckle made me smile. “You could say that. I like it here.”
The trees gave way to an opening. A secluded area with the sun shining brightly down, perfect lighting like a scene from a movie. Romantic comedy or horror. It could go either way. Eagan didn’t stop there. After another left and some more trees, he led us into a clearing.
Something Irish (Courting Chaos Book 0) Page 2