Chapter 20
Max turned into the driveway and parked a small distance from the door. There was a light drizzle but nothing that we couldn’t walk in.
I made my way to the door and knocked. A moment later a woman dressed from head to toe in green opened the door.
“Hello! Hello! Hello! Do you need a place to stay?”
I took a step back, blown away by the magnitude of her voice.
Max put his hand on my back and smiled. “Yes, we do. Do you have any rooms available?”
“Yes. There’s just the one.” She laughed. “I know that seems silly, but I take very good care of the room. I’m sure that you will love it. Oh, and I’m Claire, by the way—Claire O’Malley. Come in, please!”
She smiled so brightly that I couldn’t even consider not going inside. She was so eager, and how bad could the room be? At least we wouldn’t have any noisy neighbors to deal with.
I glanced at Max. He nodded, though his eyes were a bit wide. We followed her inside the house and turned the corner right away.
“It’s just in here. Now, you’re welcome to stay until one, but I serve breakfast at seven. Most people do like to be on their way to see the sights. I’m sorry, but I don’t offer lunch.”
“Breakfast will be fine.” I smiled.
“Seven?” Max rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t you think that’s a little early?”
“Don’t worry, Max, I’ll save you some.”
“I’m afraid I don’t allow food in the room.” She cringed. “The little men don’t like it.”
“The little men—”
“Don’t ask, Max, we need some rest, right?” I smiled at him.
“Okay, sure. How much?”
“Let me just get my ledger.” The woman hurried away.
“Sammy, are you sure you want to stay here?”
“As long as I’m with you, it’ll be perfect.”
“Alright.” Max released a heavy breath and then pulled out his wallet. He paid the bill, then the woman smiled and patted his hand.
“Good luck to you, son. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the room.”
“Thank you. We’re both just ready to rest.”
“Understood. I will see you in the morning.” She disappeared down the hallway.
I opened the door of the bedroom and noticed right away that it smelled minty. I flicked on the light switch and gasped. “I think I found the little men.”
“Hm?” Max poked his head in as well and laughed. “Wow, this is quite a collection.”
There were shelves from floor to ceiling, each one covered with small leprechaun figures. Some were even stacked on the dresser and along the windowsill.
“I think she has a fondness for leprechauns.” I sat down on the end of the bed, which was covered in a thick blanket. “It could be worse.”
“You’re right, it could be.” Max sprawled out on the bed and yawned. “Come snuggle with me. I can’t fall asleep if you don’t.”
“Alright, let me just brush my teeth.” I opened the door to the bathroom and braced myself for more leprechauns. Instead, there was only a toilet and sink. No shower, no bathtub. I cringed as I realized that maybe we should have tried harder to find our reserved hotel.
When I returned from the bathroom Max already had the lights out. I crawled into bed beside him and snuggled close. I took a deep breath and prepared to indulge in a great night of sleep.
However, just as I was about to close my eyes, I noticed a leprechaun on the shelf beside the bed. He stared at me with wide beady black eyes. My heart skipped a beat. Now, I know there’s no reason to be afraid of a statue. But there were so many of them. And they all appeared to be staring at me.
I snuggled closer to Max and closed my eyes. I was sure that if I blocked them out everything would be fine. When I buried my head into his shoulder, Max snorted in his sleep. I cringed and hoped that I hadn’t woken him up. When I opened my eyes again, that leprechaun was still there, waiting to greet me. I could barely stand the sight of it. The shadow-filled room created strange patterns on his green clothes.
I closed my eyes tighter and tried to block out the thought of those eyes staring at me. After several more minutes, my eyes opened again. There was the leprechaun—and one of his friends—and another. I sat up and stared back. A random light outside the window flickered and it made the leprechaun look as if he winked at me. That was it, I was sure I would never sleep again.
“Sammy?” Max shifted in the bed and turned to look at me. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you tired?”
“So tired.” I hung my head and sighed. “But I can’t sleep.”
“Why not? Are you nervous about tomorrow? Or the book signing?” He sat up and looked at me. “Do you need a massage?”
“No, it’s none of that.” I smiled at him, then gritted my teeth. “I’ll fall asleep eventually.”
“Sammy, tell me. Are you upset about something?” He brushed the hair from my eyes.
“I can’t tell you, Max, it’s ridiculous.”
“Nothing you say is ridiculous.”
“Ha. Okay.” I took a deep breath, then looked over at the leprechauns. “It’s the little men—they’re staring at me.”
Max followed my line of sight. I noticed his dimples in his cheeks as he tried to hold back a smile.
“See, I told you, it’s ridiculous.”
“Actually, now that you pointed it out, I’m not sure if I can sleep either.”
I stood up from the bed and walked over to one of the shelves. “Maybe if we just turn them around.”
“There has to be a thousand of them.”
“Do you want to sleep or not?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Alright.” Max jumped up and together we began to turn every leprechaun in the room around to face the wall. One by one their creepy little eyes looked away from me.
By the time we were done, I was so exhausted that I collapsed onto the bed.
Max stood beside it, and stared down at me. I could feel his eyes traveling my body. I bit into my bottom lip and savored the sensation. At one time in my life I’d been petrified to have anyone look at me. Now, at least with Max, I craved that attention. I sensed that there was no judgment, only adoration from him.
He crawled onto the bed beside me and kissed my shoulder. “Do you think you can sleep now?”
“That depends.”
“On what?” He looked into my eyes.
“On whether you’re going to keep staring at me like that.”
He grinned. “Want me to face the wall?”
“No.” I pulled him close to me and curled my body around his. “I want you right here, just where you are.”
He kissed my forehead and closed his eyes. It was a very tender moment—until Max started to snore. Then I wriggled away and found my pillow. Within a few minutes I knew I’d be sound asleep.
Chapter 21
I woke up early the next morning. Since there was still about an hour before breakfast would be served, I took the time to turn all the leprechauns back around. I didn’t want to offend Claire, who’d obviously gone to so much trouble to decorate the room.
In the quiet, I spread my yoga mat on the floor and stretched out on top of it. As I began to shift into position, I caught sight of the leprechauns staring at me again.
“Oh, you guys want a show?” I shifted into the next position. My muscles began to relax. My mind began to shift as well—into a state of peace. The stares of the leprechauns no longer bothered me.
The more I moved and stretched, the deeper I sank into a calm space. It was needed after the hurry of travel and the anxiety of losing the journal. As I moved into the last position, there was a loud knock on the door. I toppled right over onto my side.
“Just a minute.” I glanced over at Max, who still snored soundly from the bed.
I opened the door. Claire, dressed all in green again—this time in a long green dress—smiled at me as she held a tray out.
; “Breakfast!”
“Oh thank you. I’m afraid my husband is still sleeping.”
“Then you should join me. I have a beautiful patio set. Very comfortable. Will you join me?”
I hesitated. I didn’t really want to have breakfast with the strange woman, but I also didn’t want to wake Max, who deserved his sleep.
“Thank you, I will.”
I followed her down a long hallway to a sliding glass door. Her patio set looked as if it had been there for a few decades, but I didn’t care about that. When I sat down on the cushion it crackled.
“Isn’t it great?” She smiled. “And look at the view!”
I glanced in the direction she pointed. There were a few trees on the hillside and some lush grass. It was pretty to look at but not as spectacular as the Atlantic views had been.
“You have a lovely home.”
“Thank you. I’ve been very lucky. Maybe it’s because of all of my little men.”
“Maybe.” I nodded. “I admired your collection.”
“Some people find it a little strange, but I’ve been collecting them since I was a little girl. I know that leprechauns are just a story, but I’ve always been fascinated by them. The whole idea of a magical, mystical creature and the potential for very good luck—it’s just too fantastic to resist. Do you believe?”
“In leprechauns?” I took a bite of the large plate of sausage she’d served me.
“No, not really in leprechauns, but in magic—in things being unexpected and unpredictable?”
I smiled as I thought about the ups and downs of our visit to Ireland so far. “Yes, I think I do.”
“Isn’t life so much better when you believe? I had this friend once—she told me that I needed to get rid of all my leprechauns. She said there was no magic to life and I needed to come down to earth. Well, I didn’t tell her she was wrong, but I did tell her that if that was the earth she lived on, then I would be just fine in my outer space.”
“I understand what you’re saying. If life doesn’t have that magical quality, what’s the point?”
“I knew that we were kindred spirits the first time I saw you. So I’m a little goofy—oh, well. What harm does that do to anyone?”
“None at all. This breakfast is delicious, by the way.”
“Try the blood pudding. It’s very good.”
I took a bite and tried to smile after putting it into my mouth. “Mm. Very good.”
“So, are you going to the Blarney Stone?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“You need to go—trust me. No one should visit Ireland without kissing the Blarney Stone. When will you have another chance to? It’s a magical experience.”
“I’ll definitely think about it.”
“Great. Now, I know I said no food in the room, but I have a plate in the oven for your husband when he wakes up. He’s not an early riser, hm?”
“We’ve had a rough few days without much sleep.”
“Feel free to heat it up for him when he wakes up.” She patted my hand.
“Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”
Chapter 22
After we finished our breakfast, I helped Claire to clear the table. Then I headed back to the room to check on Max. He was just waking up.
“There you are. Did you have breakfast already?”
“Yes, we just finished. There’s some food saved for you, though.”
“How did breakfast go?”
“Surprisingly well. Claire’s a very sweet woman.”
“It must have been a very interesting conversation.”
“Actually it was. The best part was that she suggested that we must go to kiss the Blarney Stone.”
“Hm. Isn’t that a rock or something?”
“A very large rock, yes.”
“Why would I want to kiss a rock?”
“Max, you’re not supposed to ask why. You just do it.”
“If I’m going to be kissing anyone other than you, I’m definitely asking questions.”
“Any thing Max, not anyone.”
“Okay, either way, I’d like an explanation.”
“Let’s just give it a try. What could it hurt?”
“I happen to know that in order to kiss the Blarney Stone, you have to bend almost all the way over and hang. I mean, that’s some work involved, don’t you think?”
“I just did yoga this morning. I’ll be fine. Plus, I can practice. See?” I bent over as far as I could.
As I began to lose my balance, I steadied myself with the dresser. In the process a few of the leprechauns tumbled right off the top and struck me in the face and chest. “Ouch!”
“See what kissing leads to?” Max guided me back to my feet.
“They didn’t break, did they?” I scooped the leprechauns up from the floor and set them back on the dresser.
“I see you’ve grown fond of the leprechauns.”
“Maybe I’ve grown fond of the woman who collected them, or just the idea behind them. No matter what, I don’t want them to be broken.”
“They look just fine. But you could kiss them to make it better.”
“You are so very funny. You know, I never realized just how funny you are.”
“Funny, hm?” He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me close. “Is it wrong to be jealous of a rock?”
“I don’t know about wrong, but there might be some psychotherapy needed.” I laughed as I gazed into his eyes. “You’re not jealous, you’re just afraid I’m going to fall.”
“Ahem.” He tilted his head toward the leprechauns. “I think they can say firsthand that falls do happen.”
“Don’t worry.” I kissed him. “I’m not worried.”
After Max ate the breakfast that had been saved for him, we left the bed and breakfast and drove in the direction of the Blarney Stone.
Along the way, we stopped at several places. Each time I got out of the car I practiced a back bend to get ready for what was ahead. If Max was embarrassed by my antics he didn’t mention it, though he did always pause to watch.
At our last stop before the Blarney Stone I tried to bend even farther. As I started to rise back up, Max surprised me with a kiss. I was so startled that I lost my balance and ended up tumbling backwards on top of him.
Max laughed from underneath me. “See, I told you so.”
“I don’t think the Blarney Stone is going to kiss back!” I laughed as I grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet. “I’ll be just fine, Max, I promise. The question is, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He brushed off his pants and met my eyes. “I’ve been tackled by you before.”
“True. And likely will be again.”
“If my luck holds out.” He swung his arm around my waist and pressed my body to his. “Still, I’m a little jealous of that rock.”
“Don’t be.” I kissed him then looked into his eyes. “You’re the only one I ever want to kiss.”
“Other than a big slab of stone.”
“Yes—well, other than that.” I nodded. “But just once, I promise.”
“I suppose I will allow it.”
“Hm, I don’t remember asking permission.” I smirked.
“I wasn’t giving permission, I was giving up.” He laughed.
As we walked into a pub to have lunch I couldn’t stop smiling. As beautiful as Ireland was, the fun I was sharing with Max was what meant the most to me. We shared a quick lunch, then were back on the road.
By the time we arrived at Blarney Castle, there was quite a crowd. The longer we waited in line, the more nervous I became. Would I really be able to pull this off?
Max rubbed my shoulders as we got to the front of the line. “There it is—my rival for your love.” He scowled.
“Funny.” I laughed but my heart wasn’t in it.
I watched as the person in front of me bent all the way over backward and placed a kiss on the stone. Now that I saw it in person, it actually seemed
impossible.
“Max, never mind. I can’t do this. Let’s just go.” I grabbed his hand and started to leave the line.
He stood like stone himself and held on to my hand. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t let you do that, Sammy. I know this is something that you want to do. So you should at least give it a shot.”
“But all of these people are watching. What if I make a fool of myself?”
He shrugged and glanced over his shoulder at the crowd. “What do you care what these people think of you?”
Max’s question was a reminder to me. I couldn’t base my decisions on fear of judgment. He was right. If I left Ireland without kissing the Blarney Stone, I would definitely regret it.
Chapter 23
I took a few steps forward, thought about changing my mind, then forced myself to keep going. Kissing the Blarney Stone was a folklore tradition, but it meant a lot to me. Maybe it would help me with inspiration for my next book.
I walked up to the man beside the stone and looked into his eyes.
“This is my first time.”
“Don’t worry, lass, I won’t drop you.” He winked at me.
Somehow I didn’t feel reassured. I crouched down and reached back to grab the bars.
The man grabbed my waist and hips, which was enough to set off every insecurity within me.
“You can do it, Sammy, I’m right here.” Max’s voice drifted down to me as I tightened my hands on the bars.
“Go further now, go further down.” The man who held me gave me a little push.
As all the blood rushed to my head I wondered what had possessed me to do something like this.
Still, he prompted me to go down further. I was about to give up and demand to be pulled back in, but then I felt it—the smooth cool surface of the stone against my lips. I’d done it. A surge of pride washed over me.
I kissed the stone, then started to make my way back up. As I did so, I found that I seemed to have worked myself into a position that made getting back up impossible. In fact, I could barely wiggle at all.
“Come on back up, lass.” The man gave my hips a tug.
“I’m trying.” I winced. “There isn’t enough room.”
“Work with me here, I can’t do it all on my own.” He tugged again.
Only then did I realize that I wasn’t just stuck, I was practically wedged. Maybe the man had urged me to go too far down, but whatever the cause, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t budging.
Sammy in Ireland (Single Wide Female Travels #5) Page 7