by Eliza Watson
“It’s a long story, but I’d like to tell you sometime.”
Rachel stood and walked toward me. “I think you have a lot of potential. You just need to figure out where you belong. Get some solid experience. You did good for this being your first meeting. Sometimes I forget how overwhelming this job can be when you’re starting out. Even now, it’s not easy. I hope you’ll still work my meeting in two weeks.”
I wasn’t sure if she’d spoken to Mom, who would demand she give me another job, or felt forced to keep me on because Tom Reynolds had publicly welcomed me to the team. However, she must have at least a sliver of confidence in me, or she wouldn’t put her reputation on the line. Rachel’s reputation was her life. Literally, her kidney.
“Of course I’ll do the meeting.” I could quit my elf job. I also needed the money and to build up my résumé. More importantly, I wanted to repair the rift between Rachel and me.
“It’s at Brecker’s headquarters, but you’ll be flying solo. I’m going to be swamped planning another meeting, and I’ll be out of the office one day doing hotel site inspections.”
Rachel had enough confidence in me to put me on a meeting alone? Did I have enough confidence to work a meeting alone?
Yes. I did.
“After I got back to my room last night, my side was still throbbing. I thought, this is insane. My job is making me physically ill. I need to take better care of myself. I haven’t had a vacation in four years. I’m always traveling for work, so the last thing I want to do is travel for fun. And if I stay at home, I’m constantly thinking about my work piling up. I’ve lost months of vacation time, which is money down the drain. So I decided I’m taking a vacation. I think Killybog would be nice in the spring. What do you think?”
I wanted to go now before Rachel changed her mind!
I smiled. “I’ll start saving.” My diamond earrings better sell.
“Maybe Mom would want to go with us.”
Depending on what I discovered about Grandma’s past.
Rachel stepped forward and wrapped me in a warm embrace. I hugged her back, unable to recall the last time we’d displayed affection. I fought back the tears welling up in my eyes. I hoped she followed through on the vacation and wasn’t merely caught up in the moment, being in Grandma’s homeland. Maybe Grandma was the glue needed to put our family back together. I had this strange feeling Killybog held more than the secret behind Grandma’s mysterious past.
It held some answers to my future.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I went to the lobby, but still no Declan. The gift shop had just opened, so I popped inside for a bag of Taytos. Most attendees were departing early, so there wasn’t a group breakfast. I perused the necklaces—a variety of Celtic crosses and symbols, including one matching Declan’s leather bracelet and his tattoo. I picked up the necklace box.
“Lovely, isn’t it?” the saleslady said.
I nodded. “Very.”
“It’s the Celtic symbol for everlasting love.”
Everlasting love?
“It’s formed from two triskeles, which are three-cornered knots. The two triskeles are joined together to form a circle, the everlasting circle of eternity. It represents two people joined in body, mind, and spirit in everlasting love.”
Everlasting love?
I could not get past the fact that Declan, who likely had a Guinness Girl in every pub in Ireland, had the symbol for everlasting love tattooed on his arm. And it certainly didn’t symbolize his love for his grandma, despite the explanation he’d given for his sudden melancholy mood on the County Wicklow tour.
“Would you like to try it on?”
I shook my head, setting down the necklace. “It doesn’t really pertain to me.”
“Every symbol has a different meaning.” She gestured to the array of necklaces. “There’s the trinity knot, the—”
“Looking for one last souvenir?” Declan asked.
I gasped, startled.
He relaxed his forearm on the counter, glancing at the jewelry. I prayed he didn’t notice the necklace.
“No, ah, um, I mean, yeah, I’m thinking about a Celtic cross.”
“Ah, grand. No hurry. I’ll be out front. I have a departure. The car’s here. Just waiting on the fella.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
He headed toward the door, then turned and smiled. “Glad you came down to help.” He walked out.
So was I.
I eyed the everlasting love symbol one last time before snagging a bag of Taytos.
I headed out to the lobby and spotted Declan putting Rachel’s spy in a car. The guy was finally leaving, like he’d wanted to do since day one when he’d put me to the test. A test I’d passed in the end.
Declan walked inside, wearing a wide, dimpled smile. “Heard from my mate Peter. He’s going to ask around about any Coffeys in the area.”
A mix of anticipation and excitement raced through me. “Awesome.”
“I can let you know what he finds out when I see you in Paris.”
My forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Paris?”
“I contacted my client for a Paris meeting I’m working the end of the month. One of her staff just cancelled due to a family illness, so I recommended you. She wants to know if you’re available.”
Visions of the Eiffel Tower, couples strolling along the Seine, and Renoir’s Girls at the Piano—a print that hung on my bedroom wall—flashed through my mind. The thought of croissants and café au lait made my stomach growl. I’d dreamed of visiting Paris since I was ten, when I’d first watched Charade and How to Steal a Million with Mom, a huge Audrey Hepburn fan.
“It’s an incentive trip with tours and dinners. The planner’s grand and knows you’re new. She just needs a floater. I told her you’d be brilliant.”
“I think brilliant is stretching it a bit. A lot.”
I couldn’t believe Declan had recommended me for a job. I thought he’d merely been trying to make me feel better last night. He didn’t want to kiss me, but he wanted to work with me again? Rachel might feel obligated to hire me, but Declan shouldn’t. He’d likely never see me again and didn’t owe me a thing. He had to believe I was somewhat competent. That was a lot of pressure on me when I didn’t know the job. He was putting his reputation on the line by recommending me. Why would he do that? What if I totally screwed up and made him look bad? I needed to gain experience from Rachel before expanding my client base.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”
“The pay is great.” He gave me an enticing smile.
I desperately needed money. Not only for bills but so I could return to Ireland in the spring.
His smile faded. “I wouldn’t have recommended you if I didn’t think you could do the job.”
I wanted to prove to Mom and Rachel that I could do this job. More importantly, I needed to prove to myself that I could do it. That I was capable of landing a job without Mom or Rachel’s help, merely Declan’s. That I was destined to be more than an elf.
And I wanted to see Declan again.
He made me laugh more than I had in a long time. Made me see the bright side of a bad situation. Had faith in me when I didn’t. Even if Declan was a bit of a charmer like Andy, he was unlike him in every other way. He made me feel good about myself. He didn’t hide his emotions. He could make fun of himself and admit his flaws. Even if Ashley responded to my pic of the P.S. I Love You lake, I needed more friends. Declan would make a good friend, just not a good boyfriend. I needed friends more than a boyfriend. I needed to be able to stand on my own before standing beside someone.
My heart raced, a mix of fear and excitement. Were these the same emotions Grandma had experienced traveling from Ireland by herself, no clue what her future held? More than stability and a weekly paycheck, I needed Grandma’s courage and adventurous spirit.
“I’ll do it,” I blurted out.
Declan smiled wide. “Brilliant.”
Gr
etchen was walking through the lobby and strutted over to us. Her blond hair was styled, her makeup flawless. She’d even taken time to put on a jade-colored eyeshadow that complemented her green eyes. I touched my lips, verifying that I had put on lip gloss.
“I’ll see you in two weeks in Santorini,” she told Declan, then flashed me a sly, victorious grin. “Can’t wait to catch some rays.”
Santorini sounded exotic. Like someplace Gretchen would bare her breasts on a topless beach.
“It’s going to be a mad week—doubt we’ll have much time off,” Declan said.
Did he want me to know their trip was for business, not pleasure?
“Well, I’ll see you at the end of the month in Paris,” I said. “Thanks again for recommending me.”
Gretchen’s eyes bugged out, unable to believe Declan had recommended me for a job. Even more so, she looked jealous. Did she picture me now dressed as a French maid in Paris with Declan? Good. Let her.
“I’ll contact the planner, Heather Trotter. She’ll want to be booking your air ticket.”
Air? My heart raced. I’d never flown by myself. We’d flown nonstop to Dublin, and I’d followed Rachel’s lead through the airport, customs, and immigration. What if I couldn’t go nonstop from O’Hare and had to connect through Frankfurt, London, or some other insanely huge and busy airport? What if I got lost and missed my flight to Paris? I couldn’t be intoxicated while traveling alone. I’d seen the movie Taken, set in Paris. I knew all about human trafficking.
Get a grip.
Maybe my car being repoed was a sign that I should be flying to work instead of driving. The flight would only take a matter of hours. It had likely taken Grandma weeks to sail from Ireland to America all alone.
A sense of courage rose inside me. I no longer felt like I was running from Andy or trying to escape my life. Instead, I was attempting to find my life.
Hopefully, I didn’t become a million-miler before finding my place in the world.
Coming Fall 2016
About Eliza Watson
When Eliza isn’t traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she is at home in Wisconsin working on her next novel. She enjoys bouncing ideas off her husband, Mark, and her cats Quigley, Frankie, and Sammy.
Connect with Eliza Online
www.elizawatson.com
www.facebook.com/ElizaWatsonAuthor
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
About Eliza Watson