Page 12 of Quiet Longing

Nuala sighed. “Sorry. My brother’s Fionnuala blocking ways are irritating, I know, but his heart is in the right place.”

“Hold up a second. What the hell is Fionnuala blocking?” I asked, one eyebrow raised. I’d heard the name before. Prettysure my mom had been friends with a girl called Fionnuala (pronounced Fu-noo-la) at school.

Aidan barked a laugh before explaining, “Fionnuala is slang for vagina.”

“So, you call your vagina a name that also contains your actual name?” I asked Nuala in growing amusement.

She blushed. “Yes, but it’s not like I came up with the term. It’s commonly used.”

“It’s a posh girl thing,” Rhys said quietly, and Nuala swiped him on the arm.

“I am not posh!”

Aidan grinned. “Not posh? Pull the other one. You call your vag a Fionnuala because you couldn’t possible lower yourself to utter the word ‘fanny.’ That would be far too uncouth. Sorry to break it to you, babe, but you’re posh. I mean, look where you live.”

“Well, if I’m posh, then you’re posh, too. Your house is even bigger than this one.”

“I’m not denying it.”

Nuala folded her arms in annoyance.

A silence fell before I said, “Now, I just feel sorry for all the women out there whose parents named them Fionnuala.”

At this, all three of them burst out laughing. Aidan patted me on the shoulder and appeared to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. “Ah, it’s going to be a good summer with you around, Moretti,” he said, and I glanced at Rhys to find him staring at where Aidan’s hand still rested on me. He looked vaguely bothered. Why did my stomach fill with butterflies to imagine him irritated by another guy touching me, even in such an inoffensive spot as my shoulder?

I wasn’t sure if Aidan was right about it being a good summer, but it was certainly going to be an interesting one.

***

My alarm went off at seven the next morning. The party wrapped up around eleven-thirty, so I was able to get a decent night’s sleep. I was still waking up intermittently though, my body getting used to the new routine.

I showered and dressed in the plain black pants and top Uncle Padraig left for me, my work uniform. He’d also shown me where the hotel was located yesterday, which was only a ten-minute walk from the house. I didn’t mind walking because it was such a pretty spot, and I could enjoy the scenery along the way.

I arrived at the hotel at eight, going around to the staff entrance at the back, though I had to ask one of the passing employees to point me in the direction of the kitchen. I found it easily enough and presented myself to the head chef, Moira, whose chili soup I’d enjoyed the night before.

I mentioned this as an icebreaker, and she smiled in delight. “Ah, yes, that’s one of my most popular dishes. The Balfes sometimes put an order in for a big batch that they can keep at home.”

“My relatives are clearly very smart people,” I said, and she chuckled.

“Come on, I’ll pair you up with one of the other porters, and they can show you the ropes for the day.”

She led me to the back of the kitchen, where a tall, broad shouldered, husky guy stood washing dishes. His back looked familiar, and then he turned around, and I saw who it was.

“Rhys! I didn’t know you worked here,” I said, pleasantly surprised to see him as a grin tugged at my lips.

His eyebrows jumped, a hint of embarrassment in his expression. “Charli? Uh, yeah, I’m working here for the summer.”

“Me, too.”

“Well, it appears you both know each other,” Moira said. “That’s good. Rhys, can you let Charli shadow you for the day to learn the ropes?”

He scratched the back of his head, seeming somewhat reluctant. “Are you sure? I’m cleaning out the freezer today.”

Moira glanced at me. “You don’t mind getting thrown in the deep end, do you, Charli?”

“I don’t think so,” I replied, suddenly hesitant. Just how bad was it to clean out a freezer? Well, it was going to be cold, but I could handle that. I’d survived through countless Boston winters.

“Great, I’ll leave you both to it. Come find me if there are any issues.”

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