Page 90 of An Unexpected Holiday
Penelope flinched, then laughed at her own behavior as she caught Finn’s eye. “And so it begins,” she whispered to him, as he mouthed the words “Penny-pops,” obviously loving it.
Teddy released his daughter, pulling Finn into a hearty handshake and a half hug. “Glad to finally meet you. I can’t say my daughter has told me much about you. But Martha certainly has,” he winked at Penelope.
She, in turn, rolled her eyes, pronouncing “Dad” without actually parting her teeth.
“Come in; come in.” Marth ushered them into the house. “Make yourselves at home. Well, obviously, it is Penny’s home. But make yourself comfortable, Finn. We have some hors d’oeuvres.”
The amount of preparation her parents had gone to was equally endearing and embarrassing. She noticed that the house had been cleaned to a higher standard than usual. Knowing that if she dared to open the closet door, a spill of clutter would no doubt fall on top of her. They also had an uptight air about them she’d never seen before.
“Mom, he’s Irish, not French. You can just say snacks.”
“That sounds wonderful, Mrs. North. Thank you for your hospitality.”
For that matter, so did Finn.
“Oh, please, call me Martha. What a wonderful accent,” Martha added, momentarily flustered.
It took everything in Penelope not to groan. These were the people she loved most in the world, and they were all acting weird. She wanted them to get to know each other for who they were, not this strangled version of themselves.
Martha, aware of her daughter’s embarrassment but not letting it faze her, continued, “Well, would you like the snacks by the pool or…?”
“Pool?” Finn cut in, unable to help himself. “You have a pool?” His delight was more than apparent. His eyebrows rose as he seemed to add it to the growing list of new things he was learning about her.
“So does Bonnie.” Penelope shook her head dismissively. “And she has a lot bigger one. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“You never mentioned a pool,” Finn continued, already following Marth as she led the way to it.
“I really don’t see why Penelope had to book you into an inn. We’re modern people. We would have let you share a room here,” Martha continued, grabbing a platter while Finn slid the door open for her.
“Uh, ‘cause maybe I didn’t want him spending the night in the room still decorated by my teenage self,” Penelope declared.
Part of her loved the surreptitious look that passed between Martha and Finn as his head whipped towards her, and she nodded back. The more significant part of her was mortified, though. This was going to be more embarrassing than she’d anticipated.
Luckily, the rest of the night went smoothly. Once they reached the subject of teaching, they found their stride. Herparents had a million questions about the school system in Ireland. And Finn seemed happy to answer all of them, coming back with a few of his own questions. Penelope was finally able to relax. Happy that the topic had moved away from her, she was content to sit back and let them do most of the talking.
Each of her parents also managed to work in some alone time with Finn. Her mother, using a tour of the house as her excuse. Her father showed him around the garage and the yard. It was evident by the time they left that both were smitten.
By seven, Penelope was making their excuses, though. “It’s getting late. We still have to check in, Mom. We can meet up again tomorrow. But I’d really like a chance to show Finn downtown before everything closes.”
“She has a point,” Teddy agreed, seeing that his daughter was going to need some backup.
“All right,” Martha said begrudgingly. “I suppose there is tomorrow. And we’ll be at the wedding too.”
“See, there you go,” Penelope said, dragging Finn towards the door. “Plenty of time.”
Penelope tried to make checking in and dropping the bags a quick process. The temptation of a room all to themselves, with no one around to interrupt, was very strong. But she had other things she wanted to show him. And time was short.
“I still don’t see why we couldn’t have just stayed in for the…” Finn was saying as they rounded the corner and came upon the main street that was downtown. “Oh. This is charming.”
“See, I knew you’d like it. Come on, let’s get a drink.” This was Penelope’s intention all along. Martha and Teddy were great, and they had nothing against alcohol, but there was no way they were going to let them have a few drinks and drive to the inn. When Martha offered wine, Penelope knew it was a trap and declined for both of them.
“Well, that is the way to an Irishman’s heart.” Finn’s pace increased as they approached the Social District.
“I hope so,” Penelope mumbled under her breath.
The street they approached was, as Finn put it, “charming.” The little shops that now inhabited the old brick buildings of a century past were unique and inviting. Some were selling chic clothes, while others offered upscale kitchen supplies, and, of course, a few sold sweatshirts for tourists to take home as souvenirs. There were also three coffee shops as well as a bakery. The smell of fried food lingered in the air.
“See how the road is closed down there and all the tables are out? They do that in the summer. It gives locals and tourists more outdoor seating.”
