Page 1 of Heart Strings
Prologue
Lo
March
“If you’re bringingme out to the middle of nowhere to kill me, can you please hurry it up? I have study group at six.” I shout to be heard over the wind and the rumble of the old scooter’s engine.
My arms cinch around my cousin’s waist as she leans the Lambretta into a sharp turn. The tiny woman has a death wish driving around on this thing.
“We’re almost there,” Lark says with a laugh.
The quaint, bunting-lined cobblestone streets of Galway’s city center gave way to gentle hills and bright clusters of hawthorns twenty minutes ago, as her vintage scooter sped deeper into the Irish countryside. Spring is beautiful in Ireland, but when Lark asked me to hop on the back of her scooter to check out her wedding venue, I didn’t expect it to be quite so far. I’d only allocated an hour and a half for the errand, marking it in my calendar app between the cadaver lab and study group.
“Besides,” she adds in a light Texan drawl that reminds me of home, “if I wanted to get rid of you, Callum could make your body disappear way easier than I could.”
I will never get over the fact that my bubbly, blonde cousin is engaged to an undertaker. A fantastic guy, if a bit on the quiet side. The last person you’d picture with someone who enthusiastically sings along to theBeauty and the Beastsoundtrack. Proof that sometimes opposites do attract.
A dense row of birch trees has lined the last few miles of the road, and then it breaks. Sunlight warms my bronze skin as we turn at the gap between the trees and pass under an arch emblazoned withCastle Teachan.
“You’ll lose your mind when you see this place.” Lark’s eyes bounce to mine from behind her helmet’s visor.
A massive, multistory castle comes into view. Granite parapets and a pair of towers frame a huge carved wooden door. Wrought-iron lanterns line either side of a winding driveway and dozens of windows glint in the afternoon light. How many rooms does this place have?
Lark kills the engine and smacks a pink cowboy boot into the kickstand. I shake out my thick brunette bob. We crane our necks, following the rise of the building against the cloud-scattered sky. Okay, color me impressed.
“Really taking this whole Disney princess thing to the max, huh?” I ask with a wry smile.
“Maybe it’s a little over the top.” Lark’s cowboy boots skip along the cobblestone drive. She circles a topiary by the fortified front door, seconds away from spontaneously breaking into song. I half-expect the china and furniture inside to pour out the double doors and join her in a musical number about the wonderof love. Chipper under normal circumstances, Lark’s basically been on good-mood steroids since getting engaged. “But look how pretty it is! Imagine an autumn wedding here.”
“Oh, it’s beautiful. Just surprised me. I thought you were bringing me to some cottage or farmhouse converted into a rustic banquet hall. Something more Pinterest and lessGame of Thrones. But this suits you.”
“Castles are surprisingly affordable to rent for events here. Callum and I figured the wedding party and out-of-town guests could stay there together for the weekend of the ceremony.”
I freeze. The best man’s been living in London since he scored a record contract and unceremoniously left me behind two years ago.
“Aidan, too?” I ask, voice neutral as possible. It’s been a while since the last time I said his name. Usually, if he must be mentioned, I refer to him as a charming anatomical euphemism.
“He is Cal’s closest male friend,” Lark reminds me. “Well, he’s kind of his only male friend.”
Aidan and I haven’t set foot in the same room since the breakup, but I was prepared to deal with being in close proximity to him for a few hours. With all the dancing, toasting, and crisis-averting expected of me as the maid of honor, along with the presence of my mom and extended family, there would be plenty of distractions to get me through the night. I’d even hoped that I might be able to forget my ex was there at all, so long as he didn’t grab a microphone and make a spectacle of himself. But I hadn’t counted on having to endure a whole weekend together, staying in the same beautiful castle.
Lark halts her twirling to stare up at me with apologetic eyes. I can do this. For Lark. I have six months to build defensesaround my heart before her wedding. Enough time to dig out a moat and stock it with hungry crocodiles, metaphorically speaking.
“A whole weekend with my ex? No problem.” I stretch my mouth into a smile.
She grimaces. “Lo, I know this is asking a lot. You have veto power if it’ll be too awkward. Family comes first, of course.”
It’s no secret that I feel some lingering bitterness toward my ex, the ostensibly romantic man who gave up the woman he supposedly loved without a fight.
Lark and Callum watched the romance blossom between me and Aidan. Thanks to all the time the four of us spent together, I know what Aidan means to Lark’s introverted fiancé. The two are different in countless ways, but a shared love of trad music cemented their unlikely bond. Aidan might’ve destroyed my belief in him at the very end of our relationship, but he has always been a solid friend to them. And I’m not about to dictate whom Callum can and cannot invite to be part of his own wedding.
Lark’s brows pinch together as she watches me mentally revisit the relationship we tiptoe around in conversation. She’s worried about me, but I’m fine. Better than fine. The attending physician actually remembered my name yesterday during roundsandI found the perfect bridesmaid dress on sale that hugs my body in all the right places and loves my curves as much as I do. She doesn’t have to worry about me. Fine is what I do.
“You can bring a plus-one, if you want.”
“Eh.” There have been hookups since Aidan. No relationships, or even situationships.
“What about that guy from your class? The one you said looks like Dev Patel.”
