Page 46 of Heart Strings
“Then it’s settled. We do it for gender equity.”
“You make stealing a hearse sound so noble.”
“Borrow,” I correct. “I intend to earn my ‘best man’ badge back after losing the ring—”
“Nearly losing the ring. It’s safe, and it wasn’t your fault.”
Our eyes linger on each other until she pulls her phone outand consults what I assume is her scheduling app. She shows me the screen. The wedding preparations and festivities fill almost the entire day, but we’re in the slim empty portion right now.
“Want me to come with you to pick up the hearse?” Lo asks. “So you won’t have to leave your car at their place? But I’m not driving the ghoul wagon through Galway.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“It’s not a big deal. We’ll make it back before breakfast.”
A few guests mill around the lobby of the castle, anxious for the morning buffet, as I wait for Lo to grab her keys.
“So how long do we have?” I ask as we walk to her car.
“Until about nine. That’s when we’ll start getting ready. We’ll have enough time, it’s only thirty minutes to their place,” she tells me as the fob chirps, and she opens the passenger door. I double-check my watch. It’s seven-thirty.
Sunlight spills through the cloud cover in brilliant patches, making the mist on the surrounding hills almost glow. It’s beautiful, but when I glance at Lo in the driver’s seat with the light haloing her, it’s that sight that makes my heart skip. The scent of her rosemary shampoo fills the enclosed space and a Mitski song plays on the stereo. I gently twirl her hair around my finger. It’s just long enough to wrap around my palm.
“I like your hair like this.”
“I like your beard.” She leans closer and adds, “But I miss the dimples.”
I’m torn between going full lumberjack and shaving it off completely. I let my knuckle graze the skin of her shoulder. Her eyes flutter, not quite closing as she soaks in the tiny caress.
“Stop distracting me,” she lightly admonishes, eyes on the road.
I rest a hand on Lo’s thigh like I’ve done a hundred times before. The chemistry between us is palpable. If anything, it’s even hotter than before.
We pull up to Willow Haven funeral home and Lo uses her spare to get inside and grab the hearse’s key. She spins the ring around her index finger victoriously. “See? Plenty of time to get back by breakfast.”
Chapter 18
Lo
As I followthe hearse back to Castle Teachan, a blur of white fills the road ahead, like a cumulus cloud floated down to earth.
As we head downhill, the flock of sheep comes into view. Woolly bodies pack into the narrow space between the stone walls lining the street, and Aidan slows the hearse to a stop as the animals are seemingly in no rush to vacate the only path. He taps the horn a few times, but they are unfazed.
Immediately, my light mood darkens with anxiety. I glance at my phone. Lark is gonna freak out if both the maid of honor and best man are missing. Not to mention my mom will notice if I’m not there for breakfast with the rest of the ladies in the bridal party. On instinct, I reach into my purse and pull out the crumpled bag of purple-free Skittles Aidan gave me.
Aidan steps out of the hearse and waves his arms at the sheep, but they remain unmoved.
My car door swings open with a squeak, and I hop out. “Want me to help chase them off?”
Ewes make up most of the herd, but a few rams carry theirtwisted horns high. I jog toward them, expecting them to scatter, but they just look annoyed and chew their cud right in the roadway. One bleats in defiance. “Come on! We have a wedding to get to,” I shout—not that they care about our plans, but maybe the noise will scare them off. But as soon as a few of them slowly disperse, the rest of the herd quickly refill the gap. This is going nowhere.
“Shoo! Shoo! Go on, now.” I throw up my arms as Aidan tries and fails to hold back a smile. Lord, that smile of his. “This is useless.”
“We’re still making good time. It’s only eight.”
“What if my mom needs me? Or Lark? What if we’re stuck here and late—”
“Hey, they’ll be okay for now. And the sheep will move. Eventually.”
