Page 78 of River
CHAPTER 21
Dangerous Ground
Noah
My first month on Fleur’s Farm went by way too fast.
Fleur was inspirational, and I was already forming friendships with her and the other workers here. It was a fun group with two sisters from the US who planned to run a horseback riding academy, a middle-aged gay man from London who spoke in a strong cockney accent that we couldn’t understand half the time, and a guy called Nigel from Northern Ireland.
Fleur was an introvert by nature, and although she taught us lessons daily and answered any question we asked, I still got the feeling that she preferred the company of animals over people. After dinner, the other students and I would socialize while she’d often withdraw to read or spend time with the pets that lived on the farm.
The farm was at least a hundred years old and had four long buildings with thatched roofing. The two barn buildings were white while the two wings of living quarters had a dusty red color. The four buildings faced each other in a square, creating a cobblestone courtyard in the middle with roses growing against the façades. Fleur lived in the main building, where the upstairs was her domain. Downstairs was the kitchen and living room, which served as common areas for all of us. The other students and I lived in the other red building where we each had a room and there were two shared bathrooms.
I’d just come back to my room after a long and satisfying day on the farm when a text from River popped up on my phone. I’d stared at it for minutes and thought of all the answers I wanted to write like:
“Oh, so now you want to talk?”
“Seven months later, you think you can just text me?”
“I moved on. Leave me alone.”
After getting up from my bed and sitting down again several times, I paced my room before finally throwing the phone on my bed like it was a piece of hot coal.
Excitement that River had thought of me mixed with anger with her for dumping me the way she had.
With a growl of frustration, I went to take a long shower to cool down. At least in the bathroom, I couldn’t text her back and say something I regretted.
When I was done showering, I picked up my phone again. Yup, the message was really there.
River: Hi. Are you back in Viking land?
She meant Norway, I knew that much.
Raking a hand through my hair, I huffed out air to steady my heart. Who was I trying to kid here? Of course, I was going to answer her. Maybe she could finally give me the closure I’d needed all these months.
Noah: No, I’m in Ireland.
She answered back right away.
River: Seriously?
Noah: Yes.
River: What part? I grew up around Dublin and could give you some tips.
Noah: I’m twenty minutes outside Limerick on the west coast
River: Are you visiting someone?
Noah: Yes.
River: A woman?
Her questions made me narrow my eyes. For her to ask me if I was visiting a woman indicated that she still had an interest in me. The angry part of me wanted to give her a reason to be jealous, but I was too damn honest to play mind games, so I went with the truth.
Noah: I told you about her. Fleur Linden. She’s the animal communicator.
River: Are you and she a couple now?
