Page 13 of An Irish Kiss
“Very quiet.How was your day?”
“Much the same.”
Mam nodded.“Are you here for dinner tonight?”
She hesitated.“I’m not sure.”She often had a meal with her mother and sister, but the lure of Story Time was strong.
“It looks like we’ll get some more rain soon,” Mam said.
“When do we not?”
“I don’t think that young Australian man realised just how quickly the weather can change.I heard him earlier when I was downstairs telling Aisling that he was going to visit the old castle.”
Was that part of his quest to learn more about the history?Part of her itched to follow him, to find out.Another part knew that was a bad idea.She bit her lip.
“What’s that look for, Rory?”
She wrinkled her nose, then told her mother something of the ups and downs of the past twenty-four hours.
“Oh Rory, you didn’t.”
She winced.“I know.It was wrong.But I was just thinking about some of those tourists we’ve had come here in the past who seem to think we’re all backward and quaint, simply because they live in a city and their ancestors lived here once so they then have the nerve to call themselves Irish.”
“I don’t think Aidan is like that at all.He seemed most respectful, from what I overheard him say to Ash.”
Obviously she was now going to have to talk to her sister to find out exactly what had been said.She kissed her mother’s cheek and said she had to go downstairs.
Down in the reception area she found her sister playing solitaire on the computer.“No university work yet?”
“There no doubt will be plenty, once we get past the first week.”
Right.She might be only three years a graduate herself, but she’d forgotten when classes started.And given her sister had organised her classes so she needed to stay in Cork three days a week, it was hard to keep up sometimes.But still, she seemed to be enjoying her degree in social sciences.She hoped her sister would have more clarity about what to do with her life than Rory had experienced.This trying her hand at different things and hoping for the best was challenging.
“So, good day?”
Her sister reiterated what her mother had said.“But I did have a little chat with your Aidan.”
“He’s not my Aidan,” she scoffed.
Her sister eyed her.“He was asking about you.”
Her heart flickered.“He was?”
“Mm.But seeing he’s not your Aidan then I guess you wouldn’t care to know what he said.”
Oh, that smirk on her sister’s face was one hundred percent enough to not make her want to ask.But then, maybe she wouldn’t have to ask.Not if she found him herself.
“I’m going for a walk.”She clicked her fingers and Rover came running.
“He’s gone to the old castle, if you want to see him.”
Her cheeks heated.“I don’t.”
Her sister laughed.“You forget I’ve known you all my life, and I know what that blush means.”
“Just ignore her,” she said to Rover.“You’ll learn things are easier when you don’t pay attention to what she says.”
“That hurts, Rory.But hey, if you find him at the castle, you can thank me later.”
