Page 144 of Twist of Fate
“Sorry, darlin’. You’re doing a fine job, really.”
“Don’t try and sweet talk me. I know what you’re doing.”
“Oh, and what’s that?” I swear his voice drops an octave, and I feel it all the way down to my core.
I focus on the country road we’re on in the middle of…somewhere. It’s early summer, and I feel blissfully stress-free. It feels good. After the stressful first year of grad school, it’s like exhaling after holding my breath forever.
Given what we’re doing on this road trip, the fact that I’m in such a good mood speaks volumes about my mental health and how far I’ve come since moving here.
Over the last few days, we’ve been spreading my mom’s ashes all across Ireland. It’s been something I’ve been wanting to do for months but could never bring myself to do.
It was always the wrong time.
I couldn’t pick the right place.
And then, finally, Finn suggested this.
Why settle for just one location when there are so many? We could journey across the country to pay tribute to the woman who cherished this land almost as much as we cherished her.
We initially planned to take the Heritage Tour, but we didn’t want to place that kind of pressure on the poor tour guide, who ultimately ended up with the CEO on his bus.
That, and we didn’t exactly want a bus full of people surrounding us when we scattered her ashes.
So, we hit the road—just the two of us, and although I thought it would be a sad trip, it’s honestly been the opposite.
Every time we stop at one of my mom’s favorite places, I feel increasingly connected to her—like she’s right there with me. I’ve never been one to believe in fate—well, not until I ran into a certain Irishman on the street in Dublin—but I can’t help but think that my mom had a hand in guiding me here.
I glance at Finn for a moment. I did not clip a sheep. I wasn’t even close. “Making your accent so thick and calling me darlin’? That’s cheating?—”
“I can make my accent thicker?”
“Of course you can. You’re doing it right now!”
“Wow, it feels like a superpower I never knew I had. Now, I just need to figure out how to remove your knickers with a single thought, and all my life goals will be achieved.”
“Pretty sure my knickers coming off is rarely an issue when you’re around. Ripping on the other hand?—”
“Hey, I bought you replacements. Most of which are still intact. Oh, hey—turn here.”
I do as instructed, and something about this feels familiar. Then we see a sign. “Wait, where are we going?” We only have one destination left, which is my Aunt Lonnie’s, and we’re not due there until tomorrow. Today, we were supposed to drive to Shannon since I’d never been there, but we’re nowhere near Shannon. In fact, we’re headed for?—
“The Cliffs of Moher?” I ask as we pull into the parking lot about twenty minutes later. “What prompted the change of plans?”
He gives a nonchalant shrug. “The last time we were here, it was foggy. When we woke up and the weather was clear, I thought it might be a good time for a redo.”
“Oh,” I say. “Okay, cool.”
We get out of the car, both stretching our legs as I look around. “Oh, hey, look!” I point to the O’Connell buses in the distance.
“Bring back memories?”
“Shea once told me we should have had sex in the bus when it was parked like that.”
He laughs. “Oh, trust me. I thought about it.”
I walk around and meet him at the other side of the car. We walk side by side, just like we did the first time we were here, only this time he is able to hold my hand.
This time, we don’t have to pretend we aren’t falling for each other.
