Page 4 of Mistletoe Season
“Did you know Sheryl’s in Cancún?”
He nodded. “From her Instagram, it looks like they’re having a great time.”
“She’ll be so glad to see you.” Emmy put her hands in her pockets. “She’s always showing me pictures of your adventures. Have you finished renovating the castle?”
“Aye.”
Emmy glanced at him. “Nice Irish accent.”
“Twenty-four years in Ireland will do that to a lad.”
“I do detect some southern drawl mixed in.” She grinned. “It makes you sound a little exotic.”
“That would be aweebit exotic, lass.” He chuckled as her smile widened and they continued walking. He glanced down at her again. He wasn’t all that tall, about five eight, but she barely reached his shoulder. “Anyway, back to the castle. Took me over fifteen years, but it’s finally done.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize you’d owned it that long,” she said. “What’s it like, living in a castle?”
He tapped his fingers against the box. “Well, for fourteen and a half years it was unlivable. The six months I did live there... let’s just say it wasn’t exactly cozy. So I sold it.”
Her head jerked toward him. “Why? It’s been in your family for four hundred years.”
“Four hundred and fifty, to be exact, although it’s changed hands over the last thirty.” Kieran shrugged. “Turned out there was a reason the O’Neills didn’t want it. Living in a castle isn’t practical, and it’s expensive. When I got an offer from a hotel chain, I didn’t hesitate to sell.”
She sidestepped an uneven crack in the sidewalk. “But you put so much time and effort into it.”
“And money.” A whole lot of money, even though he did much of the work himself, which was why it had taken him so long to renovate it. He was proud of the restoration, but he didn’t regret unloading it. Actually, it felt like a huge burden was lifted off his shoulders.
“Do Sheryl and your mom know?”
“Not yet... That would be another surprise.” He just hoped they wouldn’t be too upset about it. His mother in particular had been excited that Kieran had bought the castle, although she was a little less impressed when she had spent two drafty weeks living there last year. Castles certainly weren’t for everyone.
He and Emmy turned the corner onto Evergreen Way. Although it had been more than two decades since he’d last been here, the downtown area still looked the same at Christmas, with thousands of twinkling lights hanging on every building, window, and streetlamp. Wreaths were everywhere, and of course sprigs of mistletoe hung from all the doorways. As they passed the Mistletoe Diner, a couple stopped for a quick kiss before leaving the eatery. There was probably more kissing in Mistletoe during Christmas than in any other town in the country.No, make that the world, he thought as he spied another couple giving each other a peck.
“I wasn’t surprised when Sheryl told me about the castle,” Emmy continued. “Or that you moved to Ireland after backpacking through Europe for a year.”
“Two years, actually,” he said.
“That’s right.” She glanced at him. “You were always the adventurous type. Remember the time—”
“I got caught skinny-dipping in the Mistletoe water tank?” At her nod, he gave her a sheepish grin. He would never live that down.“Number one on my wall of shame. I was such an idiot for taking that dare. I learned my lesson.”
“No more skinny-dipping?”
“Not in water tanks, anyway.”
She laughed. “Still naughty, I see.”
“I prefercheeky.” They stopped in front of the post office.
“I can take it from here.” She lifted the box out of his hands. “Thanks for the help.”
Kieran looked at her. “It’s good to see you, Emmy.”
She smiled. “Good to see you too. I’m glad you were able to come for Maggie’s birthday. I know it’ll mean a lot to her.”
He nodded, although that didn’t help his guilt. What kind of son didn’t visit his mother for twenty-six years? Even though he’d flown his mum, along with Sheryl and her husband and kids, over to Ireland several times, he’d always been too busy to come back to Mistletoe. Correction—he’d never wanted to come back.
“See you around, Kieran.” Emmy wiggled her fingers at him and went inside the post office.
