Page 16 of Beneath Pearly Irish Skies
As she passed the animals again on the way back to her cottage on O’Hanlon land, she caught sight of more words.
Pretty. Girl. Smile.
Her arms rippled with goose bumps, and she found herself thinking of the first day they’d arrived in Ireland. Carrick’s poetic sheep had greeted them. She’d seen a message then too.Here. Be. Good.It had given her chills, much like the cows’ message today.
Maybe there was something to those scary-looking cows, after all.
She was cleaning up their breakfast dishes when she heard Liam’s motorcycle roar out front. Moments later, he was knocking on the door and calling her name as he let himself in, something she was mostly getting used to.
“I’m in the kitchen,” she called out.
He appeared with a wry grin and a bottle of milk and a gift bag in his hand. “You know… Maybe Keegan’s words aren’t complete rubbish. When I passed by coming here, I saw some grand words.Lovely. Date.That’s what I’m having tonight with a girl in Crossmolina on this fine Friday. Met her at a barbeque last weekend.”
“You seem to like dating,” Megan commented as she wiped her hands off with a towel.
“What’s not to like? I get to spend time with a beautiful woman. Learn about her. Romance her. Enjoy her.”
“Do you want some tea?” she asked, and he nodded. “You don’t mind it not being permanent?”
“What’s permanent, really?” Liam grabbed two mugs from the cupboard. “You would know that better than most people. I don’t mean to sound crass. I figure we have people in our lives as long as we’re meant to. Sometimes it’s of our choosing. Sometimes it’s not. You know me. I try to live in the moment, especially after I lost my dad so young. The other stuff—the planning and the hoping for and the worrying over—is only wasting energy until it’s right in front of you.”
She filled the kettle, her mind struggling to process it all.
“You want to tell me what’s bothering you?” He pulled out some Lyons teabags and plunked them in the mugs. “If you’ve centered your clay, I would think your problems are over.”
She wouldn’t call Kade a problem. Her chest tightened as if there were a vise around it and part of her was struggling to break free. “I don’t know that I should say.”
Except whom else could she confide in? She and Angie were doing better in their relationship, but she couldn’t imagine talking to her about this. They’d decided to let each other live their own lives without any sisterly interference or comment, and Angie was too involved in her past with Tyson not to have a strong opinion.
“Why not?” He came over and put his hands on her shoulders. “I know we’re long-lost cousins, but I think we’re also good friends.”
“Me too,” she said, the bonds around her chest easing a moment. “But you’re also good friends with the person I need to talk about.”
He smiled, a rich and enchanting smile. “At last! You and Kade.”
She pressed her hands to her face. “How did you—”
“I have eyes, don’t I?” He tapped his temples as if to punctuate the point. “I know Kade well, and I’m starting to know you. You’re a good fit for each other.”
“But—” The kettle’s whistle blew, startling her.
“Let’s have our tea and sit,” he said, taking over the preparations.
When they were situated in the front parlor, she rose to turn on a light. The skies were gray, making the cottage feel small and gloomy. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Start at the beginning,” Liam said, “and then see where it takes you.”
She told him about centering her clay with Kade at her side. Her voice broke when she reached the part about the memories it had unleashed, including her revelation that meeting Tyson had knocked her off her center. “I hadn’t remembered that until the other day, and it broke my heart. It also made me angry, likeI want to throw somethingangry.”
“Maybe youshouldthrow something,” he said, blowing the steam coming off his mug. “There’s an infinite amount of rocks on the beach. I’ve always found it therapeutic to hurl them into the sea and listen to them crash against the other rocks in the shallows.”
Megan touched the edge of the small table and studied her cousin. “You don’t strike me as an angry person.”
“I wouldn’t say I am as a rule,” he said, sipping his tea. “But I have been. When a girl I was dating went out with another guy in Inniscrone. When my dad died. When Wyatt and Rhys left for South Africa because they couldn’t handle living here without him being around. We all get angry, Megan. The trick is to let it out before it hurts us. From the look of it, you have a lot to be angry about. Maybe it’s time to let it out.”
“And what about Kade?” she asked, gripping the table’s edge.
“Isn’t he your friend? Liking him doesn’t change that. Just talk to him. He’s one of the best listeners, and he’s known for his patience. The question is: do you want to start getting to know him in a different way?”
