Page 87 of Against Ebony Irish Seas

“I’m the ideal soulmate,” he shot back with a grin. “Now, I really think we should celebrate. There’s a bottle of champagne in the fridge. Isn’t that what you said the French would do?”

She hid a smile, not bothering to say the French had it daily, like they would a cheese plate. “Yes, I believe I am feeling in a celebratory mood. Let me check one more thing.”

Clicking back to Ghislaine’s report, she looked for local media and organizations. Her mouth parted. There were already three hundred messages of support for her from groups like the Irish Artists Forum and Irish Women and the Arts as well as some key media and TV and film celebrities. Ghislaine had included, verbatim, a top tweet by a national Irish politician.

Women in Ireland experience violence aplenty. It is wrong and something we need to fix. The recent case of American artist Sophie Giombetti is appalling, and the local Garda should be investigated for their complicity in not upholding the laws of the Republic. Ireland supports the arts. It is our history.

“Do you recognize his name, Jamie?”

“He’s the head of one of Ireland’s biggest political parties,” Jamie said softly. “I wouldn’t put my hat on it, but it’s a good step in the right direction.”

Her brain was fried. She set the phone down. “I want to start feeling really optimistic, but part of me is scared.”

Jamie plucked her phone up. “Understandable. But this is going better than we could have imagined. Oh, look! Keegan O’Malley’s sheep have their own hashtags.”

She laughed as she read, “#SheepAreSmarterThanHaters and #SheepforSophie.”

He pulled up a tweet. “Hey! This sheep farmer from Scotland painted his sheep with #ISupportSophie. Wait! There are more sheep farmers joining in and spraying sheep with positive words and sayings. Carrick will love that, seeing how he started it. Isn’t that wonderful,mo chroí?”

Oh, she was a mess. She wiped away more tears, her heart glowing, because if things continued on this way, Greta would be able to come home soon. “After this, Jamie, I might need to buy a few sheep. January might not be enough for me. It’s turning into a love affair.”

His face was a mass of comic angles. “Saints preserve us! I love you more than the stars above, but don’t ask me to do sheep. They’ll be eating our yard up and escaping like the crazy animals they are.”

She kissed his bicep, trying not to laugh out loud at his exaggerated horror. “We can visit Carrick’s sheep then.”

“Oh, thank heavens!” He slumped back against the pillows with his hand over his forehead. “My life flashed before my eyes.”

The laughter felt good. Cleansing even.

“How about I help you come back to earth?” she asked as she slid onto him.

He lifted his hand, as if shielding himself from the sun. “I’d be most grateful. My bones are still trembling from fear.”

Taking him into her after they took precautions, she smiled as she started to move. There was a lot she still didn’t understand about Ireland, sheep, and Jamie Fitzgerald, but she knew one thing.

She loved all three.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

When Liam texted about needing his help putting up a curtain, Jamie knew something was wrong.

One, Liam was handy with a hammer on a ladder on his own.

Two, Brady and Declan lived with him, and he could easily ask them for assistance.

Three, it was Sunday morning, and usually a time of rest for everyone, himself included.

Still, he kissed Sophie softly, breaking her out of her social media trance, and told her that he needed to go to Summercrest Manor.

“I won’t be long,mo chroí,” he said, running his hand over her silky dark hair. “Respond to as much as you can online, because when I return, we’re going for a drive and a spot of lunch.”

Wincing, she tucked the phone to her chest. “I know I’ve been going nonstop, but there’s so much to respond to. Ghislaine says big media requests are starting to roll in. American news programs likeGood Morning Americaand a whole slew of others in Ireland, Britain, and Paris, of course. Some even want to interview Keegan O’Malley about the sheep.”

“That’s grand, Sophie. We need more feel-good stories like that.”

She nodded. “Jamie, it would mean being away for a week probably. I’m still thinking about it. Especially since I want Greta to come home as soon as possible. Once I get on the roller coaster…”

“If it’s good for you and the center—and to help raise awareness about this issue—then you should go. I’d come with you, but I don’t feel right about taking more time away from school.”

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