Page 112 of The Bossy One

Isat on the back patio and watched Catie off in the distance, studiously digging for bugs. It had been three days since Olivia had left. Catie and I were doing our best to build a routine around the Olivia-shaped hole in our lives.

I was back to being the responsible adult, which meant keeping cookie consumption to a healthy level and encouraging outdoor play over screen time. Olivia had been right about that. I didn’t want Catie to suffer just because I’d fucked everything up.

And by everything, I meaneverything.

Thomas had been furious when he found out what I intended to do with the O’Rourke mansion. He’d accused me of sabotaging the town’s economy and community for my own private crusade. Worse, he didn’t believe me when I said that I’d kept him out of the loop for his own benefit. He felt used.

The last time I’d driven through the village, there had been a tiny girl and her grandma standing in front of the O’Rourke mansion with signs that said Save Our Festival.

Everyone thought I was the villain in this saga.

I might have cared more if I didn’t miss Olivia so damn bad. Anil innocently teased me about her in our video call the day after we broke up. Apparently, my face had been so distraught, he thought she’d died or something.

The previous night I’d found myself watchingThe Deer and the Warriorlate at night after Catie went to bed. Maybe it was the whiskey or the truly terrible dialogue, but when Fionn came back from battle and found his bride gone, I’d cried like a baby.

Not that I’d ever, ever let anyone know that.

My phone buzzed with an incoming call. I recognized the number as Sinead’s rehab facility. For a second I just stared at it. I’d been avoiding having a real conversation since I found out who Catie’s biological dad was. It had been easy, since mostly she wanted to talk to Catie. But this wasn’t Catie’s bedtime.

“Hello?” I said, trying to keep my voice light. I’d decided I didn’t want to make her talk about Seamus if she didn’t want to. I didn’t want to bring up anything that would make her recovery harder.

“Mum’s worried about you,” Sinead said. “She said the whole town hates you because you’re going to destroy the old O’Rourke place. I can’t believe Olivia dumped you at an airport. It’s likeLove Actually, but depressing.”

I groaned. “How did Mum know about the airport?”

“She didn’t. Catie told me that part. She’s very proud she used the f-word correctly.”

“Sorry about that,” I said.

Sinead shrugged it off. “She’s a Byrne. She was going to start swearing eventually. But seriously. How are you?”

My instinct was to assure her I was fine. I didn’t want anyone worrying about me, especially Sinead. I was used to being the tough, capable older brother she could lean on in a crisis, not the other way around.

But I needed advice. And Sinead was the only person I trusted to give it.

So I told her the whole unflattering story. I told her about all the fights Olivia and I had been having, including the one about Seamus, and how they all centered around the same big thing—she thought I was living in the past, and I thought she was scared to face her past so she could actually build a future.

“You get why I have to raze the mansion, right?” I said. “After what he did to Da?”

“I get why you want to,” Sinead said carefully. “Believe me, I want him hurt too. He smirked at me a few days after Da’s funeral, and I almost stabbed him with a pocketknife.”

I smiled at the image. That was Sinead. Tough as nails.

“I don’t know if Olivia’s right, about you living in the past,” Sinead said. “But you shouldn’t destroy that old house, Declan. If you hurt a bunch of innocent people just because you’re putting your family above everyone else…that’s a slippery slope. And at the end of that slope are people like Mark O’Rourke.”

I opened my mouth to argue. Then I shut it.

I’d asked Sinead for her advice. And she’d served me an uncomfortable truth that was going to keep me up all night.

“How are you handling the break-up?” she said, her voice softer now.

I opened my mouth to make a joke, but what came out was, “I thought loving her would be enough.” I hunched over, staring blindly at the ground. “I’ve never fallen in love before. Maybe I did it wrong.”

Silence fell on the other end of the line, like she was searching for something helpful to say.

“Sometimes it’s not just about loving someone. You need them to love youandmake the healthy changes you’re asking for in order for a future together to seem possible,” Sinead said at last. She took a deep breath, then continued. “I loved Seamus when we were young. He was fun and nice to everyone and always made me feel taken care of when we were hanging out. But he also turned into a wimp around his dad. The worst side of him always came out when he was trying to live up to Mark’s expectations.”

I wasn’t sure what any of that had to do with my situation. But she was finally opening up about Seamus, so I held my tongue.

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