Page 16 of The Bossy One

“That’s very generous of you, but if you could just listen to me—”

“Olivia, I have other things on my mind today. Do you have a problem following simple instructions?” Declan demanded.

In that moment, I almost hated him.

But I couldn’t lose this job. Icouldn’t.

So I made myself smile. “Galway it is. I’ll take your car.” The last thing I needed was some snooty staffer who was loyal to Declan following me around and reporting back to Declan about every move I made.

Maybe I’d find a nice park or museum in Galway that would work just as well for a quiet heart-to-heart. I didn’t trust my wrong-side-of-the-road driving ability enough to try to have a serious conversation while driving.

I returned to the breakfast table and feigned enthusiasm for Galway. Catie seemed at least mildly interested, and I tried to take encouragement from that as we finished our breakfast and got ready to head out.

The drive to Galway ended up taking half an hour. Declan’s sleek black car was the nicest thing I’d ever driven, but driving on the wrong side of the road made me feel like I was in a bad dream. When I realized the public park I’d spotted on my map was on the far side of the street, I chickened out and parked the car, deciding to stroll down Shop Street instead, until Catie and I found a cute café.

I had to admit, it was charming. Brightly colored old buildings lined the stone streets, populated by a mix of pubs, boutiques, and chain stores. Not the first thing I’d recommend to a jetlagged six-year-old missing her mom, but at least there was plenty to see, like a violinist busking in the street.

Catie stopped to listen. “Can we put money in his jar?” She pointed to a mostly empty jar that held one or two lonely bills.

“Sure,” I said, before I realized the only cash I had on hand was what Declan had given me. And the smallest bill he’d given me was a €50 note.

Catie looked up at me, waiting eagerly.

Well, he did say to give her whatever she wanted, I told myself as I passed her the €50. And Declan could certainly afford it. Catie crept closer to the violinist, then dropped the money in the jar and dashed back to me, grabbing my hand.

I smiled, and we kept walking. I loved this part, getting to know a new kid.

We passed a toy store. Catie craned her neck back to look at the shop window. “Can we go in there?”

“Maybe another time,” I said. I knew from experience that once a child got an exciting new toy, it tended to take up their whole focus for the rest of the day. “Oh, look, a bookstore!”

Catie perked up.

As we stepped inside, I fell in love a little. The whole place was decorated to look like a fairy tale, with a friendly stuffed dragon hanging from the ceiling and a magical forest painted on the walls. Catie dropped my hand and raced to the nearest shelf, yanking a book off it.

“Careful!” I cautioned.

“She’s fine,” the employee behind the register reassured me. She was a pretty, plus-sized young woman with bleached blond hair and a richly colored dragon tattoo that popped against her pale skin. She wore a cute graphic T-shirt for a band I didn’t recognize, and a big, warm smile. “We love enthusiastic customers.”

“Well, we’re definitely enthusiastic,” I said.

Another child approached Catie and asked about the book Catie was holding. Catie hesitated, holding the book protectively to her chest. I leaned forward, prepared to step in if it turned into a tug of war. But then Catie changed her mind and shyly offered the book.

The other child accepted it, and gave Catie a crumbling cookie from her pocket in return. Catie took a bite before I could stop her.

“Well. That looked hygienic,” the cashier said dryly, and I laughed. She continued, “Can I help you find anything in particular?”

“We’re just browsing,” I said.

“You sound American,” the woman said. Her name tag read Molly. “Are you on vacation?”

“Sort of. She’s visiting her uncle,” I nodded to Catie, who was now following the child with the pocket cookies to another bookshelf. “I’m her nanny.”

Catie bounded back to me. “How many books can I have?”

“One for today,” I said. “But we can come back another time and buy more.”

I could see the wheels turning in Catie’s head as she decided whether to accept that deal or start pouting. Luckily, she seemed to come down on the side of acceptance. She went back to the shelves and started seriously considering her options, while her new friend offered unsolicited opinions.

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