by Toni Kelly
“They built the castle by thirteen hundred but it underwent a huge remodeling in the eighteenth century. The gardens have expanded over time. The home is used for weddings and events. I’m close friends with the coordinator and I’ve held several events here. The house is beautiful, but the gardens are my favorite.” Ethan set a blanket on the ground, then sat with their coffees and a bag of scones. “Have a seat. We’ve plenty of time.”
“You can feel the history here, the passage of centuries.” Maggie sat and accepted a raisin scone. “Handy you brought a blanket with you.”
“I love the outdoors. It’s not uncommon to find me snoozing in the middle of a field on a beautiful day.”
She shook her head. “Where I come from, big corporate execs don’t seem to make much time to snooze in fields.”
“I’d have to agree with you there. It’s a different mentality where you come from. Not worse, only different.” He handed her a coffee. “Go on, eat up. We’ve forty-seven odd acres to see and you’ll need your energy.”
“Forty-seven acres?”
“That’s near the size of the gardens.”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know. Forty-seven acres is no small tour. I might just have to come back to see the rest later. And the mansion.”
“You’d come back?” he asked, biting into a scone.
“Yes, I want to. Elsie lives here now and it’s beautiful. I know I’m going to miss it.”
Say it. Ask her to stay. “You could always rent a flat somewhere out here, or in Dublin. You don’t have to go back.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Because it is.”
Maggie stared down at her lap, picking at the scone in her hands.
“Look, Maggie. I don’t want you leaving here sad. Forgive my being an idiot. Why don’t we begin our tour?” Standing, he held his hand out to her.
“I’d like that,” she said, slipping her hand in his.
The next few hours touring the gardens passed faster than Ethan could have imagined. Maggie’s face lit up as he showed her the rose beds of the Walled Garden and the statues of the Italian Garden. She listened intently as he explained how the Walled Garden and the Dolphin Pond were two of Powerscourt’s oldest features. Her genuine enthusiasm for the estate surprised him even as it endeared her more to him. Miriam had made it clear she didn’t want to have anything to do with his interests and in his naivete, he’d accepted that as normal. With Maggie, he wanted to share everything.
As they stood beside the grotto near the Japanese Garden, she laughed as she stuck her hand into the water which trickled over the moss-covered walls. The sound of her laughter soothed and seduced, and more than anything, he wanted to kiss her. But he didn’t. Just as he didn’t tell her how he truly felt about her leaving. Was he ready to take that step? There was so much he wanted to say to her but the words stuck to his tongue.
Their time together ended far too quickly and the ride back to the airport was an uneventful blur. They drove in silence as the day turned gloomy, as if the clouds and sky could sense their unspoken thoughts. Before long, Ethan stood with Maggie outside the security gate at Dublin Airport.
“Thank you for an amazing time today.”
“Are you sure you want to leave?”
She turned to face him as they reached the end of the line. “It’s not about wanting to leave. I have to leave.” She bit her bottom lip and gave him a half smile. “This week has been the most incredible week of my life and I have you to thank. But I also learned a lot and I need to make some big changes in my life. Make sense?”
“What makes sense is this is important to you.” He caressed her cheek. “You take care, a thaisce.”
“You called me that once before. What does it mean?”
“Treasure,” he said. “It means you’re someone special. I hope you realize that.”
“I’m getting there.”
“That’s all I can ask for.” He bent and brushed his lips over hers, savoring the taste of coffee and mints. Then he turned and walked away, doubting his decision to let her go as he exited the airport and drove from Dublin back to County Wicklow.
As Ethan arrived at his cottage, he found Bryan reading a book on the porch. “The staff would have let you enter.”
Bryan stood and came to the porch railing. “Your groom offered. I rather enjoy the chill evening air.”
“I guess I must be growing predictable in my old age. It appears you didn’t bother going over to the main house. Aren’t you supposed to be off ravishing your new bride?”
“My new bride is sleeping like the dead after she woke up to wish Maggie off at the crack of dawn and spent the rest of the day cleaning and packing.” He lifted a white bag. “I was in the mood for takeout and I’m sure my little zombie will be delighted after the delicious scents hit her nose.”
Ethan climbed the stairs and slipped his key in his front door. “Tea?”
“Sure.” Bryan followed him inside. “Did Maggie get off okay?”
“Aye, I believe. Saw her to Security.”
“You didn’t stay to see if she got through.”
Ethan took out two mugs. “I’m not one for goodbyes. Besides, she’s made her choice.”
“A coward’s excuse.”
His gut flexed and he clenched one of the mug’s handles. “I’ll refrain from hurting you only because I don’t want to ruin Elsie’s honeymoon.”
Bryan laughed. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate your consideration. I’m serious though. Why’d you let her go? I know you love her.”
Ethan hesitated. There was no use denying the obvious. “And? I asked her to stay. Practically offered her the world. What more do I do?”
“Did you really do all you could to keep her? You offered her an opportunity to fit in your world, but she has a life and it’s obvious she’s tired of being the sole giver in relationships.”
Put that way, maybe he hadn’t done everything he could have. “You’re right. Still, I know she needed time to herself. I could feel how important it was to her. She flat out admitted it.”
Bryan nodded. “Understandable. With everything that happened this week between you two. Not to mention, Miriam and Rick.”
“If I see that arsewipe– Damn it.” Ethan ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost her. She should have locked him up for good.”
“I don’t know. Maggie who came to Ireland might have locked him up because she was scared witless but Maggie who left…I don’t see her being scared of anything.”
“It’s amazing how she transformed in one week.” Or even how he fell in love with her in such a short time.
“I think this week was a tipping point. Change was in the works for some time.”
“Maybe.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Give her time.”
“And?” Bryan pushed.
Ethan turned to meet his friend’s gaze. “And I’ll stop being a coward.”
* * * *
Maggie rubbed her eyes as she stared at a presentation board across her office. Her latest ad campaign for a new cologne consisted of one very handsome, blue-eyed male trudging through the wilderness in next to nothing. Only she could have sworn his blue eyes flashed to a mossy green and his brown hair deepened to ebony. Ethan.
Who was she kidding? The past couple days she’d been imagining Ethan everywhere. Her insides felt hollow without him, without Ireland. She’d ordered shepherd’s pie from the pub down the street for the past two days in a row. She hadn’t even eaten shepherd’s pie in Ireland but something about it coming from an Irish pub soothed her. Hell, next she’d take up drinking Guinness and singing U2 songs in karaoke bars. What a mess. And yet all she wanted to do was go home and watch movies like Dear Frankie, P.S. I Love You and Leap Year. Sure, there were some Scottish or English actors in those films but they did a decent job at imitating the Irish brogue and she was a complete glutton for romance.
>
She reached out and picked up a little snow globe sitting on her desk. Inside sat a miniature, snow-covered Dublin. A silly souvenir from the airport, but a reminder of Ireland nonetheless. She put down the snow globe and leaned her elbows on her desk.
Outside, the palm trees swayed in the warm breeze. With the approach of fall, Phoenix cooled to a toasty ninety-seven degrees. Ugh. She didn’t want heat and dry brush. She wanted humidity and greenery and fifty degree weather. Served her right, walking away from the one man she truly loved. She could admit that easily now, when no one else was around to witness her humiliation. How’d she fall in love with a guy in one week?
Her co-worker Katie popped her head inside the office. “Hey, Jim said to let you know the staff meeting has been canceled today.”
“Thanks.” She shook her head and glanced down at her desk. Numbers and graphs blended into one big blurry ball.
“Is everything okay?” Katie took a step forward. A frown line formed between her dark eyes. Her obvious concern wouldn’t be so bad, but anything she was told would be fed to gossip mongers.
“Why do you ask?”
“I know you’ve only been back a few days, and you’re probably still jet-lagged, but you seem different somehow. Are you still upset about Rick?”
“Rick?” Maggie rubbed her temple. What was Katie going on about?
“You know, Rick, your handsome ex?”
If only she knew. “He is definitely not worth being upset over.”
“Oh.” Katie sat on the edge of her desk. “What happened?”
Maggie sighed. “Nothing I want to discuss.”
Katie dusted the front of her skirt off, suddenly appearing awkward. “I understand.”
“Sir, you can’t enter our offices,” the receptionist outside her office said in a loud voice. “This is a private area. Please leave or I’ll be forced to call security.”
Maggie rose at the panicked note in the receptionist’s voice.
“Maggie. Where is she?” the man asked.
Lord, it couldn’t be, but it sounded like him. “Ethan?”
Katie, who now stood in her office doorway, turned to face her. “You know him?”
Maggie walked to the entryway, her stomach twisting as her heartbeat galloped. Ethan stood amongst several rows of cubicles, dashingly handsome in a charcoal gray suit and a blue, collared shirt.
“He’s gorgeous,” Katie murmured.
Without a doubt he was, and Maggie forced control over herself to keep from running and flinging her arms around him.
“Maggie?” He faced her, held her with his gaze.
She cleared her throat and stepped out of her office. “What are you doing?”
One side of his mouth curved up. “Right now I’d say I’m at the point of being dragged from this ad agency.” His expression went serious as he weaved around cubicles, making his way toward her. “I’m not leaving until you tell me to go.” He stopped in front of her, lifted a hand and cupped her cheek. “Do you want me to go? I know you said you needed time, but I need you. And since your home is here, I had to come to you.”
She shook her head, too stunned to speak. Did she imagine this too?
“Kiss him, Maggie,” Katie said from behind her.
Ethan laughed. The deep sound rolled over her. “I’m throwing out a lifeline here. You’ve got to be the one to make a decision. What do you want, Maggie? Do you want to stay here? If it’s the advertising, I’d happily make you a key player in Moore Hotels’ marketing. If you plain and simple like Phoenix, then I guess I’ll have to learn to love the sun.”
“You’d give up Ireland for me?”
“I’d give up anything for you. I’m sorry it took me this long to admit it. And you, what do you want?”
“I want you,” she said, knowing she spoke the truth. “I don’t know how it happened so fast, but I love you, Ethan.”
“God, Maggie. I love you too.” He pulled her to him, laid his mouth on hers. The kiss was passionate and deep and perfect. And somewhere within her, Maggie could feel she belonged here with him. “I’ll take the kiss as a sign you want to be with me,” he said.
“On one condition.”
A dark brow arched in question. “What is it?” Ethan asked.
“We live in Ireland.”
His expression went serious. “Are you sure, Maggie?”
Maggie smiled and hooked her arm with his. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
About Toni Kelly
http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=authors&authors_id=198
Toni Kelly’s background is a mix between Ireland and the Caribbean, something which has always fascinated her. Growing up in a household where dinner could be pilaf rice and curry chicken while dessert was Terry’s Orange chocolate and Earl Grey tea left her mind wanting to delve into the myths and magic which lay in these two cultures and many more.
When time permits, Toni loves to travel and explore the world bit by bit. She is fluent in English and Spanish and teaching herself Italian. Toni loves incorporating her experiences in travel–even if they are just scents, sights and tastes–into her writing. Come explore the world with her.
Toni’s Website:
www.toni-kelly.com
Reader eMail:
[email protected]
Need more Irish? Check out these titles in the Irish Collection,
from Lyrical Press:
http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=Irish
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