I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t mean to be rude, or turn down a generous offer—”
“—but I’m a complete stranger?” He finished for me.
I nodded.
“What if I told you we wouldn’t be alone?”
I knew I’d revealed my surprise when he laughed. “My assistant will be with us.”
“Your assistant?” Probably some beautiful woman.
He nodded and looked over my shoulder. I turned to see an older man with greying hair leaning up against the wall reading the paper. After a moment he glanced up, realized we were looking at him and gave me a small smile. He didn’t look like a murderer or accomplice. He looked like he had grandchildren at home. He was charming with his brown newsboy cap. I liked him instantly.
I turned back paused. “I don’t even know your name.”
He held out his hand, “Aiden Stewart.”
I shook it and smiled. “Charlie Avery.”
“That’s an unusual name…”
“For a girl?”
He nodded.
“It’s really Charlotte, but I’ve gone by Charlie my whole life. My mom’s favorite book had a heroine with the name Charlie and she loved it, but my dad wanted more to have a traditional name, so they compromised.”
“I like it.” He smiled, releasing those dimples again, and looked into my eyes. “So, do we have a deal, Charlie?”
I tried to play it cool but the way he said my name, low and velvety, melted my insides. I had to think clearly. I had no idea who this guy and his assistant were. I knew he was Lochish, worked at LochEnergy, talked sweetly to his mother, and loaned his helicopter to a woman in need. I hadn’t gotten any bad feelings about him, and my intuition was usually right.
Did I dare?
I could let my dad know I was taking a detour and make sure he could track me. Worst-case scenario, we get to the Cliffs and I find my own way to Galway. Best case, I get to see the cliffs and spend time with this man that sent my heart racing with each glance. The thought of leaving and having this be the end of my interaction with him wasn’t an option.
I listened to my gut and nodded once while hoping I wouldn’t regret this decision. I was here for a fun holiday. An adventure. I was going to be brave and step out of my comfort zone.
“I’ll go with you.”
2
Aiden
Half of me expected her to back out. I waited in the lobby of her hotel keeping my head down and hoping to blend in with the surroundings. It wasn’t uncommon for me to be recognized in Ireland, but for the most part, the people were gracious enough to leave me be.
An older woman walked by and I stepped aside to let her pass. I felt her eyes on me and turned my back in hopes she would assume she was mistaken.
“Excuse me?” Her shrill voice seemed to cut through my skin. I closed my eyes and faced her.
“Ma’am?”
She peered up at me and tilted her head. “Do you know which direction I should head for the bus stop?”
I let out my breath. “Yes, ma’am. I spotted one just a block up the road.” I pointed her in the right direction and smiled when she thanked me. I watched her shuffle down the sidewalk and relaxed.
“Do you always go around saving women?”
I lifted my head and smiled at Charlie. She was wearing jeans and a white blouse with a small blue bird pattern that fit her nicely. Her light brown hair was curled and cascading over her shoulders. She looked beautiful and not quite as uncertain and shy like at the pub the night before.
I shrugged. “The damsels are drawn to me.”
Her hazel eyes crinkled while she laughed. I decided at that moment her eyes were my favorite feature.
“Well then, my knight in shining armor, lead the way.”
If only she knew how close she was with that description, though, my mother would faint if she heard someone refer to me or any of her sons as mere knights.
“All right, my lady. Follow me.” I picked up her suitcase and led her out of the lobby and down the sidewalk to where George was waiting. The older man had a warm smile on his face as his eyes focused on Charlie behind me.
“Charlie,” Aiden said, “this is George, my driver.”
George stuck out his hand for her. “Pleasure to meet you, miss.”
She smiled at him and I could tell that she was sold on him. Most women were charmed by his folksy manner. George had a kind face and curly gray hair that was unruly under the hat he nearly always wore. I stopped making comments about his rotating collection of newsboy caps long ago since it was something that made him so endearing.
He opened the car door for her and she slid in with a smile. I got in on the other side and waited for George to get in the front. She turned me looking slightly suspicious.
“Who has a driver?”
I shrugged. “I do.”
She shook her head. “No, what normal person has a driver?”
I averted my gaze. “I'm not sure how to answer that.”
She sighed. “Okay fine. What do you do that requires you to have a driver?”
My eyes met George's in the rear-view mirror. He was smirking. He loved watching me squirm. When I told him last night that I'd met a girl I wanted to take around today he hadn't argued or asked any questions. He simply nodded and asked if she knew who I was. I’d told him no and I wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. He’d laughed and said it should be fun to watch. So grateful for his relentless support.
I said, “I run a business in Lochland and I’m involved in politics.”
Her eyes narrowed. “So, you’re important enough to have your own driver, but no security?”
She acted like she was mocking me, but little did she know it took several meetings and a winning argument for me to be able to travel on my own without being followed by armed men.
George laughed up front. “Is that all I am to you, Aiden? Just a driver?”
I chuckled and shook my head, but Charlie gasped. “Oh no! That’s not what I meant at all.”
George chuckled. “I’m teasing, my dear. I wouldn’t have a job if Aiden conquered his fear of driving.”
She watched me waiting for an explanation.
I shook my head. “He’s joking. You know you're more than that, old man.”
I turned to Charlie. “George has known me since I was in nappies. He worked for my parents first but took a liking to me. I'm lucky to have him as an assistant and driver. He also seems to love keeping me in my place.”
Charlie laughed and seemed to relax a bit. George caught my eye and I could see the laughter he was holding in. We’d pulled it off. For now.
I couldn't help but watch Charlie's reaction as we drove through the towns and vast expanses of open land. I felt like I was seeing the landscape for the first time.
The rolling hills of land made of patchwork plots of land seemed to go on forever in every direction. The sporadic barn or house was sprinkled around.
She gaped at the passing scenery. “It's so green, Aiden.”
“Yes, welcome to Ireland,” I said with a chuckle. It was called the Emerald Isle for a reason.
“No, you don't understand. I knew Ireland was green but it's so much greener than I expected.”
I fought the urge to laugh. I didn't want to make her feel embarrassed, but I was used to living around this.
“Look at how adorable these houses are!”
We drove past cottages with thatched roofs. Each one painted a different color. Pink, yellow, teal, lime green, and blue. It was charming.
She held her phone out snapping pictures as we drove. “It's magical. Like living in a storybook.”
I smiled. “If you think this is beautiful you need to see Lochland.”
She turned to me with narrowed eyes. “You and Lochland. I'm sorry that I don't have it on my itinerary.”
I smiled. “It just might be a place you’d want to see one day.”
She turned back to the window as we dr
ove through a larger town, Ennis. “I can't believe it actually looks like this.” She continued snapping pictures as we drove past the buildings. Each business was a different color than the one attached to the next with hand-painted signs over the door. “It really looks like something off of a postcard or from a book.”
After a few minutes, Charlie set down her phone. “Where are we heading to first?”
George looked over his shoulder to her. “We're heading to the Cliffs of Moher.”
Charlie bit her lip looking as excited as a child seeing a roller coaster for the first time. “It hasn't really sunk in that I'm here. That I'm really here. I dreamt about traveling abroad especially in Europe but I never had the chance growing up.”
“So, what finally brings you here?”
Her eyes flew to mine, and then she looked at her lap.
I continued, “Other than graduating college.”
She nodded. “I did an ancestry kit and found out that my mother's family is from here. I asked my dad about it, and he told me my grandparents lived here, so I wanted to see Ireland for myself.”
“So, you came to see the motherland?”
She laughed and I froze, mesmerized by the sparkle in her eyes. To say she was different from any girl I met would be cliché but it was true. She wore her emotions on her face, not hiding anything. Most of the girls I was around had everything staged. No word, no expression happened without precise planning. Charlie was unlike any of those girls, so I could tell she was holding back. There was a hurt in her I recognized. She mentioned the death of her mother the night before but there is something more. Something she might not have even been aware of.
She asked, “How close can we get to the cliffs?”
“Not as close as you used to be able to since they built a wall.”
She frowned. “So, we can't get close to the edge?”
“We can go within a few feet but there were too many fatalities so they put up a wall to protect visitors.”
She gasped. “People have died there?”
“Unfortunately, several have.”
She looked nervous.
“I promise it's completely safe. I won't let anything bad happen to you.”
I said those generic words but they sank deeper into me. What was it about this foreign girl? Something inside me recognized she was unique.
I wasn't normally one to introduce myself to strangers or go out of my way to include someone in my day. I was busy. I had responsibilities. It wasn't like I could take a few hours to do sightseeing. But when I met her last night, I knew I couldn’t just say goodbye. I couldn’t let her walk away. It just so happened that I was able to delay my flight back to the Lochland today. I would hear about it later from the office, but it would be worth it.
“Now don't you worry, ma'am,” George said. “We'll make sure that you're nice and taken care of. I even included a few jackets and windbreakers in the back in case it’s cold or raining up there.”
She looked out the window to the blue skies that were rare in Ireland
“We’re very lucky to have some sunshine today, but I have a feeling things will change the closer we get to the cliffs,” George added.
I’d never been at Cliffs of Moher when I wasn't getting pelted in the face with rain. I rarely visited though, despite it being one of my favorite places in the entire world. I was grateful Charlie was allowing me to experience it with her.
We drove up the final hill to where the cliffs’ ticketing booth marked the entrance. The sky had darkened and a cool mist had set in.
George rolled down his window and smiled at the woman inside. “Just have these two for a small tour.” He nodded to the back seat where I was sitting. The woman looked at me, her jaw-dropping slightly.
She began nodding aggressively. “Of course. Of course, go ahead and pull straight through and park on the right.”
Luckily, Charlie was too caught up in people watching to notice the exchange. She probably would have questioned why we were able to park up front while the rest of the public had the park off to the left and walk a ways further.
George got us a front-row parking spot and jumped out to open Charlie’s door. It was windy, my jacket flew open the second I stepped out of the car, but at least it wasn't raining.
She got out, rubbing her arms covered only by her thin blouse. “It's a bit colder than I expected.” Her hair was whipping around her face, ignoring her attempts to contain the curls.
“That's why I planned ahead for you.” George opened the trunk and handed her a navy-blue windbreaker. She smiled as she slipped it on.
George winked at me and if I didn't know better, I would have been worried that the old man was trying to swoop in on my guest. I pulled out a black windbreaker from the trunk and put it on as George put on his tweed suit jacket. The man was never without it. I wasn't sure how old the coat was but I could remember him wearing it when I was a child. Though, who's to say it's the same one. It wouldn't surprise me if he had an entire closet of the same jacket, he loved it so much.
“This way.” He led us to a longer path looking cheerier than I'd seen him in a while. He seemed to be enjoying having company other than myself, not that I can blame him. It’s been a stressful couple of months. I'm sure I haven’t made the best company lately.
Charlie walked next to me smiling as she watched the other people coming and going. She glanced at the shops but continued past them and I was grateful she wasn't taken in. The cliffs were the highlight of being here not the souvenirs.
George continued walking until the path split into a fork. Charlie ran forward up against the short, stone wall catching a first glance of the cliffs. Her jaw dropped when she turned to us.
“Guys! This is better than the pictures!”
I smiled. “Just like it's greener than you thought?”
She nodded. “Bigger, better, more beautiful.”
She turned around and started taking pictures.
“Oh, but miss, you haven't even seen the best view yet.” George approached her offering his arm and when she took it, he turned and winked at me again. What was this old man up to?
He led her up the stairs that curved along the coast until he reached the top. Good grief, did he have endurance. I was huffing by the time we got to the top while he stood there looking like he’d just enjoyed a morning stroll. He turned Charlie around and she gasped.
“This is unbelievable!” She took a few pictures before turning to him. “Would you mind taking a picture of me?”
I took the phone from her. “You don't want George to take it, you'll end up with only half of your face and the sky.”
She laughed while George huffed. “I'm not that bad,” he said.
I shook my head. “You're worse.”
I took a few pictures of her before lowering the phone. Her tousled hair and cheeks rosy from the wind paired with her shining eyes gave me pause. She was so happy in this moment. I took another picture as a shy smile crept on her lips.
“Would you mind being in a few with me? I like to send my dad a few with my new friends.”
I moved to her side before holding up the camera to get both of us. I snapped a few with the cliffs in the background before she held up her hand and waved to George. “Now you too!”
He beamed and moved in next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. I couldn't tell her, but that was the first time any of my friends included him. Normally, girls were fighting over me and my brothers. The so-called help was ignored. I loved the fact that she not only included him but she treated him as one would anyone else.
Once she was satisfied, she sighed and turned. I followed her gaze to the clouds rolling in on the cliffs.
“Normally we can walk further ahead to see the lighthouse but it’s under construction.” I pointed up the hill to the site. Scaffolding and fences blocked the lighthouse.
“Bummer. I’ve never seen a lighthouse in person.”
“I'm sorry that you're n
ot getting a better view,” I said, feeling responsible as if I had anything to do with the timing.
“Oh, this is great. it's better than anything I would see back home.” She smiled. “Thank you for showing me this. You’ve made one of my dreams come true.”
Her optimism felt like a warm fire on a snowy day. She'd been so sad last night, I was happy to see her smiling. I couldn't help but feel a little proud that it helped put it there.
She walked up to the wall and leaned over, looking down the cliffs. The wind pushed back the hood of the windbreaker, making her hair fly about behind her. I quickly pulled out my phone and snapped a picture before she noticed. She looked so serene. It wasn't just happiness or excitement about being in a new place. It was pure and utter contentment. She looked like she would never want for anything else. If only that was all it took for some people to be happy.
“Have you traveled a lot?” She was facing away from me so I leaned against the wall next to her so we could hear each other over the howl of the wind.
“I’ve been to five of the seven continents.”
Her eyebrows shot up when she eyed me out of the corner of her eyes. “What two haven’t you been to?”
“Antarctica and South America.”
“Really?” She sighed. “That’s amazing.”
“I’ve been fortunate.” I peered past her at the crowd gathering around us and pulled my hood up to cover more of my face. I didn’t want to get recognized.
“What’s your favorite place or thing you’ve seen?”
I pretended to ponder it, but I knew the answer right away. “Well the Blue Lagoon in Iceland was pretty amazing, and the rice terraces in the Philippines are breathtaking just before harvest, but I love Arches National park.”
“In Utah?” She sounded surprised.
“Yeah, we took a family trip there when I was ten or eleven. I was amazed by the red rock and the formations. It was humbling to realize how old the arches are and how long it took for them to be created. It was the first time I truly felt like I was a tiny part of a greater plan or design.”
She studied my face. “I’ve never been but now I’ll have to add it to my bucket list.” She paused and smirked. “I’m surprised you didn’t say somewhere in Lochland.”
His Royal Request: Royals of Lochland Book I Page 2
