Page 77 of The Past

Mr.Keane inclined his head.“Of course.My card is with the copy of the will.Please call me if ye have any questions.I am at yer service.”

I nodded, my pulse pounding in my ears.“Thank ye.”

He stood, offering his hand once more, and I shook it absentmindedly before watching him leave.

Silence lingered and I stared at Rory’s will on the table.I’d read it at some point, but I had a more pressing issue.I stood from the couch.“Mother.”

She turned to face me, her expression a mix of worry and regret, but she didn’t say anything.

“Please don’t tell Da yet.I want to be the one, but I have to…”

I didn’t know what I needed.This felt monumental, but I wasn’t sure what it all meant.I didn’t understand the consequences.

My mother’s hands on my shoulders jolted me from my thoughts and she peered into my eyes.“This is yer ticket out,” she said.

I blinked at her in surprise.Not for the actual words, which I didn’t quite understand, but by the tone of her voice.It was… apologetic?

I didn’t have a chance to ask her what she meant because she turned and left the sitting room.

Siobhan grabbed my arm, fingers digging down.“Fiona… what are ye going to do?”

I swallowed hard, the weight of it all pressing down on me.“I don’t know yet.”

But I did know one thing.This changed everything.

I needed air, needed space.“I have to go see Kathleen.”

The walk to the cottage was a blur and I ignored the sky shifting into an iron gray.When I stepped inside, Kathleen was by the fireplace, a cup of tea cradled in her hands.She looked up, and her face softened when she saw me.

“Ah, love.”She stood, wrapping me in a warm hug, and suddenly, the tears I had been holding back spilled over.

“I miss him,” I whispered against her shoulder.

“I know, sweetheart,” she murmured, rubbing my back.“I miss him too.”

We held each other for a long moment before finally pulling apart.She wiped a tear from my cheek and gave me a small, sad smile.“But we carry on, don’t we?”

I nodded, clearing my throat.“An attorney came to see me.”

Kathleen frowned.“About Rory’s will?”

I nodded.“He left me his half of the farm.”

Kathleen didn’t look shocked.In fact, she nodded as if she’d expected it.“Of course, he did.He loved ye like his own.”

Tears pricked, but I blinked them away.“He made sure ye could stay here for as long as ye want.”

A small, genuine smile touched her lips.“That doesn’t surprise me either.”

She studied me closely.“So, what are ye going to do?”

I took a deep breath, my spine straightening, the first real sense of control settling into my bones.Something had taken root in my head as I’d walked to Kathleen’s cottage, past the training center, which was now all mine.

“I have a plan, and I want to know what ye think about it.”

CHAPTER 27

Fiona

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