Page 18 of An Irish Summer

“Very funny,” I interrupted. “You’d make a terrible serial killer.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“A serial killer would never own a picnic basket.”

“So you do know what’s in here after all.”

I rolled my eyes, and my stomach rolled over with them

“This isn’t, like, a date or anything, right?” I said.

“It isn’t a date, Chelsea,” he said. “You’d know if it was a date.”

I exhaled, though I didn’t like whatever feeling was mingling with relief. We crossed the street to a gravel parking lot, and I followed Collin’s path to a small truck that looked better suited for a farm than the road.

“This is your car?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral. “Where are we going?”

“You ask too many questions,” he said, opening the door for me then circling to the driver’s side. “Your first lesson about Ireland is trust.”

He turned the key in the ignition and after a few seconds of protest, the truck sputtered to life. “I’ve already learned trust,” I said. “I’m out here letting you show me your beloved country, aren’t I?”

“It’s not about trusting me,” he said. “It’s about trusting her.” He nodded out the window to what I assumed was Ireland in general, then threw the truck into gear and pulled into the street.

I tried to relax in the seat, maybe even look out the window while we drove, but it was nearly impossible when I had no idea where we were headed. And when I could see the ripples in his jaw as he clenched it around the toothpick.

“It’s a bit of a road trip,” he said as we reached the highway. “Nothing crazy. A few hours both ways. But figured I’d warn ya.”

“You figured you’d warn me after we got in the truck?” Collin rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, and for a second I thought he might be embarrassed. “It’s fine,” I continued. “I don’t mind being in the truck.” He dropped his hand back to the wheel, both of us settling in for the ride.

“We’re going straight across the country,” he said. “Right down to the east coast there.”

“I thought we were starting small.”

“A picnic is small,” he said, knowing that wasn’t what I meant. “Besides, it’s only a matter of time before we’re cliff jumping, so enjoy this while it lasts.”

“Cliff jumping?” I turned to face him so fast I gave myself whiplash. He snorted, looking in my direction just long enough for me to catch the way his teeth lined up right over each other in two perfect rows. “You can’t be serious.”

“A little adventure never hurt anyone,” he said.

“That is absolutely not true.”

He shrugged, his smile lingering on his lips. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he said. “Focus. Look out the window. Try to enjoy this.”

I sighed, turning my gaze to the open window. Since we were on the highway, there was little more to look at than a smattering of trees or an open grassy field.

“It looks like Massachusetts,” I said after a minute. He made a noise low in his throat I knew was frustration, but it raised the hairs on my arms. I dug my nails into the palms of my hands, trying to stop my train of thought before it got any further away from me.

“You are proper difficult, you know that?” he said, shakinghis head. “Look closer. And maybe for more than a minute this time.”

I didn’t know what I was supposed to be looking for, but I looked anyway. Something acoustic played from the old radio, tinny and far away.

And eventually, it stopped looking like Massachusetts. The fields turned to rolling hills, which stretched for miles in all directions. Cattle and sheep dotted the endless green, and ruins of castles stood frozen in time. It wasn’t hard to lose track of how long we’d been in the truck, and I’d almost forgotten Collin was there at all until his voice interrupted my aimless gazing.

“That used to be a cathedral,” he said, watching me study a crumbling stone structure on the side of the road. “It was set on fire sometime in the thirteenth century, but the ruins have remained untouched since.”

“How do you know that?” I asked. There were structures like this all over the place, and I had no idea how he could possibly tell one from the other.

“I’m more than just a pretty face, you know.”

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