Page 37 of An Irish Summer

We finished our drinks in silence just as Lars appeared between us, clapping us both on the shoulders with his large hands.

“Chelsea, glad you made it round.”

“I was actually just leaving,” I said.

“So soon?”

“I’ve already been here for one more beer than I told myself I’d have tonight, so I better get going before it snowballs.”

“Chelsea,” Collin said, getting to his feet at the same time I did. I meant to just hold up a hand signaling for him not to, but he was so close that my fingertips touched his chest in a way that surprised us both.

“Enjoy your night,” I said.

“Fair play to you on film night, by the way,” Lars said before I could leave. “Collin texted me saying it was a hit.”

I looked at Collin, and we shared a small smile before I slipped out the door, just wide enough to take the edge off without dissolving the tension completely. I took a deep breath as soon as I left the pub, trying to ease the inexplicable ache in my chest. And as much as I hated to admit it, the Galway air worked its magic.

Chapter 11

“I can’t believe we haven’t had more overlapping days off since you started here,” Flo said, sipping a coffee across from me in a café in town. “We should have done this ages ago.” She took another sip, then spoke again before I had a chance. “Though now that I think about it, I suppose you’re always with Collin when you have days off.”

“That’s not true,” I said. “I do other things with my days off.”

“Like what? Applying for jobs and doing laundry and making obligatory phone calls home?” Flo laughed, and I couldn’t help but join in despite myself. She was right. I hadn’t done a ton with my time off other than keep things in order, and I’d been here too long for “adjusting” to still be an excuse. I’d adjusted just fine. So fine, in fact, that something deep inside me worried exploring the city would make metoowell-adjusted. Comfortable, even. At home.

“Like getting coffee with you,” I said trying to keep it light. “Duh.”

“Cheers to that.” She lifted her mug, and I clinked mine against hers. “Let’s make a day of it,” she said. “We’re already in town, and the sun might actually come out. We could do anything.”

“Within reason,” I cautioned. Aside from the activities I had researched for the bachelorette party I still wasn’t sold on the liveliness of the town.

“There’s tons to do here,” she countered. “We just have to get creative.” I stared out the window, trying to get a glimpse of what we might get ourselves into. “Finish that coffee,tesoro. We’re starting with shopping.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, swallowing the rest of my latte and following her lead. I knew Flo well enough by then to know I didn’t have a choice otherwise.

The day was coming alive, and the buskers were already setting up shop in their respective positions, carefully dotted around the streets so you’d never be more than a few steps from live music, but nothing overlapped.

A gentle breeze ruffled the bunting strung between buildings overhead, and I felt like I was seeing Galway for the first time. The colors of the buildings and the flags were faded from the harsh Irish weather, giving the whole city a vintage feel.

“You’re going to love this little market,” Flo said, gesturing down a narrow side street.

I followed her around the corner, turning sharply into a flurry of market stalls. Vendors stretched the length of the street, selling wares from jewelry to candles to pottery to street food. It wasn’t the biggest market I’d ever seen, but it might have been the liveliest. The music from the streets floated through the throngs of people, mingling with sounds of bargaining locals and sizzling fries and laughing children.

“Cute, isn’t it?” Flo asked, waving to a vendor. “Every time I come down this way I end up spending money I don’t have, but I can’t help myself.”

I ran my fingers along a canvas tote bag, tracing an Irishphrase printed on the front. “I don’t blame you,” I said. “Everything is so...”

“Unique?” She finished for me. “That’s the best part. Nothing else like it in the world.”

Admittedly, I hadn’t seen much of the world, but there was nothing like this in Boston. And if there was, the vendors would be aggressively pushing sales and children would be screaming and the music would be too loud.

We took our time combing over each stall, listening to the sellers marketing their products, touching crystals and handwoven sweaters and wooden spoons.

“Claddagh rings,” Flo said, watching me inspect a tray of glistening silver bands. “They’re from right here in Galway, you know.”

“What do they mean?” I asked. It was becoming clear that everything in Ireland was symbolic, so I figured this was no different.

“Loyalty, friendship,amore,” she said, slipping one onto my finger. I studied the shape, the crown above the heart clasped between two hands. It was beautiful.

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