Page 48 of Twist of Fate
The walking tour in Galway is long, but it’s thorough, and the guide is always excellent. I usually opt out, preferring to stay with Collin and help with the luggage and check-in, but today, I needed the walk and some fresh air.
Being there to intervene on Aisling’s behalf to help her escape his presence? That was just an added bonus.
Clint seems to finally be taking the hint and keeping his distance from Aisling. Unfortunately, his interest in me appears to have doubled, and I spend most of the walking tour with him and his friends while they ask all about my rugby days and chat about various football players. The only interest they seem to have in Galway itself revolves around their evening plans and where their next pint will come from.
By the time we make it back to the hotel, I’ve given the guys a few recommendations, and they’re already disappearing back down the street. I doubt they’ll be back tonight.
I finish answering a few more questions from some guests about tonight’s group dinner in the hotel restaurant and pocket a couple tenners, and just when I’m about to enter the hotel, I notice Deidre and Aisling engaged in a somewhat heated argument by the lobby doors.
“You should go grab something, just in case,” I hear Deidre say. I recognize the motherly tone in her voice: a blend of concern and authority, with perhaps a hint of helplessness.
“It’s fine, Mom. A hot shower tonight, and I’ll be okay.”
Normally, if I heard the words Aisling and shower in the same sentence, my mind would already be halfway into a lewd fantasy, but the tone of their conversation has me taking a step forward. I try to convince myself it’s because I’m their tour guide and it’s my job to help, but even I know that’s bullshit.
I’m worried about Aisling.
Deidre sees me coming. “Finn might know,” she says to Aisling. “You should ask him.”
She lets out a huff of annoyance before her cheeks flush pink as she looks up at me. “Hi, Finn.”
That blush reminds me of the first night we met, and I smile. “Hi, Aisling. Something I can help you with?”
Biting the inside of her lip, she finally relents. “Do you know of a pharmacy nearby?”
“That sells Advil?” Deidre chimes in.
“There’s a chemist a few blocks from here,” I tell her and then add because I’ve worked with enough American tourists now. “They won’t have Advil, but there will be something similar.”
“Could you give me directions?” Aisling asks.
“I can just take you,” I offer.
“Oh, that’s so nice of you. Thank you, Finn.” Deidre nods, patting me on the shoulder before turning back to Aisling. “I’ll see you back here in a bit for the group dinner.”
She’s already headed inside, seemingly pleased with our arrangement. Aisling and I stare at one another for a moment before she starts to say, “You don’t have to?—”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to,” I tell her. “What kind of tour guide would I be if I didn’t show you a proper Irish chemist?”
“And how does it differ from an American pharmacy?”
I ponder that for a moment. “I wouldn’t actually know. I’ve never been to an American pharmacy.”
“Well, ours are basically like a small convenience store that sells drugs.”
“Oh,” I say and then shrug. “Then no. Fairly similar. Although our drugs probably look different, which is why I thought coming along might help.”
That is not the complete truth. I really just like spending time with her, but I keep that to myself.
“You seemed to enjoy the walking tour today,” I say. Everywhere we went, even as I walked toward the back with Clint and his buddies, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She listened and engaged as the guide led them through Galway. Watching her absorb the sights for the first time was almost magical.
“This city is insane.” She grins, her eyes sparkling with contagious excitement. “There’s an ancient city wall in the food court of the mall. I mean, who does that?”
“Ireland,” I answer with a laugh.
“At first, I thought it was sort of sad,” she says as we walk across the empty street. A few college students sit on a stone wall, smoking and carrying on. The quiet one at the end with green hair and tattooed knuckles glances over as we get closer. His eyes rake over Aisling from head to toe, and I feel my fists tighten.
I take a deliberate step closer to her, and he finally notices me—all six feet, three inches of me. I hold his gaze until he looks away.
