Page 95 of One Night Only
“Fifty-two years next spring.”
My eyes widen. “You sound like you never left.”
“Granny sticks very stubbornly to her accent,” Hattie says, returning to the table. “Just wait until she’s had a few glasses of sherry. Then you can barely understand her.”
Eleanor gives her a stern look but Hattie only grins.
“It’s true,” she says, setting the tea down. “One glass means one hour of tales from the home country. Three glasses mean we’re getting a ballad and a history lesson.”
“You like my stories,” Eleanor sniffs.
“Iloveyour stories,” Hattie says, squeezing her hand. “We’re saving up to go and visit one day.”
“I’d like to see it again before I die,” Eleanor sighs while Hattie rolls her eyes.
“I’ve never been,” she says to me. “But she’s promised to bring me around. Visit her old town. Find her family and friends.”
“Choose my gravesite,” Eleanor says solemnly.
“Granny!”
I glance to my left to where Declan kneels by an elderly man, helping set up a game of checkers. “You know the owner of this bar runs genealogy tours to Ireland.”
Hattie frowns. “Like Ancestry.com?”
“More personal. They set up a whole trip based around you. They help find your family, sort flights and accommodation out. You should talk to them if you’re thinking about visiting.” I pull up the website, handing my phone to Hattie. “They work with all different kinds of budgets and it’s really…” I trail off, trying to sum up what I saw in Declan. “They care.”
“And you know the owner?”
I nod. “You can trust him to look after you.”
“Well this actually looks great,” Hattie says, showing the screen to Eleanor. “Thanks for the tip.”
“No problem.” The bell rings for the next round of games and there’s sudden movement around us. “You should go find a partner for the history quiz,” I say. “I’ll get you some paper.”
Hattie helps her grandmother up and I turn to find Declan standing a few feet away, watching me with a look on his face I’ve never seen before. As if he’s never seenmebefore. It vanishes as soon as our eyes meet and the familiar, cocky smile appears, making me wonder if I imagined it.
He cuts a short bow, one hand going to his heart. “Stunning work,” he says.
It takes me a moment to find my voice. “I’m on commission, right?”
“Keep that up and you just might be.”
“Sarah?” Hattie appears at my elbow with a pleased look. “Granny likes the man in the bowtie.”
“Then let’s go make some introductions.” I turn to her as we head across the floor to where Eleanor is already deep in conversation with a dapper man in the corner.
I feel Declan’s eyes on me the entire way.
21
“Okay! Fun bachelorette cocktails for us. One boring martini for Sarah.”
“It’s a dirty martini,” I protest as Soraya sets the glass in front of me. I eye their brightly colored monstrosities with distaste. “I can’t help that you guys have the tastebuds of children.”
“Do you think there’s going to be audience participation?” Annie asks, looking up at the stage.
“There better be,” Claudia mutters. “Paul won’t care if some guy grinds on you.”
