“Sure, dear.”
Deirdre helped me dial the number from the kitchen’s rotary phone, and Zoey answered on the first ring.
“Oh, Rory! We were so worried about you. Are you okay?” She sounded out of breath, and I heard fear hiding within her voice. “Where are you?”
I wrapped the yellow curled cord around my index finger. “I’m at Jaime’s house. His mom picked us up. We’ll be home tomorrow. What happened?”
“Marissa told the bus driver you were coming, but he said we couldn’t wait. He told me we had to go and you should have been there on time. Marissa and I debated getting off, but what good would the four of us stranded in Connemara be? It’s not like there’s a hotel anywhere nearby.”
“I can’t believe you left me. I would have waited for you.” My tone was harsher than I expected, and I wasn’t sure if my words were true. After a moment of silence, I softened my voice. “It’s okay, I’m not upset at you, just the situation. It could have happened to any of us.”
“Sorry.” Her voice dropped. “We didn’t know what to do.”
“It’s okay. It’s been a long, stressful day. How was the rest of the tour?” I asked.
“It was beautiful, but we were worried. We came home and haven’t left, just in case you called.”
“Well, we’re here and still alive,” I said. “I’ll see you sometime tomorrow afternoon.” I hung up the phone and looked at Deirdre.
“Your friends left you?” she asked, boiling more water for tea.
“Yep. They didn’t know what to do. Maybe I would have done the same.” I shrugged my shoulders and picked up my teacup.
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty, dear. I’m sure they were worried about you. Here, bring these biscuits in for you and Jaime. They’re his favorite.”
I placed the shortbread cookies on the coffee table, and Jaime swallowed one cookie in two bites. I watched the beige crumbs fall along his beard and into his lap.
As he whooped and hollered as the game progressed, I found myself staring out the window at the beautiful Salt Lake. I wanted to memorize the scene, and the magic called to me.
“Jaime, would you mind if I walked around outside and took some pictures?” I rose from my seat beside him and grabbed a cookie to go.
“Of course. Have fun.” He remained seated at the edge of the couch with his bent elbows against both knees.
I gathered my raincoat, just in case the gray skies opened, and crept out the front door. Alone in nature, I felt free. It was as if the fairies had scooped me up and carried me to the shores of the lake. Maneuvering around boulders embedded into the greenery, I arrived at the perfect sitting stone. Facing the sunset, I pulled out my camera and took pictures from every angle. Muted colors merged in the evening sky, creating shadows of various hues along the mountains and into the water. Rugged Connemara beauty filled my viewfinder. I didn’t want to forget a thing and didn’t stop until my film counter hit zero.
As the sun sank behind the horizon, I gathered my raincoat and camera and walked back to the house. I stood at the door, unsure if I should knock or walk in. I opened the door and yelled, “Knock, knock!”
I entered and removed my shoes before stepping into the living room. Jaime sat on the edge of his seat, yanking on his hair.
“Hey Jaime,” I said. “Is everything okay?”
He didn’t look at me. “No, we’re at a draw with three minutes left in the game.” He placed his fingers near his mouth and bit the cuticles.
I sat beside him and waited. I had learned from Scott that the worst thing you could do was interrupt a die-hard sports fan during the clutch moments. Fifteens seconds in the game and the red team kicked a ball into the net. Jaime erupted in excitement, jumped off the couch like a rocket, and grabbed my shoulders, hugging me. “We won!” he shouted.
I laughed, feeling his strong body press against mine. His enthusiasm and joy transferred into me, and I squeezed him closer, breathing in the scent of peat smoke that was already permeating his clothes, and probably mine too.
“Oh no, Jaime.” I pulled away and looked into his eyes. “I don’t have clean clothes, a toothbrush or anything.”
He scrunched his eyebrows and raised his shoulders. “I guess you’ll have to wear some of mine or my ma’s. The nearest store is closed.”
My body stiffened, and I stepped back, thinking about Scott. I couldn’t imagine telling him I slept at a stranger’s house while wearing his pajamas. If Scott slept at another girl’s house, I knew I would be upset, and I didn’t want to bobble the precarious pedestal our relationship was already balancing on. As much as I couldn’t lie to him, it felt like the easier option. He’ll never know. Besides, nothing is going on between Jaime and me. Red hair and freckles? Definitely not my type. It seemed I often reminded myself he wasn’t my type, and the little voice inside my head called me a liar.
My relationship with Jaime was barely a friendship, but a part of me wanted more. Confused by the emotions swirling inside, I stepped back and looked at Jaime, seeing him for what he could represent. Questioning my past choices, I considered jumping head first into new experiences, unafraid of the consequences.
“Great,” I chirped. “I’ll take your comfiest shirt.”
Chapter 12
