Chapter Five

"Kenell, do you not ever tire of chasing your own tail?" Aine asked her wolfhound as she sat outside in her backyard, peeling some potatoes to fry chips out of.

And of course Kenell paid her no mind, he just kept chasing his rump.

It was a breezy day and being out with her dog and her plants felt nice. The dog stopped chasing his rump and laid out in front off her.

"Tired, aye?" He just let out a grunt and she could not help but laugh.

"Ah, Kenell my love, what would I ever do without you, my precious boy?"

She peeled the potatoes for the next few minutes before heading back into the kitchen to slice them up , and was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing.

"Must be bran wondering about our plans tonight." They were going to have a girl's night out, but they hadn't decided on where.

"Hullo," she said into the phone. Not, for some reason, noticing the caller ID. Supporting the phone with her shoulder, she walked back into the kitchen.

"Hello there," She was stopped short by the male voice that came through, it sounded amused. Safe to say, she was not. More like on edge.

"Hello, who's this?" But she knew, before he replied, she knew.

"Bryan Maher," Just what she thought. But how?

"This is Aine O'Connell, aye?" He asked after a moment passed without her saying a word. She did not have any words really, her mind had monmetarily grown numb.

"Aye, it's Aine." She chose not to ask how he managed to get her number, but oh she was dying to know.

"Good, for a minute there I thought I called the wrong person. The oh so kind lady at the counter was more than happy to give me your number." She smiled at his sincerity, but she was definitely going to have a conversation with her 'oh so kind' assistant, Bridget, an old sweet lady she loved as her own grandmother.

"I'm glad you did too. " She found herself saying.

She had walked back outside and sat on the bench she had set up there, potatoes forgotten and let herself relax into the call. It wasn't everyday a handsome man stopped by your shop, and asked your assistant for your number.

Kenell walked up to her, tilted his head and gave her one of his goofy grins, as if Happy that his mistress was letting herself be, if only fpr a moment, before padding off into the kitchen.

***

The call didn't last long, but it left her feeling good and happy. He asked about her day, she asked about his horses, he offered to give her a ride– for free – 'one of these days.' she had accepted the offer and after she had put down the phone started to wonder if that meant it was a date. She hoped it was, but found herself anxious.

"Breathe, Aine. He's just one man." So she did breathe, in and out, and it helped. And began considering what she'd wear.

"Something casual." She decided and picked up where she left off with her potatoes, a smile playing on her lips, a giggle escaping from time to time. she was going on a date!

****

"Aine darling, if I had a flower for Every time you made my heart flutter, my house would be beautiful and forever wonderfully scented."

She rolled her eyes at him and went back to her invoice, a smile playing on her lips.

"No really, you take my breath away."

She let out a laugh and shook her head, her curls bouncing with the movement, before fixing her gaze at him.

"I really have missed you, cousin Cedric."

The tall man with his blonde hair falling at his shoulders gave her a cheeky grin.

"So I have captured your heart, then?"

He was a year younger than Aine and had had a 'crush' on her since they were kids.

"Always."

He place a hand over his chest dramatically.

"So we're getting married soon, then?"

"Soon." She said, smiling. He barked out a laugh and leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. She really had missed him.

"I've missed you cousin."

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing."

"Cedric dear, stop troubling Aine and come help me with these boxes." Bridget caled out from within rhe srorage room. He winked at his cousin, before going into the storeroom to help.

She'd had that conversation with Bridget, but it hadn't gone as planned.

"Bridget," she'd begun as she entered the shop earlier, " when did you start giving strangers my number?"

"Well, good morning to you to lass." The woman said a smile on her face but not looking up to look at her

"Good morning, good morning Bridget. But really." And when she looked at Bridget's eyes, they elderly woman's eyes shun.

" You don't look angry to me, honey."

"I'm holding it in."

"Are you?"

"No." She conceded with a huff and went to the old woman to give her cheek a kiss.

She cupped Aine's cheeks, and looked directly in her eyes, her eyes shining the way it always did.

"If I thought, for a second, just for a split second he had bad intentions, I would have sent him out on his way, his tail between his legs."

Aine sighed and smiled, " I know."

"They're nice legs by the way." And they laughed.

****

"Chocolate, I can never seem to take vanilla for a long period of time, but I can have chocolate all day." Bryan responded to Aine's question of vanilla or chocolate, it made her smile, that big ol' Bryan had a soft spot for chocolate.

" now your turn, roses or daffodils" she let out a laugh,

" is this a trick question?"

" its just a question." He said with a goofy grin

" I don't believe you, but I'll answer anyway. Roses, I love flowers though, all of them, but I think its roses over daffodils."

" is it?"

" it is." She said with a quiet smile, while he tucked that little snippet of information in his head.

" now it's my turn, grass or sand?"

" hmmm, sand. I love the thought of lying down on grass and looking at the moon, but there's just something about lying down on the sand and looking up into the high high heavens, God's innumerable stars, God's innumerable sand.

He smiled at the thought