"Shite" was Donal's first thought. He'd run out of time. The brothers hadn't come up with a plan and Donal had assumed he'd have more time. "Did you hear that?" he said to his siblings."Yep.""Guess you're out of luck.""Thanks."They were no help. Meg stood below them, looking out over the ocean. Even if she wasn't facing him, Donal knew she was the most beautiful fairy he'd ever seen. Freckles dotted her nose and her red hair whipped in the wind. "I can't believe my boss retired without telling me. I thought I was the ideal candidate for her job. She'd been such a mentor to me. I'm sorry to see her go."Meg sighed. Donal could feel her distress. That's how he'd known she was his fairy. He'd sworn an oath several thousand years ago to protect her. When he knew he was destined to protect her, he'd promised to keep her safe for all time. Which he couldn't do if he were in stone.He remembered that he could be with her for a whole day and he could come to life, but if she was across
Meg carried her bags into her apartment, exhausted from the day of travel. "There has got to be an easier way to do this."She dropped the bags on her floor. All she wanted to do was shower and sleep, but it was the middle of the afternoon. Her body thought it was later in the day."That's what being in another time zone does to you," she said to her empty apartment.Rationally it looked the same as when she left, but now it felt lonely. She blew out a breath, looking around. Never in her adult life had she wanted anyone to come home to. Her career had always been her lover. Not that there hadn't been men along the way, but they had been as committed to their careers as she was. She rolled the biggest of the suitcases into her bedroom. "Might as well unpack."She pulled all of her dirty clothing out of the bag and put them into a basket. A trip to the laundry room had to be on her agenda. "I might have nothing to wear if I don't. At least no underwear."Meg's phone rang. "Hey, Col."
Oh. Feck. He'd been discovered. He looked down at the man the first rays from the sun illuminating his face. He was dirty with unkempt hair. "Uh," Donal said.The man squinted at him then shook his head. "I must have had some bad hooch last night. Sorry." He thrust out his dirty hand. "Name's Tex."Donal looked down at the hand coming his way. He had to make a quick decision. Tex could be his friend or his enemy. Donal grasped the hand. "Donal."Tex let go. He spread his arms out wide. "My home is your home."Donal looked around. "What?"Of course, he would prefer to be on the roof. He was a gargoyle. Frankly, he didn't have much choice either. With no identity and no money, he couldn't exactly rent a flat. "You live up here?" Donal said. "Yes. It's the only place that I can find shelter, food, and no cops bothering me.""Food?""Yeah, the building has a garden. I try not to pick vegetables from the same plot every day. That way no one notices."Tex was right. Donal hadn't seen it i
"Of course," Colleen said. "I cannot wait to hear all about Ireland.""It's a beautiful country."They carried some platters into the living room. With the food settled onto the coffee table and their wine glasses filled, Meg sat on her loveseat. Colleen chose her usual spot on an antique rocking chair. Meg's grandfather had made it when she'd been adopted by her parents. "I bet. Do you at least have pictures?"Meg pulled out her phone. She found her Irish Trip folder before handing the phone to Colleen. Her friend swiped to look at each picture while Meg sipped her wine. "It is beautiful. I am so going there this year.""You haven't taken a vacation in five years."Colleen laughed. "I know, but I plan on one this year. My boss has insisted. I have too much accumulated.""I'd go back in a minute." Meg settled back in the cushions. "It felt like home.""Mm. I've never been anywhere that felt like that besides home, of course."Colleen brushed her reddish-blonde hair out of her eyes. M
"Is that comfortable?" Tex said from behind Donal.Donal glanced over his shoulder. "What?""Being perched like that.""Uh, yes."Donal hadn't thought about how he was crouching. It was just something that gargoyles did. He'd never questioned it. Being tall, they wanted to make themselves less visible from a distance. Tex leaned against the low wall surrounding the roof. "Can I ask you a question?""Sure.""I've been going over and over what I thought I saw last night," Tex said. Uh. Oh. "Yes?""You did fly onto the roof."Donal weighed telling the man the truth. He'd been his only friend so far. "Yes. I did."The man didn't flinch. "What are you?""A gargoyle.""Like on Eastern State Penitentiary? Come to life?"Donal didn't know the place the man was talking about, but he could explain his story. "I'm not from there. I'm from Ireland.""Well, yeah. The accent. I get it."Donal smiled. He listened to the girls' conversation winding down. Meg would be asleep soon. "Do you want to hea
In Ireland, people were friendlier. Meg had to remember as much as it was the City of Brotherly Love, it was still a city.He smiled at her over his newspaper. How odd. She hadn't seen someone close to her read the newspaper in ages. Must be an old soul. There was something familiar about him, but she didn't think she'd seen him before today.She smiled back then pushed open the door to outside. A crowd of people waited at the bus stop. When it finally arrived, she climbed on only to see the guy in the coffee shop sitting in the back. He must have gotten on at the back door. This could be fate, not that she believed in such flights of fancy. Still. She could sit next to him.She traversed to the back. He still had his paper in his hand, but no briefcase. Seemed odd, but she was on the bus with lots of people. "Hi," she said. She motioned to the seat next to him. "Anyone sitting there?""Not that I can see."His words carried the slightest lilt of Ireland. She sat. "You're from Irelan
"If we put the plant there, we would be right by the sheep. We would have a close source of wool. That is what we want."Harriet frowned. "With a spot that remote we might have environmental issues.""None that I was able to discern. There is a lot of green land in Ireland. They are more worried about people having jobs than anything else," Meg said.She'd talked to enough locals to know that if they didn't farm there wasn't anything else to do. The pubs only employed a few people."Is there a town nearby?""Leenane. A small town, but it has several roads that feed it. Tour busses go through there so they aren't too small."Meg's heart sped up. Maybe Harriet would listen to her. Her heart fell when Harriet handed her the photo back. "No. We are going in a different direction completely. We're finding a domestic spot.""Why? This company built its reputation on Irish wool. Not American wool.""It's cheaper this way," Harriet said. "I didn't make the decision. Someone higher up did.""W
Donal grimaced. "It's crazy, learning a new job, but I think I'll adapt.""Good. Figure out the politics.""You think so? I'm a simple man. I'm not into game playing."She nodded, liking more things about him as time went on. He was a handsome man with an enticing accent. Too bad she wasn't in the market for a man. She'd bet Donal would be a lot of fun."It isn't game playing. It's survival. All companies have politics. It's just part of the culture. You get good at it and you get ahead.""Can't I just get ahead on my abilities?" Donal quirked an eyebrow.Was he new to the work force? "No, you can't. Competition is tough. You have to be tougher and have an edge."He nodded, but she didn't think he was truly listening. His problem, not hers, but for some reason, she wanted to help him. "How does one figure out the politics?""It takes time," Meg said. "You have to keep your mouth shut and listen. You'll know who the players are and who isn't ever going to get far in the company.""So j