Fiona arrived at Colleen's apartment with ice cream and wine. Colleen hugged her friend tightly. Having no family, friends were important to her. Fiona returned the hug. "Since Meg is still on her honeymoon, I'll try to be twice as good a best friend." Colleen laughed as she closed the door behind her. She followed Fiona out to the balcony of her penthouse. Fiona took in a breath. "You have the best view of all of us."Colleen's apartment overlooked the Delaware River. She faced New Jersey, but she could live with that. The sight of sailboats and duck boats going by in the summer made it all worthwhile. Fiona flopped into a lounge chair."I'll get some spoons," Colleen said. She retrieved two spoons and two wine glasses from her state of the art kitchen. Her bare feet padded across the bamboo floor and back out onto the expansive balcony.She handed Colleen a pint of rocky road ice cream. "Thanks, Colleen," Fiona said."I forgot the corkscrew," Colleen said. "Screw top."Colleen

Sean could see the car that parked on the side of the road. He wasn't optimistic, because a lot of people stopped to take a picture of the ocean here. Only Meg, his brother's new American wife, had ever walked across the road to see them. The day wasn't sunny, but that wasn't surprising. There were always clouds in the sky on the west coast of Ireland. County Galway from what Sean had gathered from hearing people talk on the beach. The world had moved on since they'd been sitting here in stone. He'd seen humans populate where fairies had once lived. He'd seen the sky rain for days on end than when it stopped a rainbow appeared on the horizon. The sea had stayed the same gray. Ships had once traveled these seas. Now it wasn't common to see one, but airplanes now dotted the skies going to who knew where. Sean had spent the time staring out into a view that was once beautiful, but now mundane. Where gargoyles had learned their fighting skills, sheep now chewed on the grass. Did anyone s

Colleen didn't relish getting back on the plane before she saw more of Ireland, but she'd agreed. She still couldn't understand why someone had asked for her specifically. Why would anyone want her to defend them? She'd crashed and burned. And the video of it went viral.She decided to drive to the church. The gargoyles had seemed like good listeners. What else did they have to do? As much as she loved the ocean, she didn't think she could stare at it for a long time. Even if she had no choice in the matter.She parked by the beach. Walking across the road to the church, her hair blew around her face. She fastened it back in a band, but some of the unruly curls slipped out. The two gargoyles were there. Where would they go? Did she expect them to come alive and fly away?Wouldn't that be a sight? The size of large stone monkeys, their grotesque faces were not friendly, but they didn't scare her. No, she felt a strange, welcoming comfort from them. And, oddly enough, she'd been more at

The little Collen did know of him might mean, he truly may not have committed the murder, but he most likely ordered it. He was known as a hothead in some circles so maybe he let his temper get the best of him. She dressed then rode a SEPTA bus to work. Pausing before the door to her law firm, she steeled herself for what may come. Since she cut her vacation short, this better be a good case in the sense that it should work in her favor. Help her get back into the good graces of the partners. She didn't relish being back nor did she truly want to defend this person. This could too easily be another setup.Otherwise, it would be a waste of time. What she hadn't asked, but would today, is why O'Shannon didn't use his father's lawyers. Something was fishy. She was going to determine what it was before she agreed to anything. If this was a no-go she'd head back to Ireland. Yanking open the door to the building where her law firm occupied the whole fifth floor, she almost ran into a

Colleen laughed. Delilah knew where she stood and she knew how to get what she wanted. Colleen could only admire that about her assistant. Sometimes she felt as if she'd been swept up in someone else's dream. Her advisors in school had pegged her as lawyer material from the moment she stepped into high school. When those same advisors told her what a lawyer made Colleen was on board. The idea of never being poor again made her work very hard towards the goal.She liked what she did, but she often thought there was more to life. That she should do more pro bono work. It might be more satisfying than defending spoiled rich kids."Don't fret, Colleen." Her voice softened and a wry smile curved her lips."Am I?""Yes," Delilah said. "I know you've been questioning what you are doing, but you'll figure out what you truly want.""You are wise for someone so young."Delilah waved a hand. "Oh, there was a package left earlier. I didn't open it because it said 'Confidential' on it.""Bring it i