back through the foyer and into the library. The two presents had been neatly wrapped earlier that afternoon. But before she picked them up, Jordan pulled her phone from her pocket.
Her throat filled with emotion as she looked at the text. Don’t like ultimatums. Finish Cnoc project. Send resignation letter.
That was it, Jordan thought to herself. Just a few sentences and it was over. She waited for the tears, for any reaction. But the only thing she felt was relief. She made her stand, asked for what she wanted and she’d been refused.
“Jordan! What’s the holdup?”
She numbly tossed the cell phone on the desk and turned for the door. She’d figure this all out later. Tonight she’d have fun with Danny and his family, drink a bit too much and let him make love to her until nothing mattered but the feel of his body moving inside hers.
When she reached the entryway, she handed him the gifts. “Did you get these?” he asked.
She nodded. “I know it said no gifts on the invitation, but I’m not going to be here for the-” She sighed. “I wasn’t going to be here for the wedding, so I wanted to get them something.”
“You got them two things?” he asked.
“The smaller is a first-edition Yeats. A collection of his poems. And the other is silver. Hotel silver. It’s kind of a trendy thing. You use it for everyday silverware. They’re engraved with Qs and Ns and Rs.”
“You got them a book and silverware?”
“Yes. I wasn’t quite sure which was appropriate so I just bought them both.”
“A toaster would have been appropriate.”
“But that’s so unimaginative,” she said. “Everyone buys toasters. I bought something romantic and something useful.”
“Should I have gotten a gift?”
“No. The gifts are from the two of us.”
As they walked out to the car, Danny gave her hand a squeeze. “I like that,” he murmured. “I like that we’re a couple.”
The pub was packed with barely enough room to move when Danny and Jordan arrived. She stood at his side, clutching his arm and shifting from foot to foot, trying to appear cheerful. A band played on a stage at one end of the pub and a crowd was already on the dance floor, shouting and stomping and clapping. Jordan had been to engagement parties before, but they’d always been very sedate affairs.
The song came to an end and Riley stepped up to the microphone, then pointed directly at them. “It seems my little brother has come back and with a very lovely lass on his arm.”
The crowd shouted Danny’s name and he chuckled beside her.
“Now, those of you who know Danny know that this is an unusual thing. But I want all of you to give our boyo a good word when you chat with Jordan. She’s American and she’s beautiful and I don’t know what the hell she’s doing hanging around my brother, but let’s all pretend that he’s worth it.”
“Hello, Jordan!” the crowd cried out.
Jordan forced a smile and gave them all a weak wave. “Hello,” she called. “Nice to be here.”
“Kellan, get these two a drink. I’m going to be takin’ a break for a few songs so I can go kiss my fiancee,” Riley said. “And after that, I’ve got a special song I want to sing for her.”
Kellan had saved seats for them both at the bar and Danny pulled her along through the crowd. She held tight to Danny’s hand and was grateful to see a familiar face in Kellan.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hi, Joe,” Kellen replied with a grin. “What can I get you to drink?”
Jordan glanced around. “A large glass of whatever will get me drunk very quickly. How about one of Nan’s margaritas?”
“Forget the fruity drinks,” Kellan advised. “Whiskey. A double?”
“Make it a triple.”
Kellan poured her a glass, then turned to Danny. “How about you, brother?”
“Nothing for now. I’m driving.”
“No, you’re not. You’re joining in the celebration. And if you have too much, you two can stay up at your place.”
“All right, then, give me a pint,” Danny said.
Over the next half hour, Jordan was introduced to an endless line of people. She met Danny’s parents, Eamon and Maggie Quinn, and his two older sisters and their families. And first cousins and second cousins and third cousins.
Jordan had to wonder where the crowd had come from. Ballykirk was such a small village. But everyone in attendance seemed to know the couple quite well, considering that Nan had only lived in Ireland for a few months.
This was what family was like, she mused. One big, happy crowd of people who cared. She’d never really experienced that before, never even imagined what it would feel like to be completely comfortable with the people she was related to.
As the evening went on, the crowd became more and more boisterous and the music more raucous. This was the perfect way to distract herself. How could she feel depressed when faced with Irish pub music? It was all so cheerful and lively. Danny joined his two brothers on stage for a set and Jordan found a spot in the shadows to watch them.
“They’re a wild bunch.”
Jordan glanced to her left to find Nan standing next to her. “I’ve never seen him like this,” she said. “He hums while he works, but this is a surprise. I didn’t realize he could sing.”
Nan gave her a long look. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” Jordan replied. “I’m…I’m fine.”
The brothers finally left the stage after a rousing rendition of an Irish reel that left the audience exhausted. But Riley came back, sitting down on a stool with an acoustic guitar.
“This is a song for my lovely Nan. It’s a song I wrote especially for her and I’ve only sung it to her once before and she promptly fell in love with me. I reckon if I sing it now, she might just marry me.”
Nan leaned closer. “He’s going to sing the selkie song.” Her eyes fixed on Riley as he spun the tale of a man in love with a beautiful selkie. The way he sang the ballad, it was as if the two of them were the mortal man and the beautiful creature from the sea.
Jordan watched him, amazed at the depth of emotion he conveyed to the audience…to Nan, tears swimming in her eyes. This was love, she thought to herself. Jordan could see it in Riley’s eyes, in the way he smiled at his fiancee.
Riley sang two more songs, both of them sweet love songs, before he nodded to the crowd and stepped off stage, a bottle of beer dangling from his fingers. He was headed directly to Nan, but his trip was interrupted again and again by enthusiastic fans-mostly female.
When he finally reached Nan, he gave her a kiss. “Was it good?”
Her eyes shone. “It was beautiful,” she said.
Jordan stood up. “Here, take my seat.”
“No, that’s all right,” Riley said. “How are you, Jordan?”
“I’m great,” she said.
Danny came up behind Riley and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Congratulations, Riley. You got yourself a good one. Now don’t do anything to feck it up.”
“And you’d do well to take your own advice,” Riley teased.
“I could really use some air,” Jordan said.
Danny led her to the front door and then out into the cool October night. Jordan wrapped her arm around his as they strolled aimlessly toward the waterfront. The sounds from the pub faded and when they were finally alone, she spoke. “They make a cute couple. It makes me believe that love might be possible.”
“You don’t believe in love?”
Jordan shook her head. “I think people fall in love, like us. But I’m not sure it can last forever. Sometimes life just gets in the way.”
