Luck of the Irish: Complete Edition Page 2

  After a short walk, the four of them got to the Will Call counter and stood in line waiting to get their tickets. The redheaded woman had noticed Keira on the way but had said nothing. Now that Keira was standing behind them, she decided to introduce herself and maybe make a new friend.

  “Hi, there. My name’s Carla. You look too young to be a U2 fan,” she said it with a smile and a gentle tone. Except for a very light accent, her English was excellent. “Are you from around here?”

  “Oh, hi, I’m Keira. I’m from Boston,” she replied as they shook hands. “I guess I’m a fan since before I was born. My mom is a fan and she used to listen to U2 all the time when she was pregnant with me.”

  “These are my two best friends – Fábio and Doni. We are from Brazil.”

  “How do you do?” Fábio shook her hand.

  “How are you?” asked Doni, blushing and looking more uncomfortable than Keira when she held his hand.

  “Don’t mind him, Keira. He’s shy and hates me for talking to strangers. He’ll get over it,” Carla said as she winked at Doni and gave him a tight hug. “Won’t you, dear?”

  “I’ll try,” he laughed but his face grew redder.

  “How long have you been in Dublin?” Fábio asked.

  “I arrived today.”

  “Is it your first visit?” Carla added.

  “Yes, it is. I’ll stay for three weeks and travel around the country, after the concert, you know?”

  “Oh, I’m, sure you’ll love it here. This is our second visit. First time, we stayed only in Dublin, which is a wonderful city, in my humble opinion!”

  Fabio and Doni laughed at her comment because it didn’t sound humble at all while Keira tried to figure out the three Brazilians.

  “This time we got to drive around for almost three weeks before coming to Dublin. You’ve got to visit the little villages by the coast, and the castles, and the parks. There’s just too much to see.”

  Keira just nodded at Carla’s enthusiastic descriptions of the places they had recently visited. Her friends also contributed to the narrative. The four of them were so enthralled by the lively conversation that it took them some time to notice a certain commotion going on at the head of the line. When people started shouting, others complaining, they stopped talking and tried to understand what was going on.

  “How come it is canceled?” a man shouted at the person behind the glass window.

  They couldn’t hear the answer because they were too far. The line disappeared when people got closer to the Will Call booth, as did Keira and her new friends. When she heard the woman’s answer, her brain refused to process the information.

  “The concert was canceled due to a minor accident Bono suffered earlier today. He’s fine but it’ll take a couple of weeks for him to be able to perform again. I’m sorry I don’t have much more information at this moment. We’ve just got the news. All I can say is that you can choose to file for a refund or use your tickets for the rescheduled concert.”

  “When is it going to be?” the same man asked.

  “We don’t know yet.”

  Keira felt the ground disappear from beneath her. She had dreamed about that concert for so long, had planned her trip so carefully around it and now there would be no concert. Fábio squeezed her shoulder in a sympathetic gesture of comfort.

  “I guess I know what you are going through, Keira,” he said as the four of them sat down on the curb. “A couple of years ago, I went to Vegas just for a Cher concert. When I went to the theater to pick up my tickets I found out she had gotten sick and canceled the concert. I had only the weekend off and went back to Brazil feeling very disappointed.”

  On the curb, Carla sat on Keira’s right, Fábio on her left, and Doni sat beside Carla, trying to comfort her, but sounding as sad as she was. There was nothing they could say that would make her feel better. So, they stopped talking and sat in silence for a long while, feeling disheartened.

  When Keira stood up, the other three kept looking at their own feet, “Guys, I’ve got to go. I’ll ask for a refund because I won’t be around long enough to watch the rescheduled concert. What about you?”

  “Same here. We’re heading back home in three days. No way we can stay longer,” Fábio answered.

  Carla looked up at Keira, opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She hid her face in Doni’s shoulder and Keira guessed she was crying. She decided to go back to the hotel before breaking down like that. She already had a lump in her throat and had to make an effort to say goodbye to her newfound friends.

  She walked fast to the bus stop, holding back her tears until she got to the hotel. Once safe behind a closed door, she threw herself on the bed and cried. That trip was fast turning into a disaster.

  Keira spent that day, and the following one, in her hotel room, sulking. She knew it was childish but she didn’t really care. She was entitled to a little of that. After all, she had worked so hard to pay for the trip, had fantasized about that concert for so long that she felt empty. She didn’t feel like going out to eat, so she ordered a little snack from Room Service and got to sleep earlier than usual.

  On her third day in Dublin, she woke up early, got out of bed, showered and went downstairs for breakfast. Back home, when Keira planned each detail of that trip she had filled her third day in Dublin with a lot of sightseeing. She figured it would help her keep the anxiety down because the concert was scheduled for that night. Now, she would use those plans to keep herself busy and forget the concert had been canceled.

  Although breakfast looked delicious, it tasted like cardboard to her numb palate. While munching on her meal, it dawned on Keira that her trip shouldn’t be only about U2. Granted, she was a big fan; but, she had wished to visit Ireland ever since she could remember. She owed it to herself to make a harder effort to have fun while she was in the Emerald Isle.

  Those thoughts cheered her up. She left the hotel and walked the short distance to Trinity College. She took a tour guided by one of the students. He was a cute, funny Irishman and she finally started enjoying herself. She got to see most of the beautiful halls. They were brimming with history and tradition. The old library took her breath away and she spent a long time there gawking at the priceless rare editions, mainly the Book of Kells.

  After the tour, she took a double-decker sightseeing bus and got off at Dublin Castle. She walked around the stone buildings and beautiful gardens and took a lot of pictures. The Dubh Linn Garden, with its large Celtic designs made on the grass, gave her a much needed pause. She sat on one of the wooden benches and stayed there for a long time admiring the intricate patterns, the amazing sculptures and colorful flowerbeds. The peace and quiet of that place restored her usually sunny disposition.

  She went through Temple Bar to her hotel where she left the two bags full of souvenirs she had bought at Trinity College, Dublin Castle and in the little shops along the narrow streets in between. Leaving the hotel, she took a stroll along the Liffey River because it was a warm, beautiful day. She admired the centuries-old buildings lining up the riverbanks as well as the beautiful bridges. The map of the city she had downloaded to her smartphone showed her where to leave the riverside and walk up Winetavern Street to Christ Church Cathedral.

  The stone building was impressive enough but the bells, which started pealing as she approached, made her heart beat faster. They sounded so melancholy and welcoming at the same time, in other words – so Irish. She walked around the church building, admiring the smooth, green grass and tall trees, and the amazing architecture of the cathedral before leaving towards Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.

  She decided to enter the church to see the Gothic arches and stained glass windows. Again, the peaceful atmosphere soothed her and she left the building feeling much better. While she waited for the hop-on-hop-off red bus to come, Keira thought about the wonderful emotions she had experienced so far, concluding that maybe that trip could still surprise her.

  She got off
the bus at Guinness Storehouse. Following advice she received from a friend, Keira had bought the ticket online to skip the long lines at that very popular touristic destination. She wasn’t very fond of alcoholic drinks in general, and she particularly disliked beer – except Guinness, of course. Although she didn’t drink often, it was quite an experience visiting the Brewery. The round restaurant at the top offered a breathtaking view of the city through its floor-to-ceiling glass windows. She got her pint of Guinness, found a table near one of the windows, and sat there to admire the city. The weather was clear and she could see far, even the distant mountains around Dublin. Their round summits covered in green grass were shinning in the early afternoon sun. The strong beer traveled through her veins and took away whatever tension that still remained in her muscles. She relaxed on the chair, feeling surprisingly well. Keira remembered she hadn’t eaten since breakfast when she started getting drunk. Shrugging, she dried up the last drops of the black beer. She sat the glass on the table with a satisfied, yet a little dopey, smile.

  Life is good! I’m in Ireland, alone and single. It’s about time I learned to have some fun.

  At least, that was what her older sister kept telling her. Megan also nagged her non-stop about her insecurities and shyness. She used to tell Keira she underestimated herself. It was very easy for Megan to see life as a big adventure and to think everybody was as confident as she was. She was the badass daughter. Keira was the geeky one.

  At that moment, though, Keira felt much more confident; thanks to the generous dose of liquid courage she had just taken. She stood up to return to the hotel and the restaurant swayed around her. She grabbed the back of the chair until the room stopped moving.

  Taking the metal stairs to the ground floor, she had a comprehensive view of the brewery. When she was halfway down, she began to regret her choice because the steps seemed to either rise to meet her or sink away from her feet. She grabbed the railing and took a long time to finish those few last steps.

  I need to go back to the hotel, leave this new bag of souvenirs there, and eat something before I pass out. I shouldn’t have drunk that pint of beer on an empty stomach.

  It was past three in the afternoon when she took the elevator down to the lobby and went to the Octagon Bar. There wasn’t a hostess at the door to assign her a table so Keira sat at the nearest one. In fact, there wasn’t anybody in the pub except for the bartender. He was on the phone and signaled her that he just needed a minute. She nodded back but the room swirled around her again and she had to close her eyes, grabbing her head in both hands, to make it stop spinning.

  I need to eat. Now! she thought as a buzzing ring pierced her ears.

  “Are you all right, miss?” a deep voice sounded above her.

  Keira made an effort to lift her head and look up at the bartender. When she did, she found herself drowning in a pair of unbelievably green eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen – a dark, lush shade of green - set in a breathtakingly gorgeous face. The young man standing by her table could easily be on the cover of a fashion or entertainment magazine. When Keira wasn’t able to form a coherent sentence to answer his question, the crease between his perfect eyebrows grew deeper.

  Damn Guinness!

  “I beg your pardon, miss?” the crease deepened.

  She felt her face got redder and hotter. Just my luck, she thought and this time she really kept it inside her head. Clearing her throat, she forced herself to say something, “I’m sorry, Declan,” she read it on the tag in his black vest. “I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. I think I’m a little dizzy. That’s all.”

  He handed her a small menu and smiled. Her knees went weak and she was very happy to be sitting. She wouldn’t have remained standing otherwise. His electrifying grin lit his handsome face up and made his eyes sparkle. The effect was hypnotic and devastating to any sober woman. Keira was a very easy prey.

  “Miss?” he waved the menu and she grabbed it.

  She mumbled some excuse to justify her behaving like a stupid school girl, and buried her impossibly red face inside the menu.

  “I’ll give you a minute to decide. Call me when you’re ready,” he winked at her and made a brief pause, before adding. “To order.”

  She was appalled at his attitude. Regardless of how good-looking he was, the man was a cocky little bastard. He ought to be ashamed of himself for going around embarrassing other people like that.

  You embarrassed yourself! Drooling over a cute face, said that pesky voice inside her head that always told her to tread carefully whenever she felt a little adventurous.

  Keira squared her shoulders and told her inner self to shut up because she was merely drunk, not drooling. She studied the menu and found out there weren’t many food options. Deciding to ignore the available drinks, she waived at Declan.

  He couldn’t hide a shadow of a smile on his lips or disguise a mischievous glint in his eyes. He liked the American, but he would never take advantage of a drunken woman. No matter how attractive she was.

  “Are you feeling better, miss?”

  She nodded and cursed her voice for disappearing every time he got near her.

  “Are you ready to order or would you like a suggestion?”

  “I – ahm – I’ll have the fish and – ahm – the salad, please,” she stuttered and had to avoid his eyes to be able to finish the sentence.

  “Very well. Anything to drink?”

  “Just water, please.”

  Good call, he kept the thought to himself and nodded. Out loud, he added, “I’ll take this order to the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

  When he went out of the room, Keira took a deep breath and looked up. There was a beautiful octagonal dome in the middle of the bar and she tried to distract herself with it to calm her pulse. It didn’t work. She had bought a pocket guide of the city, so she opened it on the table and discovered there was a map filled with suggestions for sightseeing. She forced her hazy, drunken mind to concentrate on which places she’d like to visit next. The next day would be her last in Dublin. After that, she would take a rental car and drive around the countryside. Keira got distracted by her plans and didn’t hear Declan return.

  He stood by the table, for a while, studying her. She had a lovely, heart-shaped face framed by golden, wavy, shoulder-length hair. The locks caressed her rosy cheeks as she moved her head to better study the map on the table. Her mouth and eyes were her strongest features. Her eyes were as blue as a cloudless, winter sky. Her lips were full and naturally red. He noticed she didn’t wear make-up but her natural coloring didn’t require any. The reading glasses gave her a serious look. She looks too serious for such a young beauty.

  Declan had been fighting his primal instincts since she had walked into the bar. There was something about that girl that moved him in ways he hadn’t been moved in a long time. He didn’t have time to look into those feelings, he needed to work. He put the lustful thoughts aside, pushed the x-rated images of steamed eyeglasses knocked askew by knee-melting kisses to the back of this mind, and cleared his throat to call her attention. When she looked up at him, a dreamy expression in those gorgeous eyes, he almost forgot himself and did something stupid like bending down and kissing her senseless. He felt the familiar tug of desire, the heat traveling down his body, and did his best to ignore it.

  “Food won’t take long, miss,” he nodded to the map. “Do you need any help getting around town? Can I give you any suggestions?”

  “Please, call me Keira,” she said as she made an effort to concentrate on his words rather than the musical tones of his accent or the movement of his tempting lips. “I’ve visited some places. I’m planning my day tomorrow,” she found it increasingly difficult to speak but managed to answer him. “Last day in Dublin, so I want to make the most of it.”

  “What have you seen so far?”

  “Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Christ Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals, and Guinness Storehouse,”
was her slurred answer. His smile didn’t help clear her fuzzy mind.

  Declan seemed amused and his bright smile did funny things to the butterflies in Keira’s stomach. She looked down at the map because it was easier talking to him that way than having to fight with herself to concentrate on anything, while looking into his mesmerizing eyes.

  Keira hadn’t had much experience with men in her young life, and almost zero interaction with gorgeous men like Declan. She didn’t know what to do with herself and her shyness got worse when she was embarrassed. Add a dizzy, drunken head to the equation and the result was that pile of raw nerves sitting on the cushioned seat and trying to act as a normal person.

  Get a grip on yourself, girl, that little voice made her comeback inside her head. Only, this time, Keira agreed with it.

  She took a deep breath and looked up at him. Big mistake. Her ears started ringing and her mouth got dry. She ran the tip of her tongue over her parched lips to soothe them but the movement drew his eyes to her mouth and she felt faint at the intensity she saw in his stare. She heard a soft moan but wasn’t sure whose it was – hers or his. Time stood still as their eyes locked.

  Declan forced himself to move and break the spell. That wasn’t the place or the time to get silly over a pretty face. He stretched his hand towards the map, “Do you mind if I take it?”

  She handed him the paper instead of answering him.

  “I can suggest some places tourists don’t know about,” he said as he grabbed his pen and scribbled the names of some restaurants, pubs, museums and even some stores.

  “I’ll have a busy day tomorrow,” she laughed when he gave the map back to her.

  “But you’ll have fun,” his voice was thick because her laughter had made his body react in a very uncomfortable way. “I’ll check if the food is ready. I’ll be right back.”