“Thanks.” Clare opened the envelope and smiled. Her American cousin had sent her a picture of the six basset hound puppies she’d helped to birth. “My favorite is Lollipop. We didn’t think she’d make it.”
“They’re adorable,” Maeve cooed.
“Hey, that’s a nice check, isn’t it?” Sorcha said.
“I don’t deservethis much.” Clare flipped open the note and read.
Dearest Clare, I hope this note finds you well. Harley, Honey, and all the puppies miss you, and believe it or not, I think even Larry misses you. I catch him glancing around the corners of the room as if he thinks a fairy blessing will drop down on us.
Thank you for raising all of our spirits and mending the rough patch inmy marriage. You are truly a blessing. By the way, in case you’re wondering why this check is so large, it’s because I promised to pay for your first-class ticket. When I went to book it, the agent said you already had a ticket on the flight. I figured you must have been too proud to let me pay for it, but a promise is a promise.
The London fashion show was a big hit, and I’m on my wayto Dublin for a little R&R. Call me, and I can’t wait to see you again.
Love, Jenna
“I don’t get it,” Sorcha exclaimed. “If Jenna didn’t pay for your first-class ticket, who did?”
“Could it be a fairy who wanted you to sit next to Griffin Gallagher?” Maeve asked.
“An evil, mean fairy,” Clare said. “I thought for sure I could show Griffin enough love and concernthat he would remember me.”
“What exactly happened?” Sorcha asked, pulling Clare into the kitchen.
“Another long story, after coffee,” Clare said.
Sorcha fried up a hearty Irish breakfast. Maeve set up a pot of tea, and Clare brewed dark roast coffee.
They ate in silence, a big feat for the usual chatterboxes, but Clare needed to fortify herself to tell her story. Maybethere was a missing piece to it on which she could hang her hope. But even if he got his surgery, he would only remember the things that happened after his surgery, and everything beforehand would be told to him—not experienced.
Clare was not going to plant false memories for him—or lie to him the way she had, playing Brigid to placate him.
“I’ve been a very bad person,” Clare saidafter finishing her blood sausage and bubble and squeak breakfast. “I spun a tale for Griffin, and he swallowed it all like the biggest fish caught on the largest hook.”
“Hey, at least you made his life entertaining,” Sorcha said. “We only succeeded in luring Mack and Seamus away from Gallagher Castle.”
“That’s right,” Maeve said. “We sent them on wild-goose chases.”
“Howdid you do it?” Clare asked, sipping her coffee with cream.
“We posted their treasures on social media, by photoshopping them into different locations all over the world,” Sorcha said.
“That’s right. We also made hundreds of replicas and gave them out as prizes to our customers,” Maeve added. “When they post on social media, Seamus and Mack will have to track each of them down.”
“What happened at the castle? I heard your voices but didn’t know how you knew to come,” Clare said, her gaze bouncing back and forth between her two very best buddies in the world.
“Griffin called us from your cell phone,” Sorcha said.
“I was mad at him at first,” Maeve said. “I thought he was tricking us.”
“But I figured out he was going to help,” Sorcha cut in. “Youknow hotheaded Maeve; she wanted to bail.”
“Hey, when I told him you weren’t a virgin, he wasn’t happy. If he wasn’t trying to shed your blood like the Green Notebook said, then he would have been happy you’re not a virgin,” Maeve argued.
“You lied to him,” Clare cried. “Now, he’ll think me ruined. Not that I’m supposed to care, but I can’t get over him.”
“You never actedlike you were in love with him,” Sorcha said. “You acted like you only wanted to use him to make your movie.”
“Movie, schmoovie, I don’t give a feck about any movie anymore.” Clare held her hands to her face to keep the tears from leaking out. “I didn’t know how attached I was getting to that dear, forgetful man. Every time he came back, he was different, but the last time, he was so romanticand loving, yet he didn’t know me. He thought I was Brigid, the fairy queen.”
