‘Oh my God.’ I flop back. ‘That’s him, that’s my dad’s birthday!’
‘Well now, that was quick!’ Marina clicks print and the printer whirrs to life, spitting out one of the most precious documents I could ever have and a sense of belonging I never knew I was actually craving. She hands me the page as I see Dan’s jeep pull up outside. Darkness has fallen now.
‘Anyway, I’ll need to search for your great-great-grandmother after the holidays.’ Marina stands up, tidies the desk. ‘I’m finally meeting Johan, the man I’ve been dating for a year.’
‘So I hear,’ I tell her.
‘We keep missing each other. You like to see?’
I’m nodding as I watch Dan hop down from the jeep. Marina brings up a photo on her phone of a handsome dark-skinned man in a tuxedo holding a glass of champagne.
‘This is Johan,’ Marina says with a goofy grin on her face, twirls her nose ring.
‘He’s gorgeous,’ I say as Dan swaggers on up the pathway. Just the way he walks makes me smile.
‘You must have made quite an impression on our Dan.’ Marina smirks, watching me watching him.
‘You think so?’ I ask her, clutching the page to my chest like it’s a precious diamond.
‘I do, he never takes a personal interest in the guests like this. You’re lucky, he’s quite the catch.’ Marina pats my leg. ‘Lady Grace has a nice ring to it, no?’
‘Hardly! I leave .?.?. in a few days so it can’t become a thing,’ I tell her, trying to sound far more matter of fact than I really feel.
‘Love always finds a way. I have been in love with Johan for over a year, we have never met. I will finally get to meet him on Christmas Eve. I know Giselle thinks he does not exist. She is a good friend, but I know she is mistaken.’
‘I’m sure she is. Just be careful. You seem like a smart woman.’ I put my hand on Marina’s.
‘So do you.’
‘I like Dan, Marina, a lot,’ I tell her. ‘An awful lot.’
‘Tell him,’ Marina urges as we both watch him get closer to the door.
‘I can’t .?.?.’ I whisper, ‘there’s no point.’
TWENTY
‘How are ye getting on?’ I hold up the page and Dan seems to read my face with a big grin. My own smile is as wide as the moon.
‘Oh, Dan, thank you,’ I gush.
‘No! Hold on a moment. You found something already?’ His face lights up.
‘A bit of a chat, then a few click-click-clicks and we were in,’ Marina says.
‘My great-great-grandparents, paternal side, born in Ringsend in Dublin 4 in 1879.’
‘Seriously?’ Dan steps forward, carefully takes the paper off me and his eyes pore over it.
‘We need to go to the maternal side next, we did not get to that today. Maggie was telling me about Dorothy, her mother, the Italian baker. I’m fascinated already,’ Marina tells him as I pull my phone out to check it, remembering I silenced it after Jill’s unread text. I still haven’t sent Frederick’s report. I’m not surprised to see a lot of missed calls and text messages from him too. Then, in my hand, it rings again. Frederick Macken’s cell number flashes up on my screen. Dan’s head is still bent, poring over the documents. I dart to one side.
‘I better take this outside, it’s work. Afternoon in New York.Thank you so much, Marina, this is life changing for me, I didn’t know how badly I needed to do this. I had no idea how much it was going to mean to me to begin to find out where I’m actually from. Of course it was all going to start here in Heartwell, in a village I fell in love with at first sight. You have no idea. Please send the bill to my email I gave you?’ I slide the call answer across. ‘One moment please.’ I hit the mute button.
‘Oh, yes, I do. I came here from Berlin to find answers about my ancestors and I never left. Heartwell is a place for everyone, if you seek solace, community and a quiet way of life. That’s in our blood. That goes way back. That part is untraceable. No fee. It’s on me. Any friend of Dan’s is a friend of mine.’ Marina clicks off the computer, the screen goes black.
‘I’m overwhelmed, to be honest. Thank you again and I hope you have the best Christmas with Johan,’ I say tenderly.
‘Ah, thanks Maro,’ I hear Dan say, lifting my coat from the back of the chair and draping it over his arm.
