“Why?”
“Well, we thought?—”
“Ah. Ya thought your oul granny couldn’t take it.”
Lucky exchanged a look with Kieran.
“There’s another reason,” Kieran said. “They have that bookshop in town and Oksana needed to be down there today to keep things in order.”
“Nice try, boyo. Next time ya call, bring as many as will come. Send me a list of names and pictures so I can learn who’s who. I taught school, ya know. I’m good with names and faces.”
“You taught school?”
“Quit when your mum left for America. Knew in my bones she wasn’t comin’ back.”
“You never told me.”
“What’s the use? Doesn’t matter.”
“I’d like to hear about it.”
“Maybe sometime. Can I talk to Desiree some more? I have somethin’ ta ask her.”
Kieran turned the phone in her direction.
“I’m here, Bridget.”
“Has Kieran met any nice girls since he’s been there? Because he might not tell me if he has.”
Desiree sat back on her stool. “Um, well…” She glanced at Kieran and then over her shoulder at Sara. “I?—”
“I’m askin’ because that boyo is thirty-two and it’s time for him to settle down. None of the village girls are for him and he wouldn’t be happy with a city girl. I was hopin’ he’d meet someone over there.”
Kieran turned the phone back in his direction. “Maybe we should talk about this another time.”
“I’m talkin’ about it now because I’ve been havin’ crazy dreams that you found someone. I thought she might be the one who brought the other flowers, the one that took the picture. But Desiree says she did it.”
“Well, she?—”
“Did she take the others, too, then? The ones in the bookshop?”
“I’m not sure who?—”
“There’s one where you’re looking in the camera and whoever’s taking the picture is someone you care about.”
“Granny, it’s getting late, and we should probably?—”
“You’re hiding somethin’, boyo. You can’t fool your oul granny. You’ve found someone. And I want ta know all about her.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Sweat trickled down the back of Kieran’s neck as he stared at his mobile and tried to find a way out of this without telling an outright lie. That wouldn’t work, anyway. She knew him too well.
Desiree tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to turn the mobile in her direction. “Bridget, I think you and Kieran need to continue this conversation in private, so Lucky and I will say goodbye for now.”
“Ya have the right of it, luv. I’ll talk to ya again soon. I’ll never forget the nice things ya said about my Freya. I wisht ya could’ve been friends.”
“We were friends. Not for long, but friends all the same. Take care.”
