"Let's consider this a confidence-building exercise. Flynn is toast."
Cait barked out a laugh. "Go get him, girl. I can't wait to hear about this."
Later that day, Keelin made her way back to Aislinn's shop. She found her closing up for the day.
"Want to grab a pint?" Aislinn asked her as she finished packaging Keelin's lace and picture.
"Sure. Up at Cait's pub or elsewhere?"
"How about right here?" Aislinn laughed at her as she flipped the sign closed and gestured to a refrigerator in back. "Less gossip this way."
Relieved, Keelin headed for the fridge and pulled out two bottles of Harp. Aislinn motioned towards the back door and she opened it to reveal a small, enclosed courtyard. A worn yellow brick wall surrounded the small yard that was brimming with flowers. Intricate statues and various lawn ornaments were woven through the flowers. A large planked table stood in the middle covered in sketchbooks and jars of art supplies. Aislinn brushed them aside and put down a plate of cookies that she had brought out with her.
"I know there is a bunch of time to catch up on who we are and what we do and all that, but I'm dying to know about your power. I'm really struggling to learn about mine," Keelin said in a rush of breath. She grabbed a cookie and quickly crammed it in her mouth, hoping to stem the flow of words.
Aislinn laughed and gazed across the courtyard. She fiddled with a pencil on the table and sighed. "I guess that I don't really know when or how I've really defined them. I haven't met anyone like me therefore I rarely talk about it. I don't take it for granted but I don't always know how to describe what I do and don't know about myself."
Keelin nodded and gestured with her Harp bottle. "Go on."
"I don't really think I know when it started. I don't think I realized that I was different from other people until my parents started training me not to talk about certainthings. I could always see colors around people. I would run up to them and tell them that I liked their purple color and people would look at me like I was crazy." Aislinn laughed and took a swig of her beer.
"So, you see auras? What else? What is all incorporated with that?"
"Well, I finally realized that one of the reasons I am so sensitive is that I can feel what other people are feeling. I can read them at a hundred paces. I'll know if someone is lying, happy, sad, or angry. That's why I decided to withhold judgment on you until I actually met you. Well, I shouldn't say ‘withhold’ but at least I was willing to give you a chance." Aislinn laughed at Keelin.
"That's okay. I understand. Hey, I only learned about you both this week so I haven't had much time for any judgments. I'm taking it as is. Though I may have a few words with my dear mother for omitting this information."
"I really can't believe she never told you. It's fascinating to me," Aislinn said as she idly drew a sketch of Keelin on her pad.
"My mother has a tendency to avoid unpleasant discussions. I imagine this was one of those that she liked to sweep under the rug. A pretty big sweep, mind you. It wasn't until Fiona sent for me that she even acknowledged Grace's Cove and that there might be some sort of power there."
Aislinn nodded. "I get it. She wants the best for her girl. Society isn't kind to those who are touched with a little extra something. That must have been tough growing up."
"It was." Keelin swallowed over the lump in her throat.It was so nice to finally talk openly about this. "I cried when my mom finally acknowledged that she knew that I had a gift. I felt like it was something that was to be shunned and hidden. I don't think that I have ever felt as alive as I have since I've come to Ireland."
"I'm sorry. I always had Fiona. She was kind to me and taught me how to nurture myself without showing the whole world my gift. She saved me," Aislinn said ruefully as she continued to sketch on her pad.
"I think that I understand. She is saving me right now. I feel like I've never felt as much true emotion as I have in the past few weeks. It is just pouring from me. It is overwhelming. But. Discovering my power? Finally not hiding from it? God, it is exhilarating. I feel energized," Keelin admitted.
"Yes, there is something about stepping into your own that just kind of makes your soul sing, right? That is how I feel with my shop. The happiest day of my life was borrowing money to start this place. I've never regretted it. A traditional job would never have fit me. I can't handle office work or being around that many people all day every day. This works perfectly for me," Aislinn said as she took a swig from her bottle of Harp.
"So how does this whole empathic thing affect dating?" Keelin asked, and snagged another cookie from the plate.
"Ugh." Aislinn groaned and took another swig of her beer. "It's not pretty. It takes some of that mental guesswork – that spice out of it. I can read people fairly clearly so if a man is guilty or trying to hide anything – I know it immediately. I also know if he is interested in anotherwoman or doesn't really love me. It makes it tricky. I also don't reveal that side of myself to many. I just pour that all into my work."
Keelin nodded. "Which is beautiful by the way. You should sell this overseas."
Aislinn shrugged. "I may. I don't know yet. I sell across Ireland and make a sustainable living for now. We'll see where that takes me. Now. Tell me how you healed Finn."
Keelin opened her mouth and stopped. She thought about how to explain what she didn't herself understand. "I don't really know. I am only just exploring this ability. I've had weird things happen to me growing up but Mom never acknowledged it and I just kind of wrote it off. But I also felt like there was a part of me missing. Since being here, I feel like my soul is humming, if that makes sense?"
"It does. You aren't hiding from yourself anymore."
Keelin raised her beer bottle. "Exactly!"
"Yeah, I get you. It's nice to be able to talk about this with someone." Aislinn offered Keelin her first unguarded smile. "I think we'll get along just fine, sis." They clinked bottles and made plans to meet up later that week.
"So, Flynn? Are you going to sleep with him?" Aislinn met her eyes.
