Until he wasn’t.Aila touched her cheek, recalling that final fight. “I’m just sorry it took me so long to leave.”
“You’re a strong and admirable young woman.” Violet’s praise warmed her. “Do you know what Aila means in Gaelic?”
She shook her head.
“It means ‘from a resilient place.’” Vi clasped Aila’s hand between hers. “You are resilient, powerful, and wonderfully spirited. Kyle did not appreciate those qualities. You left him and he well deserved it. As I said, he’s a tallywasher.”
“I believe ye said boaby.” Her first temptation to smile since she’d left the past teased Aila’s lips. She really did love the older woman. “Ye keep that up and I will call ye on yer language.”
“He was a proper diddy. He deserves that and more.”
“Aye, he does.” Aila sighed and sipped her wine. “I guess my point is, I’m no’ willing to make that mistake again.”
“And this man Donell introduced you to? Would he be a mistake?” Violet leaned back in her chair, head cocked to the side. “There must be something special about him to have made such an indelible impression after so brief a meeting.”
There was no denying that.
Aila rolled the stem of her glass between her fingers as she considered the question. “He has the potential to be the worst mistake I’ve ever made. As the old saying goes, he’s everything I never wanted. He’s knee deep in baggage, sexist enough to have ideas about a woman’s place in the world. He’d be the possessive sort.”
He’d put a stamp of ownership on her already. He would expect her to be his and his alone.
“And naturally that would bother you.”
Problem was, none of it bothered her and that terrified her all the more.
Violet reached out and patted her hand again. “A good man is hard to find, dear. It takes effort and often some sacrifice. Don’t fret. If this one doesn’t work out, you’re young. You have plenty of time.”
Time. It had come to represent so many things.
“It’s for you to decide,” Vi went on, “whether this young gentleman you met today might be worth taking a chance on.”
“I dinnae ken. Maybe? A life with Finn could be just as toxic as my one with Kyle.”
“Finn, is that his name?”
“Aye. It’s short for Finlay.”
A low chuckle shook Violet’s shoulders and continued even when she bit her lip to stifle it.
“What? What’s so amusing?”
“You probably won’t appreciate the irony.”
“Tell me!”
“Well, do you know what the name Finlay means in Gaelic?” Aila shook her head and Violet laughed again. “Look it up.”
“Vi!” Aila protested as the older woman retrieved her cane and hobbled out of the room with a laugh and more speed than a partially disabled octogenarian should be able to manage. “Tell me!”
“Look it up!” the words and more laughter drifted from the other room.
Digging through her purse, Aila pulled out her phone and confirmed it was dead before throwing it on the table. With a string of profanities, she found a charger, retrieved the phone, and plugged it in.
Waited for it to wake up.
GoogledFinlay Scottish Gaelic meaning…
Aila threw the phone across the room as it were a fiery brand in her hand.
