“Didn’t I?”
“No,” he replied with a shake of his head. “You didn’t. Just told me we needed a boat.”
“Oh, sorry. We need to go to the Great Skellig.”
“Ahh, Saint Michael’s Church and the ancient monastery.”
His voice washed over her. She noticed the dark circle under the one eye she could see and knew the other eye would match, a testament to the rough night he had on the floor last night. She supposed she could have let him share the bed with her.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He shot her a confused look. “For what?”
“Last night.” Grace shook his hand off. “I was in a bad mood. I took it out on you, even though it wasn’t your fault.”
“We all have bad moods sometimes,” he said, his voice soft. “It hurts that you didn’t trust me to behave myself.”
Grace stared down at her lap. Her fingers plucked at her pants and each other as she thought about her next words. Taking a deep breath, she decided to just say it and get it over with. “As you know, my father wants to take over the smuggling that happens in Galway. He’s drilled it into mine and Mark’s heads that your family is the enemy.” She turned to stare out the passenger window. “I know he doesn’t approve of all the time I’ve been spending with you.”
“You’re a grown woman,” he said.
“Please, let me finish.” At his nod, she continued, “I enjoyed the other night as well but family is important. I’m left feeling like I’m betraying them by being with you. But I know that you have a code of honor. Hurting a woman goes against that code. So, I’m sorry that I didn’t trust you.”
“I accept,” he said. “How about we focus on the clues and where they lead us?”
She nodded, grateful that he understood where she was coming from. She wished that the weather wasn’t so gloomy. She wouldn’t have minded rolling down the window to get a little fresh air. It’s nearing the end of October in Ireland, Grace, she mentally reprimanded herself. What other kind of weather did you expect?
This car trip was the only one she had taken without her father and twin brother. They had filled the car with sound. Whether it was music or them talking business, there was never a quiet moment when she was in the car with them. It was nice to be able to have time to think and to be able to enjoy the view around her without anything disturbing it.
It wasn’t long before they were at the Cooper Landing boat launch. The man at the landing didn’t want to ferry them to the island because of how choppy the sea was. He was sure that it would start storming soon and didn’t want to risk lives or his boat. Grace stood back and let Kilian talk with the man. She had found that men responded to men without the same patronizing tone they took with women.
She had heard that tone enough times from men to want to smack every single one of them until they couldn’t see straight. Her father suggested that she refrain from doing so as it would antagonize those they worked with and for. Grace sighed now as she had when her father had said that. Knowing the truth of his words didn’t make her any less sensitive to men’s attitude toward women in business.
“Grace?” Kilian’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.
Shaking her head, she said, “Sorry. I’m here.”
“Good. He’s going to ferry us out but only if we go now.”
“Then let’s go,” she said, stepping forward.
“Figured you’d say that,” he said with a chuckle.
He helped her onto the boat before joining her on deck. Grace swallowed. She didn’t know many men who had such a chivalrous side to them.
“You don’t need to apologize again,” he said softly.
And apparently he could read her like a book.
“How—”
“It was in your eyes,” he cut in. “Remember I’m a police officer. It’s part of my job to be able to read people.”
“Of course. So, how did you convince him to take us?”
He shrugged. “I paid extra.”
“Does money mean so little to you?”
