“He wrote me a letter,” she says, taking an envelope out of the box and setting it aside.She doesn’t offer it to me, so I don’t ask to see it, even though I desperately want to know what it says.She hands me the next item she pulls from the box, though: a small, worn hardcover book with Czech writing on the front.
“It’s a book of poetry,” Mila explains.“One night in Ireland, Seamus and I talked for ages about Czech writers and poets.I told him about a book of poetry I loved as a child, but lost somewhere along the way.There was a note inside from Seamus, saying he found it in a used bookstore in Ireland and forgot to send it to me.There was also a four-leaf clover pressed between the pages.”Her voice wavers on the last few words, and she lets out a watery laugh.“He never forgot anything, did he?”
During our trips to Ireland, Mila always looked for a four-leaf clover.It became a bit of a running joke that she was always on the hunt, but never managed to find one.The last time we visited Dad a year or so ago, he told me he found one as soon as he returned home from dropping us off at the airport.I bet that’s the one inside the book.
Mila sucks in a deep breath, her eyes filling with tears as she holds up a note.I immediately recognize the thick cardstock as being from Dad’s personal stationery.“Everything else in this box is priceless.Knowing I was loved by someone like Seamus Murphy, knowing he considered me part of your family and thought about me while he was dying…I can’t express how that feels.It’s like finding a million four-leaf clovers and knowing each one will bring you luck.But this…” She swallows audibly.“This left me speechless.”
She hands me the card.I trace the pad of my thumb over the stylized SM, noticing an indentation in the top left corner that makes me think something was previously attached with a paperclip.Unconsciously, I mimic Mila’s deep inhalation from a moment ago before I read the brief note.
My dearest Mila,
This is yours to do with whatever you wish…and if I know you as well as I think I do, I have a feeling you’ll use it to make a dream come true.It’s scary, but take a leap, and take our girl with you.
Love always,
Seamus xx
I stare at the words until they blur.Even without seeing what was paperclipped to this note, I’m certain I know what it was.Tears spill down my cheeks, and I jerk the note away from me so they don’t fall on the paper and smudge the precious words.As Mila offers me a long strip of paper, I realize I’m holding my breath.I take the cheque with shaky fingers, my sharp exhalation making it dance.
“Wow,” I whisper.I can’t think of a single other thing to say as I take in the amount made out to Mila.
She huffs.“My first words were ‘what the actual fuck, Seamus Murphy?’”
I let out a watery laugh, covering my free hand with my sleeve so I can wipe my face.I look at the cheque for a moment longer before handing it back to Mila.“You could do a lot of things with money like that.”
“Yeah, like starting a business with my best friend.This is essentially Seamus giving us his blessingandthe funding.”
Feeling suddenly restless, I rise from the table to pace around the room.My thoughts are coming so fast I can’t get a firm grasp on any one in particular.I have no idea how much time passes before Mila appears in front of me, bringing me to a halt with her hands on my shoulders.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” she says.
“I’m thinking this is complete and utter madness.We can’t just…start our own business.”
“Why not?”Mila asks.When I remain silent, unable to form a response, her grip tightens on my shoulders, giving me the impression she wants to shake me.“Seriously, Fi, why not?We both have degrees in International Tourism Management.We have years of experience in the industry.We have dozens of connections across the globe, both personal and professional.We’ve planned trips for people just for fun.We work well together.I know being business partners could change our dynamic somewhat, but I think we could handle it.We could handleallof it.”
Undeterred by the silence that follows, Mila jumps back in.“Fiona, we weremadefor this.We know that, and Seamus knew it too.Hell, other people have said the same thing over the years.As much as we love travelling for a living, imagine makingother people’stravel dreams come true.We already do that on a smaller scale as guides, but imagine creating bespoke tours.Catering to smaller groups, families, solo travellers who want to make friends.We could hire whoever we want, train them however we want, give them a job that’s joyful and purposeful andfun.Between us, we have the travel industry side covered, and we have the money to hire people to help us with the business side.”
My thoughts go immediately to Nathan, who took online business courses when he and Liam started Honeywell Handymen.As quickly as the thought comes, I dismiss it just as fast.Nathan’s life, home, and business are here in Honeywell, and I can’t see that changing any time soon.
The butterflies are back now, bringing with them that mixed sensation of excitement and fear.Could wereallydo this?“There’s still the issue of the non-compete clause,” I say.
Mila’s shoulders slump.I think I’ve leaned too far into buzzkill territory until she says, “That’s actually the final thing I want to talk to you about.”She releases my shoulders and takes one of my hands, leading me across the room to the window seat.She plops down on the padded bench and pulls me down beside her.“I might have a way to deal with the non-compete clause, but I’m afraid it’ll make you hate me.”
“Not possible,” I say immediately.Despite the surety of my words, something about Mila’s expression makes my stomach roll.“Tell me.”
She fidgets for a moment before straightening her shoulders and clasping her hands in her lap.“About six months ago, Sanjay and I did a stint together in the London office for a couple of weeks.I’d never been around him for any length of time before that, but I could see why you liked him.He was charming and funny, and after a few days, he got kind of flirty with me, and I…well, I flirted back a little.”
I remain silent, nodding for her to carry on.I’m not sure if she expects this to be shocking news; Mila has a naturally flirtatious personality.Hell, she even flirted with my dad at times, and he flirted right back.It was hilarious to observe, probably because it was all in good fun and meant absolutely nothing.
“It seemed harmless, and he never veered into anything inappropriate, so I went with it,” Mila continues.“I convinced myself it was no big deal because you two had never been an official couple, you were just…” She circles a hand in the air as if trying to grasp a name for what Sanjay and I were to each other.
“Let’s go with ‘friends with benefits’.Sounds nicer than ‘fuck buddies’,” I say, and we both laugh, although Mila’s sounds forced.“If you think I’d be upset about you flirting with Sanjay, it honestly doesn’t bother me.He has this way of making you feel like you’re the only woman in the world.”
She winces.“There’s more.He started texting me a week or so after that.Casual stuff, still a bit flirty.He asked if I wanted to meet up, but we were in different cities at the time.We kept texting over the next few weeks, but he was always the one to initiate it.It all seemed harmless until some of the things he said started to border on inappropriate.I told him I was only interested in being friends, and immediately stopped saying anything remotely flirtatious.
“After the third time he suggested we hook up the next time we were in the same place, I stopped replying altogether, hoping he’d get the message.I should have told him to fuck off, but I knew we’d likely eventually have to work together again, plus with his seniority—”
“You don’t have to explain or justify it, Mila,” I say, cutting her off.“That’s seriously gross behaviour on his part for a million reasons, least of which is the power imbalance.”
