Page 25 of Once Bitten

Chapter Eleven

Green.

That’s all I could think of. Green. And alive.

THIS was what “alive” really meant.

Fields and fields and fields of green. Nature’s sign of life.

I’d lived in Manhattan for almost fifteen years now, I walked the streets teeming with people, local and alien, breathing the air of 8 million other sets of lungs, there was rarely any stillness, everything was moving. You could hardly call it dead; but this. This intense scent of sunshine and grass is what “alive” really smelled like.

Where Finn was taking us I didn’t know, and I didn’t care.

I watched the miles and miles of trees and grass and flowers and nature out my open window, letting the soft breeze breathe against my face. I could never imagine anything in the world was like this.

Finn, in all his wisdom, didn’t try to talk to me during the drive. Maybe he was having his own communal with nature, but he let me hang me head out the window and enjoy my virgin trip to the country side of Dublin.

An hour in, I realized that partly why I hadn’t spoken was because my mouth had dried to a crisp.

I rolled my window back up and sat back.

“I’m thirsty,” I said, to no one in particular.

“We’re almost there.” Finn answered, not offering anything more.

The loud rumble in my stomach gave away my other urgent need.

“Hungry too?” he said, grinning.

I scrunched up my face in response, embarrassed.

“Just hang on for a few more minutes, greedy guts, I’ll get some food and drink in you.”

I focused on the landscape to stop myself from asking any questions and feeding his satisfaction of keeping everything a secret.

He turned down into a small unmarked dirt road and drove for another few minutes. The road was lined with tall trees and cast shadows over the winding trail.

Suddenly the way opened up into a beautiful courtyard with a fountain and small chateau. A line of four cars parked on the side and Finn pulled up alongside them.

“We’re here.” He announced.

“Where’s ‘here’?”

“Home.”

***

Finn had ignored all of my questions as we’d gotten out of the car and walked through the courtyard through the large double wooden doors of the front entrance. He led me to a small reception desk in the dark foyer and just stood there waiting.

“Mr O’Reilly! What are you doing here?” A loud voice boomed from behind us.

“Patrick. I’m here to make sure you’re not running my hotel into the ground, that’s what!” Finn took three long strides to meet the man and the two greeted each other with a long embrace.

“Aye, I wouldn’t do that. Then where would I be, I’m past my gigolo days!”

The two men erupted into laughter and I stood back, enjoying seeing this side of Finn as well as not wanting to intrude.

“And who is this gorgeous young lady you’ve lured to these parts of the woods?”