She meant every word, but they all smiled wider because they could hear her interest.
“You better ask Mr. Dunn if he can take care of your house this summer.”
“Whyever would I do that? What is going on?”
They decided to tell Nan that they’d already rented a place in Morcote, so she wouldn’t back out. Jo said she’d have it figured out today. And as a going away present, nonnegotiable as well, she was having the O’Connor jet fly them. Nan would fly commercial since the flight was only a couple hours from Dublin. All three of them had literally cried at the gift. It would save them a lot of money— and be damned comfortable too.
“We decided to take a vacation since we just finished up a huge project, and we rented a place in Morcote, Switzerland, for Two Fucking Months! It’ll be the most epic vacation, and we’ll get to do it together. Nan, are you dying or what? Can you believe it?!”
“Language, River, but oh God, oh God, Oh God! You girls are teasing me, surely! Tell me you’re teasing.”
“We aren’t joking, Nan.” Rowan told her it was nonrefundable, so not to even think of saying no.
“I’m... speechless. Girls... this is... oh my,” she repeated. “I have dreamed of going for years. And now, for two months. Oh my, oh my.”
“So, is that a yes, Nan?”
“Of course! I’m so very blessed to have you three love me so much, but... girls, I don’t understand about Triskelion. How will you be able to stay closed so long?”
Rowan took this part. “Well, Nan, that’s the second part of the surprise. We made a big decision for ourselves, and before starting on the new venture, we decided it was the perfect time to vacay with our Nan.”
Rowan grabbed Raven’s hand and squeezed. Her sister smiled, encouraging Raven to embrace the plan just like they were trying to convince their grandma to do. It wasn’t what she’d ever wanted for her or her sisters. However, there was nothing to do but move forward.
“We’re moving to Ireland!” Rowan exclaimed. “We are selling our place here and packing up shop. While we’re all enjoying the sights in Switzerland, movers will pack our home and business and ship it to Dublin.
“We should make a profit on our Eufaula property, which will give us a nice down payment for a place in Dublin. We have a very good friend helping us out with that. With a lot of it, actually. We are so excited, Nan. We’ll give you all the details when we meet.”
“Oh my,” Nan uttered. “I never dared dream you girls would move so close. Never dreamed,” she repeated.
Hearing Nan admit she’d been wanting them closer made Raven feel less terrible— less desperately terrible at least.
“We plan on arriving in Morcote two days before you arrive. Then we can get everything set up. River will send your flight details later today.”
Rowan finally ran out of steam. Dreaded silence followed. It was a lot to take in, Raven admitted. She thought they did a good job at abbreviating.
River’s eyes widened at the continued silence. “Nan? Are you there? Are you changing your mind about the trip?” Rowan shrugged. Raven was sweating.
“No, I’m more excited than I can say.” Her words were cautious. “You aren’t telling me something. Important. And why haven’t you said a word, Raven? And how does Bran feel about you moving from Oklahoma? What’s going on?”
Oh, God. They knew their chance of skipping over Raven and Bran was slim to none.
Clearing her throat in nervousness— back to the old habit— great. “I’m sorry, Nan. I should have started with that. We broke up last night.” Raven cringed at the ‘we.’ It certainly was not mutual.
“I can’t believe it, my sweet girl. What happened? This makes no sense. I just knew you two were meant for one another. Are you okay, sweetheart?”
She grabbed her sisters’ hands for support and attempted to explain without many details. Bran’s behavior would hurt Nan too.
“I thought so, as well. We just have too many things we disagree on. Too many differences in how we see the direction we want our lives to go.”
“Is there a chance you might reconcile?” Raven could tell Nan was hopeful. She and Bran had been fast friends instantly.
Refusing to give her beloved grandma false hope, she answered honestly. Crushing them both. “No. No, there is no chance.”
Rallying, Nan coughed delicately. “Okay then, Raven. I won’t say I’m not sad about it, and I won’t press you for what you are hiding. If and when you want to tell me what really happened, I will listen, and I will love you the same as I always have, and life will continue to move on. I will say, young lady, I can feel howmuch you’re hurting now, but you are a Byrne, and you will come out a brighter star than you began.”
All three girls were sniffling. Nan had a way about her, that was for sure.
“On to happier news,” Nan chuckled, “I am already thinking of how much stuff I can get in my old suitcases and not be dinged for weight.”
