“I’m the oldest, and I get the best room!” Sliding around a corner, she heard her sisters in hot pursuit.
“You tricksy sneak, Rave!”
“The shortest gets the smallest!” Rowan yelled at her back.
God, laughing, really laughing, felt amazing.
Raven wishedshe’d videoed Nan’s reaction when she arrived at their villa two days later. She kept spinning in circles, trying to see everything at once. It was late afternoon, so they called Jo. Nan insisted on thanking her personally.
It was a warm, wonderful, tearful thank you, and Raven could tell Jo was even more pleased with herself than before. The gift giver that keeps on giving.
“You’ll come to Ireland to visit and let me spoil you.”
Jo quickly realized that Nan wasn’t suggesting. “Thank you, Mrs. Byrne.”
“Nan.”
“Right, sorry, Nan. I believe it will be around October. Hopefully, your girls will have a shop front by then. I was considering staying through the holidays.”
“No way, Jo!”
“Are you serious?”
“That is the best news ever, Miss O’Connor.” Raven was tickled. Jo was sticking to her word about visiting.
“I’ve got to go into a meeting with my folks, but my friend said she would start looking at property in Dublin immediately. So, hopefully, I’ll have a list for you guys to virtually look at soon.”
“That’s perfect. Really perfect. I hope our Eufaula property sells fast.”
Everyone said their goodbyes and promised to talk tomorrow.
They decided to spend the rest of the day getting Nan settled and making plans. Anything Nan had ever dreamed of doing or seeing while she was here.
The sisters agreedthat the trip had been an extraordinary success. One that they were so blessed to have taken with their Nan. The memories they were squirreling away would stay withthem forever. This moment was one of the most precious and catastrophic of Raven’s life.
Creating bonds with the women in her family, stronger now than they were even weeks before, was a blessing, especially in this quiet, humbling piece of the world where outside influences faded and the most basic of human bonds bloomed.
The impetus for the trip, however, still weighed heavily. Bran had shattered each well-constructed future plan. Raven thought he had destroyed her. This trip, her ability to find peace, taught her he hadn’t. Still, she missed him.
Raven got teary-eyed when they took their rental car to Lugano to tour St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church— Santa Maria degli Angioli— constructed around 1499. The beauty and absolute peace found inside its vaulted ceilings were awe-inspiring. Breathtaking frescos, stained glass, wooden pews worn smooth as glass, incense— it had been a glorious assault on her senses.
If Raven heard someone say they’d experienced a religious experience, she could honestly reply that she understood.
They didn’t spend every day as tourists. Many of them were spent reading, gossiping, or being lazy as their ‘personal’ chef fed them.
Decadence, thy name is Raven Byrne.
They were celebrating the sale of the Eufaula property today. The real estate agent had closed and would send all the paperwork to Jo. Thankfully, they’d decided to make her their power of attorney for the summer until all their assets in the United States were safely shipped to Dublin or sold. She had the right to sign paperwork in their absence.
As predicted, they’d made a killing on the remodeled three-story. Raven hoped whoever bought it would love it as much as they had.
Row and Nan were floating in the pool while she and River were reading in lounge chairs under umbrellas, drinking whiskey and water— never mixed, of course— with their laptops in lieu of Kindles on their laps.
Rowan floated close and asked if they had narrowed down the Dublin properties. The first properties Jo’s friend sent a few weeks ago had been great, just too pricey. River called the real estate agent herself to explain that they weren’t afraid of getting dirty and overhauling a fixer-upper.
Saoirse Kennedy took requests with a Challenge Accepted type of attitude. Totally their kind of woman. So, the next batch of properties were more in line with their needs and finances.
She told them that there were basically ten main streets they should be aware of before opening a storefront in Dublin.
