“I think so too. I, however, am not giving up my number to Pat and Hugh. You do you, River, but Hugh just wants my number so he can be an obnoxious complainer,” Rowan shook her head in irritation. “Doesn’t like a font. What shite, as you would call it, Nan.”
“Don’t you dare blame that language on me, young lady!” Now focused on Rowan, Nan asked, “Is Hugh not nice to you?”
Rowan blushed. Suspect. She had begun to suspect her sister had feelings for the O’Faolain patriarch. Hmm...
“I can handle his posturing every day of the week and twice on Sundays, Nan. Don’t you worry about me.”
Laughing, they all settled down to finalize the first things they would need to do upon landing. Getting the keys to their rental was number one— but Raven planned on wheedlingsomethingfrom her sisters about their feelingseventually.
Meeting Saoirse Kennedy was an experience.Utterly vivacious. The no-nonsense real estate agent could obviously tell the sisters were feeling overwhelmed and easily put them at ease. Once they’d landed and said their goodbyes to Nan, she met them at the apartment they’d rented to give them the keys and sign a few papers that hadn’t gotten sent to them in Switzerland.
“Get unpacked, grab some takeaway, and relax tonight. I’ll meet you at nine in the morning at your new building downtown. And,” she added with a laugh, “because I’m amazing, my boyfriend is meeting us, who just happens to be a contractor. His job between jobs was delayed, so I begged him to take a look and see if he could get what you needed done in the time you need it done, for the price youreallyneed it done at.”
“No, Saoirse! No way! You are amazing. Thank you so much,” Raven practically squealed.
“You have no idea how much that means to us!” Rowan said, briefly squeezing the real estate agent’s hand.
River added, “I hope you do your best work on your back, Saoirse— cause we Byrnes need a bargain.”
Rowan and I both yelled River’s name. Lord, she was incorrigible.
Miss Kennedy never missed a beat. “I’m a sure bet. No worries, girls. Oh, and before I forget, Jo said you’ve worked together, and there are no better interior decorators to be found. So, again, no applause necessary, but I’ve already let several ofmy clients know that some fancy designers are moving to town. My suggestion is that if you have to pay a little extra to open your doors early, at least the bottom level where you’ll do business, do it. You ladies are going to be busy.”
After a round of hugs, pats, and air kisses, their real estate agent was clip-clopping away in her designer heels.
“Wow.”
“Holy wow.”
“Holy shit, wow.”
“Okay,” Raven sighed, looking at the small space, then sighing again when she realized this was going to feel like a mansion once they moved into their one-room flat over the shop. “Let’s get unpacked. I think shit’s going to get real really quick in Dublin.”
Raven felt a sigh of relief wash through her body. They were going to do this. Theyweredoing this.
There was no blood,thank God, but sweat and tears— buckets. Raven and her sisters had been working round the clock, seven days a week, for weeks. Business cards, website, finalizing permits and the registration that had been started when they first arrived in Switzerland. Sourcing fabric stores, getting to know local artisans, which Raven thankfully had a leg up on from her previous trip.
Finally, Triskelion Territory Designs’ doors were open. Figuratively— it was low 50s outside. Everyone on the streets was bundled in wool sweaters, scarves, gloves, and earmuffs. It was easy enough to see that winter was around the corner. So far, and it was early days, things were going very well.
Triskelion served clients coffee, tea, and a spread of scones and muffins— the cinnamon streusel topping ones were the best— from a local bakery delivered each morning. Just thinking of those sweet treats made her mouth water. Her belly was already so rounded Raven shuddered to imagine four months from now. Treats were not in her near future.
Today, Raven had a checkup with her OB/GYN. They’d taken off the afternoon since her sisters wanted to tag along, and then afterwards they could catch up on some work. Right out of the gate, the doctor mentioned that Raven had lost weight again since her previous visit.
Raven had looked at her sisters, and they’d grimaced. Damn it, they had all been working so hard and such long hours, they hadalllost weight, and... they certainly hadn’t needed to lose any.
To save money, they had only kept the apartment for three weeks before moving into the small flat above their shop. The contractor was amazing, as advertised by his girlfriend, and had gotten the flat livable first. The tiny bathroom plumbing was up to snuff. He’d painted the walls all white and made sure the wiring, smoke detectors, and heat worked, which basically blew in through vents from below.
All their resources had to be concentrated on where they would be doing business. It made sense to stay under budget with the flat in case there were unforeseen expenses below or with the baby.
They made do with a few secondhand pieces of furniture for the living room, as none of their things in storage would fit. They had the contractor hang a large mirror on one wall that they used to do their hair, makeup, and outfit checks. They found a nice plush rug to place in front of the mirror to sit on. They shared a couple of plastic three-drawer stacks on each side of the mirror. All bathroom items and makeup went into those. They used tubsand hanging racks for clothes and shoes. The bathroom was a shoebox with running water— little to recommend there.
They each got a narrow cot and thin mattress lined up opposite the mirror. There wasn’t room for more than a queen bed and that would have taken up all the space. This way, they could roll over on their cot and not wake up everyone else. At least they had soft pillows and bedding from storage.
The ‘kitchen’ was even more depressing. There was room for a tiny card table and folding chairs to sit next to the single countertop, which held a teapot, hot plate, and microwave, with a small fridge under the counter. The single sink had a cabinet above it. They had to keep all their cleaning supplies, dish soap, laundry detergent— don’t get her started on lugging everything to the laundromat— and toilet paper in there. The food stayed on the counter. One drawer for utensils, one for spices. Three plates, three glasses, and three coffee mugs sat on a shelf over the toaster.
They’d all gotten into the habit of cooking enough chicken or fish on Sundays to top large salads for lunches and dinners for the week. Protein powder sat on the counter next to Raven’s prenatal vitamins. The powder didn’t have to be refrigerated and could be mixed with water. They put another mini fridge below to keep cold water for clients.
It was functional and not forever. She and her sisters had repeated that phrase a lot over the past two months. Functional. Not Forever.
