See Me (See Me #1)(14)

I looked forward to gently cracking his shell and seeing what lay hidden underneath. We had to gain one another’s trust before we could bind. I welcomed the challenge.

WE FOUND MOM AND Dad coming out of one of the bungalow rooms.

“We were just looking for you girls,” Mom said.

“Are the accommodations satisfactory?” Brogan asked.

“Oh yes,” Mom answered. “Everything is wonderful. I wish we could stay up later to enjoy the party.”

Brogan assured her with a scrunched-faced grin. “Rest up. Things are winding down fer the night. There’ll be plenty festivals to come this summer.”

My parents gave him an appreciative smile. They both had circles under their eyes and looked like they might collapse.

“You girls okay?” Mom asked. She searched my eyes.

“We’re fine,” I said, giving her a hug. “Don’t worry.”

“Enjoy yourselves and get some rest tonight.” Dad hugged me next, squeezing me extra long before whispering goodnight.

I waved as they went back into their room. Brogan led Cassidy and I to another bungalow and opened the door for us.

“’Tis a guest room,” he explained. “Ye have yer own washroom over there. Someone’ll come around each day to refresh the water and clear out the waste. Of course, Robyn, this room is only temporary since ye’ll share McKale’s abode after the binding, whenever that may be.”

My face lit on fire as I nodded my understanding.

Cassidy poked me in the back, but I refused to look at her. She was, no doubt, holding back her humor about Brogan’s frankness regarding sharing McKale’s “abode,” a thought that thumped around inside my head. Soon I would share a room with a boy and… and… ack!

I cleared my throat and thanked Brogan.

“My pleasure, it is. Let me know if ye be needing anything further.”

We stepped into the room and he bowed low before leaving us. Cassidy and I looked around the space for a moment until we knew Brogan was far enough away, then Cass whispered, “I can’t believe it! This is awesome!”

In a moment of jet-lagged, expounded relief, we grabbed each other and jumped up and down in a circle, giggling and carrying on as quietly as we could. We squeed and stamped our feet a few seconds more before gaining control and taking deep breaths. I would’ve never behaved that way in front of another soul.

“What do you think of McKale?” she asked. “Don’t you think he’s too quiet?”

I shrugged. “He doesn’t even know us yet. But I prefer quiet over someone who’s a loose cannon anyway, no offense.”

She let her head fall back, unoffended. “Ah, Rock. What a nice surprise. I like Ireland.”

Now that we were calm I checked out our room, which was lit by a gas lamp, like a lantern. The room was smaller than mine at home. Our luggage was by the door, including the storage bin for McKale.

There were two small beds close to the ground. I squatted down next to them. They didn’t have mattresses, exactly. They looked like giant, fluffy pillows encased in wooden sides. I hoped they weren’t full of straw and lice like the beds I’d read about in the Dark Ages. I pressed on one of the makeshift mattresses and was pleasantly surprised to feel it was full of downy feathers. Lifting it, I saw that underneath was a thick layer of sheep wool. Cassidy flopped down onto her bed and sank in.

“Oh. My. Heaven,” she moaned. “It’s not very easy to move around in, but you don’t really need to.” She tried and failed to sit up, being sucked into the softness. “Help!” She flailed her arms, laughing. I grasped her hands and pulled her out of the bed.

Next we peeked at the washroom, which was partitioned from the sleeping area with a hanging drape.

“Oh,” Cassidy stated.

Oh. That about covered it. No indoor plumbing. An oval wooden tub sat against the wall with a wooden bucket overhead. We’d have to kneel or sit in the tub and pull a lever to release a stream of water. Next to the tub was another wooden bucket, which I could only assume was for squatting. It had a lid next to it. And then there was a raised basin full of fresh water.

Cassidy scowled. “Geez, the Leprechauns really need to get up to speed.”

“This looks way worse than camping.” I was not looking forward to this adjustment.

“They talk funny here,” she said. “They sound different from the Irish people we met.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “They sound a couple centuries behind or something.”

“Guess that’s what happens when you live in the boonies with no plumbing.”

“Come on.” I pulled her from the bathroom area. “Let’s go to bed.”

I changed into pajamas and felt butterflies at the thought of McKale.

“Do you think Rock will come again tomorrow?” Cassidy asked, sliding into her bed.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t if I were him. Brogan seemed pretty pissed.”

She crinkled her nose with disappointment and I fiddled with the lamp until I figured out how to turn it off. Cass hadn’t been exaggerating about the bed. The softness had a way of dredging the day’s anxiety from my muscles and lulling me to sleep, content. For the first time in eleven years I had a real face to imagine as I drifted into slumber. And I liked it.