#19 The Quay

Molly and Kevin headed back to Molly's to change for dinner.  As the time approached to head to her parents, Molly became more and more nervous.  She knew how tough her father could be when you first met him, and knew he would push Kevin to make sure he was worthy in her father's eyes.

Molly was not sure how to prepare Kevin for this except to tell him that he needed to stand on his own. Kevin assured her he could handle himself against any challenges as they headed to dinner.  While Molly had seen Kevin deal with others, she still was concerned about how he would react with her father.

Molly and Kevin arrived at Pete and Kara's home and were welcomed by Molly's mum.  The aroma of freshly baked bread and beef stew floated through from the kitchen into the living room.  The room opened immediately to the main room and there sat Pete in his chair, not even getting up.  Kevin took the cue and walked over to him to shake hands and introduce himself.

"So you're the one I've been hearing about down at the local?  My daughter seems to be very taken with you.  We'll have to just see why that would be tonight?, came the gruff response from Pete.

"Sir, I'm go glad I finally get to meet the man who taught Molly all she knows about sailing. I was so lucky to find her and have her share some of that experience with me."  Kevin was doing his best 'I'm a good guy' impression.

"Oh, by the way, I brought a little something to enjoy tonight," as he handed Kara a bottle of wine.

"I'm a Guinness drinker myself," Pete retorted looking for any reason to put Kevin in his place.

Molly was already a nervous mess, and listening to her father talk to Kevin like this was making her even more nervous.  She immediately opened the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass gulping down the first half.  She could see how dinner was going to be like a run away train and she had no way of stopping it. Why was her father doing this?  She looked at her mum and all she got was a shrug back.

As they sat down for dinner, Pete continued with his harsh questions, "So you find out little village only good enough to come visit for escape from the Big Smoke?  Not good enough to live here?"

"Well, sir, I never had the opportunity to think about moving here as my family lives in the Dublin area.  Molly met them and they thought she was wonderful," Kevin was trying to hold his ground, but it wasn't easy.

Molly gulped another glass of wine, finishing off the bottle that Kevin brought and quickly found a second bottle to open.  Everyone else was still on their first glass.

"Kevin you must be a good salesman to be living in Dublin.  It's quite expensive there, isn't it?" Pete was feeling on top of his game.

"Da, please, this is not the conversation we should be having tonight," Molly pleaded, but it was on deaf ears.

"Molly, dear, we are supposed to be getting to know this young man, correct? I'm just trying to see what kind of character your boyfriend has." Pete grumbled.  Something was obviously upsetting him.

As dinner ended Pete led Kevin into the main sitting room while Molly gulped another glass of wine, now almost quite relaxed and feeling the buzz of the alcohol as she helped her mum with the dishes.

"Molly, you have to forgive your father.  He's never had to deal with this before and he's very protective of you,"  her mum explained.

"He could back off just a bit mum.  I'm so embarrassed by all these questions,"  Molly replied as she gulped yet another glass of wine, and started to feel a bit light headed.

As Molly wove her way back into the main room, Kevin could tell she was well beyond her tolerance of wine, and knew they had better return to her cottage before Molly's temper started on her da.

Kevin bade Kara and Pete good night saying that he needed to get some sleep as he had an early start back to Dublin the next morning.  But he really was worried about Molly and getting her back to her cottage.  After many thanks for an interesting evening and a wonderful meal, Kevin got Molly into her coat and with arm wrapped around her, helped her down the front steps, and along the path to her cottage.

#18 The Quay

When Molly arrived back at her cottage Kevin was sound asleep on the sofa curled up with the the blanket she had given him earlier. She quietly slipped by him and headed to her room to shower and get ready for the day. She left Kevin's bag next to the sofa so if he woke up he would see it.

When Molly came back to the main room after putting herself together she found Kevin dressed and sipping on a fresh cup of tea.

"So did you enjoy you nap?" she asked.

"I didn't realize how tired I was," Kevin chuckled back. "Now that the sun has come out what about if we do a little of that sightseeing you've been telling me about?"

"Just what I had in mind. What if we start in Wexford Town and then we could work our way back this way?"

"You're the tour guide this time, so where we go is up to you," Kevin smiled back.

Molly was very familiar with places she had been to many times but also was looking for some out of the way places that would impress Kevin. Normally she would head toward Wexford Town, but today with the sun coming out after the storm she thought a drive out to Hook Head Lighthouse would be wonderful. Molly decided to pack a picnic lunch for the two of them and made a thermos of hot tea to go along with the sandwiches. It would surely be windy and a bit cold this time of the year out on the peninsula. Finally prepared they headed out in Molly's car.

The ride was glorious. More than Molly could have wished for. Kevin was duly impressed with the countryside and ruins in the middle of farm fields. With a few rain clouds and some fine sprinkling of rain there were more than enough rainbows to keep them busily pointing out new ones to each other as the drove the back road to Hook Head.

Approaching the lighthouse the peninsula narrowed to where water was visible on both sides of the road. The lighthouse stood like an amazing black and white sentry to the landscape at the very end of the road as it had stood for over eight hundred years and was now the oldest intact lighthouse in the world.

Molly really had no care about its age. She just knew that the view from the balcony was spectacular. In the back of her mind she secretly hoped that they might see a humpback whale off the shore.

After the chilly climb up the one hundred fifteen steps and back, Molly and Kevin stopped by the cafe and bakery and chose some sweets to complete their lunch. As the day progressed and the sun contunued to shine, it was more than warm enough to sit at one of the picnic tables and enjoy their lunch and sweet dessert.

It only took a little over an hour to get to the lighthouse so Molly planned a slight diversion on the way back toward Wexford Town. Taking the road on the west side of the peninsula (they had come through Fethard on the east) Dunbrody Abbey could be spotted a few miles away standing back from the road. It was a jewel all alone in the countryside. In the last several years it had been restored. It had been left for so many years like other Irish castles and abbeys to deteriorate. Now it was something special to behold.

Time seemed to stop at this point for Molly and Kevin as they walked through the abbey. The abbey was not rebuild but restored to a point where you could wander the insides and feel the spirit of the time.

Just down the road was the John F. Kennedy Arboretum. Molly and Kevin passed on this to visit another time. When Molly and Kevin realized how much time they had spent at the abbey they had no choice but to head back to Kilmore Quay so they were not late for dinner with Molly's parents.

#17 The Quay

As the week progressed, the days and hours seemed to drag along.  The more Molly was anxious for the weekend to arrive, the slower things moved along.  It was difficult for her to think that she had ever anticipated the arrival of a weekend this much.

Friday evening arrived and there was no word from Kevin.  Not even a phone call.  Molly wanted to call Kevin, but she didn't want to seem pushing either.  As night drew near and the clouds darkened the winter sky she worried that something had happened.  Finally, ignoring all her sensibilities, she called Kevin only to find there was no answer.  What was going on?

By midnight Molly was exhausted and worried that the little bit of whiskey she had to calm her nerves had kicked in and she fell asleep in the over-sized chair in her sitting room.  It was early morning before she awoke and still had not heard from Kevin.  And now the morning sky had filled with dark clouds warning of a storm.  Molly stretched her body, stiff from sleeping in the chair, reluctant to move for few minutes.  She could hear the sound of the rain showers starting on the windows, slowly at first and then the downpour began.

She leaned over and sleepily and switched on the light on the table beside the chair.  The sound of the rain on the windows was almost musical, but there was something else, a tapping that had started.  She stirred out of her sleepy state and realized there was a tapping at her door.  What on earth was going on?

With the blanket throw from the chair wrapped around her she slowly opened the door to find a very drenched Kevin standing before her.

"What happened?", she asked as she pulled Kevin into the cottage moving the blanket throw from around to herself to around Kevin pushing him toward the left over fire with the glowing embers from the night before.

"Traffic, flat tire, dead phone, you name it."  Kevin responded as he put his hands near the fire to warm a bit.

Molly put more peat logs on the fire to get a better fire going.  They would need it with a storm like this to keep the cottage nice and warm.  Kevin was literally shivering.  Molly started the hot water in the shower and pulled Kevin away from the slowly gaining fire to the shower room with orders to warm up in the hot water.  While Kevin was warming up in the shower, Molly started a pot of tea and some breakfast scones for the two of them to eat.  She had not even taking into consideration how she looked until she looked at her reflection in the window.  She was horrified for Kevin to see her like this.

It was too late to do anything now.  Kevin was in the shower room where all her needs were.  She would have to excuse herself once he was out.  And with that thought, she heard Kevin enter the room.

When she turned she gasped as Kevin had only a towel wrapped around him.  She had totally forgotten about all his wet clothes.

"Where is your bag for the weekend, Kevin?",  Molly queried.

"In the car, about a mile up the road.  I wasn't thinking it would be raining so hard so quickly." Kevin groaned as he moved back toward the warm fire.  He seemed a bit uncomfortable with only the towel wrapped around him in front of Molly.  Excusing herself quickly she retreated to her room for a quick look in the mirror.  Shocked at the way she looked she grabbed her brush and quickly ran it through her hair, then grabbed a dry blanket for Kevin to wrap himself in.

"This is the best I can do at the moment," Molly explained as she handed Kevin the blanket.  I'll throw your clothes in the dryer, but they are so wet it will take a good while for them.  "Let me get you some hot tea.  I know how chilling these winter storms can be."

As the two of them sat in front of the fire sipping their tea, they had to laugh at their predicament.  Even under these circumstances, they felt relatively comfortable with each other.

"Hardly the way I expect to present myself to you today, Molly," Kevin explained.

"I'm just glad you made it safely.  I was terribly worried,"  Molly responded.  "It looks like the worst of the storm is over and the sun might make it out yet today.  If anything, even without a sunny day, it will be clear enough for us to do a little exploring.  Now give me your car keys and tell me where the car is, so I can go get your bag."

"I'll go with you," Kevin shouted.

"Not dressed like that you won't," Molly laughed.

With Kevin's directions Molly easily found Kevin's car, transferred his bag to her car and headed back to the cottage.  The day was improving and so was their circumstance.

#16 The Quay

Molly had a lot to think about on the trip home. When she arrived back in Kilmore Quay she realized that there was something important that she needed to take care of before the next weekend came around and Kevin arrived.  All this time she had been getting to know Kevin, she had never shared any of this with her parents.  While she regularly visited them, she did not share this special relationship that had been blossoming between her and Kevin.  Now it was going to be mandatory to do that.

Molly arrived back in Kilmore Quay just around dinner time and called her parents to see if she could stop by for a bit in the evening.  Peter and Kara were snuggled by the fire as the cold wind came off the sea when Molly arrived. Even in their retirement age, they still appeared like young lovers. 

Previously, Molly had explained to them that she was taking a weekend trip to Dublin, but did not go into details.  Both were a bit skeptical and suspicious, but knew not to probe as Molly would tell them what was going on in her own time. Peter had actually thought this might have something to do with a sailing competition, but waited patiently without asking.

Molly walked up the small hill overlooking the quay to their cottage thinking to herself that someday she would like to have something similar with someone, maybe Kevin. Her thoughts kept wandering back to how Kevin was so entrenched in Dublin, and how he might get bored living the kind of lifestyle she so loved.

Peter and Kara's place was small but very comfortable and Molly made herself at home in a big easy chair after greeting her parents.  She could tell by the look on their faces, they were waiting to her to tell them what was going on.  So starting back at the beginning when she first met Kevin, she told the story of how the two of them had become so close.

Peter smiled and said, “I'd been hearing some rumors from the pub that you were hanging out with some city lad. Now I know it's true. So is he a good dependable lad?”

Peter was only concerned for his daughter that she find someone good and dependable for the long run as he had.  Kara was quiet during this time leaving the discussion to Peter.

“Da, he's coming to visit again next weekend, and I'd like to bring him by,” Molly explained. “I really do want you and Mum to meet him.”

Kara perked up, “Well, then, we'll have to have a perfectly planned family dinner for your friend. It's been ages since I've had to plan something special.  At least I have all week to get things together.  Peter, we'll need a trip to Wexford Town to shop and I need to find something extraordinary to prepare.”

“Nonsense Kara, he's just a Dublin lad, what will he care?” Peter was going to be a bit more cautious about this.

They all laughed and for the remainder of the evening Molly shared her experiences from her trip to Dublin.  Her new silver bracelet with the sailboat charm did not go unnoticed by her mother either. 

Molly knew the week would be busy with making sure all the sloops were ready for winter and that the sail shop had all the supplies it needed.  She would be limiting hours now as the water was not fit for taking tourists out and business was slower.  Next weekend she and Kevin would be doing some exploring around the area scouting places that they might take the group the following spring.  Molly also wanted to take Kevin to a few other local sites that might interest him. 

That next week Molly found herself working around the sail shop with more of a purpose than she usually did. She smiled more being content to know that the weekend would soon be there.

#15 The Quay

Sunday morning arrived quickly as Molly showered and dressed for her last visit of the weekend with Kevin's sister.  She took the time to indulge in a heartier breakfast thinking it would last her the trip back on the bus, and also a brisk walk around the neighborhood.  She decided that she could handle Dublin as long as most of her time was spent on the outskirts of city center away from the hustle and bustle of crowds and traffic.

Molly had her small suitcase packed and downstairs near the door when Kevin arrived.  He seemed a bit rushed and out of breath.

“Kevin, what's up?” Molly asked.

“Oh...nothing, I just overslept a bit and was trying to get too much done this morning before I got here,”  Kevin offhandedly answered.  He did seem nervous about something.

Molly knew better than to grill him on what was going on.  If he wanted to tell Molly, he would in his own time.  Over these past few months she had learned to trust his judgment and not push.

Kevin put the suitcase in the back seat, and the two headed off to the south side of Dublin to Dun Laoghaire along the coast and Kevin's sister's house.  Siobhan and her husband lived in an apartment on Harbour Road overlooking Dun Laoghaire.  Other than the fact that it was an apartment and on the third floor, Molly thought the location was stunning. 

Siobhan's husband worked for a national telecommunications company, and Siobhan worked at a local doctor's office handling insurance claims.  They had bought the apartment before the price boom, and now were very happy that their investment paid off. 

If Molly had any concerns about meeting Siobhan, they were quickly put to rest once they were introduced and started chatting.  Siobhan, like her mother, was open and friendly and only wanted the best for Kevin as his older sister.  It wasn't long before the two women had left Kevin and his brother-in-law inside the apartment and sat down with some tea on the balcony overlooking the harbour. 

Siobhan's questions were probing, but not in an offensive way.  Molly felt quite comfortable talking with her.  But now Molly needed to ask Siobhan some questions that she could not, and would not, ask Kevin.

“Kevin mentioned to me that he did not always make the best of choices.  Do yo know what he meant by that?”  Molly asked straightforward.

“Molly, Kevin can be impulsive at times.  From what I understand, you've met Erin.  While they dated for over a year, that was the first time he was cautious about where a relationship was going.  And I have to say, with good reason. But it did take him a long time to finally break up with her.  Before that he would date a girl for a few months and think he wanted to get married. We've really tried to guide him into some better choices."

“Kevin and I are very close and while we might not see each other very often, we do chat on the phone and share our feelings about things.  I could see how impressed he was after he met you the first time.  I waited until he brought up the subject of sailing again several times and listened closely to what he was saying.  I tried to get through the whole sailing thing and listened to what he was saying about you.  He had no idea he was focusing on you just as much as he was the idea of sailing, but I could see it.  I wanted to give him the chance of following his interest in sailing, but also a chance to get to know you better, so I bought him the sailing lessons as a gift.  I have to say, it was one of my best choices,”  Siobhan concluded smiling.

“Thank you for your honesty Siobhan.  I always wonder about ulterior motives, and after meeting Erin, I felt I was so different, and was struggling with why Kevin had any interest in me,” Molly confessed.

“Molly, what you need to understand is with Erin, it was more of her hanging on to Kevin, than Kevin wanting to continue the relationship.  It was very difficult for him to break it off.  And I'm still not sure to this day that Erin has realized that she really has no chance with Kevin. Be careful of that one,” Siobhan advised.

“Oh, I've already had a run in with her, but I can hold my own.  I might be from a small town, but there will be no walking all over me.  And as for Kevin, I would not be putting up from any shenanigans from him either,”  Molly and Siobhan both laughed at this.

“You are just what Kevin needs,” Siobhan. “I can see you can take care of yourself and not put up with nonsense from him.  Somehow I knew that when I talked to you on the phone. He does care very much for you.  He doesn't bring many girls around to meet the family.  I'm so very glad we had this time to meet and chat.  Don't be a stranger,”  Siobhan finished.

“And I'd love for you and your husband to come down to Kilmore Quay and visit too.  If you like being out on the water, we could work out a sailing weekend, maybe a family trip,”  Molly offered generously.

“Sounds good, but it's difficult for us to get away.  We'll see what next spring and summer bring along,”  Siobhan smiled.

Kevin and Molly bid their farewells to Siobhan and her husband and headed for the bus station.  This trip had been a real eye-opener for Molly and she had actually enjoyed herself.  Any concerns she had about being in Dublin were dashed.  While she missed the comfort and quiet of her small town, this had been a wonderful weekend.

“Molly, I hope you had a good time this weekend,”  Kevin queried.

“Kevin, it was wonderful.  Such a treat for me, and I loved getting to meet your family and friends.  This is definitely something I'd consider doing again.  I do hope you invite me back,” Molly answered.

As they parked the car near the station, Kevin had suddenly gotten very quiet.

“Is something wrong?”  Molly asked.

“I just don't want to mess this one up.  I mean...I...Molly...you are very important to me.  I don't want to loose you,”  Kevin fumbled with his words.

“Kevin, I'm not going anywhere but back to Kilmore Quay.  And if I'm correct, you are coming to visit next weekend,” Molly was getting nervous with Kevin's stammering.

Kevin reached into his pocket as he started again, “I just wanted to give this to you.”

Molly was a little nervous knowing Kevin's impulsiveness, but had to smile when she saw what Kevin was giving her.  Out of his pocket he pulled a silver charm bracelet with one charm on it – a sailboat.

“It's not much, but I wanted you to keep this as a memory of your visit and know how much you mean to me,” Kevin finished his speech out of breath.

“It's absolutely beautiful, Kevin,” Molly smiled as Kevin put the delicate bracelet on her wrist.  A sign that he was not being too compulsive, but still very caring. She appreciated both the thought and his feelings.  She had come to feel the same, but was still hesitant about sharing her emotions with Kevin. 

Their goodbye said it all as they kissed and embraced for a long time before Molly headed onto the bus.  It would be a long week waiting until they were able to meet up in Kilmore Quay, but the memories of this weekend would hold them as they waited. 

On the bus ride home, Molly ran through all that had happened and often looked at her new bracelet as a fond memory to keep these good times close at hand.

#14 The Quay

It was a beautiful clear day and the ride up the hill to Howth Head lead to an amazing view across Dublin Bay.  Ireland's Eye was sparkling in the sunlight, and the Wicklow Mountains hazy shadows loomed behind across the shore.  Molly and Kevin stood together quietly for a while with Kevin's arm around Molly's shoulder just contemplating the view.  Kilmore Quay was a bit flatter and didn't have this kind of view that Molly was enjoying so much.

As they came down from Howth Head Kevin headed north out of Dublin to the Malahide Castle and grounds.  Situated not far from the coastline with beautifully manicured gardens, the two walked for what seemed like hours through the lush foliage.  Their quiet conversation was casual and they stopped often to talk about the gardens.  Kevin had quite the interest in the gardens of Ireland and had visited many of them.  He explained to Molly that if they had ventured to Powerscourt, they might never come back before dark.  Locally that was his favorite. 

Molly explained to Kevin about all the gardens in Wexford and how so many were also linked to castles, suggesting that they could make a day trip at some point during the winter when they were not sailing.  Kevin looked forward to this. 

The evening would be spent in city center again with Kevin's friends, although Kevin noted that Erin had texted him saying she was unable to make the get together that night.  Molly breathed a sigh of relief not relishing another go round with Erin.  If she did come to Kilmore Quay for that outing, that would be more than Molly would want to handle. 

When Kevin and Molly met up in Temple Bar with Matt, Julianna and Damon, they were already inside the pub with seats saved.  Molly was surprised that they were so excited about the weekend trip to Kilmore Quay that they had already started talking about when they would plan this trip and how it would work out.  They had already been checking out B&Bs in the area and some self-catering cottages that would be available for a long weekend stay.  Molly was glad she could add her knowledge of the area and recommendations for the best places.  While it was still quite a while away, the group realized that come some good weather, reservations would be difficult to come by.

Molly was elated to hear all this enthusiasm.  She knew that there would have to be a lot of planning on her end to block off a weekend where this group would be her priority.  Campfires on the beach, days out sailing, and some sightseeing also would tax her organization skills.  The group had already decided to rent a van for the trip so they could all ride together where ever they went, and it would also fit the girls' luggage. Although Julianna announced that she could pack as frugally as any of the lads in the group.  Matt countered with the fact that he would need at least to suitcases for all his clothes changes that weekend.  The date would be chosen after the first of the year when everyone could have a better look at their work calendars.

Kevin watched how well Molly fit into this group all during the evening.  She was confident and friendly and almost seemed like she had known this group for ages.  Molly loved how welcoming this group of Kevin's friends had been to her and looked forward to the possibility of meeting up with them again.  Other than her experience with Erin, this trip was well worth it.

The night came to an end much quicker than any of the group had expected.  Their excited conversation had used up most of the evening.  Kevin and Molly bid good-night to all and walked the block back to the car hand in hand. 

“I have to say, Kevin, that I was a bit hesitant about this weekend trip, but it has been such fun and a joy to meet your friends,”  Molly explained.

“It's been great to see you interact with all of them and my family too, Molly.  Maybe I just did something right this time,” Kevin had a look of confidence about his statement.

“Are you saying you've done a lot wrong?” Molly queried.

“No, just I've not always made the best of decisions in my life.  This one was a good one,”  Kevin turned to Molly and kissed her on the cheek.  “Tomorrow we're going to make a quick visit to my sister's before I drop you off at the bus for your trip home.  She's the one who pushed me into all these sailing lessons, you know,”  Kevin smiled as he thought back to how all this had started.

#13 The Quay

The rest of that evening went quickly and Kevin took Molly back to the B&B never even realizing what all had happened between Molly and Erin.  Molly was a big girl and figured she had handled herself well and had gotten on fine with the rest of the group.

“Remember tomorrow afternoon we're going to have lunch with my mum and granny.  That will give you a chance to sleep in some and have a bit of breakfast here at the B&B,” Kevin explained to Molly as he leaned over to kiss her goodnight.

“I probably won't be sleeping too late, but might take a bit of a walk around tomorrow morning.  That always gets me ready for the day,”  Molly smiled back as she turned and entered the B&B for the night. 

The next morning Molly quickly dressed and stopped in the breakfast room for some freshly baked scones, a plate of fruit and some tea.  She usually didn't each too much for breakfast and this was just perfect.  Having the added treat of freshly baked scones was only something her mum had done for her on occasion. 

When she was finished she headed out the door for a walk to the National Botanic Gardens to see the glass houses with all the foliage around.  Since this was winter, there were few flowers in bloom, but the glass houses held thousands of samples of what would be coming in the future.  The fragrance of the mulch and greenery brought her back home since she was a bit too far to walk to the bay.  The walk didn't take long and she was back at the B&B with plenty of time to get ready for lunch with Kevin and his family. 

She no sooner came down the stairs dressed and ready when she saw Kevin pull up in front of the B&B.  She wondered why his car was empty as she had expected to see his mum and granny with him.

“Where's you mum and granny?” Molly queried as she came out the door.

“We 're going to meet them at the restaurant, as I have some other plans for us today, and they didn't want to run around doing sightseeing with us,” Kevin chuckled.

“I knew you would be missing the water, so we're going to meet out at Howth for lunch, right on Dublin Bay. And definitely a short ride up to the top of Howth Head for a good look over to the Wicklows and Ireland's Eye. I'm hoping the fog will not catch up with us today,”  Kevin explained, obviously taking in Molly's interests in their sightseeing.

Kevin traveled the road over to Clontarf which would lead them all along the inlet of the bay out to Howth.  Not many boats strayed into this area, but there were plenty of fishermen out in the shallows early today.  Molly enjoyed the ride and the scenery.  Kevin explained that they would be going to eat at King Sitric, his granny's favorite seafood restaurant.  And being on the pier, that Molly would probably like it also.

They arrived about a half hour early and took a walk out to the lighthouse at the end of the pier and back.  The seals were begging for tidbits all along the way and seemed to want to come up on the pier to play.  Molly's guess was that fishermen were throwing scraps from the fish they cleaned as they brought their catch in for the day spoiling these playful seals.

As they arrived back, Kevin noticed his mum's car so they headed into the King Sitric's restaurant.  The smell of fish was all around and so familiar to Molly. Just like Kilmore Quay.  And here they were just thirty minutes out of city center.  What a surprise this was to her.

Kevin's mun and granny could not have been more accommodating.  They were open and friendly from the moment Molly sat down.  Molly had guessed that Kevin had been talking openly with them about her, and that they were very happy he had found someone to spend his time with.  They asked loads of questions about Kilmore Quay, and Kevin's mum even mentioned that she was familiar with Molly's dad and his accomplishments in sailing. 

The food was delicious, and the lunch time passed so quickly that Molly felt she could sit there much longer having this wonderful conversation.  She did notice that Kevin sat back for most of the time just watching and only joining in occasionally.  The lunch ended after they all had a fresh fruit sorbet, and Molly was hugged as generously by both Kevin's mum and granny as they hugged Kevin.  All said parting goodbyes, with invitations for Molly to visit again, more often. 

“I think that went well,” Kevin mused as he waved to the departing car.

“Your mum and granny are wonderful,”  Molly commented.

“They obviously like you a lot.  I've never seen them so excited about someone that I've introduced them to before, Kevin answered.

“And have you introduced them to many girls?” Molly chided.

“Only Erin...” Kevin responded thoughtfully.  “Come on, we've lots to do this afternoon.  Time to get going.”