#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.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 60

When Grace woke up and headed for the kitchen the next morning, Quinn was already there getting a pot of tea heated before he left to go back to Dublin. There was an unsettled quiet between the two of them. Grace didn't know how to tell Quinn how much she would miss him, and Quinn didn't want to push Grace beyond her comfort.

Grace walked up behind Quinn and put her arms around his waist as he was pouring the water from the pot into their cups. He was so surprised that he almost missed the cup. He put the pot down and savored the fact that Grace had come to him first. She tightened her hold and he could feel her body close against him.

“So whose turn is it to surprise this time?” Quinn asked as he turned around in Grace's grasp.

“I'm going to miss you, Quinn,” Grace stated quietly. “How soon can you be back?”

Quinn wrapped his arms around Grace, “I'll be here on Friday afternoon and I'll be staying a bit longer this time. I know this week will be tough apart, but we'll make it, and it will make the weekend more special. I'll be calling you every day just to check in.

“I'll keep myself busy with making the changes to the website that you told me about, and with the guests who will be here during the week. I just wanted you to know I'd miss you,” Grace explained.

They finished their tea and some scones and Quinn headed to grab his overnight bag and leave to head back to Dublin. Grace was waiting at the door for him as he came down the stairs. She knew this would be difficult but never imagined how attached she had become to Quinn. Their good-bye kiss was long and passionate, something both of them would hold on to until the following Friday.

Quinn had not been gone long when Grace heard someone in the drive. It was Peter. Grace had not seen him for a bit and welcomed his visit. They spent a while talking about Peter and Chloe's upcoming wedding. Peter wanted to make sure that he could reserve the entire cottage for a week with all the family arriving and needing someplace to stay. Grace was thrilled that she would have a full house for both the weekend and the weekdays. While it was a few months off, she would need to make sure to plan for a full B&B for an entire week. She might even need to have some help to take care of all the necessities.

This was the kind of business that Grace had hoped to generate for the cottage. It was a busy cottage that would keep her solvent and even allow her to create some savings for those times that were sparse with reservations. If she could make this work, then this move to Swatragh would have been exactly what Aine had in mind for her. She even had an idea for pulling in some local businesses to help with a little catering to lighten the load for a full cottage. Most of her time was now taken up with thought about how to manage the cottage and fit in some time for herself.

Peter stayed for lunch while they continued to chat about the changes he saw for his life with Chloe. He was so different from the first time he had met Grace. That closed sarcastic lad was now open and confident. He was working as a trainer for some runners along with continuing his running in some larger competitions. At this point he was training for a local marathon in Cookstown. And to listen to him talk about Chloe was a joy. You could tell he was deeply in love with her. Grace no longer felt any anxiousness about never having that same kind of experience. Her feelings for Quinn drew deeper by the day, and she new he was the one love she had been waiting for all her life.

Peter noticed that when Grace spoke of Quinn she lit up. He wanted to ask Grace about their relationship, but knew this was not the right time. He had guessed things might change after the night that Grace called him when Quinn had been injured. Her concern was a little more than that of a concerned person. This made Peter very happy knowing that Grace had also found someone. She had seemed so closed and reserved when he first met her. This was a gentler, softer Grace.

After lunch when Grace had the cottage to herself again, she spent some time in the office working on the website with changes that Quinn had suggested. Little things that made the entire operation so much easier. Why had she not thought of these? She smiled to herself knowing that with Quinn's help things would be much better in all ways.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 43

Five years earlier......

Grace had just started at a marketing firm. She was selected out of a pool of about 50 candidates, but had been the top of her class at the university and showed she was the best candidates for this job. She got along with her co-workers and her work was appreciated by her bosses. Each morning when she arrived at work she noticed another young man entering the building about the same time. They started out smiling and nodding to each other and then started to talk on the way up the elevator.

His name was Braden and he also was a recent university graduate and worked at a law office as an intern a few floors above Grace. He was very professional looking, sharp and a very stylish dresser. Braden knew he was good looking and took advantage of that with women as often as he could. Unfortunately, Grace never saw this until it was too late.

He was slick. First it was coffee, then lunch. He developed their relationship very slowly so Grace never knew what hit her. By the time they were dating on a regular basis, he had been coming over to Grace's for dinner a couple times a week. He convinced her that it was so much nicer and more comfortable eating at her place than always eating out. But he never contributed toward the food, or supplies. Every once in a while he would bring a bottle of wine, but that was it. Grace thought this was how it worked. She was getting in too deep and put all her feelings out there for Braden to see. She really didn't share this relationship information with her friends at work.

If she had they would have let her in on this operator. Grace and Braden were constantly together after work. After a while, he needed to spend some late nights at work, first once a week, then twice and by the time he was spending three nights a week late at the office and not able to see Grace at all, she got suspicious. It was at this point she talked to one of the girls in the office and found out that Braden was slowly moving on. He would hook up with one girl, then slowly move to another when he felt the relationship was getting too serious. The problem was at this point Grace had fallen in love with Braden.

She thought she could convince Braden that it would work out. But she was in over her head and he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. He had moved on. He was having his dinners with a girl from a building across the street. One night he was so exasperated with the pleading from Grace that he unloaded on her, calling her needy and pathetic. A poor excuse for a girlfriend and someone who could not even cook. Grace had vested all her energy into this relationship and now he crushed her emotionally.

Grace moped around for weeks after that. Up to that point she had never had a serious relationship with a man. Her focus was school and getting her degree in marketing. There was no time for men in her life. Even her friends could not get her to leave the flat for a movie. She was like a robot at work. There was no joy in her job. It was then that she left the firm she started at and moved to the firm where she worked currently. Hoping a fresh start would make all the difference.
...........................

And over the past five years she had forgotten all about the hurt and emotional drain that Braden caused. It was not until tonight when she really thought about what it was about Quinn that bothered her so much that it all came back to her.

Grace had buried all those feelings and went on with her life and was happy. Why was she falling apart now? The tears continued while she cleaned up all the dishes from dinner and crawled into bed. She hated Braden for what he had done to her.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 41

It was as if Donovan knew what time the girls would arrive on Fridays. He was sitting on his front stoop as Grace pulled up. As she exited the car and turned toward him, he waved. Now this was something new. What was Donovan up to? Grace always had the slight suspicious bent toward her relationships. Never quite trusting others, especially men. Always wondering about ulterior motives in people. She had not always been like this, but that was another story altogether. Some subjects are best left well enough alone.

“Donovan, how are you doing? You seem to be in great spirits today,” Grace greeted Donovan as she walked across the road.

“Grace, by now you must know the good news about Peter and Chloe,” Donovan touted as if he had a secret that Grace didn't know.

“Of course, Donovan, it's grand news, isn't it? Now Chloe will be up here all the time in a few weeks,” Grace thought this might deflate Donovan a bit.

Donovan was not one to be put down. His response was as sharp as a tack. “So I hear Chloe is going to take a job. What will ye be doin' now that she won't be keepin up the B&B?” He was plying Grace for answers.

Grace had her own tactics, and was not going to crumble to Donovan's pushing the issue. “For now, Donovan, I have guests to get ready for tonight and this weekend. Things will work themselves out, I'm sure.” Grace was not going to let Donovan know that she was staying at the cottage for the entire next week. He'd have to find that out as the days passed. And for now she had avoided his question as to what was going to happen.

Grace smiled and returned to her car to get the groceries she had purchased secure in the fact that for the time being she had shut Donovan down. But he did ask the question that was in the back of her mind the entire trip up to Swatragh. And a slight frown crept across her brow as she entered the B&B.

And full weekend lie ahead of her. This was the weekend when the band would be coming to stay. They would arrive early and had asked after the possibility of dinner before they headed out to their gig at Rafter's that night. Grade unloaded the supplies and got started on a bean and sausage casserole that she could keep piping hot and have ready at a moments notice. A nice fresh salad with some green grapes for some sweetness would be perfect with some brown bread on the side. These were simple meals, but most of the guests appreciated the country style cooking. They were not looking for fancy. Just good home cooked meals. Grace also made a quick berry and apple cobbler to have on hand for dessert.

As she checked on the casserole, there was a knock at the door. It was Frances and her band mates.

“I hope we are not too early?” she queried.

“Not at all, I'm Grace, your hostess. Please come on in,” Grace smiled and welcomed her guests. She got them all checked in and set up in their rooms telling them dinner would be ready when they were wanting it.

Frances asked if there was a place where they could do a little musical warm up before eating and Grace directed them to the large sitting room. As Grace continued working in the kitchen music filled the cottage. Every nook and cranny took in every note that was played. Francis voice moved throughout the rooms as it they had been craving this attention for too long. Grace found herself smiling and swaying to the music as she worked.

No sooner had Grace set the table and started to put out the food than the group finished their warm up. But the feel of the music remained to surround the cottage.

“That was absolutely lovely,” Grace told Frances. It's been too long since this place has been filled with music.

“Well, Grace, we'd be more than happy to recommend this place to our musician friends, but they need a place during the week also. Many of the pubs up this way have music on Thursday nights too, some even on Wednesday.” Frances explained to Grace.

“I've been trying to work out keeping the place open all week, but so far it's been difficult. I will be up here all this next week and would welcome another group during the week. I definitely have vacancies.” Grace's mind was busy creating ideas as they flew through her head.

“Consider it done, lassie,” Frances responded, and with that, Grace knew what she was going to have to do.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 40

Grace knew that at some point Chloe would not want to stay at the cottage every weekend, but had not suspected it to be this soon. And hardly expected it to be this way. She was happy for Chloe, but now had to make more decisions.

They did agree that for the next three weeks, until Grace's next planned weekend stay at the cottage, Chloe would still take care of things. During this time she would give her two weeks notice at the firm. gradually move out of her flat a little each weekend, and move those things that she wanted to get to Swatragh to Peter's house for storage. Other things she could take to the cottage to keep there. That at least gave Grace at least 3 weeks to try and work something out.

All this time Grace had also been busy booking the cottage for every weekend. Many of the guests were repeat guests, and new ones were coming all the time. She had received a lot of requests for bookings during the week, and had to turn them down. It was time to crunch numbers again and see if having the cottage open all week would make enough money to support herself. She had already taken some money from her savings for updates to the cottage and supplies, so she hoped to not have to dip more into her savings.

As the weeks passed, and the end of the month arrived, she knew she was now in a bind again. With only one week of vacation left on the books, she put in a request to take the following week off. She would go up to the cottage on Friday morning, stay the entire week and the next weekend, to sort things out. As long as she was there, she also booked guests for the weekdays when it was requested, and was surprised that there was at least one room booked out every night. She hoped being up in Swatragh would help clear her head so she could figure this all out.

Chloe had decided to stay in Dublin to get packing done, so the downstairs bedroom would be Grace's alone for the weekend. The cottage was booked full, and that strange Quinn would be there, too. Whenever Grace thought of him she had this strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't quite explain it, he just made her feel uneasy.

After work on Thursday Grace did a little shopping for some specialty items at Fallon and Byrne in Dublin. They carried some delicious variations to what a person normally would cook with, and Grace was now adding some of her own touches to Aine's recipes. So far all had received rave review by the guests.

Most other shopping would be done as she passed through Cookstown on Friday morning. The farmer's market would have fresh produce in abundance. She had also found a favorite butcher shop on the way to pick up any other items she needed. Grace had found that she really enjoyed strolling down the main street choosing items that were just in from the farms. As she did this, she imagined Aine doing the same thing over the years, purchasing local produce and meats from local farmers. Grace had found the number for a local chicken farmer in Aine's notebook who delivered fresh eggs on Friday afternoons knowing about when she or Chloe would arrive.

It was obvious that being out in the countryside changed Grace's disposition from the hectic workweek. She felt so very comfortable when she was in Swatragh. After all these months of fighting the feeling, Grace now realized what Aine had known for years. Grace belonged at the cottage. This is where she was truly happy.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 39

Sunday morning came quickly and it was time to head back to Dublin. Grace had seen no more of Quinn after Peter took him to town to get a new tire for his bike. She was actually happy she did not have to deal with him any more. It was bad enough that she had burned her hand because of him. No matter that he helped her with it, it would not have happened if he had not followed her into the kitchen. What was up with this guy?

Grace knew the cottage would be busy the next few weekends and asked Chloe if she needed extra help when she saw her at work on Monday. As it was Chloe was going up to Swatragh every weekend to work and see Peter. Grace felt that it might be wearing on Chloe and she might need some help. If Chloe said yes, Grace had no idea what she would do, except be the one to go up to the cottage each weekend herself. They needed to meet up one evening after work and see what needed to be done.

Grace set up a dinner date for Wednesday evening so that she, Sue, and Chloe could sit down and talk about the B&B. Sue had been instrumental in getting the Internet site set up for the B&B, and now other than tossing ideas back and forth was not as involved as earlier. Every once in a while she'd throw Grace an idea for marketing, or information. But she was a great idea person to have for input.

Grace had the girls over to her flat. Even though the kitchen was minuscule, she was able to make a great meal for the three of them. As they sat down and toasted themselves they all smiled. When you really think about what they had accomplished in the past month and a half, it was astounding.

“How much longer do you think you will need me at the cottage?” Chloe opened up the conversation to the surprise of Sue and Grace.

“What...?” responded an astounded Grace. “I thought you were happy up there in Swatragh during the weekends.”

“Grace, I am happy. That's why I'm asking,” Chloe responded.

“Chloe, what exactly are you saying?” even Sue was confused by her comment.

“Okay, I've been thinking..... well, we've, Peter and I, have been thinking that we want to spend more time together. Being at the cottage tending to customers every weekend is not really leaving us enough time together. We've grown really close..... Alright, Peter has asked me to marry him!” Chloe seemed almost embarrassed when she blurted this out.

The next minute the girls were all on their feet hugging Chloe, shouting and dancing in the little flat. Both Grace and Sue were very happy for Chloe.

As they settled down, Grace suddenly realized that this would change things, but she didn't know how.

“So Chloe, what were you thinking?” Grace questioned.

“Peter has been checking around and he has a friend that needs some help in his store. If I moved up to Swatragh, I could get a job at his friend's store, and all I would need to do is find a place to live until we got married. Peter's dad has a big house and has said we were welcome to live in the house with him, since it's just the two of them now. When Peter and I go off, we often go visit with his dad so the two of us could get to know each other. His dad and I get along great.” Chloe seemed to have practiced this before.

“Then you are planning to move to Swatragh?” Sue asked.

“Well, I was hoping that until Peter and I are married I could stay at the cottage all the time. Of course paying for my room, and then I could still work a couple of weekends a month at the cottage. depending on how much time Peter's friend wants me to work.”

Sue and Grace looked at each other. Now what?

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 38

Grace was up early the next morning to start breakfasts for her guests. She was so tired she had not even heard Chloe come in and climb in the bed next to her. When she got up Chloe was still fast asleep.

Time to get a batch of scones going and all the preparations for the Ulter Fry for Quinn. Grace was having a hard time pinpointing what it was about Quinn that just annoyed her. He was good looking, polite, and well spoken, but just something about him left her perplexed.

As her mind wandered she could hear water running upstairs and knew her guests were up and getting ready to come down. Scones in the oven and hot water in the kettle was ready. The table was all set with cream, marmalade, butter, and cups for tea and coffee.

At 8:30 Grace started serving her first guests. As she brought their breakfasts to them, out of the corner of her eye she spotted Quinn coming down the stairs and did a double take. Yesterday he had been wearing his biking clothes and had been walking in the heat for several hours. This morning he came down freshly showered wearing jeans and a well fitted white t-shirt. He could have passed as a sports celebrity. Grace caught herself staring and suddenly turned to go back to the kitchen. As she did, she almost ran into one of the guests who had gotten up from the table. At this point she was totally flustered and quickly excused herself to the kitchen to catch her breath.

Grace quickly pulled herself together. What was the matter with her? She had seen good looking men before. They had never had this effect on her. She tried to shake it off and get to the business of making breakfast for Quinn. When she delivered it to the dining room, she didn't even look up to face him. She quickly put his dish down asked if he needed something else, then grabbed some finished dishes from the other guests and headed back to the kitchen.

Just as she was getting some more hot water poured into the tea pot, she heard someone at the kitchen door, startling her all over again.

“Excuse me,” Quinn asked.

“Ow,” screamed Grace as she spilled boiling water over her hand.
Quinn ran over to her and pushed her to the sink and turned on the cold water.

“Stay there,” he demanded as he strode to the freezer and filled a bowl with ice cubes. “Here, put your hand in here,” as he added some water.

“It's so cold,” Grace whined as her hand was pushed into the ice water.

“That is probably a nasty burn. I'm so sorry I startled you. Does that happen a lot?” Quinn was feeling very bad. “Here let me take a look.” Quinn gently pulled Grace's hand out of the water. “We may have gotten it cooled down soon enough and you may not have as bad as a burn as I originally thought. Gently pat it dry and I'll be right back. Don't rub it.” Quinn scolded Grace.

In just a few minutes Quinn returned with his backpack, reached in and pulled out a first aid kit.

“I travel with this in case I have an accident. This salve should help some. It works for bad road scrapes and helps to heal them quickly. But you should see a doctor.” Quinn was on a role with helpfulness. He actually seemed very nervous as he gently smoothed the salve on Grace's burn. As he was doing this Chloe entered the room.

“What is happening here? I head a shout. Oh, my, Grace, are you okay?” Chloe was full of questions.

Grace explained how the tea pot slipped out of her hand with the hot water burning her and how Quinn was helping her. Chloe kept looking between Grace and Quinn with this strange look on her face. Grace glared at her and she finally turned to pick up the tea pot and mop up the water on the floor. But every once in a while she'd glance back at Grace and Quinn.

After Quinn applied the salve Grace felt some relief and the pain subsided. Quinn told Grace she needed not to get the hand wet so that the salve would work on the burn, so Chloe finished picking up the dishes from the table and making sure they were washed.

Quinn gathered his things and changed into his biking clothes to walk his bike to town when Peter showed up. Chloe explained what happened to Grace and that they would have to delay their plans until Chloe could take care of some things around the cottage. Grace explained to Peter about Quinn's flat tire and his need to find a replacement tire. Since Peter had to wait for Chloe, he suggested that he give Quinn a ride into town. Quinn accepted but before he left asked if the room he used would be available the same time next month.

After checking the schedule, Grace figured that would be the same weekend she was up at the cottage and was not sure she wanted to see Quinn again, but she gave in and told him she would book the room for him.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 37

Just as Grace was getting settled into being in charge of the B&B for the weekend, her phone started ringing. This was another call for a booking for the weekend. She never thought she would have to be turning down guests because she was all booked up. After a quick chat with the callers, she ended up making arrangements with them for a weekend the next month. They would have been interested in staying a few more days during the week, but Grace explained that at this point they were only open on weekends.

As Grace looked at the calendar, she realized that the cottage was booked solid for every weekend, though the summer and into the fall. How did this happen? Maybe there was something to this B&B business. She was quite pleased that she felt she would be making some money along the way.

As Grace got settled in the kitchen to make some dinner for Chloe, Peter, and herself, a couple of the guests arrived. With the aromas of Aine's recipes wafting from the kitchen, they commented about how good the food smelled. Grace, wanting to be a gracious host, told them she offered dinner for an extra cost, but they were welcome to eat family style at the big table in the dining room. She did explain there was no menu, just what she was cooking for the night, but they were thrilled to have a home cooked meal. Grace showed them to their room, and hurried to take an inventory to make sure she had enough for everyone. She was so glad that Chloe had made a loaf of brown bread that morning to go along with dinner.

Grace had planned an easy dinner for herself, Chloe and Peter, so adding some more bangers to the bangers and mash, and cooking a few more potatoes was perfect. A bit of coleslaw on the side made the meal complete. There was some fresh fruit that Chloe had picked up to go with some clotted cream for dessert.

Grace had made bangers and mash in her flat in Dublin, but Aine'e recipe was quite a bit different. There were no short cuts for the caramelized onions and sauce made with a bit of red wine and some beef stock. The bangers had to be cooked in boiling water first, then sauteed in a frying pan. The only easy thing about all this was the potatoes with plenty of butter and cream. Grace took care to follow the directions carefully. Chloe came in to help her set the table and get the potatoes ready as Grace finished the bangers. The end result was divine for such a simple dish. The guests raved about it, saying they had never tasted better. Grace briefly raised her eyes heaven-ward thanking Aine for the recipe.

As they all finished dinner and cleared the table the guests were off to town to Rafters, and other guests were arriving. Grace made sure to get everyone settled in and comfortable as Chloe and Peter had taken off after dinner. She had no idea where they were going, but knew this was Chloe's time off and wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself.

Standing at the sink in the kitchen Grace's mind wandered to what it would have been like to be spending time with Aine as she cleared dishes from a similar dinner. She was startled by a deep voice coming from the kitchen doorway.

“Hello,” he said, suddenly realizing he had startled Grace. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.”

“Oh, no, that's okay, I guess my mind was wandering off somewhere,” Grace apologized for not responding sooner. “What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you have a room open,” he asked. “I didn't see a 'no vacancy' sign out front.”

“I'm terribly sorry, but I'm full up this weekend.” Grace was mesmerized by this man. His deep smooth voice, dark hair and blue eyes. Apologetically she explained, “I haven't had time to get a no vacancy sign up yet.” In the back of her mind she was wondering if Peter had even made one.

“There's no other place to stay around here, is there?” he asked.

“As far as I know this is the only B&B for about 20 miles. Maybe in Maghera, or north toward Coleraine,” Grace explained.

“Unfortunately I don't think that will work. I've been riding on my bike and my last spare tire just went flat about 5 miles back. So I've been hoofing it up to here,” he explained.

Grace had been so mesmerized by his face and voice that she hardly noticed he was wearing biking clothes. She was quickly trying to find a solution for this man. There was something about him that she could not put a finger on.

“I know it would be unusual, but I'd be glad to pay to stay on the sofa tonight. Tomorrow I could walk to the closest town to get a new tire.” he pleaded and it was working on Grace.

“Wait, I think I can work this out. I have a room upstairs with a single bed. I'll have to go pull my things from it, but you can have that room.” Grace had no idea what she was doing. Where in the world would she be sleeping tonight? She just knew she had to do this.

“Are you sure, you did say you were full up?” he questioned.

“It's a long story, but you can have the room as soon as I get it ready. Now go get your things and I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs,” Grace had fully taken charge here.

Up the stairs she ran and grabbed her things that she had unpacked stuffing them back in her weekend bag. She would be sharing the downstairs room with Chloe tonight, whether Chloe liked it or not. As she arrived back downstairs, she meet the stranger entering the B&B.

“By the way, my name is Quinn Brady. It really is very nice of you to make such arrangements for me.” Quinn professed.

“I'm Grace... and don't think a thing about it. Do you have a preference for breakfast or a time you'd like breakfast?” Grace was trying to stay focused and professional. Who was this guy anyway? Why did she even care?

“Any time is fine for me. Maybe around nine. And if you do a full Ulster fry, that would suit me fine. I need the carbs for riding all day.” Quinn told Grace.

“It will be ready for you in the morning,” Grace turned to take her suitcase into the downstairs bedroom, when Quinn suddenly grabbed it out of her hands.

“Let me do that for you, it's the least I can do,” he spoke as he followed Grace to the bedroom door.

“I can take it from here, thank you,” Grace was just a little put of by this man. Not sure exactly sure about trusting him. What was it about him?

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 36

The weeks flew by with keeping busy at work and working on bookings for the cottage, there was little time left for much else. Each Monday morning Chloe would stop by catching Grace up on happenings at the cottage over the weekend and turning in money collected from guests. Grace, in turn, would give Chloe the allotted money for food for the next weekend. It was a small profit, but nonetheless, a profit.

A three weeks had passed and Grace prepared to drive up to the cottage that Friday morning. Sue had other obligations so she stayed behind. Grace actually enjoyed having Fridays off when she was still in Dublin, but looked forward to her drive up to Swatragh and the cottage. Chloe had shared that she would also enjoy having the weekend off after having worked the last three and not being able to spend as much time with Peter as she had hoped. The two of them were still going strong.

It was a rainy summer day, as happened often in Ireland, but Grace enjoyed the early morning drive out of the city. She planned to stop at least once at a farmer's market to pick up some additional groceries for dinners over the weekend. Grace continued to study Aine's recipes and found a few more that she wanted to try. She figured if she could simplify a few dinners, and standard foods, she could also offer a supper supplement to guests. But Chloe would have to be able to make these dinners. It would be a fixed menu each weekend rather than a menu of choice.

As she drove down the narrow road and spotted the cottage, she noticed Donovan outside his place across from the cottage. She waved as she pulled in, and headed over to say hello when she got out of the car.

“I see you've changed your mind about selling the cottage,” Donovan retorted, as she approached.

“Hello, and I see you are in good health too, Donovan,” Grace responded chuckling.

“So is this a temporary thing? Or just until you can sell? I want to be prepared this time,” Donovan was his usual terse self.

“Donovan, things seem to be sorting themselves out for me. For now, if all goes well, I'll be keeping the cottage open for guests on weekends. My friend will be here most of the time, and I'll be up once a month,” Grace explained.

“Just doesn't seem to have the same energy as when Aine was running it. Less of a home, more just a business,” Donovan responded.

“I guess that's something we'll have to work on. It's only been a month,” Grace understood exactly what Donovan meant. Aine made people feel like they were coming home when they stayed at the cottage. That comfort made them return again and again.

“Just nice to see you up here. Seems Peter is quite taken with your friend. He is practically living at the cottage. But he does take good care of it,” Donovan was once again being his old self.

“Good to hear he's earning his wage, even though it's not much,” Grace chuckled. She had noticed how beautiful the garden looked, and how well the plants and flowers were doing.

Grace bid her farewell to Donovan and grabbed the groceries from the car. Chloe came to the door as she approached.

“I'm so glad you are here. This is the first weekend where the place is going to be packed. It's going to take both of us to keep up with everything!” Chloe explained.

“But this is supposed to be your weekend off.”

“I'll still be here, and I'll help whenever I can. Let's get this unloaded and we can get organized. The rooms are all ready, so we're all set there. It's just making sure we have enough groceries. And, if it's okay, Peter and I will go out tonight. We've really haven't gone out for ages. Mostly he spends time here with me in the evening.” Grace could see that Chloe was happy to have some private time with Peter. “We're starting to feel like an old married couple, and I'm not quite ready for that yet!” Both Chloe and Grace laughed.

The girls organized and put away the groceries as they talked about the guest list for the weekend. The upstairs had a single room, a twin room and two double rooms, along with an unfinished dormer room, currently used for storage. The single room was where Peter stayed the night, and would be where Grace would stay for the weekend. Since Chloe had been coming up the other weekends, she had set up Aine's downstairs bedroom as her own, and Grace didn't want her to have to move for one weekend. Six guests were expected that weekend. Grace had handled this before with six of her friends visiting, but they also pitched in and helped with all the needs of the cottage. This weekend would be a challenge.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 35

The weekend finished on a great note and the girls headed back to Dublin for the workweek. Grace and Sue would work on marketing and booking Aine's Cottage for the next couple of weekends. Grace needed to make up a grocery list for Chloe and get her recipes that should be used. Breakfasts only at this point. That would make it easier for Chloe. Grace was not sure Chloe would have the long term commitment for this, and feared that if her relationship with Peter went sour, she would give it all up.

Sue helped Grace get the Internet site for the B&B going and contacted a few places to let them know about the cottage. Peter posted a flier about the B&B being open again at Rafter's Pub hoping that might also help. Brandan, the bartender, knew of the cottage and promised to pass on the information. Before mid-week had come and gone, to Grace's surprise, they had bookings every weekend for the next two months. While the cottage was not going to be full every weekend, they would have paying guests.

When Grace shared the information with her co-workers, she was surprised to know that many were interested in staying a weekend at the cottage themselves after hearing about it from Chloe and Sue, and others who had visited. It was less than an hour away from the Causeway Coastal Route and centrally located in Northern Ireland.

Grace now was faced with working on a budget for the cottage that would bring in sufficient money to supplement her cut in salary, upkeep for the cottage, and some pay for Peter. As organized as she was, this was not something she was used to doing and needed more help. Sue suggested she contact one of the people at the firm who worked in the finance department to see if they could help, and that Grace could “pay” them with a complimentary weekend.

Mitchell was the finance person Grace knew the best so she asked to meet with him one day at lunch. Grace explained the situation and Mitchell was glad to help. He told her he was not really interested in staying at the B&B, but would love to give the opportunity to his parents as a gift. Grace agreed and a budget was developed that would bare the test of time.

The week passed quickly and Grace passed all the necessary information on to Chloe for the upcoming weekend and crossed her fingers hoping that this would work out. It was difficult for her to turn over the running of the cottage to someone else after spending so much time there, but for now, this must be done. Over the weekend Grace tried to busy herself with other marketing details, research, and tweaking the website for the cottage. While she was working away, Grace realized how much she missed being out in the fresh air and countryside of Swatragh. It would be 3 more weeks before she was back again.

Grace's cell phone rang. It was a number she didn't recognize.

“Hello, this is Grace.” she answered tentatively.

“Hello, my name is Francis. I saw your advert for Aine's Cottage at Rafter's Pub,” the caller replied. “I got this number from the flier.”

“How can I help you?” Grace was please to see that the flier was noticed.

“My band, there are 3 of us, will be playing Rafter's Pub next month for a weekend and would be interested in staying at the cottage. It's too far for us to travel back home after the gig, and we'll be playing for two nights. We're not a noisy group, we play folk and trad, but come in late and sleep late. I hope that would work,” Francis explained to Grace.

After some additional conversation with Francis, Grace worked out the dates and rooms and made the reservations for Francis. This might be a weekend where Grace would make the trip to Swatragh to listen to their music, and give Chloe a break. While breakfast at the cottage is served from 8:30-10:00, standard for most B&Bs, Grace would be on hand to make a late breakfast/lunch for these guests.

Grace was very pleased with how things were moving along. She also noticed that taking care of details for the cottage was taking more and more of her personal time. She had already passed up two invitations with friends to go out.

Intermission

To my readers:
I had planned to have this story completed by this weekend, but obviously that did not happen. Since I will be gone for the next month, consider this an intermission in the story.

I assure you that I will come back full of background information and locations to add in to the story. If you would like to follow my travel blog/journal, you can find it on the side bar of this page, or at Traveling Ireland - http://emeraldpoet1.blogspot.com/

See you in a month for more of this story.
Slan!

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 34

It was getting late, and while Grace trusted Peter, she was a little concerned that she and Sue had not heard from them at all. It was only a few minutes later that they heard Peter's truck in the drive.

Chloe and Peter walked into the cottage in smiles with Peter's arm around Chloe's shoulder. Both were a little flushed, and it appeared that they had been doing a little drinking.

“So it seems you two have been having a fun time,” Sue retorted.

“We had a wonderful day. We found the most amazing pub. Just couldn't resist staying for some music,” Chloe answered not really caring how Sue felt. “Peter is the perfect sightseeing guide.” Chloe looked at Peter with a big grin and Peter seemed to blush with her compliment.

“Peter, are you driving home, or are you going to be staying with us again tonight?” Grace was curious to see where this would lead.

“Oh, I'm fine, and I'll be leaving you all now. It was a long day and you lassies need a good night's sleep,” Peter looked at Chloe and winked as he finished.

Peter said his good nights and headed home. Grace and Sue stood looking at Chloe. All Chloe did was wink back at them and head upstairs to go to bed.

“I think your job helping Chloe getting over her broken heart is done!” Sue turned to Grace and laughed. The two of them left any other work on the cottage for the morning and headed to bed themselves.

The next morning as Grace prepared breakfast Peter arrived with some flowers for Chloe. Grace and Sue glanced at each other as a fresh-faced blushing Chloe came down the stairs just as Peter arrived.

“I thought since you would be going back to Dublin today you might want to have these to remind you of this weekend,” Peter stumbled with the words as he handed the flowers to Chloe.

“Oh, Peter, that is so thoughtful of you. I'd love to have them in my flat in Dublin. This has been an amazing weekend,” Chloe gushed.

“Okay you two. What is going on here?” Grace could not wait any longer for some answers.

“Grace,” Chloe answered, “I think I'm going to be spending quite a few weekends up here visiting Peter so we can get to know each other better. Do you think I could stay here at the cottage? It's just a thought.”

Sue and Grace looked at each other and Sue turned to Chloe and asked, “Can you cook?”

“Sue, what kind of question is that? Of course I can cook. My mother made me take cooking lessons at a cooking school one summer. So why are you asking?” Chloe seemed offended about the cooking question in front of Peter.

“Grace, I think we have found a solution for part of the plan,” Sue was smiling at Grace.

All during breakfast the conversation swirled around how the cottage could run as a B&B on the weekends, but needed someone to take care of the guests. If Chloe wanted to come up and visit Peter on weekends she could stay at the cottage for free if she handled the B&B needs for the guests. Grace could handle the bookings from Dublin, Peter could still help out with the grounds and see Chloe. One weekend a month Grace would relieve Chloe so she could have the entire weekend with Peter.

Everyone seemed in agreement for this, so they planned to put this into effect the next weekend, if they could get some bookings. Sue and Grace would work on that. Chloe would have to learn some of the standard recipes that Aine used and could add her own as time went on. They would try this for one month and meet at the end of the month at the cottage to discuss how things went before going ahead with the plan.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 33

Sue broke the silence of their ride with the first question, “Did you ever think of having someone run the B&B for you, Grace?”

“How do you see that happening, Sue? I can't afford to pay someone if the B&B is not making money, and I'd still want to make some money off it, right?” Grace responded.

“Well, if you gave someone room and board and a small stipend that might work. If it was a couple, one of them could work and the other handle the B&B. They'd have no overhead, and one salary would be just for their own spending,” Sue was trying to think out of the box.

“You may have something there Sue. So now I would need to find someone to do this. And what about seeing to the bookings. I need some kind of marketing plan,” Grace was thinking out loud.

They arrived at a little cafe still discussing this when they noticed a pamphlet in a news stand. It was a listing of available B&B's. Here Grace would have a starting point for advertising. She had also been looking at various traveling websites that listed B&B's in Northern Ireland. If she could get Aine's Cottage listed on those also, she might have a chance to make a go at this. Now the question of who to run the B&B for her. She couldn't expect Peter to do this. He'd never be able to handle the cooking. And they needed a way to facilitate bookings. The conversation continued as Sue and Grace at their lunches and walked around the small town.

As they walked Grace thumbed through the pamphlet. More and more she noticed that the B&B's listed had websites. After picking up some snacks and a few supplies for dinner the girls headed back to the cottage and started checking out the websites.

“Sue, you know these are not that complicated. Most of the reservations are made though a booking agency link, but some are direct through emails to the owners. I don't even have to be in Swatragh to keep track of reservations. I could do all that from Dublin.” Grace was surprised at how simple this seemed.
“But I need a website first.”

“Grace, it's still early, we can get some great pictures of the front of the cottage with the sign and all the roses. And then we can take some of the rooms. Will that work?” Sue was thinking right along the same lines as Grace.

“I was just thinking that my Internet provider allows me a small website space for a few euro's a month. I could use that. Let's get those pictures and plan the pages. We can use this site as a guide,” Grace pointed out one online that she liked.

The girls spent on into early evening working on the plan for the website. They had not even noticed that Peter and Chloe had not returned as it was about dinner time. They took a break to make a simple dinner together that they could add to later when Peter and Chloe returned.

As the girls ate they continued their conversation about the website. Should the price be listed? What information did they need to include? And how did Grace go about getting listed in some other pamphlets, or other websites?

Grace paused, and said, “I guess I'm going to reopen Aine's Cottage. Now I just need someone to run the place for me.”

“Grace, you should hold off just until you get everything in place and have some kind of grand re-opening type of celebration,” Sue suggested.

“What if we did some kind of community thing? Something where local people could come by and know that we are here. Like an afternoon event,” Grace's marketing skills were spinning faster than she could keep up.

The two girls continued to work on ideas and when they decided to take a break, they realized it was already dark out and past ten. Where were Peter and Chloe?

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 32

Grace was happy that her friends were having a good time. In a quick fifteen minutes Chloe and Sue came back downstairs for breakfast. Sue had done as she said and just threw on some sweats, but Chloe had done her hair and makeup. She was ready for Peter's return, and she didn't have to wait very long. They could hear Peter's truck pull up in front of the cottage.

Grace brought the Curach servings out to the dining room on a silver tray and went back to get the rest of the Irish coffee cake and refill the tea pot. When she returned everyone was seated with Chloe next to Peter. She could see that there were obviously feelings between the two of them, but they had just met. She worried about Chloe being on the rebound, and really didn't know how committed Peter would be with a girl from Dublin.

“So, how was the craic last night. Obviously you all had plenty to drink,” Grace commented as she poured the tea.

“The music was great and I guess we did drink a little more that we should have. Seems some of the gents in the pub made sure there was always a full pint in front of us!” Sue was the first to respond. “By the way, I have to say it's so nice to have breakfast served on a silver platter.”

“Aine only had nice things and I needed a tray, so this was it. I do agree that the gents in this area are pretty friendly,” Grace turned and winked at Peter.

“Alright you girls, I'm going to be blushed,” Peter retorted. “It was leeful for such a small town. The band was great, right Chloe?”

“Oh, yes, great fun,” Chloe seemed to be lost in thought and was startled when Peter referred to her.

“Since you all look like you could use a little shot to get you going, just so you know, there's a bit whiskey in both the Curach and the coffee cake,” Grace smiled.

“Grace, I don't know what you had planned for today with your friends, but I had offered to take Chloe for a ride up to Portstewart by the beach. Would that work for you?” Peter seems hesitant and Chloe just looked down to her lap.

Grace looked at Sue and she give a slight nod of approval. “Peter, looks like you've got somewhere to go today then. Would you like to take some snacks with you?”

“I hope you don't mind me leaving the two of you,” Chloe finally said. “I've never been up this way and it sounded like such a nice drive. I don't think we need anything. So if you will excuse us, we should probably get on the road.”

Peter and Chloe said their good byes for the day and as soon as the door closed behind them and they were in Peter's truck, Grace and Sue started giggling. They were both so happy for Chloe and surprised at how she seemed so shy this morning. Sue followed Grace to the kitchen and helped her clean up from breakfast.

“Guess we had better make some plans of our own,” Sue teased.

“Actually I need some help. I've been working on trying to put together some kind of plan and have tons of questions I need to get answered. Maybe before we head out for the day I can bounce some ideas off you, or maybe you will even have some better ideas,” Grace didn't want to leave her thoughts from the day before hanging.

“Sounds good to me, what have you got in mind?” Sue was curious.

The two girls spent the next couple of hours tossing around ideas about the cottage and how it would run as a B&B if Grace could handle it. By lunch time they had more ideas and still had no firm answers They decided to clear their heads with a ride to to Magherafelt for some groceries for dinner and a stop for lunch.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 31

The soft chime of her alarm clock woke Grace at 6:30AM. She was so tired she didn't hear a thing after she climbed into bed. She would have loved to roll over in bed and enjoy the comfort of the cool morning a little longer, but knew she had paying guests that she needed to take care of with breakfast. It was nice that she didn't have to serve any breakfast until nine, but she needed to get the table set and get some hot water for tea started.

For today's breakfast Grace found a recipe for Curach(Honey Cream Oatmeal) in amongst all of Aine's recipes. She thought this uncooked dish would be a nice addition in the morning with some fresh raspberries and the hint of Irish whiskey. Adding an Irish Coffee Cake to this menu she felt there would be something for everyone. She always had cereal on hand in case any of her friends were picky eaters.

By the time the oats were toasted and the cream whipped, she could hear the water from the showers running at the upstairs front of the cottage. Dennis and Laura were up and would be off for their walk. This would give her plenty of time to get things finished.

Grace had not heard Peter's truck in the front, but she was preoccupied with the morning's breakfast. As she turned to pour some milk into a pitcher she was startled to see Peter standing in the doorway.

“I'm sorry,” he apologized. “I hope you don't mind.”

“Oh, you just started me. I didn't hear your truck. Mind about what?” Grace was confused.

“I thought you realized. When we got back last night, I was a little too tipsy. Chloe and Sue would not let me drive, so they made me stay in the small bedroom upstairs,” Peter explained.

“That would explain your rumpled clothes,” Grace smiled at Peter. He obviously had a good time the night before. Maybe even a little too much fun.

“Do I have time to run home and clean up before breakfast? That is if I'm invited?” Peter flashed his smile as he asked.

“Of course you are invited. Yes, get going, I am serving starting at 9:00. You should have enough time,” Grace liked seeing Peter in this more relaxed mood. He didn't have to worry about cooked food getting cold today, but wanted to be back to have breakfast with the girls.

Grace realized that she had not hear a sound from the back bedroom upstairs. Maybe Peter would have more time than he thought with the girls sleeping in later than usual. As she put the pot of hot tea on the table she heard Dennis and Laura come in the front door.

“Grace, dear, this has just been the most enjoyable night and morning. No hassles and we didn't feel like we were imposing. The room was perfect,” Laura was bubbling with compliments.

“And I have to say that was the best morning shower I've had in ages,” Dennis chimed in.

They both sat down for tea and loved the Irish coffee cake. They were light eaters and passed on the Curach. Grace took the time to chat with them as they had a second cup of tea. Dennis asked if Grace had any business cards that he could share with his friends. They often came up this way and wanted a place to get away from the cities just to relax.

Grace explained that she was just coming up every few weekends at the moment as she still had a job in Dublin and was unsure if she would be opening up the cottage on a permanent basis. Dennis and Laura were insistent on having a way for their friends to contact Grace to see if she was going to be in Swatragh, and if they could stay at the cottage. Grace told them she would set up an email address that she would share with them and give it to them when they checked out the next morning.

All this talk still made Grace very uncomfortable but she didn't have too much time to dwell on it as when Dennis and Laura left for their friends place, Chloe and Sue came down still in their PJ's.

Grace laughed at the girls seeing them just out of bed. “You had better put something more on. Peter just went home to shower and change so he could impress you when he got back.”

“Oh, no,” squealed Chloe who turned and ran up the stairs. She obviously didn't want Peter to see her this way.

Sue shrugged her shoulder and turned to head up the stairs saying, “Guess I should throw on some sweats. It's not like Peter really cares how I look.” She smiled and winked at Grace as she headed up the stairs.

“And when you come back down you two are going to have some explaining to do about last night!” teased Grace.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 30

The group sat down to dinner with some wine that the girls had brought with them. Grace had made some appetizers to start off the dinner. She found some beautiful fresh shrimp at the grocery and wrapped it in bacon and broiled it. Just the perfect bite.

“Now this is not something from Aine,” Peter commented.

“How did you know?” Grace asked back.

“Just didn't seem that Aine would make something as updated as this. It's delicious. I think you should make this a regular addition to the menu,” Peter complimented.

“The menu?” Grace questioned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Peter smiled and didn't respond. Instead he turned and winked at Chloe. Grace had noticed that Chloe had made sure that she sat next to Peter at the dinner table and once Peter finished chatting with Grace over the appetizer, Chloe pretty much monopolized Peter for the better part of the dinner. And Peter didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he even seemed to be more engaging with Chloe than Grace had seen before.

Sue and Grace chatted about the cottage and Sue, who loved antiques, was anxious to look at all the furnishings closer to see if she recognized anything as a precious antique. She had already noticed a beautiful antique tea caddy on the side cupboard and an old peat bucket near the fire place. Grace had never considered that any of the furnishings would be considered antiques. They had just always been there.

Grace had been busy with her conversation with Sue when she heard Peter say, “That would be great fun. I think we should do that tonight.”

“Peter, do you want to share with Sue and I?” Grace asked.

“I was just thinking it would be great craic to go over the Rafters and listen to some music. We'd have a great time,” Peter was full of energy this evening.

“Actually it would be fun, but I need to clean up from dinner and get things ready for breakfast tomorrow with the other guests coming in tonight. But you can all go on. It's not like I haven't ever been to Rafters,” Grace was concerned about having everything ready for her other guests.

“Other guests?” Sue asked. “So is there something you should be telling us?”

“Sue, no, it's nothing. Just some folks who needed a bed to sleep in as their friend's place is too crowded. I told them they could stay here just for the two nights that we're here. But I'm also making breakfast for all of us. So I need to have everything ready and can't be out late tonight,” Grace was actually tired and wanted some time to herself. “You all go and I'll see you in the morning. The door will be unlocked for you.”

After everyone helped to clear the table, Peter, Chloe and Sue headed out for Rafters Pub. The cottage was quiet and as soon as all the dishes were done and put away, and things prepared for the morning, Grace sat down in the big chair to do some reading. Her mind kept wandering to the fact that she had actually rented a room to paying guests for two nights and she didn't even have to try. Was this something that could work? She'd have to make the drive up from Dublin every weekend.

Grace moved from the chair to the desk. She started to look at possibilities that might work. How many people could she accommodate? How much would the food cost? What about the laundry? How could bookings be handled? Would something like this be cost effective? Or would she end up losing money? Would this help to supplement her work income? Did she want to work seven days a week? And the biggest question was is this something she wanted to take on? She moved back to the chair with her note paper and all her questions. She always felt that she was closer to Aine when she sat there, and hoped for some divine help with all these questions.

As she mulled all this over, she heard a car in the drive. It was too early for her friends to be back, so it must be Dennis and Laura. She was right. Grace greeted them at the door.
“You have no idea how much we appreciate this,” Laura said as they entered. “We felt we were just imposing too much on our friends and this is so close, yet just what we needed.”

Dennis chimed in, “At least we won't have to be fighting for hot water in the morning!”

“What time would you like breakfast?” Grace asked.

“We like to get out and do a little walking before we eat, dear. That would be about half eight. So would around nine be good for you?” Laura explained to Grace.

“That would be perfect. I'll have some hot tea ready for you when you return. I hope you enjoy your sleep tonight,” Grace said as she bid the two good night.

Not such a difficult process Grace thought to herself. Can I be this gracious all the time? How did Aine do this for so many years?

Grace headed to bed herself and slipped off to sleep with questions spinning around in her head.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 29

The day flew by as Grace prepared for her friends to arrive. Dinner was on the stove and the table was set. Just as Grace sat down to relax for a few minutes she heard a car in the drive. It was not someone she knew.
As the occupants got out she saw an older couple looking at the roses as they walked to the door.

“Hello.... Is anyone here?” the gentleman asked.

“Yes, I'm here,” Grace responded. “How can I help you?”

“Well, we stopped by the other day and hoped to book a room here for the weekend. I hope you are not all booked up. We're visiting some friends in the area and they told us about this cottage and we tried to make arrangements the other day. The young man told us it was being renovated.” the man seemed a little hesitant.

“I'm up here for just the weekend,” Grace was not quite sure what to do here. “I guess you could stay in the front room upstairs, if you are interested. Did you want dinner here?”

“Dinner? Oh, no, our friends are having us for dinner. We've been staying there and it's just better if we have a separate place to stay as their place is so small,” this time the woman responded. “We just wanted to know if we would be able to have a place to sleep and have breakfast in the morning. Will that work?”

Grace thought this would be a good plan. She and her friends would have the evening and all she would have to do is serve breakfast for everyone.

“That would be fine,” Grace responded. “Would you like to see the room so you know where you are staying when you return? I can leave the door unlocked so you can get in.”

At that point, Dennis and Laura became Grace's first official customers. They didn't even flinch when she told them it would be 40 pounds a night. For that Grace was pleased, as she didn't want to deal with haggling over price. She bid Dennis and Laura good bye after they checked out their room, and started to head back into the cottage when Peter pulled into the drive.

“Grace, I have something to show you,” Peter shouted excitedly. He reached into the back of his truck and pulled out a sign. It was beautifully designed and painted. As Grace turned to examine it closely, she about fell back in shock. The sign said “Aine's Cottage, B&B”.

“Peter, what made you think.....,” Grace paused in the middle of her sentence. How could she argue with Peter when she just accepted her first guests for that weekend?
“Peter, it's perfect,” she finished. Now where is it going to be?”

“Well, I thought you might just want to have it on hand in case you wanted to open the cottage again as a B&B. I didn't think you would want to put it up right away,” Peter was confused by Grace's response.

“Oh, oh, I see. I was just so surprised to see the sign and thought you might have wanted me to put it up now,” Grace was a little embarrassed that she jumped the gun on Peter's idea. “Where did you get it?”

“I have a friend who does some woodwork and we designed it together. Thought you might want to have a rose design in it, so I drew it out and he carved it out in the wood. As much as I was over here watering the roses and other plants, I thought it was only appropriate.” Peter explained.

As they stood there chatting Sue and Chloe arrived. When they exited their car, Grace introduced them to Peter. She noticed Chloe taking in a long look at Peter, and had to smile to herself. Chloe had just broke off a long relationship a few months earlier and she was happy to see Chloe had not lost her interest in men.

“Alright everyone, we can't stand out here for ever. I have a dinner I need to serve, or it will be overcooked and dried out. Are you three ready for some dinner?” Grace worried her dinner would be over done and her friends and Peter would be disappointed with dinner.

There were oohs and aahs from the girls as they entered the cottage.

“Grace, it's so homey. It's like going home to visit my folks,” Sue explained.

“There's such a warm feeling here. And the food smells great! Did you do any of the decorating? Are these flowers from the garden?” Chloe was full of questions.

“Lassies, let me give you a tour of the place while Grace takes care of dinner. Grace, what room for your friends?” Peter was playing host with no prompting at all.

As Grace finished preparations in the kitchen she thought to herself how she and Peter worked so well as a team. It was nice to have someone to depend on when she was in Dublin. And how thoughtful of him to design and have the sign made. Should she put it up? No, she thought. She was getting way ahead of herself. She turned her focus back to plating dinner for her guests.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 28

Grace was barely finished emptying the groceries from her bags when she heard a shout at the front door.

“Grace, are you in here?” Peter shouted.

“Back here in the kitchen, Peter,” Grace shouted back.

Peter strolled into the kitchen, smiling as he watched Grace put things in the fridge.

“What....,” asked Grace as she realized he was staring.

“Just have to say you look so natural doing that. It suits you fine.” Peter smiled.
“By the way those people from the other day are coming by again this weekend. There was nothing I could do to stop them. They said some friends had told them about the cottage and they were determined to be able to stay here. What are you going to do?” Peter was chattering a mile a minute.

“I don't know Peter. I guess if they only want to stay tonight, or tomorrow, I could probably let them stay. What would it hurt? I just can't be doing this all the time without some plan.” Grace was thinking as she talked that the people would probably not bother to come by, so she wasn't worried.

“So that means you will be taking in guests?” Peter seemed to have a glimmer of hope in his words.

“No, all I'm saying is that if they take the time to come here again, I could probably allow them to stay as I'm already here. Besides my friends Sue and Chloe are coming up this evening. They will be here for dinner, so I had better get started. Would you like to join us?” Grace knew there would always be more food than necessary and wanted to show Peter how much she appreciated all the help he was giving her by taking care of the cottage when she was gone.

“You know I'd never turn down one of Aine's recipes made by you. I have some errands to run and I'll be back at dinner time,” Peter turned and headed out of the cottage before Grace could even respond. She wondered what errands he had to do.

Grace had planned a pork roast with roasted potatoes and an Irish carrot and parsnip mash with some greens drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. The greens were her recipe, but the rest was from Aine's cookbook. The bottle of white wine would go well with the heavier meal. Once everything was cooking on the stove, Grace headed to the dining room to set the table for dinner.

As she worked to set the table she looked through the window to the garden outside. The roses were beautiful. Just as the peak of their blooms. Before she realized it she was out in the garden cutting some stems for a table arrangement. The china cabinet held a beautiful Tyrone Crystal vase that was perfect for the arrangement. The scent of the roses filled the dining room immediately and brought fond childhood memories back to mind.

As Grace got things ready for the girl's visit her mind wandered to what Peter had been saying about the people who had come by and wanted to book a room at the cottage. She didn't even have a business license. Did she need a business license? Did Aine have one? How much would she charge? What do most B&Bs in the area charge? Grace was curious about all this and since she had a little time until the girls arrived, she set up her computer and started to research.

Aine had an old business license posted in the office area near the desk. Grace was sure it had expired ages ago, but when she checked, evidently Aine had renewed it in the last year. It still had a couple of months before it needed to be renewed again. She had not realized this until now. Then again it was not at the top of her list of things to do since she had planned to sell the cottage.

Next Grace wondered how much she would need to charge if someone did end up staying there. This was more out of curiosity since she never expected to have anyone other than her friends staying at the cottage. Most of the B&Bs in the area, and there were not very many between Magherafelt and Coleraine, charged between 35 and 45 pounds sterling. This seemed a little expensive to Grace coming from Dublin with the Euro being the currency in the Republic.

As it was this drove her crazy as she had to make sure to have pounds sterling on hand when she traveled into Northern Ireland. Along the border she probably could have managed with either the Euro or pound, but here, in the heart of Northern Ireland, she had no choice. Grace looked to see if she could find some records from Aine that would help her figure out a cost, but it seemed that Aine allowed her guests to decide how much to pay. Some of the records showed payments of 60 pounds for a 2 night stay and some showed 60 pounds for a single night. In the end, Grace decided that she would ask 40 pounds and see if that was acceptable to anyone who wanted to stay.

Again, she was not expecting to have any guests other than her friends, and if they helped to pay for the food, she was happy. By the time she had figured all this out, she heard a car on the gravel drive and headed to the door to welcome her friends.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 25

The drive seemed like it took forever as Grace arrived back in Dublin in the late afternoon. She was glad to be home, and took a deep breath as she put the key in the door of her flat. She pushed the door open and dragged in her bags along with some of the groceries she brought back with her. The flat smelled like it had been closed up for a bit, slightly musty, and stale. First things first, Grace thought to herself and immediately walked to the windows to open them up and let the fresh air in.

In the back of her mind came the thought that letting in the fresh air here was just not as nice as opening the windows at the cottage. The smell of the morning dew and fragrant flowers from the cottage garden was missing. She shrugged and went about getting the groceries into the small fridge and taking her clothes to the bedroom. Things here seemed so closed in. In the two weeks she had been gone, she had gotten used to the openness of the cottage.

Trying to push all the thoughts of the cottage out of her mind for the time being Grace busied herself with getting things in order for the coming work week. She was sure with being gone, things would have piled up on her desk and she'd be spending late hours this next week just to catch up. The company had divided up her accounts for when she would be gone so that assignments would not go past their due dates, but that didn't mean with new assignments coming in that there would not be a ton to get done.

Grace made a small cheese plate for herself for dinner with some cheese she brought back from Swatragh, and sat down with that along with bread she had packed up and a glass of wine. Not much room for any real cooking was a thought that crept into her mind as she sipped the wine.

Monday mornings were always a flurry of greetings and quick times to catch up at the office. Grace was quite surprised when she saw her desk and it was not piled up with assignments. The morning board showed a department meeting almost as soon as everyone arrived, so she grabbed her cup of tea and headed to the conference room. The mood turned somber as soon as everyone arrived. She seemed to be very out of the loop and took a seat next to Keith, who had been up to Swatragh to visit with his wife Anna.

He smiled as he asked, “So you decided to make it back here? Might have been better if you had stayed at the cottage. This is not going to be pretty.”

“What does that mean, Keith?” Grace was suddenly confused.

“It's a tough economy Grace. I don't think we've been getting enough work coming in,” Keith was somber in his response.

Just as Keith finished their boss entered the room apologizing for the early Monday morning meeting. Keith had been right. The firm was struggling, and some changes had to be made. They all needed to consider how to cut costs and still stay afloat. This was to be a planning meeting and some tough decisions would need to be made. Grace was panicked to say the least. Her first thought was she needed to be the one staying full time to be able to support herself. At this point, that was the general consensus for each of the members of the group.

Their boss made it clear that any creative ideas would be welcome so that no one had to be let go. He understood the need to keep everyone employed during this tough economy, but still needed to keep his business from going under. Ideas to bring in more business were also suggested. But at this point the one thing that was clear was that the salary overhead had to be cut. They would meet again on Wednesday morning to see what ideas everyone had come up with to cut overhead. This was not something that could be done in one day. The cheerful Monday morning office mood changed to very quiet as everyone headed back to their assignments.

Grace left the meeting disheartened. She had come back from her two week vacation rested and ready to dig in with her assignments. There were only three on her desk and they would all be done by the end of the week. She usually had ten or more assignments going at once with varying deadlines. It always seemed as she finished one or two, more would show up on her desk.

As Grace was sitting at home that night she started to crunch numbers for herself. She was a planner, as always, and needed to be able to prepare for any cut in job or pay as this week went forward. If only she had been able to sell the cottage, she'd have a reasonable slush fund to lean on during this time.