All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 51

Grace made sure that Quinn was comfortable for the night and headed upstairs to one of the empty rooms. It seemed strange sleeping in a guest room as the host of the B&B, but she had no choice and she was exhausted from the day before getting very little sleep. Tommy had a key and could let himself in when he returned from the pub. It wasn't long when she heard a commotion at the bottom of the stairs. She was worried it might be Quinn trying to move around, so she jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs.

It was Tommy, and he was drunk. He had tripped over a small stool near the bottom of the stairs. As Grace came into his view, he looked up to see her in her tank top and shortie pajamas. Grace had not even thought about what she was wearing when she headed out of the room and was now a little self conscious. Tommy was blubbering something about music and drinks, but was barely coherent. She was surprised he was able to drive back to the cottage.

It took all the strength that Grace could muster to get Tommy on his feet and help him up the stairs to the small single room. His hands kept wandering down her back further than they should and she was becoming more annoyed by the minute. Tommy thought he was being funny. By the time she got him into the room and near the edge of the bed, he twisted her around to where they both fell onto the bed with Tommy on top of Grace.

“Guess we were just meant to be here,” Tommy stammered.

“Not a chance bucko,” Grace retorted back and gave Tommy a shove to the side and scooted out from under him. In the process Tommy fell off the other side of the bed. “You're on your own now, mister.”

Grace hurried back to her room. She was flushed from the whole incident and angry. Just another Braden she thought to herself. She could hear Tommy moving around in his room, and made sure to lock her door. She would put up with no more of this behavior from him in her cottage. Then she thought of Quinn downstairs. Did he hear this? What would he think? Should she go check on him?

Grace was so worried about leaving her room, that she decided to wait until morning. A simple explanation of “Tommy came in drunk” should suffice. At least she hoped it would. Why was she so worried what Quinn would think? Her mind was racing and she thought she might not sleep but the exhaustion from the night before hit her hard, and she was out until the morning light crept in through the window. It took her a minute to regain her bearings, and then she realized how late she had slept. She was in the shower and out so fast she barely had time to think what she needed to do.

As she crept out of her room, she noticed that Tommy's door was still closed. She quietly climbed down the stairs and headed to the kitchen to put on some tea. It had been a few days since she made scones, so she thought it might be a nice treat for Quinn along with his regular breakfast. She doubled the amounts figuring that Tommy would like the same. Sausage, rashers, brown bread, orange juice, and orange marmalade on the side for the scones.

Grace nearly jumped as she turned around and saw Tommy standing in the doorway.

“You know you and your brother have a way of sneaking up on people. When were you going to say something?” Grace was feeling very uncomfortable.

“I was just watching you go about making breakfast. Nice view,” Tommy snickered. “Do you have some tomato juice and hot sauce?”

“What's the matter, need something to clear your head from last night?” Grace was getting annoyed again. “There's some tomato juice over on the counter. I don't keep hot sauce around, but you could put some pepper flakes in to spice it up.”

“You know you look really cute in those shortie pajamas. You should wear them around the cottage,” Tommy was being insolent and Grace had had enough.

“Excuse me,” she said as she brushed past him to get out of the kitchen with her tray for Quinn. “There's enough left over for you if your stomach can handle it.” she called back over her shoulder as she walked down the hall.

Grace gently knocked on the bedroom door and turned the knob to enter. Quinn was already sitting up in bed and looking so much better than the day before.

“I hope you are hungry,” she smiled as she put the tray next to the bed. I didn't know if you'd have a full appetite or not.”

“Grace, is something wrong?” Quinn asked. “You look a little flushed and out of sorts.”

At that moment Tommy opened the door wide and stood there. Grace wheeled around and glared at him. Quinn caught every second of this, and didn't have to ask Grace any more. Tommy was being his obnoxious self, and had made an unwelcome move on Grace. He had heard Tommy coming in drunk the night before. It was difficult to miss. Loud and stumbling, like he had heard so many times before on nights when Tommy didn't dare go home to his wife and he crashed at Quinn's.

“Grace, I apologize for my brother and anything he may have done, or said. Would you excuse my brother and I, we need to have a small discussion. Thank you so much for the breakfast,” Quinn explained forcefully and Grace didn't' stay around to find out what was going to happen.

Grace took refuge outside in the rose garden. But even from there she could hear the shouting in the room. She could not make out what was being said, but knew Quinn was beyond angry, and Tommy didn't have a bloody chance in this argument. A few minutes later, she heard doors slamming downstairs and upstairs and then Tommy coming out the front door.

“He's all yours darlin'. You were only going to be a distraction for me anyway. I met a luscious redhead at the pub last night and I'll be lookin' her up next time I come this way. When the taxi comes, tell them to find me walking the road to town.” And with that Tommy exited the front drive and headed down the road toward town. Only a few minutes later and Grace was directing the taxi in his direction.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 48

Grace was worried about leaving Quinn alone, so hurried her breakfast items more than usual. There were no fresh breakfast scones, or large platters with sausage and puddings. She made a pot of porridge, put some brown bread from the day before on the table with juice, butter and cream. As soon as the guests were seated she served the porridge. They were delighted with it and she was happy it seemed to take so little to please them. She had become quite the accomplished cook over the last few months and was enjoying the praise. Once everyone was taken care of she took a small bowl of the porridge to her room where Quinn was struggling to adjust his position in the bed and groaning all the while.

“Quinn, you have got to stop that. My guests will be wondering what is going on in this room,” Grace commanded as she set the porridge down and tried to help Quinn get comfortable.

“I just ache all over and some places more than others. What happened to me?” Quinn questioned.

“You mean you don't remember?” Grace questioned.

“It all seems so fuzzy. I was riding back toward here and I think I crashed. Or someone hit me. That's about all I remember,” Quinn was puzzled.

Grace didn't want to have Quinn get too concerned, but explained, “Quinn, either you crashed, or you were run down, we don't know for sure, but when a passerby on the road saw you they called the Police. When the Police picked you up, you were face down and had no identification on you except for one of my business cards. And your bike was also gone.”

Quinn just looked at Grace speechless. He had been unconscious for quite a while and was still feeling the effects of his injuries.

“I need a phone,” demanded Quinn.

“And what good will that do you right now? Who would you call?” Grace asked firmly.

“What day is today? I'm so confused. How long was I out? I want to talk to the Police, of course. Get them over here,” Quinn had become very demanding.

“Quinn, they will be stopping by later today anyway. They told me they want to ask you some questions,” Grace was trying to stay calm.

“Calm? How am I supposed to do that? I was run down and everything I own was taken. I want some action on this,” Quinn was getting very agitated.

Quinn looked like he would jump out of bed, if he could muster the energy, and Grace was afraid he would injure himself further.

“Quinn, you need to regain your strength. Just take a breath and have some porridge. I made it fresh this morning. While you have this I'll ring the Police and see how soon they can be here. Will that help?” Grace was still trying to keep things calm.

“I guess,” Quinn responded dejectedly. “Is there a chance I can get some clothes here? I'm feeling quite exposed.”

“I was going to try for something, but all you have in your room are trousers and shirts. Not exactly for someone who's bedridden,” Grace retorted.

“There's more clothes in a bag in my car. I always have workout sweats and t-shirts in there for when I am at the gym,” Quinn explained. “I didn't take the car keys with me since I was on my bike, so they are on the dresser in the room upstairs.”

Grace headed up the stairs to get the car keys and as she returned Peter was just coming in the front door. At last, some relief from answering all Quinn's questions.

“Peter, so glad you are here. Just in time, too. Quinn has sweats and t-shirts in a gym bag in his car, could you get them and help him get them on. That's not something I'm wanting to do,” Grace pushed the keys into Peter's hand.

“Gee, Grace, and I thought you'd jump at that chance, especially after removing all the guy's clothes last night,” Peter chuckled but knew he should not have gone there.

Grace gave Peter a stare that would kill a cow, put her hands on her hips and said nothing. Peter quickly turned and headed outside to Quinn's car.

When Peter came back in the cottage he headed directly to the downstairs bedroom to find Quinn trying to sit up on the edge of the bed.

“Easy there bud, you are in no shape to be getting around so much. I've brought some clothes for you, but only if you settle back down in bed once they are on,” Peter was taking an upper hand here. At least he hoped so.

“Fair play, Peter. I just want to feel I have some control and having some clothes on will help,” Quinn moaned as he bent his leg to put on his sweats.

Peter got Quinn dressed and situated back in bed. During this time, Quinn realized that his injuries were more than he had thought, and knew he was going no where for a few days. His head was starting to pound the more he moved around. He also knew he had to contact someone in Dublin. If he didn't show up on Monday at work, he expected a few people would be concerned. At least he hoped they would.

Peter called Grace when he had Quinn all situated again and she came in to tell Quinn that the Police would be calling in within the hour. She also brought her cell phone to Quinn could make his phone call.

As Grace looked around her room, she kept thinking how much she would have liked a shower and clean clothes herself. The afternoon at the cottage was going to be quiet as it was Sunday and everyone was pretty much checked out. She still had to clean the rooms that were used and plan for the week, but having Quinn in her room was really an inconvenience.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 45

Grace finished up serving breakfast to Frances and her group and headed into her sitting and office area. She had work to do if she was going to be making any bookings for the week. When she sat down at the computer, instead of logging into the B&B website, she found herself typing in Quinn's name. From the paperwork he filled out for registration she used his last name to search about him. “Quinn Nolan, Dublin”

Grace tried to convince herself several times this was not right, but she continued the search. There were several small articles about a Quinn Nolan from the Dublin Institute of Technology and some awards won for Internet programs and Internet safety. Other than that, things were pretty scarce. She did find a Tommy Nolan, brother of Quinn Nolan who seemed to make the news for his marital problems. Things seem to have stemmed from a brawl in a pub because his wife left him. Other than that, there was nothing on this man. Grace shook her head, what was she doing searching one of her guests? At least there were no indications that Quinn was a womanizer. Why did she even care?

Grace was startled by a voice at the doorway. “Excuse me, Grace,” Frances said quietly. “Do ye mind if we sit out front and warm up some today? It's such a beautiful day out.”

“Frances, that would be fine. I'll open the windows here so you can fill the cottage with your wonderful music again,” this finally brought a smile back to Grace. She could work all day while listening to Frances sing and play.

By the time Frances and her friends had finished their warm up session, Grace had been able to book rooms for all but two days during the week, Monday and Tuesday. Frances getting out the word had filled the cottage up with musicians from Wednesday up to the weekend. Grace was going to be busy and was happy to have Monday and Tuesday off to plan meals and purchase supplies for the remainder of the week.

Peter stopped by to chat with Grace and talk about his engagement to Chloe. He thanked Grace for coming up to the cottage in the first place, since if she had not done that he would never had met the girl of his dreams. Grace was so happy to see Peter come out of his shell. Obviously Chloe had a very good influence on him, and he on her. Peter apologized for leaving Grace without someone to handle the B&B and said he would continue to keep up the grounds and whatever Grace needed. Knowing that he would stay on to help was something Grace appreciated.

Grace said goodbye to Peter after their chat and headed to the kitchen to start prepping for dinner. Once again she'd be making an early dinner for Frances and crew. She expected that Quinn might want something after his ride and made sure there was enough for him also.

Tonight's menu was grilled salmon with a lemon caper sauce, roasted potatoes, and a green salad with some fresh mango vinaigrette topping. The salad was something she adapted from a restaurant she had gone to in Dublin, and finding a mango at Fallon and Byrne before she headed up for the weekend was a real treat. Now she could try one of her own recipes to add to Aine's.

Frances and her crew raved about the dinner and were sad this would be the last night they stayed at the cottage for a while. Tomorrow the weekend would end for them and they would head back home. They did promise to pass on the word about the cottage and would be back themselves the next time they were booked to play at Rafters.

It was getting late, and Grace had already checked in the couple that had arrived for the night. Even though it stayed light until after ten, she was a little concerned that Quinn had not returned. She was not sure why she was worried, as he was a big boy and could take care of himself. She did feel bad about what had happened earlier in the morning and wanted to make it up to him. She had opened the bottle of wine he brought and set out two glasses for a “peace” toast when he arrived back.

By eleven, something was wrong, and Grace could feel it. Just something told her that something had happened to Quinn. Why was she worried? He was no concern of hers.

Then she heard the sound of a vehicle in her drive, but it was not a bike, it was a car....

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 42

Just after Grace finished serving dinner to Frances and her group she heard the sound of another car in the front courtyard. There was another couple arriving on Saturday, but she only expected one more person tonight, and this had to be him.

As she walked to open the door she saw Quinn getting out of the car. He certainly looked different than he had in his biking clothes. He was in business attire looking like he just left work. His tie was loosened, and the top 2 buttons on his shirt opened. But his angular looks and tussled black hair gave him the look of a GQ model. Grace's eyes were transfixed on Quinn when he turned from grabbing his bag from the back seat and saw her. He smiled as he turned to walk to the door. Grace could feel her heart in her throat.

“Is it okay if I leave my bike out here tonight. It's locked to the rack on the back,” Quinn asked as he climbed up the stairs to the door.

“It should be just fine, unless it rains,” responded Grace as she slid to the side to let Quinn through.

“Hey, that smells wonderful. I didn't know you served dinner here. I was going to drop my things off and head to town,” Quinn seemed to be asking as he entered.

“I provide dinner by prior arrangement for those guests who ask,” Grace didn't want to make it easy for Quinn.

“Grace, we have plenty of food left here,” called Frances from the dining room as she must have heard the conversation.

“That would be just great,” Quinn replied before Grace could say any more, and he dropped his bag by the door and headed to the dining room, introducing himself as he entered.

Grace was already annoyed with this and was gritting her teeth in annoyance. She headed to the kitchen to get Quinn a dish and some silverware and almost ran into him as she came through the door to the dining room.

“What is it with you and my kitchen?” Grace practically yelled at Quinn.

“I'm sorry,” he said apologetically. “I was just going to ask if I could help. I did bring something for you.” Quinn turned and went to recover a bottle of wine he had in his bag. “I thought I'd bring this as a peace offering from crashing in on your place last weekend.”

Grace managed a terse “thank you”, and set Quinn's table setting at the far end of the table as if ostracizing him.

Frances and her musicians immediately started a conversation with Quinn and asked him to move closer. Grace left the room and settled herself in the kitchen working on the dessert. Inside she felt confused. Why did being around Quinn make her so unsettled? Yes, he was quite handsome, and in a strange way pretty personable. Was he too slick? He reminded her so much of.......THAT WAS IT! And her heart sunk.

Grace was a different person when she carried the dessert tray out to the dining room. Quiet and sullen. As she set the plates down even Frances noticed and asked if she was okay. Her stock answer was “just fine” and a forced smile.

It was just a bit later when Frances and her group left for Rafter's and Quinn quietly headed up to the single room to change. When he came down Grace was in the big sitting room reading, or trying to read. She had cleared the table, but left all the dishes to do later. This was very unusual for her.

“Grace, are you sure you are okay?” Quinn asked.

“I'm just fine. Aren't you going out?” Grace replied curtly. “Your key is on the table.”

Quinn looked a little disappointed, or sad. Grace could not tell. He did not press the situation, and quietly left the cottage.

Grace was just staring at the pages of the book. And then she began to cry.

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 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 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 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 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 27

The end of the week and the next week flew by. Everyone in the office was scrambling trying to see if they could find a new job, or better job, or even a second job to supplement the cut in pay and time. Grace had done a good job of saving up some money that would tide her over for a while with less pay, but it would not last forever. Right now she had too much on her mind with the cottage to deal with also.

Thursday came and Grace made her plans to leave the next morning for Swatragh. She needed to leave early enough so that she could stop in Maghera for some groceries for the weekend. After finding out about the cottage from Keith, two other workmates asked if they could come up for the weekend to join Grace. Grace welcomed the company since the cottage was so big and she relished the thought of making some more of Aine's recipes which always would feed an army. Since there was so much local produce to source nearby, Grace wanted to make use of the local supplies rather than carting food up from Dublin.

The drive would take almost three hours and Grace did not look forward to it until she realized that she would be driving through Cookstown on market day. Traffic would be crazy, but the opportunity to pick up some of the fresh produce and cheeses would be more than she could ask for. She locked up her flat with her packed suitcase and headed out around six that Friday morning. The girls, Chloe and Susan, would not be arriving until close to dinner time.

The main street in Cookstown was jam packed with people and local farmers and merchants selling their goods. Grace found a place to park on a side street about a block away from the main street and grabbed her cloth shopping bags and headed off. She loved market days. When she was young and came to visit Aine, they would go to Coleraine on market day to shop.

Besides the produce there were scarves and trinkets, blankets and rugs, more than she had time to look at. The local creamery had some soft cheese that she sampled and bought, along with some eggs and fresh creamery butter. These would all keep in the car for the rest of the trip as she was only a little over half an hour from Swatragh. Adding to that some fresh greens and some berries Grace was loaded down and ready to finish her trip.

As she passed through Maghera she stopped at the local grocery to pick up milk and a few other necessary perishables. Then on to the cottage. As she drove down the road toward the cottage she could spot it before she got there. It did have a very inviting color and style now that it was painted, and as she drove up into the drive the garden had come to life in the two weeks she had been gone. Peter must have been taking good care of it.

As Grace worked on getting all the supplies and her luggage out of the car, she noticed Donovan coming out of his place across the road. She walked over the the stone wall to meet him.

“So I see you are back,” Donovan stated with a dry tone. “How long will you be here this time?”

“Hello to you too, Donovan,” Grace tried to keep it peaceful and non-antagonistic when dealing with Donovan. “I'm here for the weekend. I have some friends coming up to visit again.”

“So does that mean you are open for business?” Donovan queried.

“Not really. Just some friends spending a weekend together,” Grace wondered where this was going.

“Looks like the garden is doing well with Peter's care,” Donovan changed the subject.

“Yes, it looks beautiful. I'm so glad he's able to take care of it for me when I'm in Dublin,” Grace wanted to get inside and get started, but didn't want to be rude to Donovan.

“Looks like your groceries are going to get warm,” Donovan sensed her anxiousness and wanted to give Grace the opportunity to end the conversation.

“I'll see you before I leave on Sunday, Donovan,” Grace called as she headed to the porch with her groceries.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 26

Grace had not slept well that night, or the next. Wednesday was to be a second meeting with ideas on how to cut company costs without losing personnel. At least the company cared enough to try and save jobs. The redundancy rate in Ireland was tough and so many people were out of jobs. Even some of the strongest companies were laying off staff.

No matter how much Grace crunched numbers she could not live on a part time salary. She wondered if everyone took a small cut in pay if that would help. As long as she didn't have any extra unexpected expenses, she could take a cut of one day a week. But there were men at the company who were supporting a family. How could they afford to take one day less pay.

Today's meeting was going to be a tough one. As Grace entered the meeting room she could feel the heavy atmosphere and somber mood. This was going to be brutal and everyone knew it. Everyone was part of this team and they all wanted to help things go smoothly, but they all faced the possibility of losing their jobs.

As the meeting progressed, the idea of a shorter day with less pay was brought up. But if they were not available for clients, they would lose even more money. It was then that Grace suggested giving up one full day a week in pay and having a furlough day. If half the staff took their day off on Monday and the other half on Friday, there would always been someone in the office to respond to clients. The idea of a full day without pay was not going over very well, until everyone realized that they then would have a three day weekend, and possibly a four day weekend on Bank Holidays. Many could try and find a part time weekend job if they needed to supplement their lost pay. There were more of those available for workers in Dublin than the higher paying full time jobs.

They knew that in the end they would possibly lose some employees to another full time job, but this might work out well for all. Everyone agreed to a one month trial after which they would meet again to assess the situation with the company, and see if this was something that would work until times got better.

Grace was worried about the loss of pay, but she also realized that she would have an extra day to go up to the cottage and make sure things were taken care of. As the stress of this week had continued, she realized how peaceful it had been in Swatragh at the cottage and that she missed that peaceful environment.

They would start this new plan with half the staff taking a furlough day on Friday and the other half on Monday the following week. Some people had strong preferences as to what day they wanted to take off, others didn't care. Grace was given the choice and she chose Friday as her day off. She felt this kept her schedule more normal with heading to work on Monday morning. She kept hoping that her calculations for expenses were right and she had enough money to get through the month without the loss of four days of weekly pay.

When Grace arrived home that night she had two frantic messages from Peter. It seemed that while he was over watering the roses and shrubs a couple stopped by and asked about staying at the cottage. He didn't know what to tell them. Should he have given them Grace's phone number? Obviously he was taken by surprise with their request as they thought he was the owner of the cottage. He did say the best excuse he could come up with was that it was currently undergoing renovations and they should check back later. His second call was a repeat of the first with the same concerns.

Grace called him back and told him the response was fine for the time being and that she would be returning in the next week or two as she had planned. She was having difficulty with trying to deal with Peter and her job situation at the same time.

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.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 24

Grace was packing up her things to return to Dublin when she heard Peter's truck on the gravel drive. She ran from her room to put the scones from the day before into the heated oven so they would warm just enough for breakfast and then headed to the front door to meet Peter.

Peter had not come up to the porch yet. He was looking at the roses in the garden. The buds had started to bloom in the mild weather and Peter seemed to be looking for something.

“Where's Grace?” he asked as he turned to see Grace come down the porch stairs. He was looking for the David Austin rose named Grace that he had given to Grace.

“It's still a little small and gets dwarfed by some of the others. It's right here,” Grace pointed as she made sure Peter saw where it was. “By the way, Peter, when I'm gone these roses are going to need to attention. Do you think you are up to making sure they are watered regularly? I have found that they are very thirsty plants.”

“Oh, sure I can do that,” Peter answered and Grace was not even sure he had heard the question. “Look, it has several buds already. Do you think it will bloom soon?”

“I'm not sure about that, it's pretty small. Hey, we need to get into the cottage, or there are going to be some very burnt scones,” Grace had almost forgotten about them.

Peter and Grace headed into the house and to the kitchen. They would sit at a small table in the kitchen instead of the large dining room. Grace pulled the scones out of the over and put them on plates with a scoop of clotted cream to the side. The table already had the whiskey marmalade to go along with the scones. Peter, being familiar with the kitchen from helping Grace heated water for tea and set up the cups at the table.

When they finally sat down they both laughed at how well they worked together and Grace watched Peter close his eyes in joy as he took his first bite of the scone.

“Peter, so I wanted to ask if when you come by running if you would check on the cottage. I can give you a key. I'm not sure if I'll be back in one week, or two.” Grace was not sure how she would feel about all of this once she was back in Dublin, but since the cottage was not going to be sold, it still needed to be looked after.

“Grace, no problem. Just leave a key with Donovan. If I can't make it by, I'm sure he would be more than willing to help. Is there anything that needs to be done?”

“Peter, just the watering of the roses,” Grace knew now that Peter had not heard her before, or was too busy looking for the David Austin rose that he never heard her. She smiled.

“So will you call me and let me know when you will be back?” Peter asked.

“I'll call, but it will probably be two weeks. And I'm going to send you home with the left over scones and a few other perishables that might not make the trip back to Dublin with me.” Grace was trying to get moving and Peter seemed to be stalling.

Finally Grace got up from the table and gathered together items to send with Peter. He got the message, took his package and said his good bye to Grace. As he pulled out of the driveway Grace headed back to her room to finish packing. She was hoping to be ready to leave before noon, so she would not get back to Dublin too late, but she was already running late.

As she opened the front door she saw Donovan heading over. Grace place her bag off to the side and met Donovan on the porch. She explained the plan to have Peter take care of watering the roses and that she planned to be back in about two weekends when she could reassess what she was going to do.

“So no sale for now?” Donovan commented and Grace thought she saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“Not at this point Donovan. I need to make some plans and talk to some people when I'm back in the city. I need to get back to my job on Monday, and take care of things I have let go at home,” Grace explained to Donovan. “In fact, I need to head out pretty soon, so I can have some time this evening to get organized for the coming work week.”

“Aye, I understand, lassie. So you trust Peter to handle these chores? I'll be on him if he lets things go,” Donovan chuckled. “I'll let you head out, but expect to see you soon. Nothin' sadder than an empty cottage that's lookin' for some company.”

Grace give Donovan the extra key, and gave him a gentle hug goodbye. As she loaded her car with a few groceries and her suitcase, she turned to look back at the cottage. It was so inviting from the outside now, and the inside had such a nice warm feeling too. She felt a bit sad as she climbed into the driver's seat, but shook the feeling off as she focused on heading back to Dublin.

It would take at least three hours to get back to Dublin. Grace was happy she lived on the north side of the city so she didn't have to fight too much traffic.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 23

Dinner time arrived quickly and Grace hear the crunch of Peter's truck on the gravel driveway. As Peter entered he stopped to take a big whiff of all the flavors of the dinner awaiting him.

“Mmmm.... Have to say you have probably outdone yourself today Grace,” Peter knew how much Grace appreciated the compliments.

“Peter, you are so full of it....,” Grace laughed. “Come on it and get the bottle of wine opened for us, will you?”

Peter and Grace felt very comfortable with each other. There was no pressure, and Peter avoided the discussion of the sale of the cottage waiting to see if Grace would bring it up.

“I guess you and Donovan will be having your way, at least for the moment,” Grace started the conversation.

She told Peter about the tough market and how so much money would be lost if she even tired to sell the cottage now. How it seemed like such a shame to just give it away after all the work that had been put into bringing it back to the gem that it once was.

Peter could see how conflicted Grace was about the sale of the cottage and assured her that he and Donovan would be keeping an eye out so that nothing happened while she was gone. This helped Grace with her decision to go back to Dublin for a couple of weeks before she came back to the cottage for a weekend knowing the cottage would be empty.

All this time they had been enjoy their wine and the wonderful lamb pie that Grace made. As they finished dinner, Grace asked Peter if he was ready for dessert.

“How about we let dessert wait for a bit. If this is you last few days here in Swatragh, how about if we go down to Rafter's for a pint and a little music,” Peter seemed to be coming out of his shell with Grace.

Grace agreed and they set off for Rafter's. As they settled in the music started and with a couple of pints in front of them, they joined in with the others clapping and singing along with the musicians. On occasion one of the regulars would come by and say hi to Peter. He would then introduce them to Grace and they all had surprising things to say to her about how wonderful the cottage looked. She was already prepared for all the questions about opening the cottage explaining that she needed to return to Dublin first and would be back in a couple of weeks. That seemed to calm any curiosities about a sale.

Grace and Peter were feeling the buzz of the stout and as it got later decided they had better depart the pub while they were still able to drive back down the road. As Peter drove the truck into the driveway, Grace suddenly remembered about the scones.

“We never had dessert!” she explained.

“Then I guess I'll have to come by tomorrow morning,” Peter chuckled as he opened the door for Grace. “We both need to sleep off our drinking for tonight.” Grace looked at Peter as she hopped down from her seat. Almost a pause, then she turned to head to the porch.

"See you in the morning."

Grace stood at the door as Peter drove off. What a nice guy, she thought as she turned to put the scones away so she could just heat them a little in the morning. This was the first night in a few that Grace slept soundly. The window was open a bit and the cool fresh evening air carried her away to a happy sound sleep.

All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 21

Grace felt very restless that evening. Even spending time sitting in Aine's over-sized chair didn't help to comfort her. She paced the cottage. Walked in and out of the kitchen as if she thought she might do some cooking, but there was nothing she needed, or wanted, to prepare. She felt like the cottage was closing in on her.

It was still a little light out, so she decided that the roses in the garden could use a little watering. That might help her to settle down. As she moved from bush to bush she recalled the names of the roses. This was not something she would have ever known in Dublin. Small flat, with a small kitchen, and no garden. Would she feel closed in when she got back there?

She looked up to see Donovan peering out his window. He didn't come out, just shook his head and walked away closing the curtain. He was still upset about her selling the cottage. She needed to rectify this situation, but at the moment didn't know how. Once the garden was watered Grace went back into the cottage and headed upstairs to shower thinking that a hot shower would help her settle down from the news of earlier today.

Grace tried to convince herself that she was feeling better after the shower, but she knew she was only fooling herself. A wee bit of some whiskey would help, that's for sure. It was a bit more than a wee bit when Grace had finished off a good portion and headed to bed hoping the whiskey would do it's job and let her get a good night's sleep.

A restful sleep was not to be had this night. It was full of visions of Aine and visits to the cottage as a young girl. And somewhere in those visions she caught a glimpse of Sheila and Peter as a young couple. They were vibrant and happy as they walked through the garden. Smiling and very much in love.

Grace dreamed about seeing Aine and Donovan chatting at the stone wall, Donovan much younger with a twinkle in his eye. She dreamed of the hum of a busy cottage full of guests chatting with each other, laughing, dancing to the phonograph, and sitting in a quiet corner writing. There was so much life to the cottage. What had she done?

It must have been around 4:00am when Grace dragged herself out of bed. She ached all over from tossing and turning all night. She went downstairs and curled up in Aine's chair with a notepad and pen. As was her best strength, she needed a plan and the one she had was not going to work. It was time to open her mind to some different options.

Grace was due to head back to Dubin in 2 days and had an appointment with a property consultant that afternoon. She needed information to make a plan and hoped that meeting with the property consultant would help. She brewed a strong cup of tea and started her list of questions.

As she worked on questions that needed answers, her body finally relaxed and she dozed off until the sun came streaming through the window. Her tea was cold, but she felt at least somewhat refreshed with the few hours of restful sleep. Still with no definite resolution as to what she would do, she washed up and started her day with a recipe of scones for Peter when he came over that evening. As she made the scones she smiled remember back just over a week that she could barely make these and Peter had helped.