Kate Hoffmann: Riley

She shook her head. “I don’t want to smell like me, I want to smell like you when I get home.”

Riley reached out and lifted her lotion from the folds of the quilt, then squirted some into his hand. He rubbed it on his chest and drew in a deep breath. “You’re going to have to send me more of this,” he said. “I think I’m going to be using it a lot.”

Nan laughed, then crawled out of bed. She combed her fingers through her hair and then picked up the clothes she’d left out to wear.

“Give me those,” Riley said, holding out his hands.

“You want my clothes?”

He wiggled his fingers and she relented, handing him the dress and her underwear. Riley pulled up the quilt and shoved the clothes underneath.

Nan braced her hands on her hips and shook her head. “What are you doing?”

“I’m hiding your skin,” he said. “You’re my selkie. Now you can’t leave.”

“It’s not the clothes,” she said. “When I set foot in Ireland, I shed my skin. I’m a different person now. I’m your lover and Carey’s granddaughter and an Irish citizen, according to you.”

He took the clothes out and set them on the bed. “I’m not going to keep you here. But, someday, I hope you’ll stay a little longer.” Riley drew a ragged breath. “There are so many places we haven’t seen yet.”

“All right,” she said. “Enough. Let’s get dressed and we’ll have breakfast on the way to the airport.”

Riley watched her from the bed, refusing to get up until she was completely ready to leave. With every minute that passed, he saw her slowly leaving him, resigning herself to the fact that their time was over. It was a feeling that made him angry and sad and frustrated all at once. But he wasn’t about to ruin their last few hours together.

“I think you need to kiss me again,” he said.

She leaned over the bed and brushed her lips over his.

“Just do that every few minutes and I promise, I’ll try to be happy.”

RILEY PARKED IN the loading zone at the airport, pulling over to the curb before turning off the ignition. Nan had insisted that they say their goodbyes outside the airport rather than dragging it out until the very last second.

She fought the lump of emotion in her throat, leaning against Riley and hugging his arm. “It seems like years since you picked me up. And why did you pick me up in that clown car when you had this car?”

Riley chuckled. “I had new tires put on it in Limerick that morning. That’s why I was late. But then, you were late, too.”

“I didn’t like you very much. I thought you were really full of yourself. But I was wrong.”

“And I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”

“You thought I was a flake,” she said.

“A very beautiful flake,” he said. “But I was wrong, about the flake part.”

She took a long, deep breath, trying to control the emotions that threatened to turn her into a sobbing idiot. “All right. So, we’re just going to say goodbye and then you’ll kiss me and that will be it.”

Riley nodded. “Goodbye, Nan.”

She smiled, tears filling her eyes. “Goodbye, Riley.”

He pulled her into a long, deep kiss, lingering over her mouth until a car behind them beeped their horn. He held her close, his forehead pressed against hers. “Call me as soon as you get home.”

“I will.”

“I love you, Nan.”

Her heart stopped and for a long moment, she couldn’t breathe. “I love you, Riley.” Knowing that she couldn’t take much more, she opened the door and hopped out, pasting a smile on her face. She pulled her bags from the backseat, then stepped onto the sidewalk. Riley got out of the car and joined her, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a fierce hug.

“Go,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. “Before I lock you in my car and take you back home with me.”

Nan nodded, then stepped out of his embrace. One last look was all she could manage before she turned toward the entrance. The first step was the most difficult, but Nan put one foot in front of the other and walked through the sliding glass doors.

At the last minute, she looked back and saw him standing outside, watching her leave. He raised his hand to wave and Nan bit back a sob. She gave him a quick wave then strode through the airport.

She was grateful that the Shannon Airport had an office for U.S. Immigration and Customs. The last thing she wanted to do at the end of her trip was wait in line to declare the few things she’d purchased. Nan stood in line and when she reached the agent, she pulled out her passport.

The American woman struggled with her first name. “Tiernan,” Nan explained. “Like tears that you cry. Not tires on a car.”

“Where do you live?” the agent asked.

“Madison, Wisconsin.”

“How long have you been in Ireland?”

“Not long enough,” Nan murmured. She glanced up. “Ten days. And nine nights.”

“Has anyone asked you to bring anything into the U.S.?”

“No,” Nan said.

“Have you received any gifts while you were here in Ireland?”

She held out her hand. “This ring.” Nan stared down at the claddagh, the silver heart glinting in the light. She remembered the moment he’d given her the ring, in the fitting room at Burkes. And then again, on top of the wall at the old abbey. The ring had been a pledge, he just hadn’t said the words.

“He loves me,” Nan murmured.

“What?”

“I don’t think I can do this,” Nan said.

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t want to leave. Can I go back?”

“Why don’t you want to board your plane, ma’am?”

“I don’t want to leave him,” Nan said. “He asked me to stay and I told him I had to go home. But he was right. I don’t need to go back. I can stay here with him and be happy.”

“Ma’am, your visa is only for three months.”

“It-it doesn’t make a difference. Can I have my passport back?”

The agent slid it across the counter and Nan grabbed it. “I’m going back,” she said, stepping away from the desk.

The agent smiled. “Good luck. And make sure not to overstay your visa.”

Nan smiled. “Thanks. But I’m an Irish citizen. I can stay as long as I want.” She hurried back to the exit, digging through her purse to find a credit card. She’d have to rent a car, but this time around, she knew how to drive in Ireland. “Bring on the stick shift,” she muttered. “I can handle anything.”

There was a long line at all of the rental desks and it took nearly fifteen minutes to reach the agent. She put down her credit card. “I need to rent a car,” she said. “Something small. A Fiat if you have one.”

“Do you have a reservation?” the agent asked.

“No, do I need one?”

“I’m afraid all our cars are booked,” the agent said. “Try Enterprise.”

Grabbing her luggage, Nan got into another line, but the story wasn’t much different. She didn’t have a reservation. There might be a car available in an hour or two. If she wanted to upgrade to a luxury car for a ridiculous amount, there was a car available now.

She grabbed a wad of cash from her wallet and headed for the money changer. She had Irish money left, but not enough to get her to Ballykirk. This time, she would convince a cabbie to take her. She put three hundred euros on her credit card and then walked back to the front door.

The cabs were waiting in a long line and she hurried to the first one, leaning into the passenger side to speak to the driver. “How much to take me to Ballykirk?” she asked.

“Is that near Bantry?” he asked.

She nodded. “It’s about an hour each way. Two hours round trip.”

“Two-fifty,” he said.