up, open your fist. He wants his reward.”
He gobbled it, waited.
“That’s just amazing.”
“Magical,” Morena said. “Give your arm a little push in the air, and watch him go.”
They did it twice more, with the hawk soaring and diving through the trees, gliding from branch to glove, and into the air again.
“You did very well. That’s enough breakfast for our boy, and I imagine you’re wanting your own by now.”
“This was the most incredible experience.” With regret Breen watched the hawk hop from her arm to Morena’s. “Thank you so much. Do I go to the school to pay?”
“Oh, there’s no payment for this, not at all. A treat for you and my boy here.”
“More treasure than treat for me.”
“It’s kind of you to say so. There’s your way back,” she added, and pointed with her free hand. “I wish you a fine day, and a happy journey.”
“Thank you, Morena, for a morning I’ll never forget.”
“You’re more than welcome.” She turned in the opposite direction, moved into the trees before she stopped, looking over her shoulder.
The click came again, quick, distinct, then gone.
“We’ll see you again, Amish and I, when you reach the home-place.”
“The homeplace?”
But Morena and the hawk slipped into the trees, into dappled light and shadows.
Since the unexpected encounter added time to her walk, she had to hurry back to meet Marco for breakfast.
She rushed into the dining room, where he already sat, coffee on the table as he read something on his phone.
“I’m late, but—”
He held up a hand to stop her, kept reading. With a shrug she poured herself some coffee. When the waiter came to the table, she ordered bacon, scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast.
“I’ll take the full Irish, eggs over easy,” Marco announced, still reading. “I could eat the full Irish every day for the rest of my life.”
Then he put his phone down, looked at Breen. “I was reading your blog.”
“Oh. What do you think? Too personal? I was worried I got a little too personal, thought about taking it down and—”
“Not a chance. Sure, it’s personal, but it’s . . . Damn, girl, it choked me up. I mean, I was there in the pub, and reading it still choked me up. You did a great job with the day, right? The driving, the scenery, the cliffs, and everything. Took me right back to it all. But when you got to the part about meeting Tom, and how he knew your dad, and all of that? The picture he gave you? It freaking killed me.”
“In a good way?”
“Cut it out. You know when something’s good. Only thing missing is the picture. I’m going to see if the hotel can scan it so we can get it on the blog. It’s a long shot your dad would see it, but hey, who knows? Somebody who knows him might see it, and tell him.”
“I never thought of that.” She sat back as hope bubbled up. “Marco, I never thought of that. It’s brilliant.”
He tapped his temple. “I got the cells. You posted it over an hour ago. What’ve you been up to?”
“Oh my God, the best!”
He listened, then held up both hands. “You had a big-ass bird on your arm?”
“I did, and it was fantastic. Marco, he looked right at me. I mean right into my eyes.”
“You didn’t freak? I’m freaking just hearing about it. Big-ass birds got big-ass claws—”
“Talons.”
“Sharp whatever you call them, and big-ass beaks that can poke your eye out. Big-ass birds give me the willies. Flamingos? Sure, pink, and people think goofy, but I bet they could tear you a new one. Remember that parrot they brought in when we were in third grade?”
He held his hands apart to a height easily twice as big as the African gray had been. “Hearing that bird talk while he gave you the side-eye? Saying things like ‘Time for dinner’ and ‘Let’s party’? That ain’t natural, girl. Gave me nightmares.”
“I remember. This bird didn’t talk, and he was gorgeous and graceful, and the falconer, Morena, showed me how to call him to the glove, give him raw chicken parts.”
“You fed him raw chicken?”
“I didn’t have time to sauté it.”
“Okay, glad you had fun, glad I missed it. I might have nightmares anyway.”
“You’re up for the most disgusting horror movie they can make, but a bird over the size of a sparrow gives you nightmares.”
“They’re fine up in the sky where they belong. I don’t want a sparrow landing on me either.” He shuddered.
They dug