serious,” he said, the laughter coming to an abrupt halt. “I’m jealous.”
“Why would you be jealous?”
“Because it should have been me last night,” he said simply.
Marcy said nothing, although her heart was beating so fast it threatened to burst from her chest.
“He really doesn’t mean anything to you?” Liam asked.
Marcy shook her head, turning away from him to observe the slowly passing scenery in a concerted effort to calm down. Would they never get out of this damn city?
“We should be on the coast road in a few more minutes,” Liam said, as if reading her mind. “Why don’t you try to catch a bit of sleep before we get there?”
“I am kind of tired,” Marcy admitted, her head spinning.
“Lean back, close your eyes, think pleasant thoughts,” he instructed her, and for the second time that morning, Marcy did as she was told, leaning back against the black leather seat and allowing her eyes to shut.
Almost immediately she saw Devon walking toward her, her long, thin arms extended. In the next instant, she was caught in her daughter’s surprisingly strong embrace, Devon’s smooth skin a soothing balm against her sore cheek. “Mommy,” her daughter whispered lovingly in her ear, the word a soft caress.
My baby.
“Marcy.”
“Hmm?”
“Marcy,” Liam said again as Devon evaporated in her arms. “Marcy, wake up.”
Marcy opened her eyes to see Liam’s smiling face looming above hers. It took her a second to realize the car had stopped and they were no longer moving.
“We’re here,” Liam said.
SEVENTEEN
WE’RE IN YOUGHAL?”
“Yes. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
“You were exhausted.”
“What time is it?”
“Eight forty-five. The traffic was absolutely brutal. Over an hour to go twenty miles. Bloody ridiculous.”
Marcy looked at the vast expanse of majestic beach stretched out in front of her, trying to get her bearings. “Where are we exactly?”
“Just outside the town walls, which, incidentally, date back to the thirteenth century. That’s the Blackwater River straight ahead.” Liam pointed toward the breathtaking expanse of water. A wide laneway of grass and a pedestrian walkway, along which an impressive number of would-be bathers were already walking, separated them from the river. “It flows into St. George’s Channel to the east and the Celtic Sea to the south. This here’s Green Park Beach, which is just minutes from the center of Youghal.” He smiled sheepishly. “Inside every Irishman is a tour guide just waiting to get out.”
Marcy smiled, thinking that it wasn’t all that surprising that Devon might have found refuge here. It was an undeniably beautiful spot, unspoiled and serene. Even a cursory glance around was enough to reveal a plethora of boating activities—already powerboats were disturbing the water’s smooth surface, leaving a couple of dinghies to bob up and down in their wake. In the distance a yacht was cruising slowly by. Across the way, Marcy noticed a sign advertising whale watching, another touting the joys of wreck diving. Lots for Devon to do, she thought. Or she could rent a canoe and paddle for hours in quiet solitude up and down the coast.
Except that Devon was essentially a city girl at heart. Could she really have found the happiness she craved in a tiny fishing port on the edge of nowhere? “Where does my daughter live?” she asked Liam.
“Marcy …”
“Don’t say it.”
“You have to be prepared,” he said anyway. “There’s a chance it might not be her.”
“You said she was here,” Marcy insisted.
“I said I was told that a girl matching your daughter’s description had been spotted here in Youghal—”
“A girl named Audrey.”
“Yes. But I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high. You need to be prepared in case we’re wrong.”
“We’re not wrong.”
“Hopefully, no.”
“Where is she, Liam?”
“Within walking distance.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go.” Marcy pushed open the car’s passenger door and stepped onto the pavement, a strong wind almost flattening her against the side of the car, blowing her hair into her eyes and mouth. She was still trying to remove some errant strands from between her teeth when Liam came around to her side of the car and took her by the elbow, guiding her away from the river and across the street toward the town.
“It won’t be so windy once we get away from the water.”
“So, tell me more about Youghal,” she said as they walked toward the town’s center. Not that she was particularly curious about the place itself, but she knew it was important to keep her mind occupied and her heart rate steady. She