Chapter 43
Something was different; Lily could feel it.
Being with Shay had always felt effortless, but now it felt as if some invisible barrier had been lifted. They laughed and talked more freely and now she found herself occasionally touching his arm as she spoke. It wasn’t intentional.
He seemed to be feeling it too.
With the party happening at the end of the week, the next few days at work were going to be busy for her, so she was going to make the most of her day off. And what little time remaining she had left with Shay before he returned to Ireland.
Today, they were hiking through an underground cave site.
Shay kept a hand securely on Lily’s back or held her hand to assist her over a troublesome rock formation that blocked their path.
Even now, as they were continuing their exploration within the bowels of the cave itself, headlamps and knee guards in place, he stuck by her protectively.
The surrounds were dark except for their head-torches and the little group they were with were all waist-deep in underground spring water as they charted the predetermined course laid out for them.
Up ahead, a tour guide was showing them what the location’s earliest explorers of the area had experienced when they discovered the myriad underground tunnels and passages.
‘You OK?’ Shay asked, close to her ear.
He had chosen to walk behind her to ensure she was fine. Lily was a grown woman who could take care of herself, but having him there and willing to watch over her, was appealing. It was a nice change to be taken care of for once.
‘The water’s much colder than I expected,’ she admitted, shivering a little. ‘But I’m fine. You?’
‘I’m great, I love this sort of thing. Back home,’ he informed her as his hand traced the orange rope that marked their path, ‘my mates and I do this all the time. It’s great craic.’
Lily’s eyes widened. ‘You do crack?’
‘Craic … it means fun,’ he explained with a grin. ‘I’d better teach you a lot more of the Irish lingo if we’re going to keep doing this.’
Her heart stuttered. And what exactly are we doing? she wondered silently, trying her best to pay attention while looking ahead.
She didn’t want to fall.
The rest of the day was spent underground as they were shown some of the most beautiful natural formations Shay or indeed Lily had ever seen. It had been decades since she’d visited this place, and it seemed even better than she remembered.
The Cathedral, an area of stalagmites that rose in a form that resembled the steeples of a church, was pretty much as she remembered when she’d come here as a teenager with her dad.
Shay snapped multiple pictures with his phone and made her pose for some of them too, before asking the guide to take a couple of them together.
Lily couldn’t help but daydream that these be the pictures they’d end up showing friends and maybe even family in years to come. Their very first pictures as a couple?
Stop it, don’t get ahead of yourself.
Lily didn’t need Dee to warn her this time. She was going to have to keep telling herself this stuff to keep her feelings in check. But it was hard to do so when even Shay was acting like they were already a couple.
Later, she drove him back to the resort, chatting animatedly about the day’s adventure and Shay casually suggested she stay on to grab a bite at one of the restaurants.
She’d agreed, eager to prolong spending time with him, when her phone rang.
‘Hi, Mum,’ she answered, lowering the radio a little. ‘Oh sorry, if I’d known … I’ve already made dinner plans actually. I could come over after?’ she suggested, then felt Shay’s hand on her arm.
His tone was hushed as if he didn’t want to be overheard. ‘Don’t worry about me. Go visit your mother. I can fend for myself.’
Lily nodded, trying to hide her disappointment, torn by not wanting to let her mother down and deeply disappointed at having her time with Shay cut short.
‘Actually, Mum, I changed my—’ her sentence was abruptly cut off by her mother’s chatter. ‘Yes. Yes, that was him.’ Lily’s eyes grew wide as her mother continued and then she turned to Shay in bewilderment, her brows knitted together. ‘She … uh, wants to speak to you.’
He took the phone and politely introduced himself. Lily heard him utter yes a few times and suspected Barbara was discussing the previous week’s bouquet delivery.
‘Yes, of course,’ Shay chuckled. ‘I understand completely. Very kind of you. No, I’ll be there. Nice speaking to you too,’ he muttered and then promptly disconnected the call.
Then he handed the device back to Lily, who was by now utterly perplexed.
‘What was all that about?’
‘Guess who’s coming to dinner …’ He winked. ‘Your mother’s invited me over.’