Chapter 3
The sun glared through a small gap in the curtains. Lucy groaned as she cracked one eye open, immediately regretting it when the blinding light smacked her squarely in the face. A faint throbbing began at the back of her head. All she wanted was to close her eyes and fall back to sleep.
Instead, she forced her body to uncurl and stretched out her legs, her bare foot rubbed against something hairy. Startled, she whipped her head to the side, only to have the room spin as her vision blurred.
Shutting her eyes, she leaned against the pillow while the vertigo passed. Memories of last night flooded her mind.
Sex. Really good sex. Keith? Kevin? Ken?
Squinting, she stole a glance in his direction. Thank goodness he still looked attractive in the daylight. In the past, there was more than one occasion when she hadn’t been as lucky, as superficial as it may sound.
Kenny? Was that it?
Whatever his name was, currently lay on his back, breathing deeply. The duvet covered the lower half of his body, exposing his chest, stomach, and one bare leg, which looped over the covers. One arm flung lazily across his chest while the other rested along his side.
Carefully, Lucy slid from under the sheets, doing her best not to tug on the covers and wake him. The morning after a drunken love fest always felt awkward, full of lies and empty promises. She knew what this was, a one-night stand, and she had no intention of seeing this man again. There was no point in small talk or exchanging phone numbers; it was best to cut out early and avoid confrontation.
Tiptoeing around the room, she managed to find all her discarded clothing from the previous night.
The man sighed.
The sheets rustled behind her, and she froze, feeling silly for her actions as if not moving would make her magically invisible. She imagined him smirking as she stood unmoving like a naked statue.
Her heart raced as she turned toward him, dreading the conversation that would surely follow. She sighed in relief when she realized he was still sound asleep but pleasantly surprised to see he had kicked off the duvet, exposing the full glory of his manhood.
Overcome with curiosity, she crept toward the bed to take a closer look at the foreskin hiding the tip of his penis. Covering her mouth, she stifled a nervous giggle, amused by her fascination with his uncut member.
“Some things aren’t taught in school,” she mumbled.
All she had ever known or seen was a perfectly cut penis. Her naughty side wanted nothing more than to climb back in bed and explore this phenomenon. Last night was great and some of the best sex of her life; would it be so bad to go one more round?
No, it was time to leave. Shaking the thought away, Lucy dashed into the bathroom and dressed quickly. Kaylee was probably wondering where her mother was.
Kaylee. A pang of guilt gnawed at her gut. Not only had she uprooted her only daughter and moved across the country, but last night, she had abandoned her with relatives they hadn’t seen in years.
Padding down the hall, Lucy sighed, thankful her one-night stand hadn’t woken up. She gathered the rest of her things, double-checking the purse for her phone and wallet. As quietly as possible, she unlatched the door and slid silently into the hallway.
Her head pounded, and her stomach felt queasy. It had been a long time since she’d had a hangover quite like this. Looking up and down the long corridor, she tried to recall exactly how they arrived at the apartment.
Ding.
An elevator. She vaguely remembered the ride up from the lobby.
A man in a business suit came around the corner and rushed past her, mumbling a quick greeting. She nodded in return and hurried in the direction he had come, rounding the corner and catching the elevator just as the doors slid shut.
After pressing the button for the first floor, she dug into her purse, pulling out the phone. Thankfully, Rob had given her a new SIM card and programmed Abbey’s number into the phone.
“Morning, Sunshine.” Abbey’s cheery voice came on the line. “Don’t tell me—you’re running away with the mysterious Irish man? Yes, of course, I’ll adopt Kaylee.”
“Haha, funny. I am running away, but alone.”
“You snuck out?”
“Yeah, I’m skipping out. I wouldn’t have gone home with him if you hadn’t abandoned me.”
“I was helping you adjust to a new country,” Abbey teased. “Are you not a fan of the full Irish experience?”
“Stop.” Lucy cringed as the elevator doors slid open.
“What was that?”
“Elevator.” Lucy stepped into a hallway similar to the one she just left.
“You haven’t left the building yet?” Abbey laughed.
Lucy looked up and down the hall for an exit to the outside. “No, and I don’t see an exit. This floor is just apartments. I swear, there was a lobby.”
“What floor are you on?”
Lucy popped her head back in the elevator. “I’m sure I pushed the button for the 1st floor.”
“Get back in the elevator,” Abbey said dryly.
“What? Why?”
“You aren’t on the main floor yet,” Abbey said. “Get in the elevator and look for the G or zero button.”
“Okay?” Lucy replied, unsure. “There is a G, but won’t that take me to the garage?”
“It stands for the ground floor, not garage,” Abbey explained. “What we call the first floor is called the ground floor here. What we call the second floor, they call the first floor. Ground floor, first floor, second floor.”
Lucy scrunched up her face and grunted. “That doesn’t make any sense. I’m far too hung-over to process that right now.”
“It makes sense if you think about it,” Abbey said. “Oh, and the elevator is called a lift.”
“I did know that one,” Lucy said as the doors opened for the second time. Now, she was in the small lobby. “I see light and a way out. Free at last.”
“Hallelujah,” Abbey cheered. “Any idea where you are?”
“Not a clue.”
Lucy scanned the busy street. Cars, buses, and bicycles zoomed past in both directions. Several shops and buildings lined the road.
“Pull up your location on your phone,” Abbey suggested.
“Good idea, hold on.” Lucy put the phone on speaker, pulled up the map, and zoomed in on her location. “There’s a harbor, a huge harbor. I must be near the ocean?”
“Zoom out until you can see the town name.”
“Oh, umm, Done Log Hairy?” Lucy struggled.
Abbey burst into laughter. “I’ve heard it called many things, but done log hairy is a new one. It’s pronounced Done Leer ee.”
“That is not how it looks at all.”
“You have so much to learn,” Abbey teased. “But I was in your shoes not too long ago; thankfully, I had a good teacher.”
“At least you didn’t have a sister making fun of you,” Lucy said.
“Worse, I had an entire Irish family to do that. The Irish people love to give out to foreigners, especially to us Yanks, but it’s all in good fun.”
“Good to know. Now, how do I get home?”
“Can you see the DART station? It’s a train; hopefully, you can see tracks or a sign nearby.”
“I see it on the map; it’s not too far.”
“Perfect, head in that direction. There will be plenty of taxis out front. I’ll text you the Eir Code for our house.”
“The what?”
“Eir Code. It”s like a zip code, only better,” Abbey said. “Each house has its own Eir Code; give that to the driver, and it gives the exact location of our house.”
“Seems complicated.”
“It’s not, trust me.”
Lucy sighed, longing to snuggle under the covers of her own bed and sleep off this hangover. “Ok, well, text me the code. I’m ready to get back to bed.”
“You should have stayed with your bed buddy,” Abbey taunted. “You could have had breakfast and a ride; he may have driven you home too.”
Abbey burst out laughing at her joke. Lucy hung up, too tired to listen to any more teasing. The area looked beautiful; she would need to remember to come back and explore when her head wasn’t throbbing. Or maybe she should have stayed with Kenny. The guy had seemed nice enough; perhaps they could have walked along this harbor and found a cozy place to have breakfast.
Dangerous thinking. That sounded a bit too romantic; more relationship and less one-night stand kind of thinking. The last thing Lucy needed was to rush mindlessly into a new relationship. Hadn’t it been a toxic relationship that sent her running halfway around the world in the first place?
Last night was fun and a great way to blow off steam, but she had responsibilities and needed to get back to Kaylee. This move was supposed to benefit both of them, giving them a chance at a better, more stable life.
Settling into the taxi, Lucy planned the rest of her day. First, a hot shower, followed by coffee, and then a day spent snuggled up on the couch watching old movies with her daughter.
**********
“I need every juicy detail.” Abbey filled the kettle from the tap.
“The girls are in the next room,” Lucy whispered, combing through her wet hair.
Abbey pulled two mugs from the cupboard, setting them down on the counter between them. “They can’t hear us; they’re deep in Minecraft mode.”
Lucy watched Abbey set a tea bag into one of the cups and move the other under the Nespresso machine. With the seasoned moves of a professional, she picked up the kettle and poured boiling water over the tea bag while setting the coffee to brew.
Lucy stopped mid-comb. “Do you put milk in your tea?”
Abbey stuck out her tongue. “Ew, no.”
“I had the same reaction last night. The Irish guy asked me. It sounds disgusting.”
“I like sugar or honey,” Abbey said, setting both items on the counter. “Sometimes both. Of course, I prefer coffee, but, shhh, don’t let them hear you.”
Abbey looked around the kitchen as if the tea mafia would come for her at any second.
“They don’t drink coffee here?” Lucy scrunched up her face. “I love coffee. Will I be seen as a pariah?”
“You’re American; they expect us to drink coffee,” Abbey said, setting the steaming black liquid they spoke of in front of Lucy. “Most of them drink instant coffee.” Abbey made a gagging noise. “My machine here makes me an outlier. I try to drink tea here and there; Rob loves it.”
Lucy’s face turned serious. “Are you happy here? Honestly.”
Abbey raised an eyebrow. “I am. It’s hard to explain, but I feel like I was always meant to come here. Are you wondering if you’ll be happy here?”
Lucy shrugged. “It’s been four days, and everything is so different. I feel out of sorts and discombobulated. I don’t know if I’ll ever adjust.”
“It’s been four days,” Abbey repeated. “That’s hardly enough time to figure anything out. Remember, you’re also dealing with jet lag and a big time difference. Big changes need an adjustment period. I thought you loved change and spontaneity?”
Lucy stared down into her coffee. “That was before I had a child to think about. I have to factor Kaylee into the equation and make good decisions for her. What if I made the wrong choice? I’m forcing her into a new school and a new country; what if it’s too much to ask?”
Abbey leaned across the counter to cover Lucy’s hand with her own. “Kids are resilient; we know that better than anyone. Mom is never going to get a Mother of the Year award. And, with all the crap between you and Jeremy, Kaylee turned out great. If you want my opinion, you’ve already done an amazing thing by escaping a very toxic situation. Mom isn’t the best role model for either of our girls and Jeremy–well, you know how I feel about him.
“Kaylee has an amazing opportunity to experience something new, a chance to escape conflict and chaos. And this is selfish, but she has a chance to get to know Lola and me. We never had cousins when we were kids.”
As if on cue, laughter erupted from the next room. Abbey raised an eyebrow as if that proved her point.
“Lola and Kaylee spent their first two years together,” Lucy reminded her. “Then you left me.”
“You left me first,” Abbey accused. “You always went back to Jeremy. I honestly never thought you would cut ties completely; I’m still in shock that you’re really here.”
“I’m done with him. For good this time.” Lucy made an X across her chest.
Abbey wiggled her eyebrows. “And you got yourself under a hot man. Isn’t that the first step in getting over someone?”
Lucy scrunched her nose. “I have nothing to get over. Jeremy is in the past, and I’m moving on.”
Abbey smiled as she added honey to her tea.
“He wasn’t circumcised,” Lucy stated, absently stirring her coffee.
Abbey dropped the spoon she was holding. “Excuse me?”
“Irish guy, his penis– was– different.” Lucy couldn’t hide a smile as her sister stood gaping at her.
“Oh my.” Abbey’s cheeks turned light pink. Her eyes darted around the room quickly before she propped on her elbows, ready to share some steamy gossip. “Now, this is the conversation I was hoping for. Did it feel different to you? You know, Rob isn’t cut. I don’t think most Europeans are.”
Lucy giggled like a schoolgirl, speaking in hushed tones. “Rob isn’t? I never knew that. Of course, why would I? It isn’t something I’ve ever thought about, circumcised versus uncircumcised, that is, not Rob’s junk. I’ve never thought about Rob’s––you know.”
Lucy turned beet red.
Abbey couldn’t stop laughing. “Oh my gosh, I don’t think I’ve ever talked to anyone about penises before. It”s kind of refreshing but feels naughty at the same time.”
“I was completely distracted and fascinated by the whole foreskin thing,” Lucy admitted. “I still am.”
“It’s different but the same.” Abbey looked down at her tea thoughtfully. “Not that I have much experience; I only slept with one guy before Rob, and he was circumcised. I have learned you can do more to turn a guy on, and everything is more sensitive.”
The thought of turning Tin Whistle Man on made Lucy’s face flush. She imagined bringing him to his knees, desire burning in his eyes as he begged for release.
“I can give you some tips,” Abbey interrupted her daydream. “Help you get that Irish guy going, if you know what I mean.”
Lucy felt her cheeks burn. “No,” she said too quickly. “I mean, I’m not going to see him again. It was a one-time thing.”
Abbey straightened. “It wasn’t good?”
Lucy blew out a breath. “Oh, it was good. Really good.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Lucy took a long drink of coffee. “I’m not looking for a commitment right now. It was a night of great sex, but that’s it. It was a standard one-night stand; we didn’t exchange numbers, and I don’t even know his last name.”
“Great sex and no commitment sounds like just what you need.” Abbey teased. “He wasn’t bad on the eyes either.”
“And that accent. Don’t forget the accent.” Lucy’s stomach flipped.
“It is the best.” Abbey rolled her eyes up to the sky. “I loooow-ve it. It sounds like you should find this guy and give it another go.”
Lucy shook her head. “I’m not looking for that right now. I’m happy to call it what it was and live with the memories. Besides, even if I wanted to, as you say, give it another go, how would I find him? And would he even want to go another round? I think it”s best to leave last night in the past and move on.”