Page 7 of The Irish Goodbye

“It’s no trouble. I stocked the fridge well enough for a day, but there’s a shop in town you’ll want to visit tomorrow. There’s bikes you can use, they’re in the shed up at the house. How does an omelet sound? I’m only proficient in breakfast food, I’m afraid—that’s all I make at the Leeside.”

Cordelia felt so many things at once—starving and sad and overwhelmed and exhausted. So she just nodded. There was a tiny table with two stools in the corner, and she sank into one. The kettle began to steam and Alison switched it off, putting another pan on the stove for the omelet, sliding some mushrooms on to cook, and pouring them each a generous cup of tea. The scent of black tea filled the room and mixed pleasantly with the mushrooms and bacon.

The whole story poured out of Cordelia then, why she had been eager to come to the island for the whole summer in the first place, the frustration she’d been feeling in New York, the sense of being stuck after her father’s death, of being a failure.

“Right,” Alison said when she’d finished. “Okay. I was wondering why a New Yorker would be agreeing to my offer. It sounds to me like you need a break. And this is as good a place to take one as any.”

She added the mushrooms and some goat cheese to the eggs, then folded the omelet in half. She slid it onto a plate, sprinkled it with chives, and slapped two pieces of bacon next to it.

“Eat,” she said. “You’ll feel better. Now let’s see what we can do about this camera.”

“There’s a woman I know back in the city who can fix it,” Cordelia said. “But I think I’d rather buy a new one while I’m here.”

Alison took out her phone as Cordelia picked up her fork. She took one bite and groaned, losing herself in the delicious flavors. She’d eaten half the omelet before Alison had finished typing camera shops into her search bar.

“We can order things from the shops in Doolin to be sent here. It might take a few days. What sort of camera is it?”

“A Fujifilm X100V,” Cordelia said through a mouthful of bacon.

Alison did a search for the camera and blanched when she saw the price. “That’s some piece of equipment you brought,” she said.

Cordelia was feeling the wholesome effects of home cooking on an empty stomach along with the cheer of friendly company and she finally managed a smile.

“Good cameras are pricey,” she said. “Even when they’re small.”

Alison frowned. “It looks like you’ll need to order it from Dublin. That’ll take about a week, at least.”

A week? Cordelia’s full stomach lurched. But hadn’t she just been thinking she could go a week without a camera? It might turn out to be a good thing. Plus she could rub it in Toby’s face.

Her phone buzzed and Cordelia looked down to see that Liz had responded in classic Liz style.

OH MY FUCKING GOD CORD WHAT THE FUCK WHO WAS THIS ASSHOLE WHO BUMPED INTO YOU I WILL COME FOR HIM AND HAUNT HIM TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH OH BABES I AM SO SORRY. And then almost as an afterthought she added, Are you ok???

I’m okay, Cordelia wrote back. Over the initial shock. Alison is helping me order a new camera from Dublin. I’ll take Dad’s to Leslie when I get back.

OH YAY! Liz was a big fan of all caps. Omg so proud of you, handling this like a champ. How’s the cottage? How’s the grandma? Is it raining yet?

Cordelia chuckled. “It’s my best friend,” she explained to Alison. “She thinks I’m crazy to come here. She’s sure it will rain the whole summer.”

Alison grinned and gestured to the window, where the rain was now lashing against the panes. “She’s not fully wrong. Though there will be sunny days too, don’t you worry.” She took out a thick folder and laid it on the table. “This has all the information about the island, the things to do, sightseeing, all that. The Wi-Fi password and such is in here too. And there’s a map of the town and the key to the cottage. Like I said over email, if you don’t mind keeping the cottage tidy and bringing the mail up to Róisín. She gets some deliveries too, fertilizer and animal feed, you can leave that in the shed. And just, you know, knock on the door once or twice a day to let her know you’re there.”

“I don’t need to, like, take her for walks or anything?”

Alison laughed. “You could try,” she said.

Cordelia opened her mouth to speak but instead gave an enormous yawn.

“You need rest,” Alison said. “It’s been a long day. But if you’d like, tomorrow I can take you to dinner at O’Connor’s. It’s the place where all the locals go. It’s in walking distance and it’s always good craic.”

“Sorry, did you say crack?” Cordelia yelped, wondering if she’d stumbled on some kind of Breaking Bad situation.

“Craic means fun,” Alison explained, smiling.

“Oh. That sounds perfect, then,” Cordelia said, returning the smile.

“I wrote down the name of the shop in Dublin. Have that camera shipped to the B&B, that way it’ll come straight to me.”

After Alison left, Cordelia grabbed another slice of bacon and refilled her tea before crawling into bed and FaceTiming Liz.