THE INHERITANCE - part twenty-one

THE INHERITANCE – part twenty-one ………

Welcome home

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He looked into Kate’s green eyes and smiled, while she felt a whirlwind of emotions: excitement, trepidation, attraction. The wanting to flirt and yet pull away fought for prevalence. Her trance was broken by Mo’s words. “Well, then, I’ll tackle the second bedroom and see what needs to be done. I’ve about ninety minutes left before I need to leave but as soon as I take care of Shaun’s errand, I’ll be back. Shouldn’t take me more than two hours.”

Kate shook the mesmerizing wonder from her eyes. “Oh, right. I almost forgot you needed to leave. Well, that’s not true. I did forget. Sorry about that. Thank you for taking the second bedroom. I’ll be putting my mother in there. For now, I’ll clean down here.”

Mo reminded her, “Oh and Kate. You need to remove the spell you put on the little critters that had your cousin screaming.”

Kate laughed. “Yeah, can’t forget them. I’ll do that first.”

*

Little mice and things that crawl,

You did your jobs, yes, one all.

Now, you need to play outside

In the soft green grass so tall and wide.

I thank you for all you’ve given me.

So, I desire it. So mote it be.

*

She heard the scurry of little paws across the floor and watched as what she deemed a small army of rodents race through the front door.

Mo and Ryan laughed heartily as Mo tried to say, “Well, now, you’re definitely getting better and spelling and unspelling. Ryan, love, while Kate gets busy washing what her cousin dirtied, would you be so kind as to make us a pot of tea?” She then turned and walked up the stairs.

Kate began to laugh off the shock at what she’d just accomplished. “Ryan, that was an experiment. I had no idea if it would or wouldn’t work. Omg, Ryan, am I really a witch? Am I really like my great-grandmother?”

Before he approached the stove, he saw her trembling. He wrapped his arms around Kate. “Kate, you’re shivering. Is that fear or the cool air?”

“Ryan, I think it’s fear. I’ve never done anything like this before. What am I to do with it all?”

He released her from his hug and brushed an auburn curl from her forehead. “First thing, you need to do is relax. This is all new for you. I have no doubt that your great-grandmother is still around to guide you, and should you have any doubts, Mo can help you – oh and so can Shevy. I hesitated to tell you this, but there are witches in my family, as well – me included. You should meet my mam. She’d be delighted to help you through any questions you may have.”

Kate walked to the pantry and pulled a rag and a jug of spray cleaner off a shelf, then turned back to Ryan. She smiled, made sure she stood more erect and said, “You know, Ryan, when I think about it, I didn’t live and thrive in New York to move to Ireland and become a weakling. I am determined to thrive here. Now, since you offered your assistance, I’ve a specific job for you.”

As she cleaned and scrubbed every inch of the kitchen, Kate dictated all the plans she had for the cottage. Ryan was diligently writing down everything thought she uttered. Now and then, he’d interrupt her with his own.

“Kate, you indicated you’d like to expand the kitchen to make a larger dining area. That made me think. Without disturbing the cool room that Kathleen made, and without knocking down that entire back wall, you can build another room just behind that wall with an arched entryway. This way, you could use that as your dining room and still keep the original design of the cottage.”

She turned and with a grin on her face, said, “Ryan, I like the way you think.”

As Mo descended the stairs, she stuck in her two cents. “If you think his ideas a great, you should hear him sing. He has the voice of an Irish angel.”

“Aw, Mo, we’re not talking about me. I’m helping Kate redesign her house. I’m not singing.” Mo laughed, “You are on Saturday night, you lummox! Ah, I see, you didn’t tell Kate about that. Well, mo chara, you and I will have a long talk later. I need to go help Shaun, but I will absolutely be back later.”

Kate placed the rag on the counter, turned and looked menacingly at Ryan. “So, you sing, too? Hmm. Well, you’ll no doubt meet my mom when we show up at, hmm, where are you singing on Saturday night?”

Ryan made a list of the supply houses she’d need to remodel her home and offered to begin her plumbing the following day.

“Ryan, that’s not necessary. We can wait until my mom leaves. She knows this cottage hasn’t been lived in for at least forty-two years. She knows what to expect and if she’s not happy? Well, there’s always Martha’s B&B.”

Ryan looked surprised at her comment.

“Ryan, it isn’t that I expect her to be critical of where I now call home. What bothers me is that she never told me about my dad. Never mentioned Kathleen or Daniel. You’d think she would have at least mentioned something! That’s what has me annoyed, not angry, just annoyed.”

“Well, mo stor, I guess you can sort it all out while she’s here. How long is she staying?”

“She said two weeks. At this point, I’m not sure if it will be two weeks of heaven, or two weeks of hell. We’ll see. Well, then, the kitchen is scrubbed, the cute little rodents are gone, the roof no longer drips Irish dew. Now, I just need to scrub the stove and I’m done for the afternoon. Wait, I felt something. You’re a witch, too. Did you feel that?”

He responded as he looked around. “No, Kate. I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Can you explain what you felt?”