The Almost Perfect Love Story

Part 6 - What is this feeling?

"Wow. I mean, er, hi. How are you?"

I could feel my cheeks flush. "Hi. I'm good. You?"

"I'm, uh, yeah, I'm good. You hungry?"

I nodded my head. "Starving."

"Great. Let's go." He took my hand, helping me walk down the cobblestone sidewalk to his waiting Mercedes. "Your home is lovely."

"Huh? Oh, thanks."

"I've driven past it before and never realized that you lived here."

"Yeah. It's been in the family for a few generations now."

"It's considered a historic landmark, right?"

"It is. How did you know?"

"I love old homes. I was actually thinking about purchasing one."

"You should. There is a lot of charm in them and usually hidden secrets."

"Oh?"

I nodded my head. "My great-great-great grandfather built this one and I'm still finding secret passages and wall safes."

"That's exciting."

I nodded my head. "It was very exciting as a child."

"Did you grow up here?"

"Yeah. I did. With my mother and my grandparents."

"No father?" He opened the car door for me.

I slid into the heated seat as he shut the door.

He walked around to the driver's side and climbed into his seat. 

"He died. When I was very young."

"Oh, I am so sorry."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. It was so long ago."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"Well, we're not really sure."

"Oh?"

"I mean, we know what happened, just not why. Or how. Or who," I said, staring out the window.

"I'm confused," Collin said, glancing at me.

"My father was murdered."

"Shit. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I mean it happened a long time ago."

"They never caught the person who did it?" 

"No. It was investigated for a while and then the police just put it into the cold case files."

"So you guys moved in with your grandparents afterwards?"

"Yeah. Grams and pappy wanted us all to live with them. There's a guest house behind the main house that would have been ours. Mom and I actually lived there until my grandparents passed away. Then she remarried and they moved to London."

"You didn't want to go?"

"I visit, but live there? No. This is home."

"Interesting."

"I'm sorry. I've been rambling about myself. What about you?"

"What about me?" he asked, turning down a street that led into the city.

"Where are your parents from?"

"Ireland."

"Okay. Cool. Where abouts?"

"You've probably never heard of it."

"Try me. I traveled a lot."

"Hmm. Lismore."