Perfectly Broken (2 page)

But he had to be sure. Risking all propriety,
Tomas turned to look at her when he walked by. It was a quick
motion, as he dared not linger. But it was enough to see that she
was ravishing. Though she never turned his way, only looked
straight ahead, he could see her eyes were sky blue. The
flawlessness of her pale beauty made his pulse race.

Excitement over her appearance in the church
congregation rattled Tomas. All he wanted to do was turn and walk
back to speak with her. Which was the one thing he could not do.
There was only one option, and that was to sit with the family in
the front row, where he could see nothing behind him.

It was torture. Tomas didn’t know if the woman
was even aware of him. Was she looking at him all throughout the
ceremony? He swore he could feel her eyes graze him as the seconds
ticked by. The minister’s words seemed remote, leaving Tomas unable
to follow the message.

He was acutely aware of
her
, and knowing
she sat in the very same room with him drove him crazy. Whether
princess, goddess, or devil, the mysterious woman was a
distraction. Tomas was doubly glad he wasn’t expected to say
anything, though his father went to the front to speak about Eagon
in fond terms.

Drifting away from reality, minute by minute,
Tomas thought only of the woman he was determined to meet. It was
all he could do to bow his head in prayer at the end and focus on
the loss of his grandfather. The sacrilege of letting his
imaginings wander to her during such a religious interlude,
especially with his eyes closed, didn’t compare to the sin he would
willingly commit if he got close enough to touch her.

So lost in his own world was Tomas that he
didn’t notice when the ceremony was over. Alaina nudged him with
her knee, and he opened his eyes. Panic struck. What if she left
the church before he could get to her? Spinning around, he searched
the congregation.

It was difficult to see around the sea of
people. Everyone was standing now. Leaving Alaina staring after
him, Tomas broke free of the family group and wound his way through
the multitudes. Making every effort not to knock anyone over in his
haste, he pushed through and made it outside.

He hadn’t seen her in the crowds, and once out
in the open, Tomas glanced frantically around. Red hair was not
uncommon in Ireland, but shimmery blondish-red hair such as she
possessed was rarer. If he spotted her, he would know it was her.
The elegant demeanor, the light, somewhat-ghostly feel of her, was
unmistakable.

With a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumped. The
woman had vanished for the second time in one day. Standing in
front of the grand church, Tomas had the urge to run after her. But
he didn’t know where to run, or which direction she had gone. He
was beginning to feel like she was a fairy princess, whom only he
could see, come alive from one of the old Celtic tales.

* * * * *

In the limo on the way to the cemetery, Alaina
kept looking over at him. Though Tomas knew he was acting
strangely, there had been no opportunity to explain it to her. If
anyone would understand it would be his sister. Yet he knew he was
a bit crazed right then, and could be viewed as outright weird.

It didn’t matter. As the black limo rolled
slowly down the street, Tomas gripped his hands tightly together.
With the death of his grandfather, the morose atmosphere of the
funeral, and the sudden loss of a woman who had never been his in
the first place, Tomas was overcome with grief.

In a city as big as Dublin, how would he ever
find her again? And, more to the point, why did he care? Tomas
didn’t know her; he didn’t know anything about her. For all he
knew, the woman was already taken or, God forbid, a blood relative.
It would just be his luck.

The day had turned gray, and dark clouds hung
over Glasnevin Cemetery, giving it a somber cast. The limos rolled
up and parked. Then the family got out of the vehicles as though
their limbs were heavy with lead. Tomas welcomed the fresh air, and
breathed in deeply though it was icy cold.

He strolled down the walkways past the
gravestones and monuments, not knowing what to think. Eagon had
been a good man, and as he went to the great beyond, Tomas was
convinced he would be with God. It gave him some solace. Glancing
at his mother, father, sister, grandmother, and all the relations
he knew less well, he witnessed their grief.

Tears came to his eyes, but for a man it was
better not to cry in the open, so he pushed them back. Swallowing
his sadness, Tomas rolled his shoulders and tried to relax a
little. His wool jacket weighed him down, and despite the inclement
weather, he felt like ripping it off. Standing at the gravesite, he
let his hands fall uselessly to his sides, unsure what to do.

Thankfully, the minister took over and Tomas was
left to witness the proceedings without having to act. Mercifully,
it was a short prayer as the burden of loss mounted, and subdued
crying could be heard in the crowd. It began to drizzle, and the
wind picked up. Alaina shivered and Tomas wrapped his arm around
her.

At last it was over. It had been arranged that
the coffin would be lowered after the mourners left. Tomas saw his
mother place a flower on the top of the box before leaving. His
father put his arm around her waist to guide her away as the tears
began.

As slowly as they had come, each returned to
their respective limos and slid inside. Tomas hung back and turned
to look toward the gravesite, thinking of his grandfather.
May
he rest in peace
. Out in the distance, shrouded in mist, stood
a woman in a black shawl.

Though only a few wisps of her hair escaped to
flutter against her flawless skin, Tomas knew it was her. Stunned,
he gaped at her. But she was so far away. If he took off running,
it would alarm his family. He blinked once, and she was gone.
Craning his neck to see above the large stones and around trees, he
tried to catch just one more glimpse.

But she wasn’t there anymore. Alaina pulled on
his sleeve, and Tomas got into the limo reluctantly. He put his arm
over his sister’s shoulders and pulled her close. She rested her
head against his chest and sobbed quietly. Closing his eyes, Tomas
attempted to get it together. Things were strange, and getting
weirder as the day progressed.

*****

What he needed was a drink. After leaving his
family, Tomas went back to his hotel. He’d flown over separately
because he planned to stay. Since he had not been able to get
reservations in the same establishment as the others, he had booked
at the Ashling downtown.

He walked through the high-ceilinged modern
lobby, across the polished floors, and headed straight to the bar.
Sitting on one of the stools padded in ornate red fabric, Tomas
ordered. “Bushmills.”

The bartender put the shot in front of him, and
Tomas took a drink. The taste of the Irish whiskey perked him up,
if just a little. He downed the rest and asked for another. Having
arrived just the day before, he hadn’t had a chance to see much of
Dublin yet. It had changed since he had last been there, and seemed
trendier than he recalled.

The poor economy had pushed many people out of
the country. But with those that left, more had arrived. The
culture seemed to be in a state of flux, not yet having settled on
what the new status quo was to be. The reason Tomas intended to
live in Dublin was career related.

Online gambling wasn’t legal in the US, but was
in Ireland, where it was a growing industry. In fact, Paddy Power,
currently Europe’s biggest bookmaker, employed thousands of people.
The employment package, including salary, bonus, pension,
healthcare, and life insurance, was attractive.

Unfortunately, Tomas hadn’t yet secured a
position with the prestigious company, even though they were
seeking graduates with business degrees such as he had. Likely math
specialists, computer programmers, or even social media experts
took precedence. But he figured he would get in eventually; he just
had to be patient.

Patience wasn’t his strength, so he had accepted
a job with another company, also in the bookmaking field. That
sector offered huge opportunities, and it just so happened to be
his major interest. In school, computer games had become an
addiction, which had led to gambling online. Since real money
couldn’t be used in Boston, he had played with chips at numerous
sites. Even via social media sites. And he had become quite good at
it.

In Ireland, sports betting, online poker, casino
games, and other such gaming was big business. The large companies
doing the most business were even traded on the Irish and UK stock
exchanges. And betting involved real money. Tomas couldn’t think of
a better career, and the prospect of playing for real got his blood
pumping.

Halfway through his second drink, Tomas leaned
back. Dublin was different, but he was at home there. He even spoke
Irish, since his parents often spoke it at home. Though it wasn’t
required, since English was the language used in the city.

He was looking forward to a new start. For many
reasons. Reflecting on the day pulled his thoughts back to the
woman he couldn’t blot from his mind. What was it about her? Why
was she different than any other woman?

Tomas wasn’t sure. But she had certainly had an
effect on him. Just as he thought about how nice it would be if he
were sitting in the upscale bar with her instead of alone, he
turned on the swivel stool to look around. Facing away from him, at
a table in the back, was a woman with striking reddish hair.

Could the day be magical enough to offer up the
intriguing woman to him once again? It seemed so. Only this time he
wasn’t in a crowd of relatives, or in some awkward social setting.
Tomas was in a bar, one place he was at ease.

Though his heart pounded, Tomas waited to see if
she was alone. No one sat with her, and no man came up to the
table. He gave it a couple of more minutes, but that was all he
could stand. Slipping out of the barstool, he sauntered over to her
table.

Though he felt anything but relaxed, Tomas put
on his cool demeanor. All the better to impress her with. If
impress her he could. Stopping just behind her, he took a deep
breath, fully expecting her to disappear before his eyes. But she
didn’t.

Stepping around in front of her, Tomas smiled.
And she smiled back. Her blue eyes were a deeper color in the low
bar lights, and she appeared sadder than he had anticipated. But
just as beautiful. Stunned, he just looked at her, feeling a bit
foolish.

“Would you like to sit down?”

Her voice had a melodic lilt that fitted with
everything else about her. Women were usually attracted to Tomas,
and he wasn’t normally flustered in their presence. Thus, he
couldn’t account for his inept behavior.

“Yes. Thank you.”

He sat in the chair across from her, not certain
where to go from there. A million questions came to mind, but he
stifled them, not wanting to alarm her. His mind raced.
Why were
you at the funeral home? Are you part of the family? How did you
disappear so fast?

Tomas leaned back in his chair in an effort to
appear more macho than he felt. “What are you drinking?” It was the
best he could do.

She smiled again, but her eyes didn’t reflect
it. “Chardonnay.”

He nodded.

“I know you saw me earlier,” she said
flatly.

Tomas gulped.
Saw you?
He had done
nothing but stare and act like a stalker.

“Yes, I did. But I didn’t know that you’d
noticed.”

Her lips thinned in a slight grin. “I
noticed.”

Nervously, Tomas gulped the last of his drink
and flagged the waiter for another.

“Were you…how did you? I mean…do you know…”

She giggled, but not in a way that made fun of
him. Then she turned serious. “I’m not part of the family…in case
you were wondering.” She paused. “But do you really want to talk
more about the dead? Wasn’t the funeral enough?”

Her sharp honesty was refreshing, and Tomas
realized he didn’t want to focus on the ceremony at all. He just
wanted to focus on her. Only her.

He held out his hand. “I’m Tomas Dempsey.”

She took his hand and squeezed, the softness of
her skin sending electricity radiating through him.

“I’m Susanna Peters.”

Tomas stared; he couldn’t help it. The woman
across from him was a combination of exquisite beauty and darkness,
which translated into an elixir that created strong reactions of a
sexual nature. The thick black makeup that outlined her eyes, and
the silver earring with a crystal gem she wore in her right
earlobe, contrasted with her blue eyes and pale skin.

The garb of mourning seemed to fit her somehow,
and though she epitomized life itself, Susanna appeared comfortable
with death. Though that might not be the right way to describe it.
More that she was drawn to death, or sought comfort near it.
Neither of which made sense, but the feeling was palpable.

Finding his voice, Tomas said, “Are you staying
in the hotel?”

She sipped her wine, seeming in no rush to
answer. “No. You?”

He nodded. “Just for a few days until I find an
apartment.”

She raised a brow. “You’re staying?”

“I have a job here.”

Her eyes bored into him, shaking him and
heightening his arousal. “Where are you from?”

“Boston.”

The conversation seemed to lag. Tomas didn’t
want to chatter away about nothing. All he really wanted to do was
to touch her, maybe just to see if she was real. The woman seemed
like she was too good to be true. Or possibly he was just marveling
that she had shown up at the bar.

That fact that she wasn’t pretentious further
enamored him. The starkly real nature she exhibited made him feel
like a man in the desert offered water. The taste was life-giving,
and one sip made one beg for more. The one thing he didn’t want to
do was leave her. Or allow her to leave.