**Updated with my apologies**

It’s Release Day!!

Cherry and Eoghan are out in the world today! Irish Cherry completes the Frost Family series! 😮

That makes my second completed series, and it all happened during the first half of 2026. It feels surreal, but I’m happy to have you all on this journey with me.

Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered. If you haven’t ordered your copy, no worries, it’s available now on your favorite E-Book platform ( Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Google Play Books, and through your library app Libby!). Paperbacks are available through Amazon.

If you do have your copy, I’d sincerely appreciate if you could share one or both of the following graphics.

Eoghan is supposed to look out for Cherry while she visits Ireland. But, looking out for her becomes far more than Eoghan anticipated. Enjoy the ride as you get to know Cherry and Eoghan in the last book of the Frost Family Series! If you don’t already have it, get you copy today!

Buy Now!

That’s all for now. As always, thank y’all for rocking with me. I sincerely appreciate you!

If you like having the inside track on what I write, you should join my Patreon to read along as each story is shaped.

Keep Going to read the Prologue and first two chapters of Irish Cherry!

Prologue

“I’m sorry. I’m positive I didn’t hear you correctly.”

Cherry heard muffled sounds in her sister’s background before Candy’s voice came through clearly.

“Now, tell me again what you’re planning to do, because I thought you were going to wait until Kim could go with you.”

Pausing while rolling her leggings to place them in a packing cube, Cherry twisted her lips.

“I know you heard me, Candy. Why are you acting like it’s a big deal? Ireland won’t be the first international trip I’ve taken by myself.”

“Cher... it’s not that I don’t know you’re an experienced international traveler. You did it for years while working for McJohn’s. It’s just... at least then you were meeting with business associates.

Now, you’re talking about going to Ireland and staying there for an extended time. Not to mention being in Dublin for Saint Patrick’s Day. I’ve heard things can get pretty rowdy. And you ain’t big as nothing. What if somebody decides to toss you over their shoulder and take you with them like a little Tinker Bell-sized trophy?”

Rolling her eyes, Cherry plopped on the edge of her bed next to her open suitcase. In the two years since she’d left her job as a buyer for McJohn’s fashion retailers, Cherry had focused on cultivating her clientele. Her only activities aside from spoiling her nieces and nephew involved researching her family roots.

She’d already been to the three African countries that showed the highest percentage in her DNA tests. Now, she wanted to see the places Papa Earl talked about in Ireland, where his mother was born.

Neither Cherry nor any of her first cousins on the Frost side of the family ever had the chance to meet their paternal great-grandmother. But they had Papa Earl’s stories. Cherry wanted the chance to walk those same streets and connect with more of her family.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t do the same during her visits to Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal. The DNA results hadn’t revealed a specific family line; so, she connected with the culture as much as she could. She wished there had been an opportunity to meet and bond with extended family.

“Candy, I’m thirty-four years old. I’m well acquainted with my size and how to stay safe. Kim was assigned to a project, and she can’t be away for as long as I’ll be gone. If it makes you feel better, she’s going to come over for a few days while I’m in Galway.”

The sound of Candy inhaling to interject prompted Cherry to rush to continue.

“And...” dragging out the word to keep Candy from interrupting she continued, “don’t forget Papa Earl got in touch with one of his cousins who has a daughter near our age. She’s going to be there to introduce me to other family members. Yes, I’ll be on flights by myself, but I will only be alone when I’m at my vacation rental.”

“Cher, you know I love Papa Earl more than cake, but we don’t know his people like that. At least not the Frosts living in Ireland. The ones living around Atlanta? Yeah, they’re cool, but not one of those Irish Frosts has set foot on this Georgia soil. Telling me they’ll look out for you gives me no comfort.”

“Seriously, Candy. Don’t be such a buzzkill. I’ll be fine.”

Candy fell silent, and her background noise shifted again. Cherry resumed her packing, even though she wouldn’t leave for Ireland for another week. Her penchant for preparing in advance was a trait ingrained in her by her father. Before he retired, he travelled frequently for business. She’d reached adulthood before learning that packing his own luggage and prepping for travel wasn’t the norm among most married men.

When Candy began speaking again, it startled Cherry, who had almost forgotten she was on the phone.

“Hey, Cher. I’m back. McKenna is here. I’m gonna put you on speakerphone.”

Cherry rolled her eyes.

“Tell me you didn’t call reinforcements to try to talk me out of going on my trip.”

Candy blew a raspberry, and Cherry heard the distinct sound of sucking teeth.

“Girl, please. I know I can’t talk you out of it. McKenna was already on her way over when you called. The kids have a playdate.”

“Hey, Cher!”

To Cherry’s ears, McKenna sounded entirely too chipper. While not a sourpuss, “perky” and “effervescent” weren’t terms often used to describe McKenna Frost-Kelly.

“Hey, McKenna.”

“Candy reminded me that you’re going to Ireland next week.”

“That’s correct.”

“Did I ever tell you that Driscoll still has family there? Aunts, uncles, and a boatload of cousins on his mom’s side?”

Zipping the packing cube, Cherry dropped it into the suitcase.

“You don’t say.”

Either ignoring the sarcasm in Cherry’s tone or not picking up on it, McKenna continued. 

“Yes. They are kind of spread out, but I bet there are more than a few of them in—where did you say she planned to go, Candy?”

Cherry listened as her sister provided McKenna with the itinerary.

“Oh absolutely, there are Driscolls in Galway and Dublin.”

Having had enough, Cherry interjected, “That’s nice to hear, McKenna, but what does it have to do with me?”

She knew the answer, yet something in her wanted to force her older cousin to say it aloud.

“I’m just saying if you’re going to go over there alone, it might be good to meet some friendly faces. I’ll get Driscoll to put out feelers and get you some names.”

Before Cherry could respond Candy pounced on McKenna’s suggestion.

“That sounds like a great idea. Right, Cher? It can’t hurt to have more people. And it’s almost like they’re your cousins too.”

Instead of arguing or trying to make any additional points about being a capable adult, Cherry continued organizing and packing. She didn’t expend any energy convincing the two of them she didn’t need a babysitter. Assuring Cherry she’d get back with her, McKenna ended the call despite Candy and Cherry being the original participants.

Two hours later, before Cherry left home to drive to her parents', her phone pinged with text messages from McKenna containing names and photos. For the most part, they were of women, with a few men in the mix. A couple of the men had Cherry’s eyebrows climbing. Those guys definitely didn’t inspire familial feelings. They were way too fine for her to forget they shared not one drop of DNA.

Maybe having someone watch her back wasn’t the worst idea Candy ever had.

Chapter One

Cherry didn’t hop up from her seat the instant the signal indicated it was safe to do so. Instead, she calmly retrieved her bag and busied herself with checking and arranging its contents, studiously ignoring her seat mate. A tap on her shoulder thwarted her attempt.

The earphones Cherry had shoved into her ears thirty minutes into the flight had been somewhat effective in keeping the woman from talking her ear off. She sent praises up that the flight from London Heathrow to Shannon, Ireland wasn’t as long as the flight from Atlanta. If she’d had to endure Chastity Golden for eight consecutive hours, Cherry would’ve lost all of her excitement surrounding visiting the Emerald Isle.

“We’re here! I’m so excited!”

Chastity smiled so brightly, Cherry almost felt bad for not sharing in her enthusiasm. The tugging at Cherry’s lips leaned more toward grimace than smile. Her seatmate didn’t seem to notice and continued to chat away.

“I am so happy we met! Who would’ve thought I’d come all the way across the pond just to end up sitting next to another Georgia peach?!”

“Yeah, that’s wild.”

Either not noticing or not caring that Cherry’s voice lacked the same level of excitement, Chastity kept talking.

 “I can’t wait to tell my sisters all about this!”

Since the earphones weren’t a deterrent and she needed to start paying attention to the announcements, Cherry removed them. Glancing into the aisle as far as she could see, she noted a few people in Business Class had jumped up to grab suitcases from the overhead bins, while others remained seated.

“Oh! Cherryce, I never got your socials so we can keep up with each other. I want to see all your cool pictures! I’m sure my plans won’t be as exciting as yours. With you being so young, you’ll probably dive all into the nightlife, meet those handsome Irish men.”

Chastity dashed Cherry’s hope of avoiding a social media exchange. Since she needed make sure her phone connected to the local network anyway, she took it out of airplane mode. She didn’t comment as Chastity prattled on about traveling with her college alumni group, noting that at fifty-five, she would be the youngest person in the group aside from the thirty-something couple serving as hosts.

As they exited the flight, Chastity continued along the same vein, discussing her expectations, and tossing out random questions to Cherry without leaving the space for an actual answer. 

When they reached Immigration, the line split, separating them. Cherry had never been happier to whip out her passport. Following the signs, she made it to baggage claim without incident.

While waiting for her luggage, she noticed a woman with flaming red hair wearing a simple emerald green peacoat. The woman scanned the area until her gaze landed on Cherry. She lifted a cellphone, tapped the screen, then looked back at Cherry. By this point, Cherry had pieced together the woman’s identity. Moira Frost. Her distant cousin.

Smiling, Cherry lifted an arm and gave Moira a tentative wave. Just as Moira walked closer, the light above the luggage carousel came on, and the notification blared. With the passengers immediately springing into action, they lost sight of each other for a few moments. By the time Moira found her again, Cherry was tugging her large suitcase from the conveyor.

 “Cousin! It’s so nice to finally meet you in person!”

Moira greeted her in the sing-song, lilting voice Cherry had only heard over the phone.  

“Moira, it’s so good to finally meet you as well!”

Cherry rolled her luggage to the side. They both wore wide smiles as they embraced. Although they’d spoken on the phone and had a video chat, it still took Cherry a moment to match the person she’d spoken with to the one standing in the Shannon airport.

Experience had taught Cherry to gather her things quickly and move away from the other passengers at the luggage carousel. Even with Moira grabbing the handle of her smaller roll-a-board, they didn’t move fast enough.

“Cherryce! Yoo-hoo! Cherryce!”

Gritting her teeth, Cherry met Moira’s raised eyebrows with a grimace, explaining.

“My seatmate on the flight from London.”

Chastity called out so loudly Cherry couldn’t ignore her without being rude. Turning, Cherry lifted her hand.

“Chastity.”

Holding the handle of a vibrant pink rolling suitcase, Chastity approached, leaving behind the small group of people Cherry assumed were the alumni she’d mentioned. Her gaze bounced between Cherry and Moira. With an internal eye roll, Cherry introduced them.

“Chastity Golden, meet Moira Frost.”

Moira nodded, accepting the hand Chastity eagerly extended.

“Pleasure meeting ya, Chastity.”

If Cherry planned to say anything else, Chatty Chastity bowled right over it.

“OMG, if you don’t have the cutest accent! I know I’m just gonna love it here. Did Cherryce tell you we’re both from Georgia? I just think it’s the most amazing thing that I flew halfway around the world to meet someone from my home state.”

The instant Chastity paused to take a breath, Cherry quickly redirected the conversation to bring it to a swift end.

“Chastity, I hope you have a wonderful time with your group. Moira and I need to get going.”

Catching on, Moira grabbed the handle of the small piece of luggage again. Nodding to Chastity, she extended her arm in the opposite direction.

“This way. I have the car waiting. I hope you don’t mind; I told me mam we’d stop in for a cup of tea before going up to Galway. She’s very excited to meet one of our American cousins.”

“Cousins?”

Cherry wished she were surprised to hear Chastity’s questioning voice. Given how much the woman shared about herself and her family’s business during the flight, she had to be an expert ear hustler—when she wasn’t talking. Without missing a beat, Cherry glanced back at Chastity.

“Oh, I didn’t mention that I planned to visit family on this trip?”

She knew she hadn’t. Truthfully, she paused to look back at Chastity just to gauge her expression. Chastity’s mouth hung open, and a frown marred her brow. When she finally closed it, she continued to stare between Cherry and Moira as if cataloging any similar features. Not bothering to explain how an African American woman with a light bronze complexion and a pale-skinned, red-haired Irish woman were related, Cherry kept walking.

Moira’s tinkling giggles floated between them as they made their way through the airport.

“You’re wicked, Cousin. You know her brain is fit to pop trying to puzzle out how we’re kin.”

Smirking, Cherry shrugged.

“If she minded her own business, she wouldn’t have to worry about overtaxing her brain trying to connect the dots on how we share a gene pool.”

They laughed as they paused near a large sculpture of three rugby players. Cherry read the placard, then took a photo, making a mental note to look into the origin of the Paddy Campbell sculpture.

With Cherry’s things loaded into the car, Moira navigated the light traffic leaving the airport. As she drove, she pointed out landmarks and kept up general banter.

“Me mam lives in Killourney in County Clare. It’s not far from the highway we’ll take to Galway.”

Nodding, Cherry watched the scenery as they passed. While unfamiliar, the homes and businesses evoked a bit of nostalgia in her. In some ways, the structures reminded her of dwellings she’d seen when traveling in other parts of Europe and the U.K.

“I look forward to meeting your mother.”

“Be warned, she’s a bit of a Nosey Parker, but she’s harmless.”

“Consider me warned. Although, to be fair, that doesn’t sound much different from my aunties. They always have questions. About everything.”

“This will feel just like home for ya, then.”

The two shared a laugh as the city fell away into the countryside, giving Cherry her first taste of how the island got its nickname. There were fields with vibrant green grass and low shrubs defying the existence of winter.  

She stared out the window as the pastoral view gave way to a quaint village. It was like something out of a storybook when Moira parked in the driveway of a cottage. From the outside, it resembled the one Cherry booked through the vacation rental website. However, the interior exuded warmth. Coziness and function blended without too much modernization.

Moira’s mother more than lived up to the description of a Nosey Parker. Cherry also understood where Moira got her personality. Barri Frost talked from the moment she greeted them at the door until she placed a steaming cup of tea in front of Cherry.

Leaning on the table with her chin resting on her fist, Barri beamed.

“You’ll have to come back round when Hanlee is home. I know he’d just love to meet ya.”

Returning the smile, Cherry nodded. 

“Of course, I’d love that. Meeting family is the main reason I’m here.”

Cherry’s phone vibrated in her pocket, causing her to jump.

“Oh! Goodness! That scared the devil out of me.”

Pulling it out, she saw a number she didn’t recognize.

“Are you not going to answer it, dear?” Barri asked.

Glancing up at her, Cherry shook her head.

“I don’t know this number, and I’ve already contacted with my family to let them know I arrived safely.”

She placed the phone face down on the table, ready to continue their conversation when the buzzing started again. With a huffing sigh, she looked at the screen. McKenna.

“My apologies. I guess I need to take this one.”

As she moved to stand, Barri waved her back into her seat.

“Don’t mind us, dear. Go on and take your call.”

Internally shaking her head at Barri’s nosy tactic, Cherry swiped the screen to answer.

“Hey, McKenna. What’s up?”

“Hey, Candy sent out a message in the group chat letting us know you made it. I just wanted to tell you Driscoll’s cousin, Fiona, had something come up with one of her kids; so, she won’t be able to meet up with you. But don’t worry, he got in touch with Owen. Since he’s in Dublin for the next month, he agreed to look out for you. I gave him your number.” 

Rolling her eyes, Cherry blew a short raspberry.

“Kenna, I told you I’m fine. I don’t need looking after. Besides, you never mentioned an Owen to me.”

“Cherry, I know I mentioned him. I even sent a picture.”

“I’m pretty sure I would remember that, Kenna. Which picture?”

Shoving an earpiece into her left ear, Cherry pulled the phone away to search through her messages. As McKenna directed her to the date she’d sent the text and the additional messages around it, Cherry swiped through.

“Oh my, that one there is pure deadly.”

Barri murmured as Cherry stopped on a photo McKenna had sent her a few days prior. Again, she used context clues to understand, and she couldn’t disagree. The man with dark hair, a square jaw covered with a five o’clock shadow, and kissable lips was beyond handsome.  

His eyes seemed to stare right into her from the photo alone. She’d never tell McKenna what she thought when the picture first landed in her inbox. Before she could fall further into the rabbit hole of her thoughts on the man, she refocused the conversation, making sure not to dwell on how disturbingly handsome she found Driscoll’s cousin.

“McKenna, I see a picture of a guy with dark hair and a low beard, but you didn’t say his name was Owen. This is spelled E-o-g-h-a-n.”

Barri gently corrected Cherry before McKenna could respond.

“That’s Owen, dear. It’s Gaelic.”

Embarrassment sent a flush of heat to Cherry’s face, which she was certain showed. She had never been able to hide it.

“Oh.”

Apparently, McKenna heard Barri’s explanation.

“What she said.  Anyway, he’s going to call you. I just wanted to give you a heads up because I know you don’t answer calls from unknown numbers.”

Biting her bottom lip, Cherry stared at the photo.

“He might’ve already tried. I’m not sure. I saw a number I didn’t recognize right before you called.”

“Well, next time, answer. Driscoll says he’s a good guy.”

McKenna didn’t need to say it; the pride in her voice told Cherry that she believed if Driscoll said his cousin was a good guy, then it should be taken as the gospel.  

“Okay, fine. If he calls again, I’ll answer. If you could send me his number, I can save it so I know for sure it’s him. I don’t want to answer the phone for every rando.”

“Done.”

Cherry saw the message flash across her screen, then glanced at Barri’s eager expression. Tapping the phone, she put the call on speaker.

“Hey, Kenna. Before we go, I want to introduce you to a couple of our cousins. Let me call you back on video.”

Barri’s expression indicated that she had made the right choice. A few minutes later, Cherry propped her cellphone against a jar in the center of the small table while standing behind Barri and Moira, introducing them to McKenna. They chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.

As she and Moira drove away, Cherry tried not to dwell on the potential phone call from Eoghan Driscoll. She didn’t know the man, and he was just doing his cousin a favor. Nothing more, nothing less.

Chapter Two

Eoghan let the phone call roll to voicemail then decided not to leave a message. He had done his due diligence by calling his cousin Driscoll Ian’s relative by marriage. It wasn’t his fault the woman didn’t answer. He had other things to do besides playing nursemaid to an adult determined to travel internationally alone.

Of course, he recognized the double standard. He traveled internationally on a regular basis, and one ever expressed concern about it. Ninety percent of the time, he did it alone. The rest of the time, one of his assistants traveled with him. But he wasn’t a woman. More specifically, he wasn’t a beautiful woman with copper hair, a spattering of freckles across the bridge of a cute nose, and perfect bronzed skin that looked as if it had been kissed by the sun.

It took him a moment to drag himself away from cataloging the more than pleasant features of Miss Cherryce Hampton—Cherry, as his cousin said the family called her. Thinking of her as a ripe little fruit didn’t help Eoghan in the slightest. He was certain when Ian and his wife asked him to check in on Cherryce, they didn’t intend for him to think of her in any non-platonic ways.

A knock on the door made Eoghan snap his gaze away from his phone. He hadn’t even realized he’d been staring at the photo Ian’s wife sent him so he would recognize Cherryce when he saw her. Placing the phone face down, he cut off his view of temptation.

“Enter.”

His assistant’s mop of red hair poked through the doorway before he stepped into the room. 

“Eoghan, you have lunch with McCarthy in thirty minutes.”

The rest of Rory’s reminder hung silently between them. If Eoghan planned to make it in time, he’d need to leave within the next five minutes. He was somewhat ambivalent about the meeting. So, it wouldn’t bother him if he missed it. However, Coll’s Whiskey, Eoghan’s distillery, was looking for a brand partner for new packaging. McCarthy had been recommended. Lunch served as a way for them to evaluate one another for the potential partnership.

Grabbing his phone, Eoghan slid it into his pocket as he stood. He carried nothing else as he left the office with Rory at his side.

“Just a reminder, after lunch you have a short meeting scheduled with Finn.”

Eoghan’s brow dipped, and he glanced at Rory.

“Finn? For what purpose?”

“To discuss hiring an apprentice to the Master Distiller.”

Eoghan stopped and pierced his assistant with a stare.

“I am the Master Distiller. Since when does Finn make decisions about hiring me an apprentice without discussing it with me first?”

Redness crept into Rory’s face, almost matching his hair. His grip on his folio and tablet tightened until his knuckles appeared stark white.

“Um, sir, this meeting is to have the discussion.”

Narrowing his gaze, Eoghan assessed Rory for a moment before giving him a curt nod. Rory reverting to such formality told him his assistant sensed the shift in Eoghan’s tone.

“Fine. He can come to my office.”

While Rory tapped away on his tablet, Eoghan drove them to the restaurant. Unlike when he was in New York, he drove himself around Dublin, finding it simpler. In New York City, driving himself often led to massive road rage; so, he relied on a driver.

The meeting with McCarthy went better than expected, leaving Eoghan in a much better mood to deal with the distillery manager. During the meeting, his thoughts kept drifting to the favor he’d promised his cousin, or rather, the woman connected to the favor: Cherryce Hampton. Before he could talk himself out of it, he found himself dialing her number the moment Finn left his office.

After three rings, he began to think he’d been blown off. Then the call connected, and he heard her voice, moderate in tone with a hint of a Southern U.S. accent.

“Hello?”

“Hello, this is Eoghan Driscoll. May I speak with Cherryce Hampton, please?”

His mother would be proud; the years of drumming manners into him hadn’t been wasted. This was probably the politest he’d been in ages—aside from an initial business meeting.

“Speaking.”

There was a brief pause before she spoke again.

“Eoghan? Did you say, this is Eoghan?”

A smile tugged at his lips at the way she pronounced his name. Her accent made it sound more like “Oh-Win”, but he didn’t bother to correct her.

“Yes, it’s Eoghan. Driscoll mentioned you’re visiting Ireland and asked me to check in on you.”

Her light chuckle tickled his eardrums, then headed due south.  

Bad idea, Eoghan.  

His internal admonishment did nothing to dissuade the cheeky bastard. Her continuing to speak didn’t help matters either.

“I really appreciate you calling. I’m sorry to hear about Fiona. I hope everything works out okay.”

Eoghan’s brow furrowed.

“You’re sorry about Fiona?”

Cherryce slowed her speech in response.

“Well... yes. My cousin, McKenna, said something was going on with her kids; she wouldn’t be available.”

Eoghan had no idea what she was talking about, but he tried not to let it show.

“Oh! Yeah, well, things are always afoot when you’re a parent, right?”

Her end of the call went silent for a second before she spoke again.

“Sure, I guess. Thank you for calling. I’m not sure what Driscoll and McKenna told you, but I’m okay. My cousin picked me up at the airport, and she’s helping me get settled at my cottage. Once we grab a bite, she’s going to take me to pick up my rental car.”

Eoghan appreciated the details she provided; however, his brow furrowed again once she mentioned getting a rental car. When she paused, he seized the opportunity for clarity.

“She’s taking you to pick up a rental car?”

“Yes, I made the reservations before I left home. I’ll be here for almost a month. It didn’t seem realistic for me to rely on ride shares or expect someone to drive me around the entire time.”

Drumming his fingertips against his desk, Eoghan listened. While she displayed sound reasoning, he didn’t like it.

“Milis—” 

Eoghan stopped himself before continuing. What had made him call her “Sweet”? He pressed on, behaving as if the endearment hadn’t slipped past his lips.

“Cherryce, by chance have you ever driven on the left side of the road? Or driven a vehicle with the steering wheel on the right side of the car instead of the left?”

He couldn’t see her, but in the silence following his question, he could swear he heard her nibbling her lips. Finally, she responded.

“Well, no. I haven’t, but I have a valid driver’s license and an international driver’s permit.”

Well, that settled it then. She was perfectly equipped.  

Eoghan shook his head at the sarcasm invading his thoughts. Her voice held an edge of defiance, but he also detected a hint of trepidation. She didn’t need him adding to things, but he disliked the idea of her navigating Dublin or any other roads in Ireland with limited experience with local driving conventions. 

“I’m not implying you aren’t capable, Milis. But this isn’t the States. Not all traffic laws are universal. I have a few connections. I can arrange for someone to drive you so you won’t have to feel like you’re burdening your cousin.”

“Let me get this right. Instead of burdening the kin who I barely know, you want me to burden you—who I don’t know at all?”

Put that way, she had a point, but Eoghan refused to concede.

“The not knowing me can be fixed with ease. I don’t have any more meetings this afternoon. I can stop by to pick you up and we can get a bite to eat.”

“I can’t.”

Eoghan wasn’t certain how to process the rush of feelings that flooded him at her quick refusal.

“And why not?”

He knew as soon as he heard his tone, the question had come out wrong. Her pointed, slow response confirmed it.

“First of all, Mr. Driscoll, while I appreciate you performing your due diligence and checking in on me as your cousin asked, I don’t answer to you. I’m an adult—fully capable of handling my own needs. I’ve been doing it for quite some time now. Secondly, if you’d been listening, I already have plans with my cousin. And since the whole point of this trip is for me to learn about my family heritage, I won’t be pushing her aside for a stranger.”

If he were honest, Eoghan would admit that last bit stung, just a twinge. But the thrill of her calling him “Mr. Driscoll” in such a sassy tone eclipsed it. He wouldn’t dwell on why he liked it.

“We’ll come back to you calling me a stranger. Your cousin, whom you trust, asked me to look out for you. I’m just fulfilling my part of the deal. Would you prefer I let them know you refused and went traipsing about on your own in a foreign country?”

Reminding her of the protective people she’d have to contend with if she turned him down wasn’t Eoghan’s finest moment, but he’d never regret using every tool in his arsenal. She fell silent, signaling that he’d landed on a viable argument.

“How about this, Milis? Today is Thursday, and I have a very light day tomorrow. You let me know when you’re available, and I’ll adjust my schedule to meet with you. The offer for a driver remains open. Give me the address, and I’ll arrange for someone to take you wherever you want to go, at whatever time you’d like.”

“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”

“Afraid not.”

Cherryce huffed, and Eoghan knew he’d won—at least this battle. The Galway address she provided surprised him. The city was a two-hour drive away from Dublin. It wasn’t a deterrent; he often conducted business all over the island. He had a relationship with a charter company and could get a jet on short notice.  

His buddy, Gabe Sanchez, had encouraged him on more than one occasion to just purchase his own jet. Now, Eoghan began to see the benefits of it.

Instead of taking down the information and passing it to Rory to handle, Eoghan perused his contacts to find a service he could trust.

“Is Galway going to be your base for the entirety of your visit?”

“No, I’ll leave here next week. I’ll end my trip in Dublin. I thought it would be cool to attend the Saint Patrick’s Day parade since I’ll be here for the holiday.”

Eoghan heard a woman’s voice in the background, then Cherryce spoke again.

“Eoghan, can we talk another time? Moira is waiting for me.”

“Sure, Milis. One more thing. Your cousin, the one you’re with today, her name is Moira? Is it Hampton as well?”

The slow cadence of her response projected her suspicion at his questions. 

“Yes, Moira. Moira Frost.”

Eoghan hadn’t made it to Driscoll’s wedding, but the moment Cherryce mentioned “Frost,” he recalled the invitation his parents received. He should’ve remembered; however, that was neither here nor there. He had the information he needed.

“Thank you. Enjoy your evening with your family.”

“Um, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. See you soon.”

Before she could contradict him, he ended the call. As he made preparations, he called Rory into his office. Eoghan ignored the shock on his assistant’s face when he heard what Eoghan wanted him to do.  

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