Page 6 (1/2)

In fact, the cliffs are an awful lot like a certain heart I know You know, the one that hassorrow and still remain exquisitely beautiful?

Not that anyone asked e, shall we, pet? I want you to find soeon? Now na you the most about this situation, and then let it fly Soood for the system After that, I want you to take a deep breath And then another Notice how the breaths just keep co? Notice how they just take care of themselves?

--Excerpt from Ireland for the Heartbroken: An Unconventional Guide to the Emerald Isle, third edition

"NICE DRESS, SIS YOU DOING a houses showing later?"

I looked up fro to scowl murderously at Archie, but Iust and disdain After the day I’d had, I just didn’t have anyArchie, took my passivity for an invitation and did a sideways trust fall onto the sofa, launching uidebook off in the process

"Archie, what the hell?" I growled, scra over the fact that I was holding a book with the word "heartbroken" in the title

The book had all but jumped into my arms from the shelf of the tiny library off the hotel ballroo with providing a solid view ofcombination of lavender and dust and was packed full of what appeared to be cast-off books frouests In other words, the perfect place to hide out

Ireland for the Heartbroken had caught my eye immediately It wasn’t much to look at The cover was decorated with heart-shaped clovers, and a coffee ring obstructed the too-long title But the cover didn’t matter: I was in Ireland, and I was heartbroken This book was ?" Archie asked as I attempted to stuff the book behind the sofa’s cushions

"Little House on the Prairie," I said, spouting off the first thing that ca, but once I picked it up, I’d read those books until they fell apart "Also, you shouldn’t jump on the furniture I think this sofa’s an antique"

"This whole hotel’s an antique" He gestured toward the ballroolittery chandeliers, and precious crystal than I’d ever seen inhost, Ross Manor definitely had a e feel to it, thanks to the lush lawn lined with gnarled rosebushes and the freshly pluht before bed Even the caretakers were adorable--a white-haired wrinkly couple that were constantly in the process of auests with offers of tea and biscuits Walter had dubbed thenomes It fit

"How much would Dad hate this, by the way?" Archie said

"I’lad he’s not here" Earlier this suement had descended on our house like a particularly expensive swarm of bees, my dad had put his foot down fast and firlasses I a to re-create a fairy tale

I leaned forward, doingaround the ballrooo Aunt Mel had begun shrieking were starting in on a "slow dance of death" There was obviously no roos were involved

Five years ago n show that had been picked up by HGTV That iven afternoon I could plop down on the couch with a couple of strawberry Pop-Tarts and watch her do one of her Thirty Minutes with Mel renovations, where she showed viewers how to turn an old pallet into a bookcase using just a screwdriver and a dried-up jar of nail polish Or at least I think that’s what she did I never seeh an episode

Archie tilted his head toward Aunt Mel "How do you think she tricked this one intonear the bar, swaying tipsily Ever since they’d announced their engageht in a persistent current Par for the course Uncles number one and two had had that look as well I’d once heard ry andthe truth

"Probably with heran Aunt Mel voice