Prologue: Letter From Ireland
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๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐๐ด. ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ด, โฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
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๐๐ด ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฆ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ๐ด ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐๐ด. ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ดโ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ถ๐ณ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ. ๐๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ข๐ถ๐ฏ๐ตโ๐ด ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ญ, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ค๐ค๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต. ๐๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ท๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ 1๐ด๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฑ๐ถ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ญโ๐ด ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ท๐ช๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด. ๐๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ.โฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
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๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ค๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ง๐ง๐บ & ๐๐ด๐ด๐ฐ๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ด. ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ดโ ๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด.โฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
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๐๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ, ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ง๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ง๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ. ๐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ข๐ง๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ. ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ. โฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
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๐๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ. โฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
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๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด, โฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
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๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ง๐ง๐บโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ณโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
๐๐ถ๐ง๐ง๐บ & ๐๐ด๐ด๐ฐ๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ดโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
๐๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃโฃ
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Chapter 1: A Different Life
A few rays of sunshine broke through the gray sky. Marina walked the length of her corner office to take in the view, as she did every morning.
She took a sip of her espresso and examined the Bay Bridge, before taking a few steps and looking towards Coit Tower. A handful of seagulls flew past the tower and out towards Pier 39.
Many stores were already decked out in holiday decorations, even though it was only the middle of November. She thought of the lights and garlands at Pier 39 and the Macyโs Christmas tree at Union Square, before finally taking a seat in the high-backed armchair that faced the Golden Gate Bridge.
She set the espresso down on the table next to her and picked up the small sketchpad. Absently, she drew the outline of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the gray sky with the sun attempting to break through the clouds.
The large ring on her right hand shifted. The purples, blues, and pinks of the mermaid ring she wore on her middle finger caught the LED light from above. She balanced the sketchpad on her knees and adjusted the ring.
It was silver, open at the top, with one end curling down gracefully towards her knuckle, while the other edge rose upward, forming a shimmering mermaidโs tail in hues of purple, blue, and pink. From the base of the downward curl to the tip of the tail, it took up most of the lower part of her finger. Inside the band, the inscription read: beautiful girl, you can do amazing things.
Her aunt had bought it for her at a market stall in Ireland when she was eighteen. It wasnโt worth much, and yet it was worth its weight in gold. Marina hadnโt worn it in years, but after Marisolโs death, sheโd put it on and hadnโt taken it off since.
Just then, someone knocked on her office door, signaling the start of the work day.
โCome in,โ she said without looking up.
โGood morning,โ Thomas said from behind her.
She set the sketchpad down on the table beside her, picked up her espresso, and moved to sit at her desk.
Thomas took the seat in front of her. He smoothed his dark blue suit then placed a hand at his temple. Waiting.
He gave her a knowing look.
โWhat?โ she asked defensively. He could always tell when something was wrong.
Ever since she could remember, his role had been more than the Chief Operating Officer of Arias Infinity Creative Advertising. Ever since heโd stepped in to help run the company after her parents died when she was twenty, heโd been family. Heโd kept everything running at AIC until she could graduate from Berkeley and take over as CEO.
She shook her head, remembering that everything was about to change. โOh, Thomas.โ
โNo, donโt start that again,โ he wagged a finger at her, โyouโve been the CEO of this company for fifteen yearsโyouโve barely needed any help at all.โ
She bit her lip, โYou know thatโs not what I mean.โ
He leaned forward, โI know, Mari. But Iโll only be a plane ride away, Hawaii isnโt Mars. You will always have a place with us.โ
โHowโs Michael liking the new house?โ she asked.
โHe loves it and heโs glad he flew over a month before me.โ
โMmmm,โ she understood, taking another sip of her espresso. โSo he can decorate everything without you?โ she teased.
โExactly!โ he laughed. โWe are serious about you coming over, though. Yesterday he called me and asked if I thought youโd like deep purple curtains for the guest room heโs already designated as yours.โ
She smiled. โWell, thatโs what you get for marrying an interior designer.โ She stopped to think, โWait, he said that? He said deep purple?โ
Thomas laughed then rolled his eyes and shook his head, โNooo, he said majestic aubergine with hints of royal amethyst and the slightest whisper of plum.โ He finished with a flourish of his hand, waving it in the air for emphasis, the way Michael did.
They both laughed.
Michael was always authentically himselfโvery few people in the world were like that. Her aunt Marisol had been one of them.
โIโm happy for you guys,โ she said earnestly. โYouโve worked hard all your life, you deserve this. Iโm just going to miss you thatโs allโI love you both.โ
He leaned over and patted her hand affectionately, โWe love you too.โ
There was a knock on the door. Agnes stepped inside. โGood morning. Ms. Arias, you asked me to inform you when the team on the new restaurant account had finished the layout for their latest campaign?โ
โYes, thank you. Let them know I will be by in an hour for final looks.โ
โOf course,โ Agnes gave a short nod, then closed the door.
โYou know,โ Thomas clasped his hands together, โat some point, youโre going to have to start delegating more.โ
โWhat? I like overseeing the final designs.โ
โI know.โ
He leaned back in his chair and sighed. โYouโve always been more interested in the creative. Itโs what lights you up. Itโs not too late, you know.โ
โToo late for what?โ
โTo make a different choice. You took over your parentsโ company when they passed because you had to, and youโve done an amazing job these last fifteen years. Theyโd be really proud of how youโve taken their small company and made it grow into all this.โ He motioned to the corner office and the view.
โAwww, thanks,โ she smiled. โI couldnโt have done it without you.โ
โThatโs sweet, but yes you could have. Weโll have none of that false modesty here.โ
She pursed her lips together. โI could not have done it without you,โ she said it slowly so he would understand.
He shooed away the compliment before trying again. โThe offer from SMR is still on the table. If you ever wanted to make a different choice, to sellโMari it would be OK. Running an advertising company doesnโt have to be your career foreverโI know it was never your dream.โ
Marina glanced out the window to her right, at the birds, and the sky.
Thomas cleared his throat.
She stared back at him. Wanting to push the thoughts of a different life away, sheโd had to push that part of herself away, push it downโpack it in a box and never think of it again.
He looked into her eyes, his voice was soft but deliberate, โYou can have a different life.โ
She narrowed her eyes at him. โDo you really believe that?โ
He tilted his head. โIโm sixty-seven and Iโm retiring to Hawaiiโwhere Iโve never been by the wayโso yes, I think we can all have a different life if we want to.โ
Marina looked down at her desk, placing her finger in the sand of her small Zen garden, and moving it around in a spiral.
A lingering silence began.
She knew he was going to ask.
He cleared his throat again, โNow are you ready to talk about whatโs really bothering you? The fifteenth was yesterday.โ
โWhy yes it was,โ she stated matter-of-factly.
โI presume it came?โ he asked gently.
โYup . . . like clockwork,โ her mouth set in a line, the tension radiated through her jaw. She handed him the letter.
Thomas took a moment, then spoke softly. โMari, you canโt run forever.โ
She looked at her hands. โCanโt I?โ
โHonestly, how can you be so bold and fearless in businessโin every aspect of your lifeโand be such a scaredy-cat in your personal life?โ
โAre you scolding me?!โ she said with mock indignation.
โI wouldnโt dream of it, kiddo. But cโmon. Why are you fighting against this so hard? You havenโt been back to Ireland since you were a teenager. Since before . . . your parents.โ His voice grew even softer.
โI went back for Tรญa Marisolโs funeral!โ she protested.
โFor what? A few hours?โ he pushed.
She couldnโt argue. She had purposely booked her flights so she could fly in and out.
โItโs just . . .โ she bit the inside of her lip, โonce I do this . . .โ
โYouโll have to admit that sheโs gone,โ he finished for her.
She nodded. โThat theyโre all gone.โ
Sheโd lost her parents within days of turning twenty and then sheโd had Marisol for sixteen years, and now at thirty-seven, she had no one left.
โYou will always have me and Michael,โ Thomas said, reading her mind. โFamily is more than blood, Mari.โ
She nodded again, trying to give him an appreciative smile. Her eyes turned to the photo on her deskโit was one of her favorites. She was nineteen and wearing her hot pink T-shirt with the words Just Try written on it in white. Marisol wore a vibrant purple sundress and a silver necklace with a Celtic Tree of Life design set against an abalone shell background that managed to catch the light in the photograph. They had their arms around each other, their faces pressed together, cheek to cheek, and they were both smiling widely. The colorful Dingle buildings stood cheerfully behind them.
Still looking at the photo, Marina took a deep breath and picked up the phone, dialing the number for the solicitor now engraved in her mind after eighteen months of letters.
The line rang three times.
โColm Duffy, solicitor. How may I be of service?โ
โMr. Duffy, itโs Marina AriasโMarisol Ariasโ niece.โ
โYes, of course. I am so pleased you phoned.โ
โYou win,โ she said simply. โIโll be in Dingle in two weeks, on November 30th.โ
โWonderful!โ He sounded more than a little relieved. โIโll inform the other party.โ
Marina had a sinking feeling, โOther party? In your letters you never mentionedโโ
โYes, yes, another is required at the reading, but they are much easier to coral than yourself.โ
โI donโt suppose you can tell me whoโโ
โMarisol gave strict instructions,โ he cut her off. โYouโll just have to come over to find out,โ he said cheerfully.
She could almost hear the smile on his face.
Her heart was stuck in her throat, โThe other party wouldnโt . . . by chance be . . . Ronan OโLeary, would it?โ she tried.
โAh, youโll be getting nothinโ out of me, so you wonโt,โ he chuckled.
Thomas stood up and moved closer to the phone. He mouthed the word, โRonan?โ
She gave him a panicked look.
โWeโll be seeing you then, on the 30th!โ Colm Duffy punctuated the date. โHave a grand evening, Ms. Arias. Oh, I forgot youโre in California! Well, have a good one this morninโ!โ
โThank you,โ she said weakly, sinking into her chair as he hung up.
Memory after memory flooded her mind. Moonlit walks along the harbor. Working in Marisolโs gallery side by side. The way his blue eyes bore into hers. The first time they kissed, the first time they . . . she pushed the memories aside, the way sheโd learned to do for the last eighteen years.
Theyโd been kids.
Sheโd been so different then.
โSo . . . Ronan?โ Thomas interrupted her thoughts. His voice crescendoed on the one word, making no attempt to veil his interest.
โStop! It was a long time ago.โ She stood up and walked over to the window to stare at the Golden Gate Bridge.
Thomas came to stand beside her. He glanced at her then bumped her playfully with his shoulder. โYouโre blushing.โ
Marina crossed her arms, shook her head, and let the air escape her lungs all at once.
Marisol . . . what are you up to?
< /b>
< /b>
Chapter 2: Ronan OโLeary
< /b>
Two weeks passed in a flash.
She and Thomas had one final week together at AIC. He oversaw the installation of the new COO, Sheila, and then stayed on for a few days to make sure the transition was a smooth one. His retirement party at the St. Regis was an eight-hour bash befitting his forty years at the company.
It had been a proper send-off.
Theyโd both cried, but it was a cathartic sort of change.
The end of an era.
Marina made sure everything was set up for her week-long trip back to Ireland. Everyone at AIC knew what to do and she had already overseen most of the work for the large holiday campaigns.
Before she knew it, she was boarding a flight from SFO and making the trip she had been avoiding for most of her adult life.
Sheโd slept most of the flight from San Francisco to Dublin and even dozed for the short plane trip from Dublin to the small airport in Kerry. Still groggy, she walked to the curb and found the driver dressed in black who held a plain white sign with her name on it.
He was an older gentleman with rosy cheeks and white hair. He looked like a talker.
Oh no.
Sheโd purposely booked a private company so she wouldnโt have to make small talk with a cabbie.
After a few minutes on the road and no major inquiries from her driver, Dan, she was beginning to hope that she might get the quiet one-hour trip from the airport she needed.
But once they passed the village of Firies, Dan transformed.
โIs it your first time in Ireland?โ
โNo,โ she answered simply, hoping he wouldnโt press the point.
As if on cue, โAre you very familiar with our fair isle, then?โ
โI spent a couple of summers here as a teenager.โ
โIs that so? Did you stay with family?โ
Marina looked out the window, focusing on the lush green hills.
Sheโd traveled all over the world, but the green in Ireland compared to nothing else.
Sheโd dreamed about those hills sometimes. The memories of the past started to edge their way into her brain.
How young she had been.
How different.
Dan cleared his throat, bringing her back to the present.
She looked towards him, he was examining her in the rearview mirror, waiting for a response.
There was no hope of riding the rest of the fifty minutes to Dingle in silence, so she relented.
โMy aunt is an artist. Sheโs from California like me, but she traveled the world and met many people. When I was eighteen, she inherited an art gallery in Dingle from an old friend of hers.โ
Something about what sheโd just said nipped at her brain . . . she was an artist from California. She hadnโt gotten used to referring to her aunt in the past tense.
โI spent the summer with her here when I was eighteen and then again when I was nineteen.โ
โOh, so youโve been coming to Ireland for some time, then. Strange, Iโve not seen youโI live in Dingle, you see.โ
โNo, I havenโt been back since I was nineteen.โ
โYou arenโt close with your aunt, then?โ
โNo, I mean yes, we are close.โ
He looked puzzled.
โWe see each other at least a couple of times a year. She flies to California, or we meet in Paris, Rome, London . . .โ
Past tense. Past tense. Past tense. The inside of her brain screamed at her.
โI just havenโt been back . . . here.โ
Dan squinted, putting something together.
โYou must be Marisolโs niece!โ He slammed his hand against the steering wheel and gave her a large grin in recognition. โI remember you now! You used to go around with,โ he searched his memory, โthat OโLeary lad, Ronan!โ He snapped his fingers, pleased with himself. โThick as thieves, you were! Quite a name and fortune heโs made for himself! Good on him! I remember now,โ he said again.
She turned back to the green outside the window and tried to relax the tension that had started to build in her jaw. Theyโd just entered a medium-sized town which was cheerfully decorated in green garlands and white lights.
The streets were bustling with people and the colorful shops displayed Christmas trees in the windows.
Her eyes went from the shops to the signs. A billboard showed Irish rock star Kilian OโGradyโs face larger than life, his signature mop of brown curls partially obscured his eyes.
Marina focused on the scenes of life outside the window, trying not to fall into her grief.
He took in her expression. โWe were all very sorry about Marisol. A great loss, she was. Always got you to see life differently, like. To see things from a different angle,โ Dan paused as if he was trying to find the words, then he snapped his fingers. โAlways gettinโ ya to see things in a different light. Such a lovely, vibrant womanโbrought such life to the town.โ
โYes, she was,โ Marina said softly under her breath, watching the green hills flash by. The sadness in her voice was clear even to her own ears.
Dan left her to her thoughts after that. Giving her only a hearty, โWelcome back,โ once theyโd reached their destination.