Tag: Romance

Dyeing for an Irish Romance

“Be ready right at 6:30,” Katie grabbed her phone and replied to Eva’s text, “OK”. Katie untowelled her wet hair. Something caught her eye.

“Are you kidding me?” Katie wiped the condensation off the mirror and stared at her newly dyed hair. “No, this can’t be.” She looked at the hair dye box to see if it was “Dark Mahogany”. It was. She glared back at the mirror. “What the heck?” She dried her hair, and it was more brilliant auburn than when it was wet.

“Oh no, not tonight.” That red hair must’ve unearthed some determined indignation in her and she decided to make it right. She rolled up her long hair into a Giants baseball cap and headed out to the health food store.

“Can I help you?” the friendly clerk asked Katie. “Yes, I bought this henna yesterday. And it’s the wrong color. See on the box, it’s supposed to be Dark Mahogany. But it’s not…” The clerk interrupted her, “You need to go to the back counter and talk to the manager.”

“Thanks,” she replied. As she walked to the back of the store, she passed by the hair care section to retrieve a replacement box. She stared at the shelves, and of course there were no Dark Mahogany’s.

“Oh man…” she humphed.

At the back counter, she looked around for someone to help her. She noticed the small bell and gave it a good whack.

Out from the back office a man emerged whom Katie had never seen before. She was taken aback by his scruffy good looks, clear blue eyes and his more than adequate height. And on top of that, he greeted her with a lilting Irish brogue.

“Yes, love, what can I do for you?”

She bristled at the salutation. “I bought this Dark Mahogany henna yesterday and my hair has turned red. I’d like another one, please.”

“Of course, love. Let’s check the shelves and get you taken care of.” The manager motioned to go to the aisles.

Katie stopped him, “No, no, I already looked and there’s no Dark Mahogany.”

“Is there another color you’d prefer?” he asked politely.

“No, I want my Dark Mahogany. I’ve got an important party tonight; I need my regular color.” She insisted.

“Why not a nice auburn? That would bring out your lovely eyes.” He suggested.

Indignantly, she replied, “Auburn! You mean red, like this??” She flung off her baseball cap and her brilliant red tresses fell over her shoulders. He was stunned at her beauty.

“As you can see Mister….”

“Declan” he finished her sentence.

“As you can see, Mr. Declan…” He cut her off again. “No, no, my first name is Declan.”

“OK, Declan,” she became flustered, “what’s that Irish?”

“Ah, a smart lassie you are.” He grinned at her still enamored by her beauty.

“OK, Irish Declan…can you check the back for some Dark Mahogany, please?” Katie was flustered, exasperated and needed to get home.

“If you don’t mind me sayin’, that’s a lovely color on ya.”

“Thank you,” she sputtered nervously, “but I just need my regular color, please, I’m in a hurry.”

“Sure, love, I’ll check.” Declan retreated to the back of the store. Katie tried to compose herself. She found a mirror and touched up her face. The red was pretty, and it did bring out her green eyes. But there was no way she could go to the St. Patrick’s Day party looking like this.

Declan returned with a box of Dark Mahogany.

“Fuair mé é.” Declan exclaimed in Gaelic. Seeing Katie’s confused look, he translated, “I found it.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“Not at all,” Declan smiled, and her knees went weak. “I like the red though, love.”

“Please don’t call me love.” Her cheeks burned redder than her hair.

Katie rushed home. In the bathroom, she looked at her hair, and it didn’t seem to repulse her anymore. She looked more like her mother with this shade. She remembered what Declan said about it too. Boy, what a handsome Irishman, she thought.

Again, the magic of the red hair worked on her and she decided to keep it red.

Katie was already to go when Eva rang the doorbell.

“What’ve you have done to your hair?” Eva exclaimed.

“I accidentally dyed it red… but I like it.”

“It looks good; by the way, Brian brought his cousin. I think you’ll like him.”

“Eva…come on, not again.” They went to the car, and Katie hopped in back.

“Ahhh, fancy meeting you here, and you with the red hair…” Declan’s warm blue eyes beamed as she scooted next to him.

“You’re the cousin?” Katie smiled blushingly. “Just my Irish luck.”

“Mine too,” Declan responded and grabbed her hand and kissed it.

Image generated by AI in Canva

Harvest of Hope

Every year, Katie’s quiet hometown hosts a spectacular Harvest Festival. Thousands come far and wide to attend wreaking havoc on the local traffic. The landscape is dotted with old red barns, orange pumpkins, and an array of seasonal decorations. Pumpkin pie is everywhere.

Katie’s quilt booth stands out. Aside from the neatly stacked handmade quilts she has sewn to the many antique quilts she has collected, she is confident she will make many sales. She adds bunches of sunflowers to the display with lighted autumn accents. This year’s weather is perfectly magical as a gentle warm wind comes off the hills and the cozy sun greets the crisp October morning. She wraps her fingers around her coffee cup and drinks in the moment.

“Heeey…” Katie answered her phone. “Are you coming?” She asked her friend, Leslie.

“We’re already here, getting coffee with Jeff…and his uncle. Is Pete there?”

“Nah, he’s not coming…we broke up. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about it, today is too nice.” Katie answered.

“I’m…NOT sorry, I didn’t like him. You want anything?” Leslie asked.

“I’m good. I had one of those pumpkin spice awesome mega-muffins. You should try one, they’re good. A million calories though.”

“I might, see you soon.”

The morning breezed by. Katie enjoyed the throng of people who walked past, and especially the customers who bought quilts. She handed out dozens of business cards. The one downside of boothing was missing the Festival itself, but she was glad to have a space.

Leslie, Jeff and Jeff’s uncle finally appeared… and Jeff’s uncle wasn’t the old man Katie expected. He was a handsome man about Jeff’s age.

“Hey….” Katie rushed to Leslie with a grateful embrace. “You OK?” Leslie whispered.

“Yeah, I’m fine…”

“Katie, this is Jason…Jeff’s uncle.” Leslie introduced.

Katie extended her hand. “Nice meeting you…Uncle?”

“You were expecting an old man, weren’t you?” He smiled shaking her hand.

“I did,” Katie chuckled.

“I’ve got Benjamin Button disease, you know, I age in reverse.” Jason teased.

“Really, Jason,” Jeff explained, “My mom is his oldest sister, and he’s the youngest, so we grew up together.”

“I see…I think.” Katie replied.

“You know, I’ve lived here all my life, and always avoided this event because of the crowds, but it’s not so bad.”  Jason observed.

“I told you it’d be fun.” Jeff said.

“Jason works at the School District, building new schools, right?” Leslie was letting Katie know he was employed.

“I work in the Facilities Department where we do build new schools and other stuff.” Jason added.

“Sounds like a good job,” Katie said. Behind Jeff and Jason, Leslie pointed to her ring finger and shook her head. Katie nodded, and gave Jason another look. He was definitely attractive in a shy kind of way; hmm, this day might get even better, she hoped.

“Hey, why don’t we run the booth, and you and Jason check out the fair.” Jeff suggested.

“I don’t know, I would love to, but…” Katie glared at Leslie.

“Oh just get outta here; cash box, business cards, anything else I need?” Leslie asked.

“No, I guess that’s it, are you sure?”

“Yes, get out of here!” Leslie ordered, smiled and waved them away.

“She’s quite a character,” Jason commented while they walked. Katie looked over her shoulder to see a winking Leslie.

“She is, and the best of friends. Her and Jeff…great couple.” They walked in silence and Katie sensed an exhilarating awkwardness, an exciting foreboding.

“Jeff found a good one,” Jason said nervously, “So is this quilt thing your full time job?”

“No, my hobby, I work in the City, but I live here. I love this town.” Katie relished the ease she had talking to him.

“Me and Jeff grew up here, and most of our family still live here.”

“How big is your family?” Katie asked.

“My sister, Alexis, Jeff’s mom, is the oldest of ten, and I’m the baby. Me and Jeff are the same age. He’s an only child, so we really are like brothers.”

“That must be nice, a big family…” Katie envied large families.

 “What about you? Your family nearby?” He asked as they shuffled through the crowd.

 “No, it’s just me, my dad died after I graduated high school, and my mom passed a few years ago. She’s the one who taught me to make quilts.” She smiled wistfully as the sun glinted in her watery green eyes.

“I’m really sorry,” he went to touch her shoulder in comfort, but the crowds separated them.

“Katie!” he called. She turned and tried to make her way back to him. He reached out over a group of kids to take her hand. She looked into his brown eyes and felt something she’d never felt before: a warmth, a comfort, a sense of belonging, and something magical happened. She clasped his strong hand and would never let it go.