Kiss Me Cate Pt. 10

"I know, that's why we're working on that list." I said laughing. "Look," I turned my phone around and tapped the calendar and pointed, "we need to do these things by this time. Invitations in the mail eight weeks out. I want to ask the wedding coordinator if they have a list of local photographers we could contact. You'll want to decide what colors you want for the wedding, other than the ivory color dress." I said with a smile.

Her mouth broadened into a big grin. "Oh you've already done that Mister 'I dreamt about the wedding' that snowy morning in bed. An ivory or cream dress with dusty rose for Shannon, if she's game to be my maid of honor."

"I'm not sure wild horses could stop her. I'm going to ask Jimmy to be my best man."

"Brothers to the end." She said with a smile.

"We do have to cram a lot into a short time to be ready." I said with a sigh. "I didn't realize how long before the date that you had to do some of this stuff. A good wedding coordinator should be able to nail this down though."

"What time is the appointment at the civil service office?"

"It's at three. We've only got about an hour to get there. We should probably get a cab."

Cate's expression twisted up into a mix of humor and disdain. "The office is only about two kilometers away. Did your legs stop working while we ate lunch? You lazy bugger." She added the last statement with a laugh.

Dublin is definitely a walking city. Though there was no shortage of vehicles and mass transit the sidewalks fairly teemed with pedestrians. I was assured by Cate that it was likely due to the nice weather and people glad to get out of doors after winter. She also pointed out that a lot of the foot traffic was tourists here for the holiday.

"They're easy to spot, they stop a lot and look around. Gawkers the lot of them, just like you." She hugged my arm tightly as she laughed. We walked back towards St. Stephen's Green, its trees tipped with green buds of new foliage, and turned north towards our destination. We talked about where we would go on the honeymoon. I waxed poetic about the Mediterranean, the Amalfi coast, maybe Mikonos. Cate giggled and gave me a side-long look when I mentioned the beaches and how the ladies didn't bother with swimsuits.

"You think I'd let my handsome young husband loose in such a place?" She added, a little laugh rose from her throat. "I might just end up married and divorced in the same week."

"I only have eyes for you my love."

"Uh huh." She said thoroughly unconvinced.

"Well where would you suggest?"

"I don't know, Mongolia maybe? I think it would be safer for you."

"Sure but I'd rather keep you warm and comfortable, without the need of a yak pelt."

"You do that already." She said with a laugh.

We arrived at our destination with plenty of time to spare. We found our way to a reception area and sat down.

"Well you've done the Europe thing, maybe you'd like to go elsewhere for a change. Buenos Aires, Capetown or maybe the Far East?" She just grinned and shook her head without replying.

We had our meeting, presented our paperwork, signed off on all the documents and were back on the sidewalk an hour or so later. I looked over my shoulder and upward at the second floor.

"That had all the all the romance of signing up for an insurance policy."

At that Cate burst out laughing. "What did you expect? An embellished herald to announce our engagement? Perhaps trumpets and fanfare? It's a government office where they issue marriage certificates, and probably dog licenses."

I shrugged and let her turn me back in the direction we'd come, this time she turned and led me through the Trinity College campus. We walked much slower, with no more appointments to keep, eventually we emerged on the west side. We crossed the street and turned again before we came out in a square with an old stone church.

"Look." She said nodding towards a small knot of people.

"Who is that?" I asked looking at the small bronze statue of a well endowed young woman pushing a cart of baskets.

She turned a gimlet eye on me. "Why Dylan! Have ye never heard the tale of sweet Molly Malone?"

Her accent had gone so deep as to be comical and it made me smile. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone and began tapping away. I began to ask her and she held up a finger urging me to wait a moment.

"You've got to love a good connection." She smiled and dramatically lifted her hand and tapped the screen. A song began to play and she turned it up so we could both hear it. The song played and Cate grinned ear to ear as I listened. As the song finished I looked up at Cate's broad smile and I felt my own mirror it. I was beginning to fall in love with her country as much as I was with her.

We wandered aimlessly, emerging on a square or park every few blocks. We passed a party shop and I nodded towards the window display showing several Irish themed novelties. Headbands with shamrocks on springs like antennae and green plastic bowler hats. "You were afraid that I would show up like that to your parents and here they display the wares I was warned away from." I remarked slyly as we passed.

"Well it is St. Patrick's week. We have to play it up for the tourists." She said failing to contain her giggles.

A couple of very pretty blonde haired girls walked towards us going in the other direction, their voices carried enough for me to note they weren't speaking English. The one nearest smiled and fluttered her fake eyelashes at me as she brushed past. I just smiled and kept walking. "What amazing self control." Cate remarked.

"Who, me or her?" I said with a smile.

"If your head had turned even a bit I'd have pushed you into traffic." She added tartly. I busted out laughing and leaned over and kissed her cheek causing her smile to return.

"As I said, I have eyes for no one but you my love."

"Good. Keep it that way." Her smile didn't fade.

The chill was soaking in as the afternoon wore on and we decided to make our way back to the pub where I'd met her friend Laura Donne. This time I noted the name, McGillicuddy's. The warmth washed over us as we stepped inside. It was early but there was already a decent crowd. We scoped out a spot at the bar and took a seat. The barman came round after a few minutes and greeted us. I sat slightly dumbfounded at the long run of taps.

"What can I get for you folks."

Cate looked at me then back to him. "I think he's puzzled by all the choices. I'll have a half of cider."

"Last time Laura just poured me a half of Guinness, which was probably for the best as I wasn't in my right mind at the time." I looked up at the barman, "I'd just bought the engagement ring and wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing."

"Not for Laura, for me." Cate added holding up her hand. "She's a school chum of mine."

"American?" He asked me and I nodded. "Since you're not likely to see a lot of these," he motioned to the taps. "What sort of flavors do you like?" I smiled and told him I was feeling like something lighter than a stout, clean and crisp. He nodded. "I've got one I think you'll like." He went down the line and poured Cate's cider and took another glass and started a pour for me. He brought them back and set them down. "It's called Atlantic Blonde, has a nice crisp finish. Let me know if you like it."

"Is Laura about today?"

"Oh I'm sure of it, she's been here most of the day. She's probably out back having a smoke. I'll scare her up for you." He added with a smile. "Are ye joining us for dinner tonight then?" Cate nodded at me and I said we would be. He turned and set menus on the bar in front of us. We ordered a cheese board to start. A few minutes later it came out, carried by Laura herself.

"Cate!" She said excitedly and went around the end of the bar and came and gave her a hug. "You must've said yes or he wouldn't have brought you around. Last time I saw you, you were just home from Spain for a few months before winging away to Germany, I think it was."

"Yes I did. It has been a while." Cate said, and returned the hug.

"See? I told ye she was a sensible woman and wouldn't say no."

"Dylan." I said as she tried to recall my name.

"Well how have ye been? Back from Germany, then off to London, and then New York? You're turning into a regular world traveler."

Cate nodded waiting for an opening to respond. "Yes it's been a whirlwind for the past few years, but I think I've found my niche." She reached over and set her hand on mine and gave it a light squeeze.

"Aye, you've done rather well for yourself I'd say." Laura said with a sly smile at me.

"How about you? What have you been up to since then?" Cate asked.

"Oh a little of this, a little of that. I did my studies in hospitality management, worked around a few places but never ended up leaving the city. Once fancied myself working at a resort hotel or something like that but never pursued it." She said with a shrug.

We had a good time as Cate caught up with the gossip, post school days. Laura changed tack to pull me into the conversation.

"Where'd ye find this one then." Laura lifted her chin in my direction. She knew the story but wondered if there might be more to it. Cate pursed her lips and I could see her tongue rolling against the inside of her cheek as both went pink. She looked over her shoulder to make sure there wasn't a lot of people about.

"My lecture hall."

Laura looked at her, then at me before her mouth dropped open. "You don't say." She whispered. Her eyes darted back to Cate then me again, the corner of her mouth lifted. "Hot for teacher?"

"Let me interject and give you the whole picture before you get the wrong idea." I laughed and explained how we'd met at a tea shop and how things had progressed from there, leaving out all the tawdry and savory bits.

Laura was sporting a broad grin. Cate still had a little pink in her cheeks.

"So uh, how young are ye lad?" Laura asked. "Is this all legal? Shotgun weddings aren't an American invention ye know."

It was my turn to laugh. I looked at Cate who's color had deepened, and her mouth had dropped open in surprise.

"He is old enough to make his own decisions." She looked shrewdly at Laura then at me.

Laura's grin never faded. "Looks like he's done well then. Relax, he's safe with me." She gave Cate a wink.

She stopped teasing Cate and I and stories turned to what she was doing.

Several more stories regarding old friends, a nice dinner, and a few more drinks left me fuzzy around the edges. When we'd run down to the dregs we made our final goodbyes with wishes to meet again before the wedding. We found a taxi to take us back to the hotel where Cate made me drink a large bottle of water before putting me to bed.

I woke the next morning with an urgent need and padded to the bath to meet it. There was a dense gray fog that was solely in my own head. I washed my face and looked at the mirror to find my eyes drooping and bloodshot. I took a couple aspirin from my kit and washed them down with a glass of water and padded back to bed. Cate wrapped herself in me as if I were a blanket and I relaxed with her soft warmth gathered against me.

"Feeling better?" She asked, humor obvious in her voice.

"I hope you caught the number of the truck that hit me." I mumbled into her hair.

"Don't blame the lorry driver when you're the one that leapt into traffic. Didn't you learn not to mix drinks in your first year?" She added with a giggle. "Beer, cider, whiskey, you made the rounds."

"Oh God, I didn't embarrass you in front of your friend did I?" I leaned forward my forehead against the back of her neck.

"Not at all. I think we were all feeling well lubricated by the end of the night."

"I wish I hadn't made a morning appointment to meet with the events coordinator, I could stay in bed until noon."

"Come on, get your hungover arse out of bed." She said tossing my hand aside before getting up herself. When she stood she looked back over her shoulder at me before she stretched.

"Surely we have a little time to spare."

"Forget it, or we may as well call down and cancel the meeting now." She laughed and went into the bath and I heard the shower come on. She poked her head around the door jamb, her hair piled up on her head. "Would you be a dear and come wash my back?" Her grin was infectious.

I looked around at the crowded café. "Maybe we should have called for room service?"

"We'll be fine." She said as she waded into the crowd pulling me along with her. A short while later we went to the concierge desk to inquire where we would find the office for our appointment. A few moments passed when a sharply dressed woman came around the counter and introduced herself.

"Good morning, Miss Murray, Mister Butler, I'm Kylie Flynn the events coordinator." She took us down a short hallway to a nice office. "Please have a seat."

"Thank you for waiting for us, we're a few minutes behind schedule. We had a late night in Temple Bar with friends, and we failed to anticipate the crowd at the cafe this morning."

"That's quite alright, I had to elbow my way in to wrangle a pot of coffee myself this morning. Can I offer you a cup, coffee or tea?"

"Coffee would be nice, thank you. I'm a still a little fuzzy." I said.

"I warned him not to mix his drinks, of course he doesn't remember that now." Cate added with a laugh.

We sat and went over the proposal, Kylie recording answers to her question in a folder she was working in. She had a small array of pamphlets and sample menus for us lined up neatly next to her elbow. We went over guest counts, accommodations and decoration. When we reached the end of the coffee Kyle offered a tour of the two rooms that we would have the opportunity to book.

"The first is the Heather Room, it seats up to one hundred and thirty but can be adjusted down to seventy-five." The room was decorated in soft gray and purple colors, a table had been set to give us an idea of the setting. She pointed out the touches, a large window with gardens beyond for photographs. We passed down a long hall through another set of doors to a smaller room in silver and white. "The Silver Room seats up to eighty, and seeing as you're not quite sure if you'll have more than fifty this may suit your needs better."

I looked at Cate and saw immediately that she felt the same that I did that the Heather Room was the winner. We were shown the entry way for the function rooms which had old world décor, shields on the walls and iron sconces for the lighting.

We made our way back to Kylie's office where we went over sample menus and were given several packages to choose from. "We will need your final count, and any special dietary needs at least thirty days prior to the event." She had organized an impressive packet of paperwork for us, all laid out for easy access of information and some blank worksheets for filling out information. She had a small sleeve with a half dozen of her business cards which she pointed out had an appointment form on the back that we could use for vendors, florists, photographers and such. We asked if she had any information since we were short on time. She smiled and lifted a tab in the packet and turned it to show several vendors they have worked with before around Dublin with names and numbers of the respective contacts. She went over the business end, deposits, cancellations and the like at the end. "I know that you're short on time for the date you want. You mentioned you had another venue you were also reviewing?" She asked.

We did and let her know we would have a decision within forty-eight hours and get the paperwork rolling. I told her to reserve the Heather Room and told her that I'd put a deposit on the function right away. She seemed to relax a little at that.

"Thank you. I did want to mention that as it is prime season for the room to be reserved."

We ended up our meeting and accepted a complimentary lunch in the main dining room as part of the wedding package to try out the menu. We went back to the room and spent a quiet afternoon looking over a few of the photographers websites and sent out a few inquiries to see if we'd get any bites on our specific date. We both found that a nap would do us good after the night before and curled up in the gray light of the misty afternoon.

Tuesday dawned as gloomily as Monday had, though this time with a lot less fog in my head. We headed out to the beach front hotel where we would go through similar treatment, or so I thought. The presentation was not nearly as professional and both Cate and I felt he was only humoring our request for detail. When the appointment was over neither of us had any question as to which venue we would decide upon.

"Oh!" Cate said, looking down at her phone in the taxi. "Sinead's invited us to dinner."

"White or red?" I said in reply.

"She said it's nothing fancy just salmon and champ, so I'd say white." She smiled and tapped in a reply. Cate directed the taxi driver to a new location and through the heavy traffic of St. Patrick's Day preparations we were soon deposited outside a large shopping center. We wandered around, Cate eventually finding what she was looking for, a toy shop. She pored over the choices they had and decided on something simple. "Auntie can't go empty handed now can she?"

"I'd figure Auntie would be the bookish type." I said.

"You're right." She set the toy back on the shelf. "Let's go back, we passed a bookstore on the way here." I picked up the toy and nodded. She gave me a side-long look.

"Well uncle Dylan can't go empty handed now, can he? If I'm going to be the first on this side of the family I might as well cement my position as the cool uncle." Cate grinned ear to ear.

"I guess you may as well until Mik jumps in to give you a run."

Our dinner was fun. With guests in the house, Declan took every advantage he could to act up and disrupt conversation. I felt an unusual watchfulness from Cate as I played with him on the floor with his new airplane, an Airbus A330 we had informally agreed. He also successfully wheedled staying up a half an hour later because "Auntie Cate had come all the way from America to see him." Eventually Cate saw to it that he made ready for bed, he came back a few minutes later in pajamas, his book under his arm, and thanked me for his airplane.

"We're going to kick back and knock off a few chapters." Cate said to me with a wink as she turned Declan towards his bed. Sinead made small talk, mostly about the wedding, but with an occasional pointed question to dig for information. Apparently the story about me being well off had spread, and I got asked if we had any plans to return to Ireland on a more permanent basis. I answered honestly that it was entirely up to Cate and the direction she wished to take her career after she graduated. Cate saved me twenty minutes later by coming quietly back into the sitting room with a big grin on her face.

"He didn't make it long?" Sinead asked.

"Not even through the first chapter." She said with a laugh.

"Won't be long before you're bouncing one of your own on your knee." Sinead teased. I felt the tension before I heard it in Cate's voice.

"One hurdle at a time. You're as bad as Mum." Cate scolded.

"Well the fun is in the trying." Patrick, Sinead's husband, added with a little grin. I was surprised at the sudden humor.

Sinead's cheeks colored deeply and an unsure grin crept across Cate's face. "Am I to understand that's an admission of sorts?"

Sinead stated that after missing out on a promotion at work they had decided that a little brother or sister for Declan might be a good idea. "If I'd gotten the job then I'd find myself having to travel and that wouldn't have worked out at all."