The drive back to Lisdoonvarna was a heart-wrenching affair for Keira. She kept playing over in her head the meeting with Shane, feeling uncertain and confused. She felt like he'd given up on her, like he'd fallen at the first hurdle. Or was she just reading into the situation what she wanted? Maybe Shane hadn't had the heart to break it to her that he didn't feel the same way and had just used her flight home tomorrow as an excuse. He hadn't said the exact words, "I love you," after all.
The darkening sky matched Keira's mood. As she drove along the winding streets, her heart grew heavier and heavier. She wished she hadn't left it so long to act on her feelings for Shane. And she wished she'd thrown out the article as soon as she'd started falling for him. She'd set herself up to fail, set their relationship a trap that was only ever going to be walked right into. She'd messed it all up, left it too late. In some ways the closeness was more unbearable than if Shane had flat out refused her.
She reached the outskirts of Lisdoonvarna to find the streets filled with people. It was the last day of the festival and people were clearly up for making the most out of it. She briefly toyed with the idea of honking her horn to force them to move, but there were so many people it would be futile. Instead, she slowed her car and crawled along behind them, feeling like she'd replaced her wooly sheep blockade with a tipsy human one. It was just her luck that when all she wanted to do was get into bed and hide she was surrounded by people.
People started to knock on her window and cheer at her, singing songs in their drunken joy. Keira felt the absolute opposite. While their festival had ended in love and romance, hers had ended in heartbreak.
She inched along the road, moving at a snail's pace. No one seemed in a hurry to get anywhere. She passed the troubadour and a group of people dancing around him, then inched past a stall selling street food. She realized as she went how much she would miss this place. It wasn't just Shane she'd fallen in love with, it was Ireland. The thought of returning to New York City filled her with dread.
As she reached the main road, she saw that huge banners had been strung up across the street announcing the final dance of the festival. It was an all-night party. Keira realized with a groan that she would be kept up all night and she knew from experience that sleep deprivation would make her black mood even worse.
She noticed in the small cobbled town square that there was a stage set up, with a sparkly backdrop and two red velvet thrones. A microphone stood in the middle of the stage, and a large crowd of people were clustered together in front of it, clutching drinks in their hands and looking expectant. Keira saw there was a sign at the top of the stage. It read: Mr. Lisdoonvarna and The Queen of the Burren. She frowned, confused.
Just then, everyone in front of the stage erupted into applause, and a huge crowd of people surged forward, stopping Keira in her tracks. She was completely surrounded. There was literally no way through. Her car had been entirely blocked in, as if it were just another spectator to whatever was about to go down on the stage.
She sighed, resigned, and wound down her window. May as well hear what was going on, she reasoned.
To her surprise, it was William who took to the stage. He had smartened up for the occasion in a shimmery suit. The crowd started chanting, "Matchmaker! Matchmaker!" William waved humbly, like a celebrity in front of dedicated fans. He was carrying his huge matchmaker's book. Behind him, his flame-haired receptionist, Maeve, followed him onto the stage. She looked like a glamorous assistant in a sparkling emerald dress.
William walked up to the microphone. "It is the moment you have all been waiting for!" he called out. "The announcement of this year's most eligible bachelors, the crowning of Mr. Lisdoonvarna and the Queen of the Burren."
Everyone clapped loudly.
"As always, we have crowns for the winners of his coveted prize," William continued.
Behind him, Maeve produced a velvet cushion with two crowns set on the top.
"Without further ado, I will now announce the winners."
Maeve handed him a gold envelope. William opened it.
"This year's Queen of the Burren is…. Keira Swanson!"
The crowd began to clap. Keira froze in her seat. There had to be some kind of mistake. She hadn't even entered the competition! Was William playing with her?
When people began to catch on to the fact that the crowned winner was sitting in her car in the middle of the crowd, they started to turn and chant, cheering her on. Keira shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged up on stage. She was still covered in sheep poo!
But the crowd wasn't backing down. And now William was calling to her as well.
Maeve took the microphone. "Keira, if you don't come up here for your crown we'll just come down there and put it on you!"
Feeling like she had no choice, Keira reluctantly unclipped her seatbelt and got out of the car. Everyone cheered and made way for her to make it to the stage. People she'd never met before clapped her on the shoulder and congratulated her. Keira felt worse than ever to know so many people wanted this crown and yet she was the one getting it.
She made it onto the stage and Maeve hugged her. Then William did too. He took the microphone again.
"For those of you who haven't met Miss Swanson, she is a reporter from New York City. When she first got here, she was cynical about love, the festival, romance in general. I hope this crown will go some way in helping her change her mind."
Maeve placed the crown on Keira's head. Little did William know just how much she'd really changed.
"Now it's time to announce Mr. Lisdoonvarna," William said into the microphone. "Now this is someone many of you will know. I've been wanting to crown him for years but never found the correct lady to match him with. That is, until Keira came along."
Keira had a horrible feeling she knew just where this was going. He was going to announce Orin, the bar man, the man she saw as a father figure. This was going to be an embarrassing moment of humiliation, a punishment for the article and her snooty attitude. William must have been planning this since day one! No doubt Orin was in on it as well. She pouted, bracing herself for the humiliation, knowing that the crowd would get a great kick out of laughing at her expense.
"This year's Mr. Lisdoonvarna is, of course, everyone's favorite tour guide…Shane Lawder!"
Keira let her mouth fall open with surprise. She turned to William, frowning.
"What?" she demanded.
William patted the book. "I matched you two on day one," he said.
Keira's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me!" she exclaimed.
"You had a boyfriend. And a lot of learning to do." William smiled.
Keira couldn't believe it. Would things have been different for her and Shane if William had let them in on his secret? It felt like just another kick in the teeth, another moment of too little too late.
"Shane isn't here," she told William sadly. "He went back home."
Just then, Maeve pointed out into the crowd. "No, he didn't!" she exclaimed.
Keira looked out over the rows of people and saw him, Shane, working his way through the crowd. People were urging him on, pushing him forward. Just a few feet behind her own surrounded car she noticed Shane's. He'd followed her here?
Her heart leapt into her mouth. Was this really happening?
Shane fought to the front of the stage and was given a helpful shove from the people around him. When he stood up, he raced toward Keira and pulled her into an embrace, lifting her off her feet and twirling her around in a circle.
"What are you doing here?" Keira cried.
He set her down on her feet and looked deeply into her eyes. "My sisters convinced me I was being an idiot. That I was wasting the last night we had together. They told me that even if it was only one night we had left we should make the most of it."
Keira gazed adoringly into his eyes. Then they kissed passionately. The crowd roared with pleasure.
Maeve plopped Shane's crown onto his head. He laughed, holding it in place with one hand, while his focus remained solely on Keira. She lost herself in the moment, feeling like there was no one in the world watching them, feeling like it was just her and Shane in this beautiful moment, holding on to the present day and making the most of it while it lasted.