Chapter 9
NINE
Marianne looked around the bright little cottage. She’d expected it to be much darker, but Joey had removed the gable end of the building and replaced it with a glass conservatory, surrounded by a covered wooden deck. It was flooded with light on this sunny evening.
“Here’s your room.” Joey kicked open a door to a simple bedroom and placed the holdall on the floor. “And Denny should be okay in here, shouldn’t he?” They led her to another room, tiny but decorated with a boating theme. Warmth filled Marianne at the effort Joey had gone to in making them feel welcome.
“The bed’s low. I don’t have a rail or anything, but I’ve left all the spare pillows there, so hopefully you can make him safe.”
“He’ll be fine. Thank you so much for all of this. You have a beautiful home.”
Joey threw her such a disbelieving look she had the sudden urge to wrap her arms around them and tell them just how wonderful they were. The thought of being that close to Joey made her tingle with something that definitely wasn’t gratitude. Where did that come from? Joey was truly an angel, but Marianne had never considered them anything but a friend. Why would she? She’d been happily married. She laughed bitterly to herself. Well, married, at least.
Joey still watched her with a puzzled frown. She’d gotten lost in her thoughts. Denny, still on her hip, for once was being patient. She let him down to explore.
“Joey, your home is lovely and your willingness to open it up to us is just wonderful. I hope you know how much I appreciate it.”
Joey’s cheeks reddened and they moved away to the kitchen area. “Just help yourselves to anything. There’s plenty in the cupboards.” They swung open a door. “Denny and I probably have similar breakfast cereal tastes.”
Marianne laughed at the options, all chocolate flavored.
“I eat healthily for most of the day. Breakfast is my treat.”
“I’m sure Denny will appreciate your choices. Where is he?” She swung around, realizing he was out of sight. They found him in the tiny room, sitting on the sailing ship bedspread and contemplating a model boat on the window ledge.
Joey picked it up and handed it to him. “It’s not for playing, but you can have a look. It’s the same model as my boat, Queen Maedbh.”
“Boat.” Denny turned it around carefully.
“We can go on my boat soon, when your mum says it’s okay.”
“Boat?” Denny stared at Marianne with hope in his big brown eyes. They laughed.
Marianne lifted him and pulled him close. “Yes, we’ll go on the boat when Joey’s got time.”
“If you’re early risers, you’re welcome to come with me to check the pots in the morning. I’ve got insurance. I do trips for visitors. Denny’ll be safe, if you keep hold of him.” Joey spoke casually but their bright blue eyes held a look of optimism that equaled Denny’s.
“Thanks, that would be grand. It’s kind of hard to tell with Denny. Sometimes he won’t settle at night but makes it up in the morning. Other times, he’s up at four-thirty. Every day’s a surprise with a twenty-month-old.” She hoped she didn’t sound as weary as she felt as she set him back down in his temporary bedroom.
“We’ll see in the morning, then. There’ll be other days, if not.” Joey moved toward the door. “I’m going to leave you to get settled. I need to do a few things on the boat, but Kasia’s invited us over for dinner. How about I drop back to pick you up at seven?” They frowned. “Is that too late for Denny?”
“It is a little. But this isn’t a regular day. Perhaps he’ll be okay.”
“I’ll bring you home as soon as you need to.”
“Thanks Joey, we’ll manage.” She waved them off and turned to look at her surroundings. She couldn’t get too settled here. Joey had given up their home.
She stuck her head around the bedroom door to see Denny sprawled out on the bed, snoring softly. She tucked some pillows around him and left him to sleep in the hope he’d be better behaved later.
She dropped into a chair in the conservatory that had a view of the small quay where Joey was getting onboard Queen Maedbh. They disappeared into the wheelhouse and Marianne wondered about the generosity it took to give virtual strangers free run of your house.
Joey was an enigma. When she’d first met them, she’d assumed they were just a quiet, awkward fisher who spent their days alone and had never learned any social skills. But Joey had turned out to be a confident negotiator when it came to prices, and they had demonstrated a real interest in how their catch was used in Marianne’s dishes. She wondered how much of their income the closure of Batiya had cost them. She was probably the last person they wanted to help out. Yet, when she’d asked, they’d been there for her.
One thing she’d never noticed before now was how attractive Joey was. Sure, they could do with a proper haircut and some lessons in dressing without the inclusion of wool, but their bright blue eyes were dazzling in their tanned face. And did she really see something in their gaze that was more than friendship or concern? Their frequent hugs gave Marianne the impression of a solid, muscular body, and she wondered what they looked like under all the work gear.
Her thoughts skidded to a halt. She would not be going there. She was still embroiled in her messy, ultimately disappointing marriage. But it had been so long since anyone had shown any interest in her, it wasn’t surprising she yearned for it. She and Amira hadn’t returned to physical intimacy after Denny, and that seemed like such a long time ago now. She laughed at her own morose thoughts and pushed herself out of the chair.
Joey’s room was compact, but comfortable. The mattress was much newer than the old metal bed frame it sat on. She sat down on the firm surface and unzipped her holdall, staring in at what was left of her belongings.
She needed a plan. She and Denny would run out of clean clothes in a few days. What was she doing hanging around here when she should be salvaging her career? But the thought of that made her sick. When had it all become about Michelin stars and awards, and bloody social media? She had become a chef because she loved to create. Nearly a week without cooking was probably the longest she’d gone in her adult life. Even when Denny was born, she’d been back in the kitchen overseeing operations after a few days.
She wandered into Joey’s tiny kitchen and checked out the facilities. There was a limit to how much you could fit into a space this small, but Joey clearly spent some time in the kitchen. She pulled out a drawer and inspected the knives. They were old but sharp.
A sound behind her made her start and she dropped a knife noisily into the drawer as she turned. Joey stood in the doorway. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve knocked. Here I am telling you to treat the place as your own and then I come barging in.”
“It’s all good. This is your house.” She closed the drawer. “Can I cook for you sometime? To say thank you?”
Joey was still standing awkwardly at the door. “Here? I don’t think it’d work.”
“Why not? This place is kitted out like you enjoy cooking.”
“I do.” Their expression brightened and they strode over to the big glass doors in the conservatory. “In the summer, I mostly cook out here.”
They swung open the door, and Marianne followed. A whole outdoor kitchen had been set up on the deck, complete with a stone pizza oven, fire pit with a grill, a gas hob, and a preparation space with a refrigerator underneath.
“This is beautiful.” She looked around at the comfortable outdoor furniture, and a giant hammock to the side of the deck.
“It’s still too cold for eating outside yet, but that’s where I sit in winter and watch the sunrise.” They nodded toward the hammock.
“I’d love to cook for you out here.” Marianne sat down on a chair and put her feet up.
Joey perched on the arm of a chair and looked at her. “It’s more like a camping kind of cooking. It’s not what you’re used to.”
“I love to make food, Joey. It’s my way of expressing myself. The equipment is less important than the process.” Already, she imagined being out here in the summer, grilling Joey’s catch, while Denny played on the deck.
What am I thinking? She was here for a break from real life, not to start a new one.
“Let’s go to the Waterside tonight, and I’ll leave you some lobsters off tomorrow. If you want to cook, that’d be grand, but no pressure. You need a rest.”
“I’m not a resting kind of person. I need something to occupy me.”
“Have you looked for any jobs? Do you know where you might want to go? England, maybe?”
“Oh, no, I don’t want to leave Ireland. I want Denny to grow up here.” She hadn’t even considered leaving the country.
“Then you need to make some serious inquiries. There just aren’t that many good restaurants around and those there are mostly have very established chefs.”
She stared at Joey, unsure if her irritation stemmed from being told what to do, or her frustration with herself for being unable to act.
“I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.” Joey looked away. Her most frosty look had terrified many young chefs over the years, but she hadn’t meant to turn it on poor Joey, who was just trying to help.
She jumped up from her chair. “No, you’re absolutely right. I can’t just sit and wait to be rescued. I need to put some feelers out.”
In truth, she’d been hoping some of her old acquaintances might have reached out to her with offers. But she wasn’t helping herself by hiding away and avoiding social media. “Tomorrow, I’ll get my laptop out and start making some calls.”
“Hi, Denny.” Joey was looking beyond her, and she turned to see him standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. He’d probably be up all night, but at least they’d get through dinner.
“Hey, sweetpea.” She picked him up and he wrapped his arms around her neck. “Did you have a good sleep?” She turned to Joey. “If we’re going out to eat, can we go now, while he’s awake?”
“Of course. I need to get my dad in the truck, too. Monday nights we have dinner together.”
“I’m interfering with your routine. I don’t want to be a nuisance.”
“You’re not. My dad’s a little grumpy, but he loves Tierney and Kasia, so he’ll probably bore them with stories of island life and leave us be.” They reached out. “Here, let me take Denny while you get ready.”
Marianne hesitated. Denny’s clingy tendency, and refusal to settle with anyone else had been a constant source of friction between her and Amira. But he held his little arms out to Joey, and they took him and stood him on the rail of the deck, holding him firmly. He pointed to Queen Maedbh. “Boat.”
Joey laughed. “My boat. Can you say Queen Maedbh?”
“Mave?”
Marianne turned back in surprise. “Good boy, that’s right. Queen Maedbh.”
“Boat,” said Denny.
They laughed and Marianne ruffled his curls. “Slow progress, but better than nothing.”
She left them on the deck, happy Denny was in good hands. She wondered again about Joey’s history. When she thought about all the terrible parents she’d known, it seemed a shame Joey would never be the wonderful parent they had the potential to be.