Chapter 39
The queue at the bar was three people deep, and Faith was starting to lose hope that it would ever be her turn.
The barmen were working flat out pulling pints and serving wine and spirits, but they were unable to keep up with the onslaught of customers on Christmas céilí night.
She had almost reached the counter when she felt someone tapping her shoulder.
She swung around to find Lucy beckoning her to come out of the queue.
‘What is it?’ Faith called over the din.
‘I need to talk to you,’ Lucy cried.
‘But I’ll lose my place if I leave, and I’ve been waiting here for long enough,’ she protested.
‘This is important,’ Lucy shouted to be heard over the music.
Faith pushed her way through the crowd towards her sister. ‘What is it? What’s going on?’
‘It’s Jack—’ she began breathlessly.
‘What about him?’
‘He’s not married!’ Lucy blurted.
‘He’s not?’ Faith was confused.
‘Heidi is his sister-in-law and Rosie is his niece.’ Lucy’s words spilled out. ‘Heidi was married to his brother James.’
Faith felt her legs grow weak as her brain tried to catch up with what Lucy was telling her.
Lucy grinned. ‘We got it all wrong.’
‘Oh my God.’ Faith clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘I need to see him.’
Lucy pointed to where she had just left him. ‘He’s over there.’
Lucy followed her sister’s gaze and saw Jack standing near the fire, watching them. He looked so lost, so vulnerable; she hated seeing him this way. She couldn’t bear it a second longer and she rushed over to him.
‘Jack – Lucy just explained everything to me. I think I owe you an apology. I’m so sorry, we thought Heidi was your wife…’
He raised his eyebrow in mock affront. ‘Is that why you acted so strangely when I asked you to go for a drink?’
She nodded. ‘I thought you were trying to cheat on Heidi.’
He shook his head. ‘This is crazy. Heidi is my sister-in-law – she was married to James. I’ve been spending a lot of time with her since he passed away, but everyone in Inishbeg Cove knows she’s my sister-in-law.
I never considered that you might have thought she was my wife …
I guess I can see why you’d think that…’
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said again.
‘You don’t need to apologise. I should have thought about how it must look from your point of view.
I guess I haven’t been thinking clearly after everything that’s happened…
When I saw you at the farm that day after all this time, I couldn’t believe it.
I knew I had to act – I let you go once before, so I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to let it happen again.
I couldn’t risk letting you out of my life for a second time when fate was giving me another chance to get it right, but each time I suggested doing something, you kept giving me the cold shoulder.
’ He shook his head ruefully and a lock of dark hair fell in front of his eyes.
Faith longed to reach out and push it back off his face.
‘You were like an ice queen.’ He grinned at her.
‘I thought that maybe you were already in a relationship – or worse, that you just weren’t interested in me. ’
Faith shook her head. ‘When we saw you with Heidi and Rosie that day at the Christmas tree farm, it felt like I was sixteen again: all the old feelings rushed up inside me, but I assumed you were happily married so, although I was crushed, I told myself that I had to put you out of my head.’
‘I’ve never stopped loving you, Faith. We were too young to be in control of our destiny when we were teenagers, but we’ve got another chance to make it work … if you want to?’
She bit down nervously on her bottom lip. ‘I’ve never wanted anything more,’ she whispered.
The busy pub and the noise faded into the background so that they were the only two people standing there.
Jack’s face was just inches from hers. When his soft mouth met hers, it felt so familiar.
It was like they had never been separated; the years and distance that had kept them apart melted away as they took up where they left off.
She kissed him deeply and fervently; as her yearning matched his, she knew he wanted her as much she wanted him.
She made a promise to herself there and then that she would never let anything come between them again.