Chapter 17
Mary set her laptop on the coffee table and sat on the sofa.
‘I’m going to hit the shower,’ Evan said, sticking his head around the door. ‘Wow!’ His eyes widened as she looked up from her computer and he took her in. ‘You look amazing.’
‘Oh. Thanks.’ Mary felt her cheeks warm at the unexpected compliment.
She always bought something new to wear for Christmas Day, and this year’s outfit was a short purple swing dress teamed with thigh-high suede boots.
She’d curled her long blonde hair into loose waves and put on make-up so she’d be ready to go to the O’Sullivans’ as soon as she finished the Zoom call with her family.
‘Say hi to your mom for me,’ he said, nodding to the laptop.
‘Okay, I will.’
She logged into the Zoom call, and tears pricked her eyes as one by one her family appeared on the screen – her parents in one square, Aidan in another, sitting up in bed with Bo huddled beside him, and Finn, Abbie and Cara squeezed together in another frame sharing a single iPad.
They were all in pyjamas, and looked tired and bleary-eyed.
‘Happy Christmas!’ they all chorused.
‘Happy Christmas! It’s lovely to see you all. I hope I didn’t get you up too early.’
Aidan shook his head. ‘We’ve been awake since five, haven’t we, BoBo?’ he said, smiling at his daughter.
‘Santa comed to New York!’ Bo said excitedly.
‘Did he? And what did he bring you?’
The next hour went by quickly as they all chattered and opened presents, and too soon it was time to go. Her mother needed to prep the turkey, Bo wanted to go to Central Park to try out the new skates Santa had brought her, and Mary was due at the O’Sullivans’.
‘Have a great day!’ she called as they waved and blew kisses to her.
‘Don’t miss us too much!’
Mary did miss them all, but she didn’t feel as bereft as she’d thought she would as they all closed out the call and disappeared one by one from the screen.
Evan was proving to be good company now that he’d dropped the grumpy attitude and she was looking forward to spending the next few days with him.
The sweater was a good call, Mary thought when Evan joined her in the living room. The colour suited him and it was chunky and rugged-looking yet wonderfully soft. He looked drop-dead gorgeous.
‘It fits!’ was all she said.
‘Yeah. Lucky you got me this, so I have something respectable to wear to dinner.’
Evan asked after her family as they walked to the O’Sullivans’ house, carrying bags of wine and gifts.
‘They’re having a great time. Mum sends her love.
Oh, and she said not to be too hard on Max for talking you into the house swap.
It’s not his fault we all got our wires crossed and you’re lumbered with me.
She said if you want to blame anyone, blame her. ’
‘There’s no way it’s her fault either. Anyway, I haven’t managed to get hold of Max yet, strangely enough. I think he’s avoiding me.’
‘Very strange,’ Mary said sarcastically, pushing the doorbell. ‘I can’t imagine why.’
‘Mary!’ Carmel O’Sullivan greeted them with a warm smile as she opened the door. ‘Happy Christmas! Come in, come in.’ She waved them into the hall. She was wearing an apron over a black lace dress, her face perfectly made up and her hair styled in a glossy bouffant.
As soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by the delicious aroma of roasting turkey, and Mary was instantly soothed. It felt like proper Christmas. She needed this and she was grateful to Evan for letting her persuade him to come. She hoped he wouldn’t be too uncomfortable.
‘And who’s this handsome fella you’ve brought with you?’ Carmel turned to Evan.
‘Someone we’ve never seen before in our lives anyway, that’s for sure,’ her husband said, stepping out of the living room. ‘Howdy, stranger.’ He extended a hand to Evan. ‘You must be new around these parts?’ He sounded like he was in a bad Western.
Mary suppressed a giggle as Evan and Sean shook hands. She’d forgotten to tell Carmel that there was no need to pretend they didn’t recognise him. It was a good job because it turned out they were the hammiest pair of actors.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Charlie emerged from the kitchen and came to stand between his grandparents. His jaw dropped, his eyes as wide as dinner plates, as he gaped at Evan in silent awe.
‘Nana,’ he hissed, tugging on Carmel’s sleeve as he found his voice. ‘It’s—’ He pointed at Evan.
‘Ssh, pet.’ She reached a hand down and patted his head. ‘Remember what we talked about,’ she said to him in an undertone.
‘It’s okay, Carmel,’ Mary said, smiling. ‘You don’t have to do that any more.’
‘Sorry? Do what?’ she asked, the picture of innocence.
‘Pretend you don’t know who he is.’
‘Oh, really? Well, that’s a relief,’ she said, her features relaxing. ‘Sean was gutted we weren’t going to be able to watch E.T.’
‘Don’t let on I was the only one!’ her husband said with a laugh.
The news came just in time as Charlie shouted, ‘But, Nana, it’s SPIDER-MAN!’ his clear five-year-old voice ringing out like a bell.
‘Yes, isn’t that exciting? Peter Parker come for Christmas dinner in our house – imagine that!’
‘No, Nana!’ Charlie shook his head vigorously. ‘You’re not supposed to know his real name.’
‘Oops, sorry!’ Carmel clapped a hand to her mouth.
‘No harm done. It’s Evan, actually,’ Evan said, giving Charlie a wink. Charlie beamed back at him, utterly enchanted, and Mary’s heart melted a little bit more.
‘It’s lovely to meet you.’ Carmel shook Evan’s hand.
‘Well, come on through.’ When Sean had taken their coats and they’d handed over their gift bags, she ushered them into the living room, where Charlie’s parents – Hilary and James – were sitting on the floor surrounded by the pieces of a complicated-looking train set.
‘This is Evan,’ Carmel said as they jumped up to meet him, seemingly glad of the excuse to abandon the assembly instructions. ‘We don’t have to pretend we don’t know who he is,’ she added.
‘Great! I guess that means we can watch E.T.,’ James said.
‘And this must be Chuckles,’ Evan said, bending down to pet the chonky tabby that had come to investigate and was weaving between his legs.
‘Look at that, he’s taken to you already,’ Carmel said as Chuckles flipped onto his back so Evan could rub his belly.
Nice move, Chuckles.
‘Anything I can help you with?’ Mary asked Carmel when everyone had been introduced.
‘I could do with a hand in the kitchen if you wouldn’t mind.’
‘Sure.’ She glanced at Evan, who looked slightly panicked. She didn’t want to abandon him, but she couldn’t very well refuse to help Carmel.
‘Evan, are you any good at putting together train sets?’ James asked.
Evan shrugged. ‘I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, but I’ll give it a go.’ He seemed relieved to have something to do.
‘I hope you don’t mind,’ Carmel said to him, ‘but it’s all hands on deck.’
‘Not at all. Happy to help.’
‘Great,’ Hilary said, handing him the sheet of instructions. ‘I’ll help Mum in the kitchen then, because this was giving me a headache.’
Mary didn’t know Hilary O’Sullivan well.
She was four years older, so they hadn’t hung out together as kids, and she’d moved to Dublin for college and lived there since.
But she was as friendly and easy-going as all the O’Sullivans, and Mary felt completely at home helping out with her and Carmel in the kitchen, gossiping and drinking champagne as they worked.
When everything was ready and they returned to the living room, the new train set was complete and Evan was sitting on the floor playing trains with Charlie and James.
‘Right, drinks, everyone!’ Sean said, rubbing his hands. ‘Mary, what’ll you have? Glass of bubbly?’
‘Yes, please.’
He poured six glasses of champagne and a Coke for Charlie.
‘Happy Christmas, everyone!’ Carmel said when everyone had a drink in their hand.
‘Happy Christmas.’ They all made eye contact as they clinked glasses.
‘You okay?’ Mary mouthed at Evan as Carmel and Sean turned away. Now that they were here, she felt responsible for him and she was worried about him feeling awkward and out of place. Maybe she should have come on her own and lied to her mother. She hoped he wasn’t finding it a drag.
He nodded, giving her a grateful smile.
‘I’m really glad you two are here,’ Carmel said as they all sat down and she passed around a plate of smoked salmon canapés. ‘The house feels very empty without Ciara and Alex this year.’
She watched Evan as he chatted easily with everyone.
He was so friendly and interested in people, she couldn’t understand why he’d been so reluctant to come.
He asked Carmel about her books, talked sports with James, who was a big baseball fan, and even fussed over Chuckles, who was already smitten.
He seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. But maybe he was just a good actor.
‘Right, I’ll go and carve the turkey,’ Sean said, standing when they’d finished the canapés.
‘Grab a seat, everyone,’ Carmel said. ‘It’s almost ready.’
She led the way through to the large sunroom.
It was similar to the one in Mary’s parents’ house, with one glass wall overlooking Dingle Bay.
The long dining table was decorated with a white linen cloth, and a golden runner ran down the centre.
Glittering crystal glasses and shining silverware glinted in the candlelight, and at each place setting there was a napkin tied with gold ribbon, embellished with a sprig of holly, and a handmade bauble filled with snow and tinsel, with each person’s name inside printed on a piece of red ribbon.
‘Oh, Carmel, this looks gorgeous!’ Mary breathed. ‘It’s like something out of a magazine.’
‘YouTube, actually,’ Carmel said, evidently proud of her handiwork.
‘Mum spends ages watching tablescaping tutorials on YouTube,’ Hilary said, taking a seat beside Mary.
‘I’m a huge fan of Helen O’Neill,’ Carmel said. Helen O’Neill was Ireland’s answer to Martha Stewart.
‘Everything looks amazing!’ Mary breathed in the delicious aromas as Carmel lifted the lids on dishes of stuffing, glazed carrots and golden roast potatoes with ragged, crunchy edges.
‘To the founder of the feast!’ Carmel said, raising a glass when they were all seated.
‘The Duke of Bowfield,’ they all chorused, lifting their glasses.
Evan turned to Mary, eyebrows raised quizzically. ‘That’s Carmel’s cash cow, the hero of her best-selling series,’ she leaned over to whisper in his ear. ‘The duke has made her a fortune.’
‘Well, don’t stand on ceremony,’ Carmel said, taking a seat at the head of the table. ‘Dig in!’
Carmel was a marvellous cook – the only person in the world who could come close for Mary to her mother’s cooking.
Dinner was divine, the conversation flowed and they all ate far too much.
Later they flopped on the couch in a food coma to watch E.T.
Charlie sat beside Evan, then turned to his mother, cupped his hand around her ear and whispered something to her.
When he pulled back, he was giggling, his shoulders hunched in delight as he nodded at her.
Then he leapt off the sofa and ran from the room.
He stopped at the door and looked back at Hilary. ‘Don’t forget, it’s a surprise,’ he hissed.
‘I won’t. I promise.’
He trotted out of the room and they heard him going upstairs.
When he was gone they all turned to Hilary questioningly.
She shook her head. ‘I’m not saying anything. I promised. You’ll just have to wait and see.’
Mary noticed her throwing Evan a nervous glance as they heard Charlie thundering back down the stairs. He burst into the room dressed in a Spider-Man costume, complete with mask, and trotted up to stand in front of Evan.
Evan’s reaction was everything a five-year-old Spider-Man fan could have wished for. He gasped, eyes wide.
‘It’s me!’ Charlie squealed, pulling his mask off.
‘Awesome costume, dude!’ Evan said, high-fiving him.
‘Santa bringed it,’ Charlie told him.
‘So you’re Spider-Man too?’
Charlie giggled and squirmed in delight. ‘I’m the Irish Spider-Man.’
‘Well, that’s good because I don’t have my Spidey suit with me,’ Evan told him confidentially. ‘I’m off duty. So you’ll have to take over for me if there’s any trouble.’
Charlie nodded solemnly.
Evan patted the sofa beside him. ‘Come and sit with me. Us superheroes have to stick together, right?’
Charlie clambered onto the couch and nestled close beside Evan, grinning up at him happily.
They all fell quiet as the movie started, but Charlie was only focused on the screen half the time.
He turned to gaze worshipfully at Evan every few minutes, his eyes raking wonderingly over his face, and he constantly watched for his reaction to what was happening in the movie.
He giggled with Evan when there was a funny bit, and snuggled closer to him, clutching his arm when E.T. and Elliott were in trouble.
‘It’s okay, buddy,’ Evan said, putting an arm around him. ‘They’re going to be all right.’
Mary sat on Evan’s other side, aware of his thigh brushing hers, and pretended not to notice him surreptitiously swiping tears from his eyes when E.T.
and his friends took to the air on their bikes.
That was the part that always did for her too.
If only Evan would put his other arm around her and she could burrow into him like Charlie was doing. Lucky Charlie.