Chapter 55
55
Before I could reply, a soft knock sounded at the door—a sheepish-looking Courtney. “I’ve been sent home.”
“In disgrace?” I shepherded her towards an armchair.
“Hard to know.” She was subdued but not noticeably in the horrors. “I let my team down and I feel disgraced. But Hari and Yelena came in to help, so now they’re overstaffed below. And God forbid Kilcroney would pay me for standing around doing nothing.”
“So tell me.” I was dying to hear last night’s details but also concerned for her. “Are you okay?”
“I was three hours late for work—that’s never happened before, I’m an exemplary employee—”
“Ben,” I prompted.
“You know,” she said. “I’m not bad, considering that last night I blew up my life.”
“Ben,” I repeated. “Did you…”
“…sleep with him? Well, yes. And no. We slept in the same bed. I’ve been working such long hours, his bed was so comfortable and it was late and I was…happy? Would that be the word?”
“It could be.”
“There was a lot of kissing and staring into each other’s eyes. But, Anna, wait till you hear, like wait . He listened to me. He wanted to know everything about me. We discovered we both can’t stick cinnamon and that we love Coldplay—I’ve never admitted that to anyone ever before. They’re my guilty pleasure even though I hate the phrase and so does Ben. I can’t remember the last time anyone displayed that much interest in me. Probably when I got asymptomatic Covid and accidentally infected half the town. I was asked a lot of personal questions that day. Even though I was treated like a criminal, the attention was nice.”
I could only stare, appalled that this amazing woman had been given so little in life.
“I fell asleep on his chest,” she said. “I was so tired—too tired to pretend I wasn’t.”
“Were you dressed…? Or not dressed?”
“Dressed, of course.” She was impatient. “I’d spent thirty-eight euro on a new bra, I wasn’t just taking it off.”
“Did you want to?”
“For sure. But I fell asleep. Missed my chance.”
“You’ll get another one. What about your husband? Does he know you weren’t home?”
“He’ll know by now. Someone—several of his many enemies—will have told on me. No secrets here, Anna.”
“Will it be…awkward for you?”
“Arra. It’s awkward anyway. Maybe now it’ll be a different awkwardness. A change can be good. Right.” She stood up. “I’ll go home and face the music. See you in the morning before you go.”
“I’ll miss you,” I said.
“I’ll miss you too. But you’ll be back, surely? When the place below opens? Givvus an oul’ hug anyway.”
Like everything else she did, Courtney was great at hugs. We said our goodbyes, then I set off to find the scavengers.
Within moments, I’d met Hardware Ralph. “ Bualadh bos ,” he said, “for sorting out the business at Kearney’s Farm. It’ll be a great asset to the town.”
“And bualadh bos to you too for your excellent singing on Friday night. Listen, I’m looking for the scavenger hunt. Any idea where I might find it?”
“It’s finished. The Hogmanay team won. They win every year. It’s a racket. Your crowd are in the Boot talking about scones.”
“I’ll go there then.” On a whim, I said, “Ralph. When I arrived in town, you and I had that chat—which rest assured I will take to my grave —why did you suggest I talk to Ike Blakely?”
“Aaaaah…” Ralph had a ponderous think. “He cares about the environment. It was him who led the objections to the Big Blue a few years back. For all the good it did. He’s well respected. People might go to him for advice or…or…Lookit, you asked me who you should talk to. He was the only one who came to mind. I was trying to help. I’ve to go now.”
Ralph hurried away. So had I thought Ike was more important than he actually was? Not that it mattered now.
The Boot was the same pub we’d been in yesterday. Mum, Claire, Margaret, Rachel, Helen, Francesca, Regan and Luke were crowded around a long table. Involuntarily, I scanned the room. Where’s Joey? There he was, lounging against a pillar, talking to Rose. Wow. Rose in a pub. Then, Double wow, Rose in jeans! Although they were immaculately tailored and worn with a blazer. Stylish. Ish. I’d have loved to loosen up her look. Less hairspray. Faaaar less scarf action. More floaty Isabel Marant-inspired dresses. But maybe the dithery old intellectuals liked her formality.
Joey might have sensed my focus because he glanced up, saw me and smiled. Lord. He was so handsome I wanted to cry. I also wanted to rip open his shirt, tear off his jeans and—“Sorry!” I bumped into someone. Who happened to be lovely, lovely Aber Skerett, selling raffle tickets.
“Come over and meet my family.” I dragged him towards the Walshes, many of whom were drinking pints of Lucozade, clinking with ice. “Everyone,” I announced. “This lovely man is Aber Skerett. Buy his raffle tickets, they’re for charity.”
“Which charity?” Margaret asked.
“Rehabilitation of traumatized sheep,” Aber said, with a twinkle.
“ What? ”
“No!” Much more soberly, Aber said, “Sorry. I thought you’d know I was joking. It’s for the Living Well with Dementia group. We’re trying to buy them a minibus.”
“Fair enough so.”
Mum summoned me and hissed, “Who’s that posh yoke Narky Joey is talking to?”
“Rose Tolliver. She owns the tumbledown house you visited yesterday.”
“ Does she, now?” This pleased Mum. “You’d think she’d tidy it up a bit. It’s an absolute pig sty.”
Customers continued to flood into the pub, locals and tourists alike. The atmosphere was festive. I had several enjoyable chats—with Aber, Ziryan, Karina the hairdresser—but I always knew exactly where Joey was. If the hairs at the nape of my neck lifted, he was within touching distance. At some stage, a sudden drop in my adrenaline let me know he’d left—he must have gone out to see Colm.
Meanwhile, no one else seemed in any hurry to leave. The atmosphere wasn’t unlike that of a house party. Bowls of chips appeared on the table; Mum fished a deck of cards from her bag. Somehow I got embroiled in a long-running game of Uno with Francesca, Luke, Aber and Peadar Brady, which Aber ultimately won.
It was only when Margaret declared, “It’s ten to five!” that we noticed the afternoon had disappeared on us.
“Luke and I haven’t gone to the fairground yet,” Rachel said. Hurriedly we were gathering our stuff and saying our goodbyes.
“I’ll text Armstrong, see if he wants to come?” Luke said. Less than a minute later, his phone beeped. “Nope. Not back yet. He’ll message when he is.”
After a couple of hours messing around on bumper cars and losing about fifty euro on the money falls, despite Mum’s foolproof method, it was time for dinner. Claire gave in and let us go to the not-poxy pizza place on Main Street.
By then it was twenty to nine. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Claire said, “but I need an early night.” This was met with widespread agreement. We returned to the Broderick.
In the lobby, Luke said, “Hold up. Lemme just get Armstrong. We’re leaving first thing, so we’ll say our goodbyes now?” He pressed buttons on his phone.
A short time later, Joey jogged down the stairs, looking animated and agile. God, this was difficult. He moved among us, giving everyone an individual farewell, leaving me until last.
“I’ve something for you,” he said.
“Joey.” I was stern. “Haven’t we spoken about this?”
He couldn’t stop a smile. “I’m sending you a number.”
“Whose?”
He got out his phone and pressed something. “Jacqui’s.”
I felt the blood drain from my head.
“We were talking earlier today,” he said. “I mentioned that you and I were working together. She asked how you were. I said she should ask you herself. So she told me to send you her number. Said she’d ‘love’—that’s the word she used, Anna: ‘love’—to hear from you.”
“What else did she say?” My voice was faint.
“Just that really. But it sounds promising?”
Mute, I stared at him. Does she still hate me? What if it’s a disaster? But what if it’s amazing?
Watching my face, Joey said, “Just meet her. See how it goes.”
Okay. “Thanks.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
As consolation prizes go, this was a good one.
“Well,” I said, “I guess this is goodbye. Again.”
“It’s not goodbye, you big eejit.” He opened his arms. “Bring it in.”
Seriously? Press myself against the hard length of his body? Smell the skin of his neck? Touch his silky hair with my fingertips. Not a chance .
Safely back in my room, before I lost my nerve I texted Jacqui.
Immediately she replied. You want to meet? Where you based? I’m in Banagher, Offaly. You want to come to me? Or me to you?
It was important to sustain momentum. My fingers trembling, I typed, I’ll come to you. I’m free from tomorrow. Indefinitely, like.
Her reply came within seconds. Wednesday. Come for lunch. I’ll have house to myself.
I swallowed hard. This was great. Absolutely amazing.
Except…lies of omission about Joey had caused our big bust-up back in the day. If we were going to rebuild our friendship, there could be no more secrets.
Much as I wanted to, I couldn’t get round this—I’d have to tell her what I did to Joey.