Chapter 74
74
“Spaghetti bolognese,” Zeke said to Emilien.
“No,” Joey said. “Sorry, Emilien, he doesn’t want it—”
“I doooooo .”
“—he just likes saying it because they’re big words. Pasta with butter will do him.”
Beside me Max spoke quietly. “I need to tell you something.”
“Lovely. Off you go.”
“I know you can’t read minds but I won’t tell Isaac or Zeke. Why spoil the magic?”
It was so hard to muffle my explosion of laughter that my eyes watered. “That’s kind, Max.” When I could speak properly I said, “You seem very mature.”
“I’ve had to grow up fast.” He was solemn. “Because I’ve two younger brothers. But Dad gets to hang out with me. Recently…” He decided to try the word again. “Recently there, we went to Wicked , just the two of us. Zeke would have cried. He’s afraid of witches.”
“And Isaac?” I watched Isaac, who was halfway across the lounge, laughing scornfully at Merv.
“He acts like nothing scares him,” Max said, “but Dad says he’s just better at hiding it. Dad told you our names, didn’t he?”
“Yep.”
“We’re sleeping here tonight even though we don’t have pajamas! There’s bunk beds. It was the only room left in the whole hotel, how lucky was that! We’re getting ironing boards stuck to the ladders to stop Isaac and Zeke climbing up because they’d fall out.”
“ And crack our skulls ,” Isaac called.
“Ironing boards?” I asked.
“Lyudmila’s suggestion,” Joey said. “Duct-taped to the ladders so the smallies can’t climb up.”
“I bet I could,” Isaac said.
“I bet you could too,” Joey replied. “But please don’t.”
“Okay, Dad.”
Isaac took up residence at an empty table, where he sat smirking across at us. Joey met his cheeky challenge with a not-bothered face. Quietly, Max and Zeke slid from their seats and went to their brother.
Joey shifted his body towards me. “Anna, I’m sorry.” He spoke very quickly. “We’d only got to Trea’s when Brigit rang. We left straight away, but by the time we got here the boys had been in the car for five nearly unbroken hours. They needed to let off steam. I tried keeping them at the house but Isaac…” He sighed. “He ran off to the barn. I had to come after him.”
“Joey. I have not one clue what you’re talking about.”
“Torres? Picking him up from Galway station?” He seemed to think I knew all about it.
“ You got him here?”
“Yeah. Brigit was freaking out, wondering who she could send. Everyone here was needed, she said. But she knew I was due in Banagher today. It’s only an hour from Galway station, so the boys and I set off on a rescue mission.”
I was dumbfounded.
“We should have left as soon as we got here—”
But how could he, with three kids in tow?
“When the speeches ended I got hold of Isaac but Zeke needed the bathroom. So we, ah, hung out in there, playing with the hand dryer, until I thought you’d have left.”
“You didn’t have to hide.”
“We agreed to be no-contact. I’ve tried to respect it.”
An oppressive silence ensued. Then he blurted, “But…I think about you, Anna. A lot. I’m sorry. Thing is, even before today, I was wondering if I could message you? To see if we could talk?”
“Pasta with butter!” Emilien announced, bearing plates. “Two pepperoni pizzas!”
“Over here, garkon!” yelled Isaac from the other table.
Joey fixed Isaac with a look. “Absolutely. Not.” Whatever they heard in his tone had all three of his sons suddenly very serious, returning to the table.
“Sorry for being cheeky,” Isaac told Emilien.
“No bother.” Emilien slung their meals in front of them.
Joey spoke quietly to Isaac. “Good boy.”
“That’s me!” Isaac threw him a smile.
As the kids settled themselves, Joey asked, “Everyone good?”
“Yep.”
Isaac fed a triangle of pizza, pointed side first, into his tipped-back head. “I’m a sword-swallower,” he gurgled.
“I want to do it,” Zeke said.
Isaac gave him a slice, then they were both at it, while Max looked disdainful.
“Don’t choke,” Joey said. “That’s all I ask.”
Instantly Isaac grabbed his throat and began coughing dramatically. “I’m choking!”
“Me too,” said Zeke.
“Queenie and Ree are coming into town to hang out with the boys for a while,” Joey said to me. “Could we—you and I—get a drink? Have a catch-up?”
Oh no, I was losing control of the situation. Having pizza with his sons was foolhardy enough but just the two of us going for drinks?
“Please,” he asked.
Briefly we were locked in a gaze, then I looked away.
But I hadn’t said no.
After the three flavors of ice cream, the boys insisted on showing me their room, which had a double bed and two sets of bunk beds shoehorned in. There really were ironing boards duct-taped to the ladders.
“It’s cozy.” Max nodded. “Like in Granny Linda’s. We sleep in Dad and Uncle Keith’s old room. I go in the same bed as Zeke, but I’m upside down. Dad does the same with Isaac. No one wants to share with Isaac because he sticks his smelly feet in your face.” Extravagantly, he tutted.
So Joey’s mum was in his life again? That had to be good.
Joey’s phone beeped. “Queenie and Ree are in the lobby. Let’s go.”
Downstairs, from the detailed instructions Joey gave the two teenagers, I realized they weren’t “hanging out” with the boys but babysitting them.
“I’ll be up in an hour or so,” Joey told the trio.
“Nice to have met you,” Max told me. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Really?” That sounded unlikely.
“No. But it’s polite?”
“Of course.” I couldn’t help smiling.
“I’m an old head on young shoulders, Mum says.”
“Tomorrow”—Isaac pointed a finger my way—“we want to see where you live.”
“Isaac!” Joey was mortified.
“Sorry,” I said, “I start work very early tomorrow.” Checking all the guests out of the Broderick, making sure their transportation had arrived, etc.
“That’s okay.” Isaac flashed a grin. “I wake up super-early. Then I wake everyone else.”
“Isaac!” Once again, Joey was embarrassed. “You can’t invite yourself to a person’s house. You must wait to be asked.”
Isaac fixed me with such an over-sweet expression that I said, “If you’re still here when I finish, you can come over.”
“Whoop!” He punched the air and leapt several inches.
Impossible to know if he really was delighted or just being a little brat but my money was on the latter.