Chapter 13 #2
‘Believe me, you do not want to know.’ I held up my hand.
‘OK,’ he said, backing away slowly. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’
He headed off towards the toilet and Mum and the girls burst out laughing.
‘I’m not even going to ask,’ said Noah, sitting down next to me.
‘Best not to.’
‘I already know it’s got something to do with you, Mrs A.’
Mum gave him a wicked smile. ‘Of course; it’s where Lucy gets it from.’
‘Oh, I bet Lucy’s got a bottom drawer full of toys too.’ Caz cackled again.
Noah tilted his head. ‘Oh, that’s what we’re talking about? Rabbits and all that.’
I elbowed Noah to stop, worried Amy might go into labour with the amount her body was shaking with laughter.
‘What’s so funny?’ asked Bertrand. He slipped in next to Caz, his arm around her within seconds.
‘We were just talking about rabbits,’ said Mum, her face deadpan.
‘Rabbits? That you eat or you pet.’
The others started to howl and poor Bertrand wore a blank expression, wondering what he’d said.
‘This is all your fault.’ I pointed at Noah.
‘Excuse me. You lot were talking about it before I even sat down. I can’t help that’s what you all talk about when we’re not around.’
‘You’re loving this.’
He grinned, the dimple in his cheek appearing.
‘So, Noah,’ said Mum as the conversation started to fracture as everyone came back to the table and people got swallowed into smaller conversations, ‘how’s your mum?’
‘She’s good, thanks. But I have to say, she would kill me if she knew you were here. She’d be so jealous.’
‘She should have come,’ I said, thinking of Sandra and her warm hugs.
‘Oh, that would have been nice. Two oldies together.’
‘Yeah, no. As much as I love my mum. You know she’d have been giving us lectures along the way. Don’t be drinking that Irish coffee after three p.m., the caffeine will keep you up.’
‘Oh, blimey, she’s right though.’ Mum stared into her cup. ‘I hadn’t even thought of that.’
‘Which is why you’re here and not her.’ Noah’s nose wrinkled a little. ‘And she certainly wouldn’t be discussing any type of rabbits.’
I nudged him again. We might be twenty-eight now, but he was still eighteen at heart.
Mum rubbed under her eyes. ‘I need a drop more cream. Anyone else?’
When we all shook our heads, she headed up towards the bar.
I rolled up my sleeves, trying to cool myself down. A warming Irish coffee had seemed a good idea when we were outside in the freezing cold, but now we were in a pub belting out the heat, I wished I’d gone for a Bailey’s with lots of ice.
‘You’re wearing the bracelet.’ Noah reached for my four-leaf clover charm. My skin prickled at his touch.
‘I am. It seemed fitting, coming to Dublin.’
He let go and smiled at me.
‘It still looks alright, considering I bought it at some market in Sydney.’
‘No expense spared.’
He winked. ‘You know me.’ He took a gulp of his coffee and almost spat it out. ‘I forgot this had whiskey in it; for a minute I was going to pound it like my morning coffee.’
‘This is definitely one to sip.’
‘Yeah, it’s good though. I feel my cockles warming.’
‘What even are cockles?’
Noah wrinkled up his nose. ‘I don’t know. It sounds like it should be your toes.’
‘It means your heart,’ said Mum, butting in. I hadn’t realised she’d sat back down. She shot me a look I couldn’t decipher. ‘It’s from the Latin word for the heartstrings – don’t be asking me what the word is – but that’s why you say warm the cockles of my heart.’
‘Huh,’ said Noah. ‘Every day is a school day.’
‘That’s why you bring your mum,’ I said.
Mum smiled.
‘There you all are.’ I looked up to see Mags standing over the other side of the table.
‘Ah, you made it,’ said Amy. Mags leaned over and gave her a hug.
‘You made good time,’ said Noah. ‘If I’d have known you’d be that quick, I’d have ordered you a drink.’
‘I know, I got the taxi to come straight here when I got your text. Figured I could drop off my stuff later.’
She started to make her way round the table, giving everyone hugs.
‘I’ll go get a drink.’
‘Stay, I’ll get it,’ said Noah. He slid out from the table and gave her a quick kiss as he passed.
‘You know, you need to pay attention to who it is that warms the cockles of your heart,’ whispered Mum.
I turned to look at her.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I think you know.’
She looked over at Noah propping up the bar.
‘Mum,’ I started before I shook my head. ‘Friends can warm cockles too.’
I kept my voice low. Not that anyone else at the table was listening.
It was true, that once upon a time I’d had feelings for Noah. But it was at times like this that I was glad that I’d never acted on them, or else we might not all have been sitting here now.
‘I think there’s more of that hopeless romantic left in you than you thought,’ I said, finishing off my coffee and not even flinching at the strong taste. ‘But you’re barking up the wrong tree.’
Noah looked over like he knew he was being talked about. I smiled, and he smiled back.
When I turned back to Mum she was giving me that knowing mum expression.
‘Perhaps there’s more of a hopeless romantic in all of us that we try not to let out … ’
My fingers instinctively rubbed over the charm. I used to do that so often for luck, but I hadn’t needed to do it in a long time.