The cocktail list was impressive and Anna and Jill decided to try one too. ‘Plenty of alcohol in mine,’ Jill warned the waiter.
‘Yes, madam.’ He smiled and left.
Jill stared after him. ‘Madam? God, do I look old enough to be a madam?’ She leaned forward to examine her reflection in the glass table. ‘That new cream isn’t working. Look at all the lines around my mouth.’
‘They’re scratches on the table,’ Anna told her. ‘And you look gorgeous as always.’
Jill was wearing a very sexy wrap top that emphasized her cleavage, and a short tight black skirt that showed off her wonderful legs.
‘I need a lot more than face cream,’ Rachel complained. ‘I’m the youngest and I look the oldest.’ Anna, three years her senior, was looking impossibly young and beautiful in powder-blue cotton cut-offs and a tiny strappy top that revealed her toned, tanned midriff.
‘Of course you don’t.’ Anna waved an impatient hand at her sister.
‘It’s true,’ Rachel insisted. ‘I’ve let myself go. I’m sure Gary thinks so.’
Jill and Anna exchanged glances. ‘Why do you say that?’ Anna asked.
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Rachel shrugged, relieved that the waiter chose that moment to deliver their elaborate cocktails. She took a sip of her drink and smiled in delight. ‘This is gorgeous!’
‘Mine’s lovely too,’ Jill agreed, allowing Rachel to dismiss the comment, but she knew it hadn’t been an idle one. She saw Anna open her mouth to question her sister and shot her a warning look.
‘So when are you going to tell him?’ Anna said instead.
Rachel spiked a piece of strawberry with her cocktail stick. ‘Tell him what?’
‘You know what.’
Rachel abandoned the strawberry and sat back in her seat. ‘Probably tonight.’
‘Really? That’s great!’
‘He’ll be very happy, Rachel,’ Jill added.
‘Yes, of course he will.’ Anna’s smile was encouraging.
‘I know.’ Rachel forced a smile and then excused herself to go in search of the loo.
‘Do you think she’s okay?’ Anna asked Jill when they were alone.
‘Yeah, but I don’t think she’d planned on having another child, at least not yet.’
‘I don’t understand that. It’s not as if she has anything else to do. Now that Alex is at school you’d think she’d be delighted. I mean, what does she do all day?’
Jill shook her head, laughing. ‘Oh, please don’t say that to her.’
‘Of course I won’t. I’m not completely insensitive, you know! But I’d go nuts at home all day on my own. It seems so, so . . .’ Anna searched for the right word ‘. . . boring. She certainly doesn’t look like she’s enjoying herself, does she?’
‘Shush, she’s coming,’ Jill hissed and smiled broadly as Rachel returned. ‘So, girls, how about a dance?’
As the evening wore on, Rachel relaxed a little although it didn’t stop her sister irritating the hell out of her. As usual, after just a couple of cocktails, Anna was tipsy, giggly and bumping into everyone. But with a toss of her pretty head and a wide smile she’d sing ‘Sorry!’ and receive the inevitable indulgent smile and a ‘That’s okay.’ Anna could do no wrong.
Jill bopped her heart out with her two cousins, sang along to all the lyrics and watched Rachel watch Anna. Her envy was understandable, she supposed. Anna could get away with anything simply because it was clear that all she was doing was having fun. Rachel looked so like her, but her grim face and distant manner meant she was nowhere near as attractive as her sister. What, Jill wondered, would it take to put the smile back on to her face?
Anna sat back in the taxi and closed her eyes. She was feeling pleasantly woozy from the cocktails and footsore from dancing in her high shoes but it had been a good night, much better than she’d been expecting. While Rachel hadn’t exactly let herself go, they’d had a few laughs and relations had definitely improved. And when Anna got out of the taxi to say goodbye to her sister, Rachel hadn’t even pulled away when, on impulse, Anna had hugged her. Maybe a few more nights out was exactly what they needed.
Rachel definitely needed to loosen up. She had been spot on when she’d said she looked older than her sister and cousin. Her solemn manner and clothes made her look closer to forty than thirty. Anna had seen her in the same clothes on several occasions and those black trousers were positively shiny at this stage. Rachel could well afford to buy clothes but she just didn’t seem interested.
Anna remembered the wonderful Saturday shopping sprees the three girls used to enjoy before Rachel got married. They rarely came home without a new outfit. But Rachel had stopped meeting them after she married Gary. In fact, everything had really changed once Gary came along.
Rachel had been dating a mad, charismatic, slightly unpredictable guy before she met her husband. Bridie was a bit concerned about the relationship because Eric didn’t seem the most reliable sort of boyfriend, but he was a lovable rogue and even she couldn’t resist him for long. When he decided to throw in his job and move to the States, Bridie and Shay were terrified that their twenty-year-old youngest daughter would go with him. But they didn’t have to worry about that because it soon became clear that Rachel didn’t figure in Eric’s plan.
Rachel was devastated. Anna and Jill did their best to cheer her up but nothing worked. They were all amazed and delighted a couple of months later when Rachel announced she’d met someone and was going on a date. Gary Hanlon was not what they were expecting. He was as different from Eric as it was possible to be. Older than Rachel by three years, Gary was serious, conservative and very ambitious. When he proposed just six months after they met and Rachel accepted, her family were stunned. But she seemed happy so they wished her well and it all seemed to have worked out for the best.
When Alex came along a year after the wedding, he had adoring, delighted grandparents in Bridie and Shay and a thrilled Aunty Anna, only too eager to babysit. Life went on, but Rachel had assumed a new role and didn’t have the same time or interest for shopping or girly nights out. Anna and Jill had continued their weekly shopping expeditions for a while but the junkets had petered out a couple of years ago when Jill moved in with one of her boyfriends who liked to spend Saturdays in bed. It hadn’t bothered Anna too much. She’d continued to shop, sometimes dragging her mum along too but now even she was gone.
‘Right, love, where will I drop you?’
With a start, Anna realized that the taxi had just turned into her road. ‘Number five, the one on the right with the white wall.’ After paying the man, Anna climbed out and started to rummage in her bag for her key. When she got inside, she stepped out of her sandals, fetched a large glass of water and tiptoed, slightly unsteadily, up the stairs. As usual, Liam was on his back, arms outstretched, snoring softly. Anna slipped out of her clothes, leaving them in an untidy heap on the floor, and climbed in beside him. To hell with her make-up and teeth, one night wouldn’t kill her. She snuggled up against him and kissed his chest.
‘Good time?’ Liam murmured, kissing her hair.
‘Yeah, not bad.’
‘Good.’ Liam pulled her closer and promptly went back to sleep.
Rachel tucked the covers in around her son, kissed his forehead and then went into her own room. Gary was a silent heap on his side of the bed. Tiptoeing into the en-suite, she carefully removed her make-up, brushed her teeth and changed into her pyjamas. She climbed into bed, switched off the lamp and settled down beside her husband. It hadn’t been too bad a night, much better than she’d anticipated, although she’d felt a bit out of place in that trendy club that Anna and Jill had seemed so relaxed in.
When had they got so sophisticated? When had they left her behind? It was the same when she went out to any of Gary’s business functions, she always felt like the odd one out. It was easier to let him go out alone and she often used Alex as an excuse to stay at home. Gary used to get annoyed when she made her ex
cuses but now he took it in his stride and almost seemed to expect it. If he did have the odd fling it was probably all her own fault. Maybe a new baby was exactly what they needed to get them back on track. It would bring them closer together and maybe Gary would spend a bit more time at home.
‘Gary?’ Rachel put a tentative hand out to her husband but with a groan he moved further away and buried his head under the covers. With a sigh, she rolled over on her side and closed her eyes. She could always tell him in the morning.
Jill was relieved that the evening was at an end and she could sink into her big soft bed. It was nice when Andy stayed over, but some nights it was even nicer to stretch out and relax and not have to worry about how you looked or if your breath smelled! This was definitely one of those nights. The stressful day, energetic dancing and too many cocktails had exhausted her. Setting her alarm, Jill switched off the light and put on her eyeshade. Time to get some sleep. She needed all her wits about her these days with Vinny Gray snapping at her heels.
Chapter 8
Anna glanced impatiently at her watch and then up and down the road. The Gardiners were supposed to have met her here at four and now it was twenty past. Liam was expecting her to meet him in the pub at five but there was no way she’d make it on time now. She pulled out her mobile and phoned Val.
‘Donnelly’s Real Estate, Val speaking, can I help you?’
‘Val, it’s me. Have you heard anything from Mick and Sara Gardiner?’
‘Not a dicky bird.’
‘Have you a mobile number for them?’
‘Hang on, let me check. Er, no, just a home and work number.’
‘Will you try them and call me back?’
‘Of course.’
Val rang off and Anna paced the narrow hallway. She was back in the doorway looking up and down the road again when Val called back. ‘They’re not coming, I’m afraid. It seems they forgot all about it.’
‘Oh, for God’s sake!’
‘I know, love, it’s very annoying. You get yourself on home and have a nice cup of tea.’
‘Okay, thanks, Val. Have a good weekend.’
Anna set the alarm, locked up the house and went out to her car. At least she wasn’t going to be late now. Liam had asked her to join him and the gang from work because he thought it was important to socialize with them.
‘I’m going to be their boss soon,’ he’d told her, ‘and I want them to know that they can always talk to me if there’s a problem.’
Anna didn’t think Liam’s colleagues would ever have a problem talking. They were a feisty, outspoken bunch and most of them had been working for Patterson’s since they left school. Anna often wondered what the older men thought of Liam’s meteoric rise within the company. After all, he was only thirty-three and had been in nappies when some of the others had started work.
After she’d found a spot in the car park outside the Swiss Cottage, Anna ran her fingers through her long hair and touched up her make-up. As the future boss’s wife she had to look the part, after all. Smiling at the thought, Anna went into the lounge and pushed her way through the Friday crowd towards the corner where the Patterson staff usually sat.
‘Anna! Over here!’ Sarah, Liam’s secretary, waved at her and gave the man beside her a dig in the ribs. ‘Move up, Greg and let Anna sit down.’
Liam stood up and gave her a quick hug. ‘Hi, sweetheart, what would you like to drink?’
‘White wine, please. Hi, everybody.’
‘Howaya, gorgeous?’ Greg Dunne, the Purchasing Manager, winked at her.
Ciara, the nineteen-year-old receptionist, grunted something and then fluttered her eyelashes at Liam. ‘I’d love another Bacardi Breezer.’
Sarah rolled her eyes at Anna. ‘What’s she like?’
Anna laughed and squeezed in beside her. ‘How’s it going?’
‘Grand. Your timing is brilliant. Patterson and Frank just left.’
‘Yeah, it was like a bloody morgue,’ Greg told her.
‘Oh, yeah?’ Anna thought it best not to join in the slagging. After all, Liam was going to be ‘one of them’ soon. Looking at him standing at the bar joking with Phil Johnson, the Accountant, she thought he’d probably miss being one of the lads. While he was the most senior manager here, because of his age and relaxed attitude he’d always been accepted as one of the gang. Anna wondered if he realized that this would all change. It wouldn’t be long before it was him that they’d be moaning about, but then that was the price of success.
‘Miserable old sod only bought one round,’ Sarah was saying. ‘No wonder he’s rolling in it.’
‘Hi, Anna, how’s it going?’ Phil brought over her drink and then took the seat across from her.
‘Great, Phil – you?’ Anna smiled at him. Phil Johnson was one of the nicest guys she’d ever met and she couldn’t understand why, at nearly forty, he was still single.
‘Probably gay,’ Sarah had said when she’d mentioned it to her one time. ‘I mean, look at how well he dresses.’
‘No chance,’ Liam had scoffed when she’d told him what Sarah had said. ‘Phil’s as straight as I am.’
As Anna sat listening to Phil she couldn’t help wondering. He had such gorgeous brown twinkly eyes, shiny black wavy hair and he was in great shape – tall and not even a hint of a paunch. ‘So, are you doing anything nice this weekend?’ she asked him.
‘Yeah, I’m heading off to Wexford in the morning.’
‘Oh?’ Anna’s ears pricked up. ‘Have you family down there?’ she asked as Liam came back from the bar and sat down.
‘No.’ Phil smiled easily but offered no further information.
‘So it’s a holiday?’ Anna probed.
‘Anna!’ Liam muttered.
‘Yeah, I suppose.’ Phil drained his glass and stood up. ‘Gotta go, guys. Have a good weekend.’
Liam shook his head. ‘Well done, Anna. Are you planning to interrogate everyone?’
‘I was just making conversation,’ Anna said innocently.
‘You’re wasting your time,’ Sarah told her. ‘We’ve all had a go at Phil but he plays his hand very close to his chest.’
‘I haven’t had a go,’ Eddie from the Finishing Department protested. ‘He’s not my type!’
‘Will you all leave the man alone,’ Liam told them.
Sarah frowned. ‘You’re very protective there, Liam. You and Phil aren’t at it, are you?’
‘Ah, now, please!’ Anna protested, laughing.
‘Okay, okay, I admit it.’ Liam held up his hands and received a thump from his wife.
Eddie leered at Anna. ‘If you need a shoulder to cry on, darling, I’m your man.’
‘Thanks, Eddie, I’ll remember that.’
‘No one’s that desperate,’ Ciara told him.
‘I’ll have you know I’m very popular with the ladies,’ Eddie retorted.
‘They must be the ones with bus passes,’ Ciara shot back.
‘Or guide dogs.’ Liam winked at her.
The girl smiled back at him and Sarah nudged Anna. ‘You’d better watch her,’ she murmured. ‘She’s got the hots for your hubby.’
Anna giggled. ‘God love her, she’d need to dance naked on the table in front of him before Liam would get the message.’
‘And don’t think she’s not capable of it,’ Sarah muttered.
Liam caught Anna’s eye as she finished her drink. ‘We’d better head.’
Ciara pouted. ‘But it’s early.’
‘And I’m starving. I booked a table in Silk’s, is that okay?’ he asked Anna.
She smiled. ‘Perfect.’
‘Have a nice evening, you two,’ Sarah told them.
‘Don’t forget my offer, Anna,’ Eddie winked at her.
‘You behave yourself or you’ll be making the tea on Monday,’ Liam warned him.
‘Bye, everyone.’ Anna followed Liam outside, blinking in the sunlight after the gloomy pub. ‘Crikey, you have a real admirer in Ciara, don�
��t you? She fancies you like mad.’
Liam laughed. ‘She’s like that with everyone. Now, why don’t we go to the house first and drop your car?’
‘Great, I’ll follow you.’ Anna slid behind the wheel and waited while Liam walked over to his Peugeot.
‘We shouldn’t be here,’ Anna remarked when they were sitting in the Chinese restaurant tucking into spare ribs.
‘Why not?’
‘We’re supposed to be tightening our belts, remember? Saving our money. Getting ready for Baby.’
‘We’re not going to sit in every night either.’
Anna looked relieved. ‘I’m so glad you said that. I think I’d crack up if we did. I mean, we’re going to have to live a much quieter life anyway when we have a baby.’
‘Why?’ Liam looked puzzled.
‘Well, for a start we’ll be too tired to go out all the time. I remember how exhausted Rachel was when Alex was small.’
‘I think your sister exaggerates just a bit. I mean, for God’s sake, it’s only a baby. All they do is sleep, eat and—’
‘Yes, why don’t you stop right there.’ Anna dabbed her lips with her napkin. ‘Seriously though, life isn’t going to be the same, Liam, don’t kid yourself about that.’
‘Kid myself, ha-ha, very funny.’
Anna made a face. ‘It’s true.’
‘Are you having a change of heart?’ he asked, eyebrows raised.
‘No! Of course not!’
‘Good, ’cos I’m kind of getting used to the idea.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, but I want you to be sure about it, Anna, before you give everything up.’
Anna looked startled. ‘But I’m not going to give everything up.’
‘Oh?’ Liam topped up their wine glasses. ‘I thought you’d want to stay home with the baby.’
‘God, no! Well yes,’ she amended, ‘but not for ever. I thought I could work a three-day week or something to keep my hand in, and then when the child is older, I could go back full-time.’
Liam smiled. ‘You love that job, don’t you?’
‘Yeah,’ she admitted. ‘I’d miss it if I had to give it up completely.’
Changing Places Page 7