‘By me?’ she asked. ‘That’s not possible.’
‘Doesn’t matter. They’ll have a go anyway. There’s always something they can pursue.’
‘Pete Caruso wanted me to study law,’ she remarked. ‘I’m so glad I didn’t. It’s a battlefield. And relatively speaking this is a small thing, isn’t it?’
‘Small in one sense but big for the people involved,’ said Ryan. ‘Which is something we always try to remember.’
‘Is it?’
‘Yes.’ His voice softened some more. ‘Yes, it is.’
‘That’s good to know.’
‘What time’s your flight?’ he asked.
‘Three o’clock,’ she replied.
‘Well, look, have a good one. I’ll be in touch as soon as there’s any news.’
‘Sure.’
She ended the call. It would probably be ages before she heard from him again.
She didn’t stay in the Harbour Hotel this time, but booked into the Clarion, which was located in the grounds of the airport itself. From there she took a bus into the city centre and acted like a tourist, visiting Christ Church Cathedral (so that she could tell her mom she’d given a few moments of her time to God), then Dublin Castle and Trinity College before buying herself an authentic Aran jumper in Dawson Street. The jumper would be useful, she thought, in the chillier days that were beginning to roll in. And it would be a reminder of her tenuous roots here. She didn’t know when or if she’d be back. She supposed she’d have to return sometime in the future for the legal action, if it got that far. But that would certainly be a long way off.
She wore the jumper the following day because the weather had turned cold and grey. She liked the feel of the rough wool against her bare arms and the way the jumper seemed to insulate her from the chill breeze. It felt good to be protected.
She got off the courtesy bus from the hotel and pulled her case into the terminal building. She’d already checked in online and so she only had to make her way to the departure gates. She was standing on the escalator when she heard her name being called. She looked around in surprise to see Ryan Gilligan a few steps behind her.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked when he joined her on the upper level.
‘I came to say goodbye, of course.’
‘I didn’t think you wanted to see me again,’ she said. ‘I thought you were sore at me for not telling you about my mom.’
‘Ah, now, don’t be like that.’ His voice was gently teasing. ‘My pride was hurt because you hadn’t trusted me, but I’m over that now. I had to come and say goodbye. But I nearly didn’t recognise you, and you all done up like an Irish cailín.’
‘An Irish what?’
‘Don’t you know anything about your roots?’ he demanded, though his eyes were twinkling. ‘A cailín. A young girl.’ He tapped the Aran jumper. ‘Anyone would think you’d been born and raised here.’
She laughed. ‘I haven’t seen any Irish person wearing one of these jumpers yet. But they’re cute. And warm.’
‘There’s a bit of a myth that the patterns are individual family designs,’ Ryan told her. ‘So that if the wearer – originally fishermen – was drowned and his body washed up, he could be identified by the pattern.’
‘Ugh!’ She looked horrified.
‘It’s only a story,’ he assured her. ‘The designs are probably done by computer or something. But yours is a genuine home knit, isn’t it?’
‘I hope so,’ she said. ‘That’s what they said in the shop.’
‘You can wear it the next time you go to Alcatraz,’ said Ryan. ‘When it’s properly misty and cold like they warn you.’
‘Good idea.’
They stood in silence for a moment, then Ryan asked if she’d like a coffee before she went through the departure gates.
‘I’d love one,’ she replied.
When they were seated in the café, he asked her about her trip to Spain and what Suzanne’s view of the will was. Abbey said that Suzanne could do with lots of money but that she seemed to be fatalistic about whatever would happen.
‘She’s like my mom in a lot of ways,’ she finished.
Ryan raised an eyebrow quizzically.
‘She is!’ said Abbey.
‘But she’s quite glam, isn’t she, and I can’t see a nun being glam,’ Ryan protested.
‘I’m talking about her personality not her looks!’ Abbey laughed, and Ryan grinned at her.
‘D’you think she’s friendlier than her brothers?’
‘Less hostile, but who knows what that means.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m sure she’d be glad if she ended up with more of the estate, however that might happen. The extra money would come in useful for her.’
‘Fred Fitzpatrick’s legacy would be useful to you too, wouldn’t it?’
‘Yes. It would.’
‘You’re entitled to it,’ he said. ‘Despite everything they might tell you.’
‘Alex made that perfectly clear.’
‘Legal battles can be demanding,’ Ryan said. ‘Don’t let them stress you out.’
‘Is that you remembering that every one of your clients is a person?’ She smiled at him.
‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s me being concerned for you. Like I said, battles can be stressful. Battles with money are the most stressful of all.’
‘Maybe I should just join Mom in the monastery,’ remarked Abbey. ‘Then money would be irrelevant to me.’
‘Ah no, don’t do that.’ Ryan looked at her in mock horror. ‘You’d be totally wasted in a monastery, Abbey Andersen.’
She couldn’t help smiling. ‘You think?’
‘Without a doubt.’
She stood up. ‘I’d better go. Last thing I want is to miss my flight.’
Ryan waited while she gathered her things together.
‘So, did you enjoy your time here?’ he asked.
‘Enjoy might be pushing it.’ She grimaced. ‘It was certainly interesting.’
‘Well, look, we’ll keep in touch about the will, and hopefully I’ll see you again soon.’
He was a nice guy and she didn’t mind the idea of seeing him again too. But right now all she wanted was to go home and leave Ireland behind.
‘It was good meeting you,’ he said.
‘You too.’
They looked awkwardly at each other. Then he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. She was startled by the sudden closeness of him, the scent of his body spray and the feeling of his mouth on hers.
‘It’s an Irish goodbye,’ he told her.
‘It is?’ Her heart was racing.
‘My Irish goodbye at any rate,’ he said.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘For everything.’
‘See you again, Abbey Andersen.’
‘Sure,’ she said.
Although, she thought as she breathed slowly to calm her heart, maybe it would be better if she didn’t.
The moment she stepped off the plane at San Francisco, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She hadn’t realised how tense the whole situation with the Fitzpatrick family had made her feel, and even the slightly less strained time she’d spent with Suzanne in Girona hadn’t been entirely relaxing. When she walked into the arrivals hall and saw Pete waiting for her, she nearly cried with relief.
‘Hiya, honey.’ He wrapped her in a bear hug and then led her towards the car park. ‘Welcome back to the good ol’ US of A. How’re you doing?’
‘Exhausted,’ she admitted. ‘Though I think that’s more from waiting for something horrible to happen rather than the jet lag.’
‘Don’t you worry, you’re home now and we’ll look after you.’
With every mile they drove, Abbey felt herself unwind more and more. Eventually Pete swung his 4x4 into the garage at Bella Vista Heights.
‘You’re staying here tonight,’ he told her when she mentioned this. ‘No question.’
She didn’t argue. There was nowhere else for her to go.
‘You’re the best,’ said Abbey.
‘Thank you.’ Claudia turned to Pete. ‘Would you bring Abbey’s case upstairs, honey? She has fifteen minutes to freshen up before we eat.’
Claudia was always precise in her timekeeping. Abbey was sure that Pete’s wife had been watching the flight arrival time on the internet so that she could have the food ready almost as soon as they walked in the door. In reality, she would have loved to go straight to bed, but she couldn’t ignore Claudia’s hospitality. Besides, she was trespassing in her home again. She was definitely going to have to get her life into some kind of order, she thought. And soon.
When she came downstairs, Claudia and Pete as well as the children, Grady and Joely, were already sitting at the table waiting for her. Pete kept the conversation light and focused on the touristy things that Abbey had done until the two children had excused themselves and gone into the playroom to watch TV. Then he quizzed her in detail about the events of the past couple of weeks.
‘Did they seem like family to you?’ asked Claudia.
Was that a note of hope in her voice? wondered Abbey. A hope that perhaps she’d found some relatives of her own so that she didn’t keep gatecrashing Claudia’s home and family? She couldn’t blame Claudia for thinking like that. It probably drove her nuts that Pete still cared for Abbey as though she were his daughter. Her own father, Jon, hadn’t had any close family. She’d sometimes talked to Ellen about the Andersens when they were travelling together, but Jon’s parents had divorced when they were younger and his father had moved to Tampa with his new wife. Jon hadn’t kept in touch with his mother, who’d died shortly after he’d started med school. Abbey hadn’t wanted to hear much more about her father’s family after that, thinking that they’d all died young, and scared that they’d passed the gene on to her. (She knew that she was being irrational, especially as her father’s death had been an accident, but she’d only been a kid at the time.) She suddenly thought of Fred Fitzpatrick, and wondered if she’d inherited his long-life gene as well as the supposed Fitzpatrick toughness.
‘Abbey?’
She realised that she hadn’t answered Claudia.
‘Abbey’s tired,’ said Pete.
‘No, no, I’m fine now,’ she said. ‘I’ve got my second wind after the food, thanks to Claudia.’ She sat back in her chair. ‘They were a weird bunch,’ she said in answer to the other woman’s question. ‘They didn’t seem to like each other very much.’
‘I suppose if the old man had made different bequests at different times it would cause some friction,’ observed Claudia, who’d been filled in on the situation by Pete.
‘Yes, but there was something else,’ said Abbey. ‘A feeling that they were all in competition with each other.’
‘That happens in families,’ said Pete.
‘And with me now as well, obviously,’ said Abbey. ‘And Mom too. Even though the brothers made it perfectly clear that they want nothing to do with us outside of the current situation. But until it’s resolved, I guess we’re fighting. Mom won’t like that.’
‘Your mom isn’t a fool,’ said Pete. ‘She’ll want to look after you. The way I see it, you’re going to win this case. Ellen’s father was very clear in his wishes.’
‘I’m not at all sure what Mom’s own wishes will be,’ said Abbey. ‘The nuns aren’t allowed to have money or possessions of their own.’
‘She can’t walk away from millions.’ Claudia looked horrified at the idea.
‘Nobody’s walking away from anything,’ Pete told his wife. ‘Abbey just has to clarify things with Ellen. When are you seeing her?’ he asked, turning towards her.
‘I’m waiting for a time and date from the prioress,’ said Abbey. ‘When I spoke to her, I impressed upon her how urgent it was, so I’m sure it’ll be pretty soon. But that’s the thing, Pete. Mom gave up her actual family and the nuns became her family instead. Given that she hardly ever sees me, she won’t care much about a dead father she never met or his last wishes.’
Pete and Claudia exchanged glances.
‘It’s not because she doesn’t love you that she doesn’t see you,’ said Pete.
Abbey yawned. ‘Whatever.’
‘She’ll certainly want to see you about this,’ said Claudia. ‘The nuns might not have possessions of their own, but I’ve never known a religious community turn away hard cash.’
‘I’m sure Ellen will want to see Abbey regardless.’ Pete shot a warning look at his wife. ‘For the moment, what she needs is to get a good night’s sleep.’
‘Oh God, sorry. I swear I’m not tired now.’ Abbey tried hard not to yawn again. ‘And if I go to bed, I’ll wake up at some ridiculous hour of the morning. How about I go and play with Joely for a while? In fact, why don’t I sit with the kids if you two would like to go out?’
‘I don’t think you’d stay awake,’ Claudia said. ‘But thank you for offering.’
‘It’s the least I can do. You keep looking after me and I know it must be a pain for you.’
‘Of course it isn’t,’ said Pete.
‘Poor Claudia didn’t sign up to looking after me,’ said Abbey.
‘Hey, I don’t know what impressions you got about people when you were in Ireland, but we have family values here,’ said Pete. ‘Claudia cares about you as much as I do.’
‘When Pete married me, he knew Grady was part of my package,’ said Claudia. ‘And I knew that you were part of Pete’s package.’
‘But here’s the thing.’ Abbey looked seriously at both of them. ‘I’m not part of your package at all. Not yours, Claudia, or yours, Pete. You’ve both been nothing but wonderful to me, but you’re not my family and you shouldn’t have to care about me. The trouble is that the people who are … well, I don’t matter to them.’
‘Oh, sweetie, don’t upset yourself.’ Claudia put her arm around Abbey’s shoulders. ‘As far as we’re concerned, you’re part of the Caruso family. And you always will be.’
Which was all very well, thought Abbey later that night. But she wasn’t a Caruso. She wasn’t a Connolly. She wasn’t a Fitzpatrick. And she wasn’t really an Andersen either. Despite the fact that she’d tried to put down roots for herself, she was someone who could be anyone. Because she didn’t matter very much to any of the people who were actually related to her by blood. And that was something she’d have to learn to live with. No matter how abandoned it sometimes made her feel.
When Abbey finally went to bed, she fell asleep almost instantly. On opening her eyes the following morning, she was wide awake and refreshed, so despite the fact that it was only six thirty, she pulled on the guest robe that hung on the back of the bedroom door and made her way downstairs. The sun was barely rising and the ocean was still wreathed in mist as she stood by the kitchen window and drank a glass of orange juice. Because it was Saturday, the family still hadn’t woken, although during the week Pete was usually in his office before seven thirty.
She made herself a coffee and was sitting at the breakfast bar with it when Claudia walked into the room. She too was dressed in a robe, and her brunette hair was pulled into a lazy ponytail. She looked younger than her forty years, although without the make-up she normally wore, the fine lines that were beginning to appear on her face were more evident.
‘I hope I didn’t wake you,’ said Abbey.
‘Of course not,’ said Claudia. ‘I’m an early riser. You get to be when you’re a mom.’
‘I bet.’
‘You wake up and then you start thinking about your family and you can’t go back to sleep,’ added Claudia.
‘You have a great family,’ said Abbey.
‘I know. And I meant what I said last night. That I accept that Pete looks on you as a daughter.’
&nbs
p; Claudia’s words were warm, but Abbey could hear a certain guardedness in her voice.
‘He’s always been great to me,’ she said. ‘But I know I can’t depend on him for ever.’
‘Exactly.’ Claudia looked suddenly relieved. ‘And that’s why, Abbey, you have to fight for this inheritance and not let those horrible people persuade you out of it.’
‘I can understand why the Fitzpatricks are angry, though. It’s their house, not mine. Not Mom’s.’
‘Yes, but their father already helped them in life,’ said Claudia. ‘It’s their tough luck if they didn’t make the most of it.’
‘I guess so.’
‘How many chances do they want?’ demanded Claudia. ‘You get one, you take full advantage. You know that.’
‘I do know,’ agreed Abbey. ‘It’s just that sometimes you don’t always grab the opportunity when you should.’
‘Exactly.’ Claudia spoke firmly. ‘And you’ve got to grab this opportunity. Besides …’ She looked at Abbey from her big hazel eyes. ‘Pete has done something for you and I admire him for it, but it has to be the end of it.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘He acted rashly. A trait he usually manages to keep under control, but when he heard about your situation …’
‘What the hell did he do?’ asked Abbey. ‘What’s it got to do with me?’
‘Pete bought an apartment for you,’ replied Claudia.
‘He what!’ Abbey stared at her in shock.
‘Well, he said he was buying it as an investment. But then he told me it was for you to live in until you got your money from the house. He said you needed somewhere decent to live. He thinks that after you collect your inheritance you can buy it from him, if that’s what you’d like to do.’
‘Is he nuts? If my mom refuses to accept it, if it all goes pear-shaped for me – I’ll never be able to buy it.’
‘I know,’ said Claudia grimly.
‘But … but … what was he thinking?’ demanded Abbey. ‘Why on earth would he go out and buy somewhere and think that I’d even want to buy it from him afterwards?’
Things We Never Say Page 26