Something You Should Know

by Melissa Hill

  Jenny looked up at him through thickly mascara’d eyelashes. “I’m fine. It was the shock that got to me more than anything else. I think that if I had been concentrating properly I … ” she trailed off, as if suddenly remembering something, then collected herself, “if I had been concentrating properly, I would have kept a firm hold on my bag, and it wouldn’t have happened in the first place. Thanks again, I appreciate it.”

  “No problem,” he said, giving both girls a repeat of his earlier dazzling – but

  crooked – smile on his way out the door. “Hopefully we might run into one another again some time.”

  When Jenny was sure he was safely out of the house and onto the street, she let out a shriek of excitement.

  “Karen, it must be him.” she cried, clapping her hands together with delight. “He has to be the guy the fortune-teller predicted for me. Remember we were supposed to meet after ‘a moment of lapsed concentration’? Well, I was in a world of my own getting off that bus, and my getting mugged and his helping me out is how we met.”

  Karen did nothing to hide her scepticism. “Jenny, please don’t tell me that you actually believed that rubbish. Anyway, I thought his hair was supposed to be ‘of similar colour to your own’. Your man’s hair colour there was darker than an undertaker’s suit.”

  “Well, she can’t get everything right,” Jenny said huffily. “Anyway, it might be same colour as my hair eventually – I mean, I could always decide to darken my hair, couldn’t I?”

  “Jenny Hamilton, you are just incorrigible,” Karen said, with a smile and a shake of the head. “You can’t go around trying to fit this so-called prediction against every man you meet between now and Christmas. That’s not the way life works.”

  “We’ll see,” Jenny said confidently. “But a girl can dream and I think that if destiny brought us together today, then destiny will make sure that we meet again. After all, we haven’t exchanged phone numbers or anything. And, Karen, even you have to admit that he’s drop-dead gorgeous.”

  Karen picked up a knife and began slicing a carrot into thin slices. Drop-dead gorgeous he might be, she thought worriedly, but could you really trust a man who looked that good?

  The following Wednesday evening, Boland’s was packed to capacity. Jenny saw Gerry wave from the back of the pub and she and Karen struggled through the crowds and made their way towards him.

  Tessa motioned for Jenny to sit down beside her. “Shane was telling us what happened to you the other day. How are you feeling after it all?”

  Jenny smiled ruefully at her. “Not too bad now – it was a bit of a shock at the time. Luckily they didn’t take much.” She took off her coat and nodded hello at the others.

  “The brats,” Tessa exclaimed. “There you are coming home from your first day at work, and a shower of layabouts that won’t get up off their lazy backsides get away with robbing you like that – it would make you sick.”

  “Did you call the gardai?” Gerry asked.

  “I reported it, but I don’t think it’ll make a blind bit of difference.” She nodded her thanks as Karen handed her a bottle of Budweiser.

  “Did you tell her about your knight in shining armour?” Karen asked with a grin.

  Jenny excitedly relayed the circumstances of her meeting with Roan to Tessa. “He was the sexiest man I’ve ever seen outside television,” she said in conclusion.

  “I wonder if you will see him again?” Tessa asked. She turned her chair around to get a good view of the television screen situated on the wall. “Oh good, the match has started.”

  “Who’s playing?” Karen asked, following her gaze.

  Shane slapped a hand to his head in exasperation. “‘Who’s playing? Karen, do you see those lads running around wearing green jerseys and white shorts? Well, believe it or not, that’s actually the Irish soccer team.”

  “Oh, good for them,” His girlfriend shrugged nonchalantly and went back to her Budweiser.

  “Jenny, how’s work going for you?” Tessa asked, keeping one eye on the television. “Have you settled back into it OK?”

  “It’s been fine – much better than I expected actually.”

  On her first day at Alliance Trust in Dun Laoghaire, the personnel manager, Marion, had told Jenny that for the first few weeks she should re-familiarise herself with the day-to-day running of the Bank, while working with the Accounts office away from the main floor. She had introduced her to Olivia, the friendly and easygoing PA to the Branch Manager. Olivia had taken Jenny under her wing, and in turn introduced her to the rest of the staff, giving her advanced – and much appreciated – warnings about their various idiosyncrasies. So far, Jenny had found most of her colleagues to be pleasant, chatty, and interested in hearing about her experiences in Australia – not that she wanted to bore them rigid about it.

  Gerry bought another round of drinks and some crisps, and handed them round the table. Karen groaned, but couldn’t resist opening a packet of salt n’ vinegar. “I really need to go on a diet soon – the waistband of these trousers keeps digging into me.”

  “Well if you need to go on a diet, I need my jaws wired shut,” Jenny laughed.

  Tessa took up the theme. “Girls – don’t mind all these faddish Dr Atkins type

  high-fat and high-protein diets. I’ve tried them all, but nothing is as good as my very own White Trouser Diet.”

  “Your what?” Jenny asked, with interest.

  “Go on, tell her about your famous White Trouser Diet,” Karen drawled.

  “Well, it’s as simple as this,” Tessa began. “I have a pair of white trousers that fit me perfectly. I try them on at different times of the month, but at least once a month – or after a particularly heavy munching session – and if there’s a slight bulge, anywhere at all, it’s thirty minutes a day on the treadmill and not a square of chocolate until they fit me perfectly again.”

  Gerry guffawed loudly behind her. “Liar – you’ve never been able to give up chocolate.”

  Tessa tut-tutted and ignored her boyfriend. “If you try it, you’ll find that it really works.”

  “That’s all very well if you can fit nicely into a pair of white trousers, or can manage thirty minutes on a treadmill in the first place,” Karen laughed. “Anyway, I couldn’t give up chocolate, I think we’re all biologically programmed to constantly crave it.”

  “True,” Jenny agreed. “My father told me once that when he was a young lad his mother used to scold him for stuffing his face with sweets, when he was a teenager he was afraid to eat junk food because he’d get spots, and now that he’s older he can’t eat what he wants for fear of cholesterol. He reckons it’s a battle that none of us can win, so why bother? We might as well just forget dieting and enjoy our food while we can.”

  “Maybe so,” Tessa said, with a grin. “But I’ll bet your dad never had to try and fit into a pair of white trousers.” With that, she turned her attention back to the television. “Ah ref, that was a blatant two-footed tackle. Send him off.”

  Shane laughed and shook his head. “Tessa, for a girlie-girl who wears flouncy dresses and glitter on her eyelids, the fact that you can manage a convincing argument about Wayne Rooney's left foot never ceases to amaze me.”

  “Shane, for a supposedly intelligent guy, the fact that you can get away with a sexist comment like that never ceases to amaze me,” Tessa said, impatiently. “The way you lot go on about football you’d swear it was some kind of rocket science. And when was the last time you saw me in a flouncy dress?”

  “Oh, please – I don’t have to break up yet another slanging match between you two, do I?” Karen said, with a slow shake of the head. “Shane, leave her alone.”

  Her plea was drowned in a chorus of yells, as just then the Irish team were awarded a penalty kick. All conversation halted as a member of the team stepped up to take the kick. When the ball hit the back of the net, the pub erupted in a perfectly synchronised roar of cheers and applause.

  Jenny was
in mid-celebration when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Her heart leapt as she saw Roan Williams crouch down beside her stool. He smiled, and Jenny noticed for the first time the tiny dimples on either side of his mouth.

  “Hello again,” he said. “I’ve just come in, and when I saw you guys sitting up here, I said I’d better make sure my damsel was no longer in distress but functioning normally.”

  “Well, hello yourself,” Jenny beamed at him. “Pull up a stool.”

  Dressed casually in jeans, white T-shirt, Timberland boots and a soft brown leather jacket, she thought that tonight he looked even sexier than he had the other day.

  He nodded a greeting at Karen, and Jenny briefly introduced him to the others sitting at the table. As Roan shook hands with Aidan, the other man looked at him curiously.

  “Mate, you look very familiar – I think I’ve met you before,” he said.

  Roan shrugged. “Well, I drink in here regularly – you probably just know my face.”

  Aidan frowned and shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’m nearly positive I know you from somewhere else – were you in UCD, maybe?”

  “’Fraid not – and I don’t think I know you. You’re probably just mixing me up with someone else. I have that kind of face.” He gave a short laugh.

  “Maybe.” Aidan shrugged, and returned to his pint.

  Roan quickly turned his attention back to Jenny. “So how are you after your big adventure the other day – and, more importantly, did you manage to replace the magic lipstick?”

  Jenny laughed. “Not yet. But thanks again for helping me out. I don’t know what I would’ve done otherwise.”

  “Not a problem. Listen I just wanted to say hello. I’m with a crowd down the front, so I’d better head back to them. I might see you later?”

  Her heart sank. Of course – he was probably with someone. A man that good-looking would almost certainly be in a relationship.

  “OK, see you later and thanks again,” Jenny said, a smile disguising her disappointment.

  The match ended with a convincing win for the Irish team, which prompted another round of celebration in the pub. A DJ was promptly installed, and within minutes he had cranked up the music, sustaining the already lively atmosphere.

  “I feel a bit woozy already,” Jenny said, after her fifth Budweiser. “And it’s early yet.”

  Aidan drained his pint and slapped the empty glass on the table with a flourish. “I’d love to stay on for a while longer, but I’m on duty early tomorrow morning. I’ll see you guys later.” He slipped on a jacket.

  Jenny turned to Karen. “Duty? Is Aidan a doctor or something?”

  “No – he’s a fireman. He’s based in Tallaght.”

  “A fireman – wow.” Jenny was impressed.

  “Not another one.” Shane said, exasperated. “What is it about a bloody fireman that makes a woman go weak at the knees? That big strong hero thing is such a cliché. Jenny – my eighty-year-old grandfather has got more hunk in him than Aidan has.”

  “It’s not just looks though, is it?” Jenny said dreamily. “It’s the whole notion of somebody putting his own life at risk, to save other people’s lives. I don’t think it’s the same for doctors or nurses – sorry, Tessa – because they don’t have anything to lose. Firemen are just so courageous.”

  “Courageous, my foot. From what I can make out, Aidan spends most of his time playing poker at the fire station, if he’s not coaxing tabby-cats down from trees.”

  Karen gave him such a dig in the ribs that Shane had to relent. “OK – OK. I made the last bit up – it’s not like that at all. He’s a hero, he’s a hero.”

  The others laughed.

  “Right, who’s on for a bit of boogying?” Tessa jumped up from her seat, and wiggled her hips in time to the music. It wasn’t long before Karen and Jenny followed suit and the three girls danced happily around the table, Gerry and Shane trying their best to fade into the background and ignore them.

  A short time later, Jenny noticed Roan reappear at the table. He caught her eye and smiled.

  “Hi,” she said with a coy smile, the drink having long since taken effect. The dancing had given her a euphoric feeling, and she was ready for some serious flirting.

  “Love the dance moves,” he teased.

  “Why don’t you give it a try then?”

  “Not me,” he said, shaking his head with a smile. “I have a reputation to uphold.”

  They both laughed. Jenny found herself becoming more and more comfortable with him as they chatted. They talked about silly things at first, and then imparted bits and pieces of information about one another. Roan told her that he worked in Euramax, an IT company based in the city centre, and that he’d been living in Dublin for nearly five years.

  “I should really think about buying a place of my own, instead of going out partying all the time but I love it here,” he said, “and I’m not ready to commit myself to lifelong debt just yet. The job is fairly demanding, and I think I’d go crazy if I couldn’t go out a couple of nights a week to relax. No chance of that if you’ve got a mortgage hanging over your head.”

  “I know what you mean,” Jenny said. “I thought that the Cock and Bull in Sydney was mad, but it’s nothing compared to this place.”

  “I’ve always wanted to go there – Australia, I mean – not the Cock and Bull. But I went straight into the job after I left college, and there never seemed to be any time to travel after that.”

  “It’s exciting at first, and the lifestyle is completely different over there – a lot more laid back but I’m glad I came home.”

  “I’m glad too,” he said softly, and Jenny knew from the way he was looking at her that there was real meaning behind his words. Suddenly his face seemed uncomfortably – or was it comfortably – close to hers? She shivered deliciously.

  “Some game eh, Roan?” Shane said suddenly, and the moment was lost.

  While Shane and Roan lost themselves in a conversation about their favourite football teams, Jenny tried to work out what had just happened. If Shane hadn’t interrupted, she was almost certain that Roan had been about to kiss her.

  Coming back to the table, Karen groaned. “No more football talk tonight please. Anyway, I think it’s time you and I called it a night. Don’t forget we’ve got work in the morning. Are you coming, Jen – or do you want to stay on for a while?” Karen was waving goodbye to Tessa and Gerry, who were already heading towards the exit.

  Jenny looked across at Roan and he smiled.

  “You go ahead,” she said. “I think I might stay on here for a little longer.”

  “Don’t worry,” Roan said. “I’ll walk her home later.”

  The others left.

  “I’ll see if I can get another drink before the bar closes,” he said. “Do you want one?”

  “Why not?” she said, raising her glass to him and trying to prevent a threatening hiccup.

  Three drinks later, they got up to leave.

  On her way out, Jenny thanked each member bar staff personally and, supported by Roan and one of the bouncers, walked on unsteady legs out the front door.

  “You’re sooooo nice,” she said to the stone-faced bouncer escorting her out. “I didn’t expect people to be sooo nice in Dublin, but everyone is reeeeally nice.”

  “I’ll look after her from here, mate – thanks a million,” Roan smiled apologetically at the bouncer, as they came out onto the street.

  “Right, time to get you home – woah, you’re all over the place.” He laughed as she stumbled against the wall, trying to walk down the road.

  “I’m just so tired,” Jenny yawned, as she continued walking.

  “Hold on a second. Don’t walk so fast,” he said, putting his arm around her and trying his best to keep her steady.

  “Here we are.” she announced loudly, as they reached Leinster Square. “Are you coming in?” Standing above Roan on the step, her eyes were just below the level of his.

  He hesit
ated for a minute. “Thanks all the same but no. It looks like everyone else has gone to bed, anyway. Will you be OK from here?”

  “I’ll be fine. Just hold on until I get my keys.” She fumbled in her bag for the keys, before realising she already had them out. “Whoops – there they are.” Jenny grinned and dropped the keys as she tried to unlock the front door. Roan bent down to pick them up and, as he handed them to her, she grabbed him impulsively and kissed him firmly on the lips.

  He broke away and Jenny cringed with embarrassment as she realised what she had done.

  “Oh God, Roan, I’m really sorry – I don’t know what came over me, I –”

  He silenced her by engulfing her in his arms. She wrapped herself tightly around him as he pushed her against the door and began to kiss her neck. She groaned as his hands quickly reached under her clothes and her breath caught in her throat as she felt him caress her with his tongue. She couldn’t believe that she had kissed him like that. It was so unlike her! After all, she had only met him a couple of hours ago.

  Then suddenly, Roan stopped and again broke away from her

  “Jenny, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be doing this.” He ran both hands through his hair, and looked at her. “We’ve both had too much to drink – it isn’t right.”

  Mortified, Jenny tried not to meet his eyes. She re-buttoned her jacket.

  “You’re right – it’s my fault. I’m sorry.” She turned quickly, and this time found the lock in the door with no effort.

  “Jenny, wait, can we just …”

  She didn’t hear the rest of his words, as the door closed quickly behind her. How embarrassing. What was the matter with her? Why did she have to make a fool of herself in front of him like that? Why did she have to get so drunk?

  She tiptoed past Karen’s bedroom, and made her way quietly towards the kitchen. As she gulped down a glass of water, she looked at her reflection in the living-room mirror. She looked an absolute state. Her hair was all over the place, her cheeks were flushed and her mascara had run. There was a black circle under each of her eyes. No wonder he had blown her off.