by Melissa Hill
“I know this probably sounds clichéd,” Mike said, giving her a sideways look, “but, he’s a complete fool – whoever he is. I can’t imagine why anyone would feel the need to cheat, if they were in a relationship with someone like you.”
She laughed. “You’re right – it is terribly clichéd. But thank you, it’s nice to hear it anyway.”
They chatted for a while longer and Jenny discovered that she had been correct in guessing that his wife had left him.
“We’d been together for years before we married – I studied in London, and we met in college,” he told her. “Rebecca was actually one of my lecturers, believe it or not.”
“We lived in London for the first few years of our marriage, and I set up InTech not long after our wedding. It was very difficult for a while – I was rarely home and under a lot of pressure with the business – and I suppose Becky was bored. She gave up her job when we married, and she seemed to have her heart set on starting a family immediately. It was silly, really – you’d imagine that something like that would be sorted out beforehand, but we had never really talked about it. I thought she knew that the business would be my main priority, for a while at least. We argued a lot, mostly about that …”
“You didn’t want kids until the business was fully up and running?” Jenny finished. “That sounds reasonable enough.”
Mike nodded. “I thought so too, but Rebecca is a few years older than I am, and her biological clock was ticking, as it were.” He looked sadly into the distance for a moment and then continued. “She was determined to get pregnant, whether I liked it or not. One day I discovered accidentally that she had stopped taking the Pill. I went ballistic, Jenny. I just wasn’t ready for a family. Having a child would have put me under twice as much pressure to make the business work, but Becky couldn’t see that. We had it out again and again, and eventually she agreed to wait a few more years, or at least until I was sure InTech would be viable. When I say agreed, I mean very reluctantly,” he added. “And then ... then it wasn’t long before things got very strained between us.”
Jenny thought she could guess the end of the story. “She resented having to wait, and you grew apart?”
“Something like that,” he said hoarsely. “Anyway, to cut a long story short, she ended up leaving me for someone else.”
He said this in such a way that Jenny understood that Mike was still, despite his earlier protests, very hurt by it all.
“Were you married long?”
“Four years,” he said. “It’s strange, isn’t it? We were together for ages before we married, and then it was all over, just like that.”
“I’m sorry Mike,” Jenny said, noticing his wounded expression. “I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you.”
He said nothing and they walked on companionably together in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
Chapter 28
Shane nudged Karen’s feet with the hoover, as he tried in vain to vacuum the mat beneath her. “Will you get a move on? They’ll be here soon.”
Karen flipped across a page of the magazine she was reading, before looking up at him through narrowed eyes.
“Shane Quinn – if I’d known you were such a nag, I would never have moved in with you, not to mention agree to marrying you. Honestly,” she teased, “you’re like a mother hen, going around with your polish and your duster.” She slapped his thigh playfully.
“Ah, come on, Karen, make a bit of an effort, will you? We’re having visitors – I’m trying to make this place look a bit respectable, and all you do is sit there and get in my way.” With feigned sternness, he handed her a cloth and a bottle of Mr Sheen. “Here – move your ass and your magazines, and get going on that coffee table.”
“All right, Mammy.” Karen reluctantly got up from the couch. She looked at the clock on the mantelpiece. “Shane, it’s only two o’clock. Mike and Jenny won’t be here for another hour at least, and you know what Tessa and Gerry are like for timekeeping. Relax.”
Just then the doorbell rang on cue.
“Feck.” Shane shooed her out of his way and went to answer the door. “The traffic mustn’t have been as bad as they thought.”
Karen shook her head in amusement. Shane seemed really excited about Mike and Jenny’s visit today. He was obviously trying to make some kind of impression on Mike Kennedy. Shane had really taken to him on the day of the wedding and, though he wouldn’t admit it, Karen thought she knew exactly why. Mike was an avid Liverpool FC supporter and Shane, after years of ribbing from cocky Manchester United fans, had been thrilled to find a like-minded soul when it came to football. Not to mention the fact that Mike was a double season-ticket holder at Anfield.
Karen heard a shriek from the doorway
“Hi guys.”
She went out to see a very tanned and overexcited Tessa engulf Shane in a bear-hug while Gerry looked on.
“Mr & Mrs Burke.” Karen said, kissing Gerry on the cheek. “Welcome home. How was Bali?”
“Oh Karen,” Tessa said elated, “you wouldn’t believe it. It was the most fantastic place I’ve ever seen. The hotel was fabulous and the weather – I thought I’d bake over there.”
“Well, you got plenty of sunshine anyway. I thought honeymooners weren’t supposed to be out in the sun long enough to get a tan like that.”
“Don’t worry – there was plenty of that too,” Tessa chuckled, walking towards the kitchen. “We have to make the most of it at the moment, don’t we, Gerry?” she added, with a wink. Gerry blushed a deep shade of red and sat down at the kitchen table.
“I’ll tell you later,” she mouthed, as Karen looked at her questioningly.
“So – any news? What did we miss while we were away in Utopia?” Tessa asked, looking eagerly from Shane to Karen.
“Well, you know about Jenny and the delicious Mike Kennedy – I told you about that on the phone.”
“Yes – but you didn’t tell me any of the nitty-gritty. I only met him for a second or two at the wedding. I didn’t even know he was Rachel’s brother. What’s he like?”
Shane groaned. “Here we go – gossip-time already. Come on, Gerry,” he took a couple of beers from the fridge, “I think we’ll go in and nab the comfortable seats and let these two natter in peace.”
“Sounds good to me.” Gerry followed him out of the kitchen.
Karen opened a bottle of Chardonnay and took a pair of wineglasses from the cupboard. She handed a glass to Tessa.
“From what I can see he’s an absolute dote. He seems mad about her, too.”
“Is that a good or a bad thing?” Tessa said, with a frown. “I know it’s been a while, but is our Jen ready to get involved with somebody else?”
Karen nodded. “I thought the same thing myself, to be honest. But, your wedding was exactly what she needed. It was a good excuse for her to come out of herself and start living her life again.”
“So what’s his story? He’s older than us, isn’t he?”
“Thirty-five. He’s divorced and his wife left him for someone else, apparently. I’d like to see the guy she’s with now if she could leave a hunk like that.”
Tessa giggled. “Maybe he’s not great in the sack.”
“Well, compared to that lump Roan Williams, I’d say he’s a demon between the sheets,” Karen said bitterly. “Jenny told me only recently that they hadn’t had done the biz for ages before the end.”
“What?” Tessa put down her glass. “With the way he carried on, you’d swear he was God’s gift.”
“He might have been God’s gift, alright – but to everyone else but Jenny.”
Tessa shook her head. “I felt so sorry for her that night. I didn’t think she’d ever get over it. How did she stick with him for so long?”
Karen nodded. “I suppose it was harder for her to see it than it was for us. The simple fact was that she loved him, maybe she still loves him, in her own way. But the main thing is that he’s out of her life now, and I thin
k that this thing with Mike might be the best thing for her.”
“Well, I suppose it’s good that he’s had some experience with bad relationships – with the divorce and everything,” Tessa said. “Do you think it could get serious between them?”
“I don’t know if there is anything between them. I do know that they’ve spent a lot of time together since your wedding, and they seem to get on very well.” She took a sip from her wine glass. “I have to admit, I couldn’t see Jenny with anyone for a long time after Roan but, after meeting Mike, I can see why she likes him. He’s a lovely guy – the complete opposite of Roan the Rat.”
Tessa laughed at this. “You really hated him, didn’t you?”
“From day one.” Karen said firmly. “I tried my best, for Jenny’s sake, but there was always something about him that really – I don’t know – freaked me out. He was a lovely-looking guy, there’s no denying that, but he was smarm personified as far as I’m concerned. I still can’t figure out how he and Shane got on so well.”
“Gerry didn’t seem to mind him, either,” Tessa said, “but when he did the dirt on Jenny, that was it. He wanted to go for Roan when I told him about it.”
“Gerry’s such a sweetheart – wasn’t he the same about Shane and Lydia, that time?”
Tessa wrinkled her nose at the memory. “Yeah but that was different – Lydia was the culprit there.”
“Agreed,” Karen said vehemently, raising her glass and clinking it with Tessa’s. She chuckled. “I heard that she was in a terrible snot when she didn’t get an invite to the wedding.”
“As if. She’d probably end up causing a scene or something, anything to take the spotlight off me.”
Karen nearly choked on her wine. “Heaven forbid that someone might take the spotlight off you, Tessa Sullivan.” she said, laughing.
“It’s Mrs Tessa Burke now, thanks very much.” Tessa feigned a snooty tone, her nose in the air, as she extended her wedding ring towards Karen.
“That sounds weird.” Karen said. “It’ll be hard to get used to.”
“Not as weird as Karen Quinn is going to sound – whenever that comes about.” She stopped laughing, when she saw Karen’s face go serious, all of a sudden. “Hey, is everything OK?” she said, touching Karen’s arm softly.
“Oh, I don’t know, Tessa,” Karen sighed, looking deep into her glass. “The thing with Shane’s family just seems to be going from bad to worse lately.”
“You mean the kids? Are they still driving you mad?”
“It’s not just that, and believe me that’s bad enough,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Marie was here with her brood last weekend, and she didn’t stop going on and on about us setting a date and ‘doing the decent thing’. She kept saying how great it was to be young enough to enjoy your kids when they’re young, and how Shane and I would want to ‘get going’ soon. Grrr. I felt like throttling her.” She saw Tessa watching her with amusement. “I know it might sound funny but it’s not really. If you were in my position, you’d be exactly the same.”
“What I can’t understand is why you let them get away with it,” Tessa said. “I can’t imagine you being afraid to put them in their place. If that’s the case, it’s a first since I’ve known you.”
“Yeah, but they’re Shane’s family, aren’t they? I can’t very well tell them where to go.”
“Still,” Tessa said, thoughtfully, “I have to admit I’m surprised that you’re letting it get to you.”
“It’s not just that, Tess,” Karen sighed again, “remember I told you about Jack, the brother from England? Well, he’s been spending a lot of time here lately. He’s an architect and he’s working on some development out in Sandymount.”
“Right, and you don’t think much of him?”
“I think he’s a pompous prat, to put it mildly,” Karen said. “Anyway, whenever he’s in Dublin, he just turns up and expects to stay here, whether it suits us or not.”
“I see,” Tessa nodded, “and you’re not particularly happy with that arrangement?”
“That’s the problem,” Karen moaned irritably. “It’s never arranged. He just turns up on the doorstep with his suitcase, whenever the mood takes him. He never rings beforehand, and just takes it for granted that we’ll be happy to put him up.”
“And what does Shane think of that?”
Karen looked towards the kitchen door, keeping her voice low. “That’s where the problems start. Shane won’t say anything to him, because Jack’s been ‘so good to us’. He seems to think we owe him free room and board, because he helped us out with arranging our mortgage. Can you believe that?” He face was red with indignation. “The whole thing is driving me bloody mad. I like my privacy, Tessa, and I don’t fancy having Shane’s family appear on our doorstep, whenever they please. His mother did the same thing last weekend. Nellie decided she fancied a cup of tea after her shopping, so she just called in without letting us know, or finding out whether we were here or not. It frustrates me so much, because it’s our house and our mortgage – we’re the ones making the monthly repayments. I don’t see old Jacko boy handing over the best part of a thousand euro to the bank every month. It's like being in the Mafia or something.”
“Sshh – calm down,” Tessa said softly. “You don’t want Shane to hear you.”
“Do you know, I couldn’t care less if he did or not at this stage.” Karen refilled her wineglass, took a large mouthful and gulped it down. “He’s too bloody placid for his own good.”
“Have the two of you spoken about it? Have you told him that you’re not comfortable having Jack stay here whenever he feels like it?”
“There’s no point,” Karen said flatly. “It wouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference. As far as Shane’s concerned, Jack is Big Brother Wonderful. What I think doesn’t matter.”
“Karen, you’ll have to try and sort these things out soon. If you’re unhappy now, what will you be like when you and Shane are married? I know they say that you marry him, and not his family, but in your case that doesn’t appear to be true.”
“I know,” Karen said, standing up. “I keep threatening to sit him down and have it out – calmly. But you know what we’re like – any problems we have are only ever sorted after a huge barney.” She grimaced. “If we do end up fighting I’m afraid I might say some things I might regret – like insult that Quinn crowd.”
“Well, make sure that it doesn’t come to that. Go out to dinner some night, and bring it up then.” She smiled. “Even the likes of you can’t cause a scene in a ‘civilised’ setting. What do you think?”
“I suppose,” Karen looked unconvinced. “Anyway I’m sick of talking about all my woes. I’m only depressing both myself and you.”
“True,” Tessa said, feigning a yawn. Then she smiled. “Seriously, Karen, get it sorted. It won’t do you any good to bottle it up – it’ll end up getting a lot worse if you let it fester.”
Karen saluted. “OK, Mrs Burke, I promise. I’ll try and organise a night out for us next weekend or something.” She looked at the clock and picked up her glass. “Come on, we’ll go in and join the boys. Jenny and Mike should be here soon and you and Gerry can tell us all about beautiful Bali.”
“So was it fantastic?”
“Oh, definitely.” Tessa gave a broad wink. “It was absolutely fantastic.”
“Oh, I don’t mean that.” Jenny said, slightly pink-cheeked, as she realised her unintentional double-entendre, “I meant the place itself – what was it like?”
“Really amazing – wasn’t it, Gerry? I have to admit when I got off the plane after a ten-hour flight to Bangkok, and another four hours again to Bali, I couldn’t care less what the place was like, I just wanted to sleep for a week. And then …”
“Then we got to the hotel,” Gerry, finished.
“Girls, it was the most fantastic place I’ve ever seen.” Tessa exclaimed. “I said to myself, my God this is how the stars must live. I’ll never forget that fi
rst look at it as we turned into the entrance.”
“Where did you stay?” Mike asked, taking a handful of peanuts from a bowl on the coffee table.
“The Hilton,” Gerry said. “It was all so exotic – oriental statues and fountains everywhere – and inside the building was just as amazing. Gold and woodcarvings on the doors, the walls – everywhere.”
“It was paradise found,” Tessa added. “Bounty Ads, Robinson Crusoe – you name it. The hotel was on its own beach – there was hardly anyone else around.”
“Sounds like paradise, alright,” Shane said thoughtfully, and turned to Karen. “Where’ll we go for our honeymoon, love?”
Jenny let out a little squeal of delight. “Does that mean what I think it means? Have you two finally set a date?”
Karen shook her head and caught Tessa’s eye. “No, Jen,” she said quietly, “we haven’t – Shane is probably just thinking out loud. Aren’t you?”
“I think she’s having second thoughts about marrying me altogether,” Shane joked, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
“Pity. I wouldn’t mind another day out. I really enjoyed your wedding.”
“I’d say you did, alright,” Tessa laughed, hoping to change the subject for Karen’s sake.
Jenny caught her meaning and gave a little smile. “It was alright,” she said, glancing sideways at Mike, “apart from this guy I met there who hasn’t stopped tormenting me since. He just keeps following me everywhere, and won’t leave me alone – ouch.” Mike pinched her thigh, and she grimaced.
Karen went out to the kitchen for more drinks, and Tessa followed her.
“Can you believe those two?” she asked, her eyes wide as she took another bottle of wine from the fridge.