Molly served breakfast and called out to Tommy. He came quickly to the table and was wearing a big smile.
‘You look happy this morning.’
‘Because I am happy... Lizzy said yes. She will marry me.’
‘Lizzy?’
‘My girlfriend, Lizzy.’
‘But your girlfriend’s name is Honey.’
Tommy laughed as he tucked his serviette into the neck of his jumper and reached for his knife and fork. ‘I call her Honey. She calls me Sweetheart. Her name is Lizzy. We sat under the trees yesterday. I asked her to marry me and she said yes and she kissed me and I kissed her back.’
‘Oh, my God, I had no idea her name was Lizzy...’ Molly dropped her own fork and stopped mid-sentence. She was aware of the sudden shrill tone to her voice and needed to calm down. She didn’t want to upset Tommy, who was clearly thrilled his proposal had been accepted. She also reminded herself that Lizzy was not an unusual name.
‘I told you,’ he said, before he took another mouthful of the scrambled eggs.
‘No, Tommy, I would have remembered.’
‘Are you cross, Molly?’
‘No, not with you. Not at all. It was my fault I didn’t ask,’ she said, patting his hand over the breakfast table. Molly wondered why she had never questioned Tommy more about his girlfriend before that day. She’d had a lot on her mind and Tommy had called her Honey and Molly had thought that was her name. Not her pet name. Everything had been travelling at lightning speed the previous week and Molly hadn’t read between the lines.
And clearly Ryan hadn’t doubted that Honey was Tommy’s girlfriend’s name when they’d all shopped together for the ring.
Her head had been in the clouds with her own relationship and battling how to deal with Lizzy’s boyfriend confession. She suddenly thought she had been selfish with the time she had devoted to Tommy’s life. Up to that point she’d always known everything about Tommy, but he had become a little mysterious and paying more attention to his grooming and she had become preoccupied at the same time. She had been focussed on her burgeoning relationship with Ryan and had forgotten to question further the most basic information about Tommy’s relationship. Could Tommy’s relationship and Lizzy’s relationship be one and the same?
‘What’s her last name?’
‘Lizzy Jones,’ came Tommy’s reply. ‘But it will be Murphy when we get married.’
‘And Lizzy’s favourite colour is?’
‘Red.’
Molly had been grasping at straws. Narrowing it down and hoping with each question she would find something that didn’t match, but it all matched. Perfectly. She collapsed back in silence onto her wooden chair. Her eyes closed as tight as her chest felt at that moment. And to make matters more complicated, Ryan had helped to buy the ring for his own daughter. The daughter he didn’t want to be going on dates, let alone getting married. The secret that Molly had hoped would go away had just got so much worse. It all seemed so overwhelming. How she wished Lizzy had not confided in her, but she had.
Molly wanted to be happy for Tommy, but her mind was torn between being excited for him and the potential for an emotional roller coaster of the worst kind playing out in her mind. The carriages were about to be flung off unless Lizzy told her father everything. Immediately. He couldn’t find out second-hand. It would be the worst way for him to know and it would bring back too many painful memories of being shut out of his daughter’s life before. Another father, in a different situation with no previous trauma, could deal with a hidden boyfriend, but with Ryan’s past a hidden fiancé would be a recipe for disaster.
Lizzy was the sweetest girl and Molly felt sure that she and Tommy could be happy together, but only if Ryan accepted it. If not, then he could, with the best protective intentions, tear them apart before they had a chance.
But now Ryan had to be told that Lizzy not only had a boyfriend, she had a fiancé and not just any fiancé, Molly’s brother. Which Molly doubted Lizzy knew. Nor did Tommy know, apparently, that Lizzy was the daughter of Ryan. They hadn’t made the complicated connection. Molly was the only one who knew the whole story. Everyone else knew bits but not everything. So, who should really be the one to tell him? Her thoughts were becoming more jumbled by the moment. Layering one problem on top of the next and then sandwiching questions in between until she had a giant, precariously tipping sponge cake of trouble.
There were so many ways to look at the problem. And then there was the ever so small chance it wouldn’t be a problem. Perhaps Ryan would think it was a lovely coincidence and be happy for the couple. Unfortunately, Molly didn’t believe that for a moment. After everything he had been through, being the last to know something that involved Lizzy was not going to sit well with him. Someone needed to tell him immediately.
But who?
Lizzy?
Tommy?
Molly?
Nothing in her head or her heart was making her feel confident about a happy outcome for anyone. It was already two weeks after Lizzy’s confession so it probably wasn’t going to help him with his trust issues as she had kept something about his daughter from him. But if she had broken a promise to Lizzy, how would that fare for any future relationship with the young woman, who might now be a part of her family? And poor Tommy might be caught in the crossfire and have his heart broken if Ryan tried to stop them seeing each other. The idea of them ever being a happy family was further from her grasp than she’d thought possible.
She was going to let someone down. It was just about picking the person she hurt.
* * *
Molly picked up the telephone. She could see it was Ryan’s number. With bated breath she answered.
‘Hello.’
‘Hi, Molly. I was wondering, at the risk of becoming a nuisance, if you might enjoy lunch here at home with Lizzy and I in a few hours. You could bring Tommy along too. Finally, they can meet. And then later tonight I can have you all to myself when we enjoy our candlelit dinner.’
Molly swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. If all four of them were in the room together it stood the chance of being the meeting from hell. She could picture it in her mind. Lizzy and Tommy saw each other and within a minute started holding hands and kissing. Ryan would be more confused than any man had ever been. And then it would all come pouring out in the worst way possible.
No, Molly knew she had to delay the meeting until Lizzy had confessed. She wondered if perhaps she could speed up the process by taking Lizzy aside and encouraging her to tell her father. If it came from Lizzy, then he might just accept it.
Molly wasn’t convinced, but it was the most logical scenario.
‘I’d love to have lunch with you but I don’t think Tommy will make it this time.’ It wasn’t a lie; Tommy wouldn’t make it because Molly would omit to invite him until she had spoken with Lizzy. Woman to woman, she would explain the value in sharing her good news with her father. And even if it wasn’t accepted as good news initially, he might warm to the idea.
But Lizzy had to tell her father before he found out.
* * *
Just before twelve, Lizzy caught a cab to Ryan’s house. She insisted so he gave her the address again in case she had misplaced it since the shopping expedition. Tommy was watching television when she left home and she promised to be back before dinner. He had a corned beef sandwich, an apple and a glass of milk and he was happy in his room as the weather was still dismal outside. He said he would call his fiancée some time during the afternoon because they had plans to make.
Molly just hoped she could manage the situation that afternoon so Tommy still had a fiancée at the end of the day.
* * *
‘Come in.’ Ryan greeted Molly with a tender but brief kiss as she wiped her feet on the doormat and stepped inside. Ryan’s home was a hundred-year-old gentleman’s bungalow. The cab had dr
iven in the sweeping return driveway to drop her at the front door.
Ryan’s mouth returned to hers and lingered after he had closed the door on the cold breeze. She felt safe in his embrace but also feelings of guilt were building. It could all be so temporary if she couldn’t get Lizzy to tell her father what he deserved to know. It couldn’t wait six months for Christmas.
‘I’m so glad you could come over but I really wish you would have let me come and pick you up.’
‘Honestly, there was no need.’ Molly felt her heart racing and hoped that Ryan did not pick up on her anxiety.
‘Let me take your coat,’ he said as he pulled away slightly. ‘I’ll hang it up for you...’
‘Molly!’
Molly turned to see an elated Lizzy skipping down the hallway to her.
‘I haven’t seen you all morning and you only come out of your room because Molly’s here,’ Ryan said, laughing. ‘Well, I know where I stand.’
Molly felt Lizzy’s arms wrap around her waist as she leant into her. ‘I like you, Molly.’
‘And I like you, Lizzy. I’m so happy that I get to spend the afternoon with you both.’
‘Me too.’
Ryan hung Molly’s coat on the ornate hall stand. ‘Would you like to come into the sitting room? I lit a fire a few hours ago and it’s nice and warm.’
Molly nodded and followed behind with Lizzy, as Ryan led them down the hallway. The home had been restored perfectly, or perhaps maintained over the years rather than restored. The dark antique furniture was pristine and looked stunning against the off-white carpet. There were modern paintings in the hallway, which worked as they were framed in an older style. It was like a picture from an elegant homes magazine and a long way from the home she shared with Tommy.
‘Please take a seat and I’ll put the soup on to warm and we can have a casual lunch on our laps in here.’
‘Yum,’ Lizzy said, rubbing her tummy. ‘What soup?’
‘Sooty dropped over home-made minestrone soup yesterday.’
‘I like Sooty’s soup.’
‘I know,’ he told her, then disappeared into the kitchen. ‘I’ll only be a few minutes.’
Molly sat on the sofa nearest to the open fire and Lizzy sat right next to her. Molly looked down and suddenly her worst nightmare was realised. Lizzy was wearing the engagement ring that Tommy had picked with Ryan’s help.
Molly thought she might have a heart attack.
Molly sat staring straight ahead in contemplated silence. She could bolt from the house claiming a fake emergency; she could confess everything to Ryan; or she could hope that Lizzy told her father. But with all of the options, Molly couldn’t hide from the fact that she knew. All of it now.
And well before Ryan had any clue.
‘I’ve got another secret. Shh. I’m engaged.’
‘Uh-huh,’ Molly replied, and added softly, ‘Have you told your father yet?’
‘Has she told me what?’
Molly almost jumped from her skin. Ryan was standing behind them holding a small table for each of them.
‘As I said, it’s so cosy in here I thought we could sit and eat our soup and chat in here,’ he continued as he put down the two folding tables in front of Lizzy and Molly. ‘What’s the secret? Do you want to go shopping together again?’
Molly sighed. His question was so sweet and naive. She wished with all her heart that a shopping date were all that Lizzy was hiding.
Before Lizzy had a chance to answer Ryan froze on the spot. His body went rigid and Molly could see his eyes were focussed on the engagement ring on Lizzy’s finger.
‘Lizzy, is that a new ring?’ he asked, moving the small tables out of the way before bending down in front of her. His voice was not raised but it was firm and coloured by concern.
‘Yes. It’s pretty.’
‘And who gave you that ring?’
‘My boyfriend.’
‘It’s a pretty ring,’ Ryan replied with a hint of recognition in his eyes.
Ryan then shot a sideways glance at Molly. She could see that the pieces were falling into place in his mind and by his expression they weren’t landing favourably. She knew he would have recognised the ring. How could he not? He had helped to choose it.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Lizzy said with a beaming smile as she twisted her finger to hit the light and make the tiny diamond sparkle.
‘I didn’t know you had a boyfriend, Lizzy. What’s his name?’ Ryan’s voice was calm and in no way threatening but Molly knew behind the calm there was a storm brewing. And she suspected the storm was heading her way.
‘Tommy. He’s nice. He asked me to marry him.’
‘Tommy? Well, that’s a surprise.’
‘He’s my secret boyfriend. Only Molly knew.’ Lizzy giggled as she smiled up at Molly.
Ryan’s glance at Molly was no longer sideways. It was face to face and more intense than Molly would have thought possible.
‘I need Molly to help me in the kitchen with the soup, Lizzy. You can stay here in the warm room and we’ll be back in a minute.’
Ryan did not need to ask Molly to follow him. In silence, she stood and walked behind him to the kitchen. Nervously she smoothed her jeans as she walked. There was no purpose in her actions but the adrenalin surging through her body forced her to do something with her hands. He closed the door behind them and stared at her in silence for the longest moment, then turned away and looked out of the kitchen window, still not saying a word. Molly suspected he was trying to choose his words but she didn’t think any of them would be something she wanted to hear.
Finally, he turned back to her. His eyes were cold and unflinching, at odds with hers as they blinked nervously. The tension in his jaw was clear. His voice was a loud whisper with anger and disappointment both simmering close to the surface.
‘You knew about this?’ he started and then, without waiting for any response, continued. ‘When did you decide to set your brother up with my daughter?’
‘I didn’t set them up,’ she responded at a similar volume, aware that Lizzy was in the next room.
‘You expect me to believe it was a coincidence?’
‘It was. I didn’t know that my brother and your daughter worked together. I just found out this morning that Tommy had proposed to Lizzy. I didn’t know he was her boyfriend. I didn’t know who she was dating but I didn’t think for a minute it would be my brother. It just never occurred to me.’
Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Not that I do believe you but, even if I did, you’re still admitting that you knew she was dating someone and you didn’t think I should know that? I’m her father. I should have been told.’
Molly chewed the inside of her cheek. That part of his rant was true and his anger with the situation was justified. Molly should have told him and would have told him under different circumstances.
‘It wasn’t my place to tell you.’
‘Why not? You couldn’t have been blind to my feelings about Lizzy dating. Didn’t you think I should know something as important as that?’
‘Yes, I know, but Lizzy had sworn me to secrecy. I couldn’t break her trust.’
‘That is so convenient. Such a tidy way to round it all up.’
‘It’s the truth.’
‘I’m not so sure I can believe that word coming from you.’
Molly couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t using her name. He was keeping the conversation impersonal.
‘You let me help your brother choose my daughter’s engagement ring without knowing it was for her. Did you think for a moment that was okay?’
‘I didn’t know it was for Lizzy. You have to believe me.’
‘I can’t. It all seems way too convenient. I’m not blaming Tommy or Lizzy...’
‘Great, so you’re blaming me...’ she
countered, her hands on her hips.
‘No, actually I’m blaming myself, Molly.’
She shook her head. ‘Now I’m really confused. What have you done?’
‘I’ve been too preoccupied with work and St Clara’s...’
‘Me?’
‘Let’s leave it there. I think you know where I stand on all of this.’
‘Lizzy’s nineteen, Ryan. She’s not a child.’
Ryan rubbed his forehead in frustration. ‘Lizzy isn’t like other nineteen-year-olds. She has an innocent way of looking at the world...’
‘As does Tommy. They are two wonderful souls who met each other and fell in love.’
‘Do they really know what love is?’ Ryan countered. ‘Do they truly understand what marriage is all about? It’s a lifetime commitment. It’s more than a ring, a kiss and setting up home.’
‘Don’t sell Lizzy short now. From what you’ve told me, and Lizzy’s outlook on life, you’ve never done it before. You’ve always encouraged her and never limited her. You’ve always been there to support her. Don’t stop now when she needs you the most. They’re engaged and I don’t think either would be expecting this reaction to their happiness.’
‘Can you tell me, when did my daughter confide in you? On your shopping trip?’
‘No, actually it was my first day on the job. When she arrived for her appointment.’
‘You expect me to believe that Lizzy told you this secret within minutes of meeting?’
‘She did. And it surprised me too. I only agreed to keep the secret because I didn’t know you were her father. I had no idea. I thought her father was parking the car or delayed. How could I have known when you have different surnames?’
‘It doesn’t add up to me. You made a promise to a young girl you barely knew.’
‘To a young woman, not a girl, a young woman who wanted to confide to another woman about something she held precious. There’s a difference.’
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