‘Yes, Rajiv’s fine about it. He was with me for the scan.’
‘Good,’ Oliver said succinctly. ‘It’s running late, Noreen. I’d better head off.’
‘Keep in touch, won’t you,’ Noreen urged.
‘Yes, I will. There’s been plenty of people looking at the house. There’s a few more coming over the weekend. Heather Williams is looking after things, she’s working for Carleton’s now.’
‘She’s nice,’ Noreen remarked. ‘Make sure to wash the dishcloths so they don’t get smelly and—’
‘Everything’s taken care of in that department,’ Oliver said curtly, annoyed at her remark.
‘I know, it’s just little things like that can tend to get overlooked,’ Noreen explained.
Well, if you were here where you should be, I wouldn’t have any of these problems, Oliver thought angrily. ‘Yeah, well, don’t worry about it. Just make sure to do what the doctors tell you. And I’m glad about your good news. I’ll talk to you again.’
‘OK, Oliver, take care,’ Noreen said, and hung up.
Oliver scowled. He was glad for Noreen that she was having twins, but he almost felt as if his nose was being well and truly rubbed in it. He couldn’t even father one child and mister super-duper in London could give her two. And she had the nerve to tell him to wash the dishcloths, he thought irritably as he sniffed the one he’d been using. It probably could do with a wash, he sighed, and shoved it into the washing machine. He threw in a few tea towels and a hand towel and set the controls, before adding the powder. He was well capable of looking after himself without a woman interfering, no matter what Noreen might think. Oliver headed off to work feeling extremely hard done by.
43
‘I can’t believe the weekend’s gone so quickly. I had a great time.’ Neil leaned over and kissed Lorna.
‘Good,’ she purred, sliding her hand down between his legs.
‘Lorna, Lorna,’ he whispered huskily as he became instantly hard.
‘Just so you won’t forget me,’ she murmured into his ear as he rolled on to her.
‘As if I would,’ Neil groaned, wanting to make the most of this last lovemaking session with Lorna but wanting to explode into her at the same time.
Lorna wriggled beneath him and then wrapped her long legs around him, holding him tight. Those legs so taut and toned and silky to touch. It had never been like this with Heather, and never would have been, he thought fleetingly as he enjoyed every second of this last lusty joining.
‘You’ll just have to come over again soon,’ Lorna murmured when they were finished.
‘It’ll be a while, my accountant will probably cut up my credit card when I get home,’ Neil confessed. He’d spent a small fortune this weekend so far, and he still had to settle his hotel bill.
‘Tsk! Don’t think about it.’ She looked annoyed. ‘Come on, let’s go up to the pool and have a swim, take a quick walk in Central Park and then we’ll have brunch in Norma’s downstairs. It’s one of the places to have brunch in New York and I’m dying to try it out.’
‘Well, if you’re dying to try it out, try it out we will,’ Neil said gallantly. He wouldn’t mind a strong cup of coffee to wake him up. It had been the early hours when they’d got to bed. Lorna had walked the legs off him the previous day and then she’d taken him to a very loud, crowded, hip club that had cost $100 each to get in, not to mention the rip-off prices they’d charged for drinks. Lorna had told him it used to be one of Madonna’s favourite haunts. Madonna might have the money to spend in such a place, he hadn’t, but he couldn’t let on to Lorna that it was way out of his range. She was obviously used to socializing in these sort of places.
The swim woke him up, and he enjoyed his laps underneath the glass roof that allowed a hot, bright sun to shine through. Hard to believe that this time tomorrow he’d be back home in Ireland. He’d work his butt off to try to get another trip before the end of the year. Not only was he hooked on Lorna, he was well and truly hooked on New York.
By the time the waiter put a big juicy doorstep of a steak in front of him some hours later, he was ravenous. He’d enjoyed his walk in Central Park among all the NYC residents out strolling, cycling and rollerblading with panache, with Lorna pointing out areas of interest as knowledgeably as if she were a native, he thought admiringly. She’d really settled in here, practically a native New Yorker.
It had been a rush to get packed and checked out and he’d paid his hotel bill without flinching. It wasn’t bad value considering all the luxurious extras and its prime site. Even though the prices in Norma’s reflected its status as the place to have brunch, it was his last meal in the city, he might as well enjoy it.
Lorna was having a popover chicken and vegetable pie, pushing it around her plate, toying with it. He noticed that whenever she ate, she left at least half of her meal on her plate. Obviously she was watching her fantastic figure, but it grieved him that the food that had cost him half a day’s pay was being wasted. She should order child’s portions and be done with it. At least Heather ate what was in front of her.
Stop that!!! he ordered himself, silently. There was no comparison between Lorna and Heather. Lorna was a sophisticated woman of the world, Heather a nice but parochial homebody. He knew who he wanted to be with, whether she picked at her food or not.
‘Isn’t it a fabulous place? The buzz is terrific. Oh Neil, I wish I could do brunch here every Sunday,’ Lorna said wistfully, gazing around at the smart, crowded, airy restaurant.
‘Why don’t you?’ he asked, puzzled.
‘Er … there’s so many places to try out, Neil, you can’t keep going to the same place,’ Lorna drawled. ‘I should have brought you to the Carnegie Deli as well. It’s famous and it’s only a few blocks away, they have queues out the door.’
‘When I come back, next time.’ Neil smiled as the waiters arrived to top up their coffee and juice.
‘When do you think you’ll come back?’ Lorna slid a tiny sliver of chicken into her mouth.
‘As soon as I can! Maybe I could stay in your place next time. It wouldn’t be so expensive either. If I’m going to keep coming over it makes sense to stay with you,’ he suggested. ‘Is it big? I’d love to have seen it.’
‘Just your average brownstone apartment in Chelsea near the piers,’ she said airily. ‘Le Parker Meridian is much more romantic, much more us.’
‘And OK if you’re loaded,’ he retorted. Lorna frowned and he quickly changed the subject. She was touchy about money. ‘Are you sure you won’t come to the airport? The concierge told me I shouldn’t leave it too late.’
‘No, don’t,’ Lorna agreed. ‘Everyone will be coming back from Westchester and the Hamptons, traffic’s always crap on Sunday afternoon and evening. I really don’t want to spend hours in cabs each way.’
‘Oh, OK,’ he sighed. ‘Just let me settle the bill.’ He half hoped that she would offer to treat him. She hadn’t put her hand in her purse since Thursday, but then it was obvious she was used to men wining, dining and looking after her. She expected the same from him. He supposed he’d got off lightly by not having to buy any jewellery at Tiffany’s, although she’d dropped enough hints when she’d taken him in to ‘browse’. He didn’t feel one bit guilty. He’d spent a king’s ransom on clothes for her, time enough for the jewellery as they got to know each other better. He’d been stung before by girlfriends dumping him after he’d bought expensive jewellery for them. Sometimes, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he felt Lorna was toying with him. He’d noticed especially the night they were in the club that she kept looking around and over his shoulder, trying to make eye contact with other men. Not a very nice trait.
Stop! You’re being paranoid, he chastised himself, annoyed that his old lack of confidence should suddenly resurface.
‘I suppose I’d better go.’ He made a face as he pocketed his credit card, having paid yet another small fortune for their meal.
‘I guess you’d bett
er. The doorman will call you a cab. I might just stay and have another coffee. I don’t really want to watch you leaving, Neil.’ Her lower lip trembled.
‘Ah, Lorna!’ He patted her hand awkwardly, touched at her emotion and disgusted with his earlier lack of charity. She did care about him, it was obvious. She seemed upset.
‘Just go, now,’ she said forlornly. ‘I’ll call you.’
‘OK.’ He leaned across the table and kissed her gently. ‘I had a wonderful, wonderful time. Give me your number so I can keep in touch. Let’s call each other a couple of times a week as well as emailing,’ he suggested.
‘I’ll email you my number. You’d really want to get a move on, Neil.’
Was it his imagination or was she a trifle testy? It was just that she was upset, he assured himself, looking at her downcast face. He shrugged into his new black leather jacket and walked down the steps of Norma’s. When he looked back she was sitting with her face cupped in her hands, looking so sad he felt like running back and taking her in his arms. Taking a deep breath, Neil kept going and ten minutes later was sitting in the back of a yellow cab on his way to JFK, and a future reckoning with his accountant.
* * *
Lorna tried to keep the tears at bay. She couldn’t believe that her weekend of pampering and luxury was over. If she didn’t get a move on she was going to be late for her shift at Zack’s. Not that she gave a damn. How could she go back to waitressing after spending a weekend eating in upmarket restaurants in the hottest spots in town? How could she slum it back in that tacky, noisy diner?
She’d thought Neil would never get a move on. Time was getting tight and she had to change her clothes, she certainly wasn’t working for the next eight hours in her Nicole Farhi outfit. She finished her coffee and reluctantly left the restaurant, collected her weekend bag, and got a swipe card for the loo. Like Cinderella, after midnight, she divested herself of her finery and emerged into the foyer in her jeans and Gap T-shirt.
She was damned if she was taking public transport to Times Square, she decided, having spent the last four days being whisked around in taxis. The doorman smiled at her and whistled for a cab. Sick at heart, Lorna climbed in.
She wouldn’t have a weekend like this again until her mother came. Neil was a dead loss. Imagine suggesting he stay at her place the next time. As if. He’d really blown it big-time. If that was his attitude, he could forget her, she decided. Neil was OK but definitely not what she required. He kept going on about his accountant. How cheap was that? Even this morning while they were having brunch she’d considered keeping him on a long leash, prepared to keep in touch until he came out again, but when he’d suggested doing it on the cheap and staying in her place, that had put the kibosh on that. He wasn’t worth it.
She shouldn’t have bothered flirting with him, just so she could knock the smug smile off Heather’s face. Heather was such an idiot anyway, she thought crossly. Imagine falling head over heels in love with Neil. In spite of all his best efforts, he’d never be able to shake off his country-boy leanings. Looking for a cheap place to stay indeed. Lorna was raging with him for that. She felt really let down; even the fact that he was the only man who’d given her pleasure in bed wasn’t enough. She’d invested a lot of time and effort in him and he’d proved to be a loser.
He’d even wanted to visit Ground Zero, how uncool was that? How ghoulish and voyeuristic. Lorna didn’t even like to acknowledge that such a place existed. It made New York seem vulnerable, and she didn’t like that feeling, she felt vulnerable enough herself as it was.
Lorna sighed. Her place was uptown, and if she wanted to be there she’d better find someone to keep her, and fast. As the flashing billboards of Times Square hove into view, Lorna felt sick with disappointment as reality hit home hard.
* * *
It had not been the best weekend ever, Heather thought glumly as she squeezed some lemon juice into a glass of warm water and sipped it slowly. All her hard-won equilibrium seemed to have disappeared in an instant when she’d heard about Neil going to New York. The hurt and grief had hit her again, twice as hard, and that shocked her. When did the pain stop? When did the heartache disappear? Was she going to feel like this for the rest of her life? she wondered in despair. She’d thought she was over him. She’d tormented herself for the entire weekend, thinking about what they were doing, and hated herself for being such a wimp.
It still hurt that Neil had dropped her like such a hot potato. Apart from that horrible episode in Fred’s he hadn’t spoken to her at all. He’d cut her out of his life as if she’d meant nothing at all to him. Didn’t he miss her even a little bit? Didn’t he miss their talks about the business? Looking back, he’d only ever talked about himself. It had been all about him and his plans. He could talk about himself for hours. Surely he didn’t get away with that with Lorna. All she ever talked about was herself. That they’d ever got together at all was a miracle. They were two horrible people, Heather thought bitterly.
She chewed the side of her lip. Was it Lorna she was more mad at than Neil? It was the humiliation of it all that got to her. Her pride had been well and truly dented. Sometimes she wondered if it was her pride that hurt the most or her heart. Looking back, she felt she’d been more in love with the idea of living with Neil and being a couple, than actually in love. Was she just as shallow as Neil and Lorna at the end of the day? She wished these horrible questions would stop buzzing around her head.
She slipped a slice of bread into the toaster and sipped more of her warm lemon-flavoured water. Today was the start of her diet, she vowed. She’d disgraced herself over the weekend, stuffing herself with chocolate-covered Kimberleys, crisps, slices of fruity Maltana slathered in butter. She’d gone on such a binge she hated herself. It had to stop, now!
She was driving towards Carleton’s just a few hundred metres from the garage when she saw Neil’s car parked on the forecourt under the flat, with the boot open. Slowing down, she saw him lifting suitcases out of the boot. He must have flown in this morning. She glowered, feeling a fierce stab of jealousy. He looked extremely well in a pair of black trousers, black shirt and black leather jacket. She could see Lorna’s influence and it galled her. If he’d looked hunted and miserable it would have given her some consolation. She put her foot on the accelerator and decided to comfort herself with a chocolate éclair for her tea break.
* * *
‘Oh, I like this!’ Noreen exclaimed as she walked into the light-filled, airy fitted kitchen and dining-room that led out to a sunny, shrub-filled garden. ‘I’ll need a good garden, Rajiv, for two of them. It’s the nicest one I’ve seen. And the flat’s decorated in the colours I like. I had a beautiful house in Kilronan, you know.’ Sadness flickered across her face. She’d been so proud of that house. So chuffed to show it off to Rita and Maura, but in the end it had become a place of great unhappiness for both her and Oliver.
She’d spent the weekend looking at houses, apartments and flats, none of them appealing to her until she’d seen this high-ceilinged, immaculate ground-floor flat with garden, in a large Victorian house on a quiet, leafy, tree-lined road not far from Kay, Rajiv and St Mary’s, where she was back working part-time.
A garden had been high on her list of priorities and this one, walled, mature and private, was perfect. The flat itself had three bedrooms and a good-sized lounge, with a beautiful bay window, and it was in her price range.
‘If you like it, go for it, Noreen, house prices are starting to rise. Don’t delay buying,’ Rajiv warned. He was being extremely kind, supportive and helpful to her. It was the first time in her life that she’d ever had such a relaxed relationship with a man but she was finding it difficult to come out of her I’m-An-Independent-Can-Stand-On-My-Own-Two-Feet-Woman mode. She and Rajiv had an easy friendship but she had not had sex with him again. She wasn’t sure if she would in the future, but for now she was holding back. It was as though being pregnant had satisfied every need and want for the moment and sh
e was content to savour that particular joy for the time being.
‘You know, Rajiv, I feel that Oliver shouldn’t be selling the house and giving half the proceeds to me. Why should he? He worked hard to build that house. I feel terribly guilty about it,’ she added despondently as she walked out into the flower-filled garden. Great drifts of clematis tumbled down over trellises. Bluebells and irises waved softly in the breeze under two damson trees that formed a natural archway as their foliage intertwined. It was a peaceful place. Soothing and restful. A bird sang exuberantly. It was an oasis in the midst of the city. She could do far worse for herself and her children than buy here, she reflected as she waited for her friend’s answer.
Rajiv took a deep breath and studied her with his kind, trusting eyes. ‘I understand how you feel, but from a man’s point of view, if I may, I think if you don’t let him sell up and give you half the cash, you’ll make him feel worse than he feels already. It can’t be easy for him to know that you are expecting twins. I’d say the poor man feels he’s let you down and this is a way of trying to make up for it. Giving you the money will be an honourable ending of it for him. What do the Americans call it? Closure, isn’t it? An interesting concept if you don’t believe in karma,’ Rajiv said honestly as he bent down to smell a tuft of lavender.
‘But I’m the one that feels I’ve let him down. Oh Rajiv, I kept at him and at him to have a baby. I can’t take his money. It’s not fair. I’ve walked out on him, he has no obligation towards me,’ Noreen fretted.
‘You can’t stay with Kay for ever. And if you don’t take his money you won’t be able to afford a place half as nice as this unless you let me—’
‘No, Rajiv,’ she said sharply. ‘You can help with the babies but that’s it. I’m not going to sponge off you too.’
Rajiv held up his palms. ‘Fine, Noreen. I respect your wishes,’ he said calmly, ‘but I think you should let Oliver keep some sense of pride and dignity, if you want my honest opinion.’
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