The Heartbreak Cafe

by Melissa Hill

  Deflated and no longer hungry, Nina pushed the remainder of the food around on her plate. ‘Um Dad … thanks for dinner, but I’m feeling a bit tired now. I think I might just go upstairs.’

  Still Patrick didn’t look away from the TV. ‘OK Nina,’ he said, as his daughter picked up her backpack and trundled upstairs to her old room, wondering already if she’d made yet another big mistake.

  Chapter 2

  Jess Armstrong was having enormous difficulty trying to decide between the Fendi and the Prada. The former was pebbled brown leather and gold hardware; the latter squishy calfskin embellished with tiny lavender flowers.

  If she were buying the handbag for herself it wouldn’t be an issue, but trying to pick one that was special enough as a gift while also being practical to suit Emer’s day-to-day lifestyle was a real challenge. The elegant Fendi was the obvious choice of course, but the Prada was so pretty and had way more of a wow factor, didn’t it?

  And Jess really wanted her best friend to be wowed by her birthday present – she deserved it.

  Ten months ago Emer had given birth to her first child, little Amy, but had found the initial transition to motherhood difficult and Jess had been really worried about her. The two had been friends for many years, and when Emer in the early days admitted to Jess she was struggling, she tried her utmost to help in every way she could; a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to, but mostly just to be there as much as possible for her friend during such a difficult period. Thankfully, Emer had come through the worst though, and these days, was taking to family life like the proverbial duck to water.

  So this and the fact that her friend’s thirty-fifth birthday was this weekend was reason enough for Jess to want to spoil her with something extra special. They weren’t usually so extravagant in their gifts to one another and she knew Emer would be blown away by such a lavish present. Which was exactly the point.

  ‘I just can’t decide,’ she said to the Brown Thomas store assistant, who confused her even further by suggesting a temptingly beautiful petrol blue patent Alexander McQueen.

  Jess resisted the urge to chew on a strand of honey blonde hair – an awful childhood habit that she could never quite break – as she wondered if patent might actually be a good idea for a new mum; it would be more practical for baby stains, wouldn’t it? Yet, at the same time she couldn’t see Emer wandering around Lakeview with a bright blue space-aged style McQueen, she’d definitely get some weird looks from the locals.

  While less than an hour’s drive from Dublin on the motorway, Lakeview was very much your quintessential Irish small town, locally owned pubs and shops and a gorgeous café along one short street, surrounded by pretty older houses, and lavish, sprawling newer ones further out – all centred round the large oxbow lake.

  Emer and her husband had moved there on the advice of other mutual friends Deirdre and Kevin who had already relocated there – the houses in Lakeview were larger and much cheaper than anything available in Dublin, and the quieter pace of life perfect for growing families. Jess loved visiting her friends down there and harboured the odd hope that she and Brian might one day follow the other couples in setting up home in the area, but at the same time her hubby was a Dub through and through, and she knew he’d miss the cut and thrust of city life. In truth, Jess would probably miss it too. It was lovely to visit a sleepy place like Lakeview for a couple of hours and enjoy the laid-back way of things, but after a while the quieter pace of life might very well be grating.

  Eventually deciding on the lavender Prada (to hell with practicality) Jess left the store and headed out into the late afternoon sunshine towards St Stephen’s Green shopping centre where her car was parked. It was a beautifully sunny May day, and for once she got to make proper use of her Ray Bans instead of just perching them on the top of her head like she usually did. Grafton Street was especially buzzy on days like this; the street performers and late-evening shoppers were out in force, and she smiled as she sauntered along, jauntily swinging the striped Brown Thomas carrier bag.

  On her way, she couldn’t resist nipping into a nearby gift store to pick up a cute teddy bear for little Amy. Well, her niece deserved a treat too, didn’t she? Not that Amy was really her niece, but she was the closest thing Jess was going to get to one, as she herself was an only child.

  And Emer was as good as any sister. They’d known one another for what seemed like forever but in reality was only about fifteen years when they’d met on the first day of college at DIT. Having both graduated with marketing degrees, they’d taken up work at the same Dublin-based drinks distribution company, and while Emer had in the meantime given up the job, moved to Lakeview and started a family, Jess was still working with the same company. Well, in theory at least, as the small Irish firm had since been taken over and re-branded under the massive international Piccolo label. The company was responsible for the majority of Irish premium brand alcoholic beverages, and Jess’s recently promoted role to marketing manager for Ireland was to ensure that their key brands remained fresh and desirable to the drinking public both here and internationally. And speaking of which…as she passed by a popular tourist pub, Jess was gratified to see that the majority of customers sitting outdoors were enjoying the sunshine over longneck bottles of Piccolo’s current brand leader.

  If only her latest campaign could so easily convince Brian, she thought fondly. Her hubby just couldn’t be persuaded to switch from his lifetime favourite, Guinness, to Piccolo’s equivalent, Porters, much to his wife’s chagrin. She’d tried hundreds of times throughout their seven-year marriage to persuade him of Porters’ merits, but he just couldn’t be turned. His doggedness (or contrariness as Jess called it) was something that amused their friends no end, and something that frustrated her in equal measures, but as it was just about the only thing he did that annoyed her she could certainly live with it. Jess shook her head in silent amazement. Seven years now. It was hard to believe she and Brian had been married that long, especially when it still felt almost like only seven months. He was a great friend, confidant and her absolute soul mate, and she didn’t know what she would do without him. Although she had no choice but to do without him this week at least, as he was away with work in Singapore and wouldn’t be back until Sunday night.

  Well, she’d have plenty to occupy her until then. Having been out every single night this week at work-related parties and events, tonight would be a rare night in, and Jess planned to go home and have a good long soak in the bath, which should help recharge the batteries. Tomorrow afternoon she’d pop down to Lakeview for a visit and give Emer and Amy their presents.

  She wondered idly if Emer’s husband Dave would be taking her out for dinner tonight. Probably not; finding a babysitter would undoubtedly be difficult, and anyway, Jess suspected the still-new parents might find it a wrench to leave their precious baby daughter with anyone. Still, she wondered now if she should forgo her quiet night in tonight and at least offer to look after Amy just in case the two of them would like some time on their own. She could be down there by seven, barring heavy traffic, and still allowing enough time to pop back home to her own place to pick up an overnight bag.

  Yes, that’s what she’d do, Jess thought, checking the time on her mobile phone before dialling her friend’s home number. It was just after five-thirty; Emer was sure to be home but she hoped the ringing wouldn’t interrupt poor Amy’s nap or something. For this reason, she was nearly always wary of phoning Emer’s house or mobile without warning as she could only imagine how frustrating it must be for new mums trying to get a young baby settled.

  ‘You’d swear you had experience with this kind of thing,’ Brian often teased her, making fun of her concerns, when they both knew that Jess hadn’t the foggiest idea about babies or what was involved in raising them.

  ‘It doesn’t take a genius to work out that noise wakes people – tiny or otherwise,’ she’d retorted tartly.

  Now, as she waited for Emer to answer the phone,
she seriously hoped that this wasn’t a bad time and that her friend wouldn’t be cursing her from a height when she picked up.

  ‘Hello?’ Emer said somewhat tiredly and Jess winced.

  ‘Oops, sorry – I hope I haven’t woken her up?’

  ‘What? Oh hi Jess, how are you? No, you haven’t woken Amy up, she’s here beside me.’

  ‘Oh great, I’m nearly always holding my breath about phoning at the wrong time, just in case. So how is she? And how are you? Looking forward to tomorrow?’

  ‘Tomorrow….’

  Jess smiled. ‘Come on – stop trying to fool me by pretending it’s no big deal. Every birthday is a big deal Emer, especially when this time you’ll be getting a card that says Mummy on it.’

  ‘I know, that will be weird.’

  ‘Well, I don’t want to keep you as I’m sure you’re up to your eyes, but I just wondered if you and Dave wanted a night out on your own tonight, or tomorrow night even? I’d be happy to watch Amy. Brian’s away this weekend so I could come down and stay over?’

  ‘Oh …’

  Jess raised an eyebrow, wondering why her friend sounded so taken aback by this. Or wait no, was it more like … uncomfortable? Thinking about it now maybe it was stupid of her to offer and perhaps Emer wouldn’t in a million years dream of leaving her baby daughter with someone of limited experience, and no real idea about what was involved? But Jess was certain it would be a piece of cake; Amy was a little darling and thanks to Brian’s extended family, she wasn’t completely clueless when it came to changing nappies and suchlike. But whatever her reasons, Emer definitely didn’t sound enthusiastic at the prospect.

  ‘Thanks for the offer Jess, that’s really nice of you but it’s fine. We don’t really fancy going out.’

  ‘Are you sure? No need to worry; I’m positive I could handle her and -’

  ‘It’s nothing like that, honestly, it’s just that … well we’d really rather just have a quiet night in – no fuss you know?’

  ‘OK … well as long as you’re sure. And don’t ever be afraid to ask either; you know I’d only be too delighted to give you guys a break.’

  ‘I know that, thanks Jess.’

  ‘So will you be around tomorrow? I was going to pop down with your birthday present.’

  ‘Oh you really shouldn’t have. But yes, we’ll be at home all day, although around lunchtime would probably be best.’

  ‘No problem. Hopefully the nice weather will hold. It’s great at the moment, isn’t it? Must be brilliant for you and Amy to be able to spend time out in the garden.’

  ‘We’re really enjoying it, yes.’

  Unlike her and Brian’s postage stamp in Booterstown, Emer and Dave’s house had the benefit of a huge back garden with plenty of space for Amy when she got to running-around age. One of the major benefits of moving to the countryside, Jess supposed.

  ‘Well, hopefully we’ll get a chance to grab a few rays tomorrow. I’ll bring a bottle of bubbly, and maybe I can wrangle you into having a sneaky glass over lunch – just for your birthday.’ As far as she knew Emer was still off alcohol, her friend having decided well before her pregnancy that it was no longer appropriate for her to be behaving like the town wino. A casualty of their profession, Jess knew, (although some people might call it a perk) but she knew where her friend was coming from. Working for a drinks company inevitably led to lots and lots of alcohol-related and themed social events and gatherings over the years, and while Emer had since got off that particular merry-go-round, Jess was still very much in full, ahem … flow.

  Emer laughed. ‘We’ll see how it goes.’

  ‘Great. Well, enjoy your quiet night in, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Give Amy a kiss for me, won’t you?’

  ‘Will do Jess. See you then.’

  The following day Jess got in her Mercedes SLK and reached Lakeview around lunchtime, having phoned Emer on the way to ask if she needed her to bring anything.

  ‘Thanks a mill, but no,’ her friend replied, sounding a bit groggy and Jess deduced that the baby must have been keeping her up the previous night.

  Well, hopefully her new handbag would give her a boost, she thought, looking forward to seeing her friend’s face when she opened the specially-wrapped gift box. Emer was always admiring Jess’s own faithful Jimmy Choo and now that the Kellerman’s were a one-income household, she suspected that Emer didn’t have a whole lot of money to spend on herself. Another reason Jess felt she deserved something a little bit special.

  ‘Oh dear, bad night with Amy?’ she said sympathetically to Emer upon arrival, catching sight of her friend’s grey and rather haggard appearance as they went through to the kitchen. Actually, she looked pretty much like she used to after one of their many nights out on the town.

  ‘No no, she was fine,’ Emer said, waving away Jess’s concern. ‘Dave had to go out for the afternoon but he says to say hi.’

  ‘Oh sorry I missed him. Well, anyway  before I forget, happy birthday!’

  ‘What’s this?’ Emer looked mystified by the large Brown Thomas gift box Jess handed to her. ‘Don’t say that’s for me.’

  ‘Of course it’s for you,’ Jess said grinning.

  ‘Jess, I –’

  ‘Oh go on and just open the bloody thing. And don’t say anything else till you do.’

  ‘Well…’ Emer untied the soft black ribbon and slowly lifted back the folds of tissue paper. And when she finally revealed the magnificent leather bag, she froze, and her face flushed in appreciation … or discomfort, Jess couldn’t be sure.

  ‘Do you like it?’ she asked, worried now that she’d chosen the wrong option. Maybe this was too OTT and the Fendi would have been much more Emer’s style? ‘Perhaps the colour is a bit tricky but – ’

  ‘It’s amazing. Wow Jess, I don’t know what to say …’

  ‘You don’t need to say anything. I know it’s a bit unexpected but I really wanted to get you something nice this time, something special I suppose after everything you’ve been through this year.’

  ‘I just can’t believe it. I’m gob-smacked, never in a million years did I expect something like … or that you would…’

  ‘Well, of course you didn’t expect it; it wouldn’t be a surprise then, would it?’ Jess smiled, pleased that her gift seemed to be having the desired effect, although she really hoped it hadn’t made Emer uncomfortable or anything – or worse, made her worry that she had to return the favour. ‘Look, this is just a once off, something to celebrate you becoming a mum, and your birthday of course, but also just for being a great friend for all these years, you know?’

  Emer was shaking her head. ‘I just can’t believe it. And Prada! Jess this really must have cost you a fortune.’

  ‘It’s nothing really. I got a surprise bonus last month so it’s really no big deal.’ That wasn’t strictly true but if it made Emer feel better then…

  ‘No big deal? Wow, looks like I got out of the game too soon. That promotion obviously has you rolling in it.’ And did Jess imagine it, or was there a slight tinge of … resentment in her tone? No surely not, Emer was the one who’d decided to bow out of the workplace in order to move to Lakeview and concentrate on family life, and she knew better than anyone how hard Jess worked.

  ‘Well not quite, but unlike you, I suppose I don’t really have anyone else to spend it on but oh, speaking of which…’ Jess reached again into the bag and took out the small teddy bear. ‘This is for Amy.’

  ‘Thank you – again. I’m sure she’ll love it.’ But although her friend sounded normal enough, Jess still thought she noticed something on the edge of her tone.

  Oh she was probably just imagining it, she thought shaking off the feeling. Maybe Emer was just wrong-footed by her extravagance with the handbag and still a little taken aback to respond as enthusiastically as Jess had hoped?

  ‘Where is Amy anyway?’ she asked.

  ‘Out on the decking in her bouncer – and still asleep, I hope. Will a sandwich be OK
for you for lunch? I didn’t have to time to prepare much –’

  ‘A sandwich is perfect and don’t go to any fuss, anything at all will be fine. Actually, do you want me to sort out something while you go and check on her?’ Jess didn’t want Emer to feel as though she needed to wait on her hand and foot, especially when she’d obviously had such a hard night.

  ‘No, it’s fine, I’ve got some made up. Orange juice OK too?’

  ‘Perfect.’ Somehow for reasons Jess still couldn’t identify, the vibe didn’t seem right for champagne.

  ‘You know you could have told me to get lost today if you wanted to,’ she said to Emer when they were seated outside at the patio table, Amy sleeping peacefully alongside them.

  ‘Get lost?’

  ‘Well, if you weren’t up to having visitors.’ Jess couldn’t think of any other reason why the atmosphere between her and Emer seemed so strained. It couldn’t be about the bag could it? Had she got that really wrong and made her friend uncomfortable rather than delighted?

  ‘Not at all, it’s fine,’ her friend said, but her tone definitely didn’t make Jess feel any happier.

  ‘Right. Well cheers then,’ she said, holding her glass of orange juice aloft. ‘Happy Birthday.’

  ‘Thanks Jess, and thanks so much again for the beautiful handbag. I’m floored by it.’

  ‘As I said, you deserve it.’ Jess smiled. ‘I don’t know what the hell you’ll wear it with but –’

  Just then Emer’s doorbell rang, and her friend jumped up to answer it. ‘I wonder who that is?’ she said frowning. ‘I’m not expecting anyone …’

  A few seconds later, she returned with a woman Jess didn’t recognise, but who was carrying a baby that looked a little bit older than Amy.

  ‘Jess this is Grainne, one of the neighbours.’

  Jess stood up to greet her. ‘Really nice to meet you. And who’s this gorgeous little fellow?’ she cooed, smiling at the little boy the woman held in her arms.