by Maria Duffy
For some reason, Donna was surprised she had a son. ‘He lives abroad, then?’
‘Not any more. He was living in London for a while but he and his fiancée are coming back to live in Ireland.’
Donna idly wondered if they’d be in the market for a wedding cake. She’d only just started doing tiered cakes but already she was getting a brilliant response. She’d done a wedding cake for a couple a few weeks before and they’d wanted a fun cake rather than a serious one. So she’d created a bedroom scene on the top tier, with the bride sitting up in bed and the groom passed out on the bed in his wedding suit. The couple had said it was genius and she’d even got a few orders for next year as a result.
‘Donna?’ Lexie was staring at her.
‘Sorry, what?’ She was miles away.
‘I was just saying we should get going. Bob said he’d have dinner ready at six.’
They thanked Melissa again and headed outside into the cold December air. Donna shivered and pulled the zip of her parka jacket right up to her chin.
‘That went well,’ said Lexie, linking Donna as they headed towards the bus stop. ‘I feel like there’s a weight lifted off already.’
‘That’s brilliant, Lexie. All we need now is to find you a decent man.’ She had the words out before she realised how insensitive it sounded, given the circumstances. But Lexie didn’t seem to mind.
‘Maybe in time. If I could only find someone like Bob, I’d be happy. He’s been such a good friend to me, Donna. You both have.’
Donna squeezed her arm. That was Bob all over – the best friend a woman could have. He was definitely her best friend. But was that enough? Only time would tell.
* * *
Will glanced at Silvia as the ‘fasten seat belts’ sign lit up and the plane started its bumpy descent to Dublin airport.
‘Any regrets?’ he asked her, taking her hand.
‘Not one. It’s going to be a great new adventure for us and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.’
He squeezed her hand but wished he shared her confidence. It was eight months since their engagement – or secret engagement, as they liked to call it. After that day in the park when Silvia had proposed, he’d managed to convince her that they should keep it to themselves for a while.
‘It wouldn’t be fair to tell your parents news like this over the phone,’ he’d offered. ‘Why don’t we plan a trip to Perth next year and we can tell them face to face?’
‘Next year?’ she’d replied, her face falling. ‘That’s too long to wait.’
‘But it won’t stop us making plans, Sil. We can still talk about the future and by the time we tell everyone, we’ll know exactly what we want.’
She’d reluctantly agreed and he’d been relieved. He wasn’t sure why he was so reluctant to make their engagement public. He knew he loved her and was pretty sure they had a future, but something was holding him back. Maybe it was the thought of how his parents would react – or at least his mother. She’d already shown her disdain for their relationship so telling her they were getting married wouldn’t be easy. But it wasn’t just that. He was scared. Scared of committing to one woman for the rest of his life. What if she wasn’t the one?
‘Are you happy to be going home?’ Silvia burst into his thoughts.
He looked at her and smiled. ‘Of course. It will be great to show you around, take you to all my old haunts and introduce you to my family and friends.’
‘I sense a “but” there.’
‘I think I’ll be much happier when we can find a place of our own. It’s not going to be easy living with Mum and Dad.’
‘You over-think things, Will. It’ll be great. Your dad told me on the phone that he was looking forward to having a full house again. We’ll be one big happy family.’
‘Don’t bank on it. Wait until you meet my mum!’
Silvia laughed but Will was serious. He was dreading the two women meeting. Silvia was used to big Italian families – all sitting around tables eating pasta, chatting non-stop and singing ‘That’s Amore’. She might not be prepared for his stern, judgemental mother and their more docile lifestyle.
Silvia had taken control of their lives as soon as he’d agreed to marry her. Before he knew it, she had an offer of a job as a financial manager in a large pharmaceutical company in Dublin and was pushing him into taking a job with his mother. It had been the last thing he wanted to do but Silvia could be very persuasive.
‘We need to save money if we’re going to get married,’ she’d said. ‘Nothing comes cheap these days and if we stay here in London, we won’t be able to save a penny.’
It was true. They’d just been living from day to day over there with no thought to the coming years but the money they’d earn in Ireland would set them up for the future. So Will had agreed and, just after Christmas, he’d be back working with his mother and he was completely dreading it.
He looked out at the sea of green below and thought of Jack. How would he feel if he knew Will had come full circle and was now coming home? Would he be proud of him for all he’d done over the last number of years? He closed his eyes and tried to imagine his friend’s face. It was beginning to fade from his memory and he hated that. Sometimes it took him a minute or two to form a clear picture of him. God, he wished Jack was still alive. Now that would be something worth coming home for.
There was a sudden thud and Will realised they’d landed. Home sweet home. He looked at Silvia’s excited face and felt a surge of excitement too. Maybe being home wouldn’t be so bad after all. And he was sure his parents would fall in love with Silvia just as he had.
Chapter 29
‘Right, my two gorgeous girlies. I’ll love you and leave you.’
‘Where was it you said you were going?’ asked Donna, watching as Bob smoothed out imaginary creases from his new Ralph Lauren quilted jacket. ‘And are you coming back here later?’
Bob bent over and kissed her on the top of her head. ‘I’m interviewing that designer guy, remember? The weird and wacky one.’
Donna nodded. ‘Although they all seem weird and wacky to me.’
‘And where’s my kiss?’ Lexie asked, puckering up her lips and closing her eyes.
‘Dahhhling,’ said Bob, in his best Craig Revel Horwood accent. ‘If I started on you, I wouldn’t stop. Best not make Donna jealous.’
Donna threw a cushion at him. ‘Go on, get out of here before I turn into the Incredible Hulk. Jealousy can be a terrible thing, y’know.’
‘I’m going, I’m going. And to answer your second question, I think I’ll just crash at home tonight. I promised Mam I’d help her with a delivery in the morning and I’ve a meeting after that.’
‘Fine by me,’ said Donna, topping up Lexie’s wine. ‘We’ll have a girlie night without you. See you tomorrow.’
Donna was glad to have Lexie to herself tonight. Initially she’d been worried that Lexie would feel like the odd one out in the house, but it was actually quite the opposite. She and Bob got on so well together that in fact sometimes Donna felt left out. Lexie said it was like having another girlfriend because Bob was like no man she ever knew. He was sensitive, a great listener and he loved a bit of gossip.
‘Do you think you two will get married any time soon?’
The question took Donna by surprise. ‘Who? Me and Bob?’
‘No, you and the plumber! Of course you and Bob. Who else would I mean?’
Donna paused for a moment. It wasn’t that she didn’t know the answer, but more she didn’t know how to tell Lexie that she could never see it happening.
‘I know I’m not a great advertisement for marriage or anything,’ Lexie continued, ‘but I think you two are perfect together.’
‘Don’t be so hard on yourself, Lexie. You were unfortunate, that’s all. And Bob and I are fine just the way we are.’
‘But don’t you ever talk about the future? About where this is going?’
‘Not really.’
Lexie sighed. �
�I don’t understand you two. I’d only been with Brendan for a few weeks when we started to talk about moving in together. Then it was the engagement, the wedding, where we’d live. I thought that’s what couples do – plan for the future.’
Donna resisted the urge to point out how that had turned out. ‘I suppose we started off as friends so it’s different for us. There was no big fanfare when we got together – it just happened.’
‘But still.’ Lexie wasn’t letting it go. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know what’s in store for you both? Wouldn’t it be nice to think about the future?’
‘Not really, Lexie. I’m happy as things are. We’re happy.’
Lexie sniffed. ‘Well, if that’s the case, then I’m happy too. But I still think you’re weird.’
Donna laughed and went to get another bottle of red from the kitchen. Lexie was right. The situation was a bit weird. She’d been with Bob for a year and a half now and they plodded along just fine. Neither of them ever mentioned the future. They didn’t talk about getting engaged or married. They were even still living apart and, if Donna was honest, she liked it that way. Much as she loved him, she still didn’t feel ready to have Bob move in full-time.
‘Do you know what, Donna?’ Lexie was sitting bolt upright on the sofa when Donna came back in with the wine. ‘I think I’m ready now.’
‘Ready for what?’ Donna was confused. Had she forgotten they were supposed to be going somewhere?
‘I’m ready to tackle the box. Seeing that solicitor today made me realise that it’s time to move on. I definitely don’t want Brendan back, despite having a few wobbles, but I don’t want to forget the good times we had either.’
The box had arrived from Australia a number of weeks ago. It had been covered in a zig-zag of duct tape and stamped with all sorts of custom and postal stamps. Lexie had taken a knife to it straight away and ripped it open. But as soon as she’d realised it was full of photos and various other memorabilia from her time with Brendan, she’d closed it up immediately.
‘I’m not ready for this yet,’ she’d announced to Donna and Bob, who’d been hovering, dying to go through the stuff with her. ‘It’s too soon.’
She’d grabbed a roll of sticky tape and sealed it back up, promising that she’d deal with it some day when she felt stronger.
‘So you reckon going to the solicitor today was a good thing, then?’ Donna felt relieved. She’d worried that she’d pushed Lexie into it before she was ready.
‘Definitely. Now top up those glasses – I’m going to get the box.’
A few minutes later, they both had their legs tucked up under them on the sofa and the box sat between them. Lexie had just taken out a pack of photographs and Donna sipped her wine while she waited.
‘Look, here’s some of our trip to Monkey Mia. Look how red Brendan was. The big eejit forgot to put on suncream that morning.’
Donna took the picture and laughed. ‘God, he’s glowing like a beacon. I bet that hurt later on.’
‘Oh, he was in agony,’ giggled Lexie. I had to ask the hotel for a pot of natural yoghurt to spread all over his chest and face.’
‘Ooh, sexy!’
‘Far from it. I couldn’t even lie beside him because of the smell. I had to sleep on the sofa.’ Lexie’s face became serious. ‘But it was a great holiday. I was so in love with him. Here, look at these ones.’
Donna looked at picture after picture of Lexie and Brendan on the beach, in the hotel, swimming, walking and generally having fun. They’d clearly been in love back then.
‘Ha! Look at this.’ Lexie took a wooden boomerang out of the box and ran her fingers over the smooth varnish. ‘Brendan bought me this on our second date. We’d been sitting on the grass in a local park when a guy came over with a bag full of them and tried to sell us one for thirty dollars. He told us that it would always bring us back to each other, no matter where we went in the world. He said it was a symbol of everlasting love.’
‘Tell me he didn’t pay thirty dollars for it.’ Donna was intrigued.
‘He got it for five dollars in the end. Just as well that’s all he paid because it obviously didn’t work.’
They both laughed and Donna was delighted to see that the contents of the box weren’t making Lexie too sad. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying going through the stuff.
She flicked through another bunch of photographs and stopped at one in particular. ‘God, the state of my hair in this one. Remember when you came over to us, Donna? And we were going to fix you up with a guy?’
‘You mean the guy who disappeared before I got there?’
‘That’s the one. I didn’t know him that well but he was a nice guy. We were out celebrating his birthday in this picture. It was actually the last night we saw him.’
‘Hand it over then – let me see the one who got away!’ Donna stared at the faces in the picture. Lexie and Brendan were laughing at something but she couldn’t get a proper look at the guy because his face was blurry. Probably due to the fact he was jumping up and down. They all seemed to be having great craic. She wondered what would have happened if Lexie had managed to get them both together. Would things have turned out differently? Maybe she’d have stayed on in Perth a bit longer and not gone to New Zealand at all. She squinted to get a better look at his face. There was something vaguely familiar about him.
‘Ah, here’s a better one of Will,’ said Lexie, breaking into her thoughts. ‘Now what do you think? He’s a hottie, isn’t he?’
Will! His name was Will. She’d forgotten about that. Donna’s wine spilled out onto the sofa as she lunged forward to snatch the picture from Lexie’s hand. She stared at it for a moment. There was absolutely no doubt. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but all she could manage was: ‘Jesus!’
Chapter 30
‘Your Christmas decorations are gorgeous, Mrs Cooper-Smith,’ said Silvia, as they sat down at the big dining table. ‘The purple and black theme is very classy.’
‘You can thank the Christmas decorators she hired for that.’
‘George! Can’t I have any secrets? And for your information, I picked the colour scheme myself.’
Will laughed. ‘Don’t worry, Mum. I’ve already told Silvia that you hire people to do a lot of stuff.’
‘Well, I … it’s not that I don’t …’
‘Relax, Mum. She knows it’s because you’re such a busy and successful solicitor. You juggle things the best you can.’
This seemed to appease her. ‘Well, yes. Much as I’d love to have more time for running the house, my business keeps me working practically around the clock.’
‘I really admire you for that, Mrs Cooper-Smith. I’d love to build up my own business just like you did. I don’t intend to work for someone else for the rest of my life.’
‘Well, that’s admirable, dear. And, please, it’s Vivienne. So, what sort of business would you like to run?’
Will looked at his dad and winked. It hadn’t taken long for Silvia to win his mother over and he sat back and listened as the two of them chatted away like old friends.
‘This is gorgeous, love,’ said George, tucking into his roast beef. ‘If there’s one thing you’re a dab hand at, it’s a good old roast.’
Silvia nodded. ‘It really is delicious, Vivienne. I reckon I’ll be putting on a few pounds while I’m staying here.’
Vivienne beamed. ‘We may be busy people but we do like to eat well. And since George here retired, he does a bit of cooking himself.’
‘Wow, I’m impressed. My father wouldn’t even know how to boil some pasta. You’ll have to teach Will a thing or two.’
‘Hey, cheeky!’ Will pretended to look cross but he couldn’t have been more delighted with how things were working out. Maybe staying with his parents for a while wouldn’t be a bad thing after all.
‘We’ll give it a few minutes to let that go down and then we’ll have some coffee and dessert,’ said Vivienne, beaming at the clean plates. ‘So, how do
you feel about being here in Ireland, Silvia?’
‘I have a feeling I’m going to settle in really well.’
‘And we’re delighted to have you both here,’ said George. ‘Aren’t we, Vivienne?’
‘Yes, yes, of course we are.’ And she looked as though she meant it. Will always knew his mother would be delighted to have him home but he thought she was going to resent Silvia. Nobody was ever going to be good enough for her only son but Silvia’s charm had evidently worked with her.
‘We’ll be looking for a place of our own after Christmas, though,’ said Will, watching his mother carefully. ‘Once we start earning decent money, we’ll find somewhere to rent and be out from under your feet.’
‘Well, there’s no hurry.’ Will noted the panic on his mother’s face and felt sorry for her. ‘You can both stay here as long as you want. There’s no point in throwing money away on rent as soon as you earn it. Build up some savings first and then have a think about it.’
‘That’s very kind of you, Mrs Coo— Vivienne.’ Silvia flashed a mouth of perfect white teeth and flicked her long chestnut hair to one side. ‘Actually, it would be really good to build up our savings.’
Will felt panic rise in his throat as Silvia continued.
‘That’s one of the main reasons we came over here – to get some money together for the future.’
‘Oh?’ Will could see the curiosity on his mother’s face as she leaned forward on her elbows. ‘And what aspect of the future might you be saving for?’
‘Well,’ said Silvia, shooting a glance at Will. ‘We were going to tell—’
‘We were going to tell you we were moving out right after Christmas but we might just take you up on your offer and stay a bit longer.’ It was the best he could come up with.
Silvia glared at him but he just couldn’t let her do it. He couldn’t let her tell them they were engaged to be married. It was their first night home, for God’s sake. Everything was running smoothly and the last thing he wanted was for his mother to start taking over his life again.
‘Well, I think that’s a cause for celebration,’ said George, oblivious to the tension. ‘Vivienne, why don’t we get those profiteroles out and I’ll make coffee.’