by Maria Duffy
‘My scan. How come the dates were cut off mine?’
‘I honestly don’t know. I asked them for a second copy of the scan so they must have just printed it that way.’
He was about to question her further but decided against it. She had all the answers but he wasn’t sure whether or not he believed her. So he just continued eating his pasta, changing the subject to chat about the tough day he’d had in school. He noticed that she looked relieved, which made him all the more suspicious. Suddenly he didn’t want to be there with her. He wanted time with his own thoughts.
‘That was lovely, thanks, Steph. I’ll clear up later but I want to go and check on some of the lights outside. I noticed earlier that some of the bulbs weren’t working.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll clear up. You go on out and sort it and we can have a cup of tea in the sitting room after.’
Outside, he leaned against the garden wall, looking up at the house. The lights usually lifted his spirits but not tonight. A few minutes later he was jolted out of his reverie by a cold, wet feeling on his left hand.
‘Simon! You gave me a fright. Oh, hello, Holly. Why have you got Simon?’
‘Sorry, he dragged me over as soon as he saw you. He might be an old boy but he still has some strength. And Mr Fogarty has a bad hip so I’m just doing him a favour.’
‘Good on you. He’s a nice man. I hope he’ll be okay.’
‘He should be fine after his operation. Well, I won’t keep you. Come on, Simon.’
‘Wait!’ The word was out of his mouth before he thought about it.
She looked at him questioningly.
‘I … I just …’ He looked at his front window to make sure Stephanie wasn’t looking out. ‘Can we talk? I mean, like, in the pub. A proper chat. Sometime.’
She looked taken aback. ‘Josh, I don’t know. Is there something wrong?’
‘No! Well, I don’t know. Maybe.’
‘Not your results? Please tell me you didn’t get bad news?’
He shook his head. ‘No, nothing like that. I … I’d just like to chat.’
‘But why?’
He kicked his heel against the wall and thought carefully before he spoke. When he did, it came out in a whisper. ‘Because my life seems to be spinning out of control. Because I think you understand me and you’re a good listener.’
She went to say something but he put his hand up to stop her while he continued.
‘And because, Holly, I can’t stop thinking about you and it’s eating me up inside. We need to talk. Properly talk. And not just about my problems. We need to talk about us. Seeing you again has stirred up a lot of old feelings, and if I don’t talk to you about them, I’ll explode. The truth is you’ve never been far from my mind and our break-up has haunted me for the last thirteen years.’
Chapter 29
Holly rang Mr Fogarty’s doorbell and tried to resist glancing across at Josh’s house. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what he’d said the previous day and she was exhausted from lying awake all night.
‘Come in, come in,’ said Mr Fogarty, opening the door wide for her. ‘We’ve been expecting you.’
‘Thanks. I won’t stay long. I’m sure you’re busy getting organised. Oh, hello, Simon.’ The big old dog launched himself down the hall and jumped up on Holly, his two front paws reaching across her shoulders.
‘Simon! Get down.’ He didn’t listen to a word his owner said but instead continued licking Holly’s face.
‘He’s fine, Mr Fogarty. It’s the best welcome I’ve had in ages.’ She gave him a scratch behind his ears and gently lowered him back onto the floor. ‘Now, will we go through the instructions for Simon’s care?’
‘Come on into the kitchen,’ he said. ‘I’ve a pot of coffee on and biscuits just out of the oven.’
He’d baked biscuits for her? Holly wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. She’d hate to be rude but she wasn’t sure if she could force herself to eat something he’d made. In her experience, old people who lived on their own generally had cupboards full of overflowing, out-of-date food and their kitchens were shabby and musty. She followed him in anyway, ready to make her excuses.
‘Right, sit yourself down at the table and I’ll bring the refreshments over.’
Holly’s eyes almost popped out of her head. The kitchen was ultra-modern with high-sheen cupboards and stainless-steel appliances. There was a cream granite counter top and cream marble tiles on the floor. The back of the house had floor-to-ceiling glass which allowed the sun to fill the room. But the thing that struck her the most was the cleanliness. It was the cleanest kitchen she’d ever seen – far cleaner than hers had ever been.
‘Bet you thought I’d have an old man’s kitchen.’ He chuckled, bringing cups over to the table. ‘I always enjoy seeing people’s faces when they come into my house. I used to be a chef back in the day and still love to cook. So my kitchen is my pride and joy.’
‘I’m sorry … I didn’t …’ Holly flushed. ‘It’s gorgeous. And so clean.’
‘You can blame my OCD for that. I’m a bit of a cleaning freak. Can’t stand dirt. Never could. Now don’t get me started on labels all facing the right way!’
The cliché of never judging a book by its cover never seemed more appropriate. She gladly tucked in to the delicious cookies and sipped her coffee as Mr Fogarty ran through Simon’s routine. He was going into hospital later that morning and she was going to look after the dog while he was away. It would be good for her. A distraction. Because after Josh’s revelation the previous day, she hadn’t been able to think of anything else.
‘So, any luck on the job front?’ he said, after they’d discussed Simon’s routine.
‘Nothing,’ she said, nibbling on another biscuit. ‘It’s probably too close to Christmas to find anything now.’
His eyes twinkled. ‘Maybe not.’
‘Sorry?’
He stood up and pulled a piece of paper out of a drawer before sitting back down. ‘Now, I have a list of people here who need help with their pets. They can pay you for walking their dogs, bathing them and other stuff. It might not be much to start with, but it will keep you busy for the moment.’
Holly stared at the list. ‘I … I don’t know what to say. I mean, how ...?’
‘Look at the names, Holly. You know most of them. People you’ve helped over the years. Most of them go to the club on Fridays and some of us got talking last week. They heard you’d lost your job and they wanted to help.’
‘That’s unbelievable. Thank you so much.’ Holly could feel tears threatening to fall. ‘I mean, I won’t charge them, of course. It will just keep me –’
‘Well, you can stop right there. You will charge them and they won’t take no for an answer. You were born to work with animals, Holly. You have a gift. And now you have time, so make the calls and work out a schedule. I bet you’ll be busier than you’ve ever been in your life. It could be the start of a whole new business for you.’
‘Do you think so?’ She could barely contain her excitement. ‘I’m not sure I’d have the confidence or the ability to start up a business. But I do love the sound of it.’
‘Stop putting yourself down, Holly. You’re fantastic. Smart and kind and a great communicator. All the ingredients you need.’
She blushed again. ‘I’m good with animals, I know, but maybe not so good with humans.’
‘Are you kidding me? What about Mrs Jackson? Didn’t you help her out recently?’
‘Well, yes, but it was for her dog, Kylie. She needed a prescription and I filled it for her.’
‘But didn’t you make her tea while you were there and sit with her for an hour reassuring her that Kylie wasn’t going to die in childbirth?’
Holly nodded. ‘She was in a state worrying about the dog.’
‘She told me you were the kindest girl she’d ever met. And what about Mrs Delaney and her dog, Tara?’
‘Yes,’ said Holly, remembering the
beautiful white dog covered in oil. ‘I bathed the dog for her. She was in a right state.’
‘So I heard. But she also told me that you made dinner for her before you left and just listened to her. She said that nobody ever just listened. You made her feel like she was really someone. Do you know what that makes you?’
She shook her head but he didn’t wait for an answer. ‘It makes you a really decent young lady who deserves a chance. And that’s what they’re giving you. Mrs Jackson, Mrs Delaney and all the others. A chance to do what you love and turn it into a career.’
Holly didn’t trust herself to speak. She felt overwhelmed. She always enjoyed dropping in on the old folk in the area to help them with their pets but she never thought about the impact her visits had on them. And now she was being given this opportunity. She couldn’t wait to start working it all out. Life had thrown a lot of surprises at her over the years but this was one of the better ones.
Holly stood at the window gazing out but she wasn’t seeing anything. Her mind was so full of stuff that her head hurt. She was thinking about Mr Fogarty’s kind gesture. She still couldn’t believe he’d done that for her. But she was also thinking about Josh and what he’d said. He’d practically said he’d thought about her for the last thirteen years. She’d always assumed that he’d moved on easily and hadn’t given her a second thought, and that’s what had hurt most over the years. But now he was telling her something completely different and it didn’t make sense. He was the one to let her down. He was the one to finish the relationship. So why then did he want to talk about it? She’d been so shocked when he’d said those words that she’d just nodded and agreed to meet up soon.
‘Simon! No!’ She looked away from the window just in time to see Simon crouching down on her sitting-room floor and dropping a stinking mess onto the polished floorboards. ‘Come on, get outside. Naughty dog!’
She ushered him out to the back garden and closed the door firmly. He looked at her through the glass pane, his head tilted to the side. He seemed to be saying, ‘What? What did I do?’ Part of her wanted to laugh but she knew David would be home soon and wouldn’t appreciate it if he knew she’d been harbouring a dog there. She’d gone back down to check on Simon soon after Mr Fogarty had left for hospital and hadn’t been able to resist taking him home with her. Just for an hour, she’d told herself. Just to keep her company.
She held her breath as she picked up the offending brown mess with a poo bag and sprayed some anti-bacterial spray to try and disguise the smell. She double bagged it and put it into the outside bin. Simon wagged his tail as she did so, thinking it was all a great game. Mr Fogarty had said that he was fully house-trained but Holly had her doubts. Although maybe he was misbehaving because she’d taken him out of his own house. That hadn’t been the agreement but when she’d fed him earlier and had been about to leave, he’d looked at her with those big brown eyes and she just hadn’t been able to go without him.
She let him back into the house, warning him that there were to be no repeat performances. He wagged his tail and ran around in circles, clueless about what she was actually saying to him. She went back to the window and looked across at number three. Josh’s car was there and she pictured them having a lazy morning in bed. She, on the other hand, was usually abandoned by David on Saturdays so that he could go to the office and catch up on paperwork while it was quiet.
When she turned around again, Simon had disappeared out of the room so she went to find out what he was up to. But a sound from upstairs alerted her to the fact that he must be in her bedroom so, with her heart in her mouth, she dashed up to check what damage was being done. She could have cried when she saw him. He was sitting on the bed, her make-up bag in front of him, and he’d already chewed through her best MAC lipstick. It had been a birthday present from Milly and she always kept it for special occasions.
‘Simon! Get down. Wait until your daddy hears what you’ve been up to. There’ll be no treats for a month!’
He skulked off the bed and galloped down the stairs. She groaned at the sight of the mess and it made her think that maybe David had been right all along about dogs being more trouble than they were worth. She gathered up the broken bits and put what was left of the make-up back into the bag. There were a few marks on the duvet but it was patterned so David would hardly notice. She’d had enough of Simon by then so she decided to bring him back to his own house. Clearly being in her house didn’t agree with him. She hurried back down the stairs but almost broke her neck slipping on a pool of water on the floor at the bottom.
‘Simon!’
It was a relief to walk out of Mr Fogarty’s house ten minutes later, with Simon safely ensconced in his own bed. She was exhausted and was looking forward to a peaceful couple of hours before David got home. Just then she noticed Josh coming out of his house and hopping into his car. He didn’t seem to have seen her so she hovered for a moment until he reversed out of the driveway. He spotted her then and pulled the car to the kerb beside her and rolled down the window.
‘Hi, Holly. How are you?’
‘I’m good, thanks.’ The awkwardness had come back now that she knew what he was thinking. And he knew that she knew what he was thinking. Thank God he didn’t know what she was thinking or the awkwardness would be catastrophic.
‘Did you think about what I said about meeting up? Maybe on Monday when I’m home from work? O’Malley’s? Just to talk. You know. To clear the air.’
She nodded. ‘Okay. What time?’
‘Say around five? Is that okay?’
‘Yes, that’s fine.’ They held each other’s gaze for a moment and she felt he was looking right into her soul. With those beautiful blue eyes. Those eyes that she’d loved for so long. She looked away then suddenly, as though her thoughts were written all over her face. ‘So are you going anywhere nice?’
‘To my mother’s,’ he said, leaning his elbow on the edge of the open window. ‘I’m going to spend the day with her. I’m bringing her shopping and then to see her friend in a nursing home.’
‘That’s good of you. Is Stephanie not going with you?’
He shook his head. ‘She said she’s not feeling well today so she’s staying in bed. I offered to stay with her but she told me to go. She’s going to catch up on some sleep.’
‘Well, I hope she feels better soon. I’d better head off but I’ll see you on Monday.’
He nodded and winked. The dimple on his left cheek jumped in and out and his eyes crinkled up as he smiled. Holly actually took a sharp breath as she remembered Josh as a teenager. She’d always teased him about his dimple. She’d even had a name for it. Charlie, she’d called it. ‘Where’s Charlie today?’ she used to say to him when he was in a bad mood. He’d never been able to resist smiling at that and Charlie would appear. She had tears in her eyes as he drove off and she wondered where it was all going to end.
Back in the house, a gust of wind reminded her she’d left the sitting-room window open so she went to close it. As she did, she noticed the door of number three opening and out came Stephanie. She was immaculately dressed in a purple wool dress that came to just above her knees and showed off her baby bump beautifully. She had on a short black leather jacket and black knee-high boots, and her lovely blonde hair was brushed over to one side, accentuating her model-like face. She certainly didn’t look sick, like Josh had suggested, and Holly wondered what was going on.
And that’s when Holly’s impulsiveness took over. Without a second thought, she grabbed her jacket from the hall and was out on the street in less than a minute. She was just in time to see Stephanie disappearing around the corner. She followed at a distance until Stephanie hopped on a bus and, without thinking it through, Holly joined the queue and hopped on too. She realised that she was acting like a stalker but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She was thankful for the coins she kept in her pocket so she threw a couple of euros into the slot and moved down the bus. There was no sign of Stephanie so
she’d obviously gone upstairs and Holly breathed a sigh of relief. It would be easy now to watch from the back of the bus, and when Stephanie came downstairs, she could get off after her.
She felt both excited and ridiculous. She couldn’t believe she was stalking her ex-boyfriend’s pregnant girlfriend. Wait until she told Milly about this. She’d be thrilled by the whole thing. Carina, on the other hand, would be disgusted. But she might not tell her about it. The bus was heading into town and it wasn’t long before it was sailing up the bus lane on the quays. At the Ha’penny Bridge there seemed to be a mass exodus, and Holly strained her neck to see if Stephanie was among them. Sure enough she came down the stairs and got off the bus. Holly quickly stepped off too and made sure she kept her distance while keeping Stephanie firmly in her sights. She followed her further up the quays towards O’Connell Bridge, until Stephanie stopped outside a little coffee shop, just before the bridge. Holly held back, pretending to look at something on her phone but keeping an eye on Stephanie, who looked as though she was waiting for somebody.
And then Holly spotted him. The man who Stephanie had claimed was just looking for directions a couple of weeks before. Walking towards her from O’Connell Bridge. His face lit up when he spotted Stephanie. Stephanie, on the other hand, didn’t look pleased. He arrived beside her and went to kiss her on the lips but she turned her cheek so he got that instead. Holly couldn’t hear what was being said but Stephanie clearly wasn’t happy. The man then took her arm and led her inside the coffee shop and Holly stood for a moment wondering what to do. But she’d had enough. What had she been thinking, following Stephanie like that? What Stephanie did with her life was none of Holly’s business, and yet she had a morbid fascination with the woman. She turned to cross the road to get her bus back home. She’d need to think about all this. About whether or not to say something to Josh. She sighed as a myriad thoughts went around and around in her head. How on earth had her very simple life become so bloody complicated?
Chapter 30