Of course Claire would have had to borrow a hell of a lot more from the banks had it not been for the money their house in Ballygall had made when it was sold. The property market was booming when Sean put the house up for sale. Properties were fetching outrageous prices and their big red-bricked house in its desirable location was no exception. Even Sean had been stunned and for a moment Claire felt that he regretted his offer to her.
They had met the day the deal was being closed and Sean was looking better than Claire had ever seen him. All the greyness and strain had left his face, he had put on weight and he admitted to her that he was enjoying his retirement very much. He liked living in Drogheda again and his sister was very good to him. They didn’t refer to David or their broken marriage and she was just as glad. She was anxious to have the old sores heal and she wished him well.
‘Would you not take half the money?’ she asked him as he silently handed her the cheque when they were alone, after the deal had been closed.
Her husband shook his head. ‘I’d only leave it in the bank. I’m not a great spender and I have more than enough with my pension, the lump sum and the investments. It’s for you and Suzy so go and get somewhere decent to live.’
Claire silently took the cheque and put it in her bag.
‘I know I wasn’t the easiest man to live with. I’ve had a lot of time to think during the last couple of months. I’m sorry about the way things turned out,’ he said gruffly.
‘So am I,’ Claire said quietly. ‘But it’s in the past so let’s try and look forward to our future.’
‘Good luck, then, with your house-hunting,’ Sean said awkwardly and for a moment Claire thought he was going to shake hands. This was the man she had lived with and slept with and borne two children for and they were so awkward with each other. She felt a tremendous sadness. Leaning over she had kissed him on the cheek. ‘Take care, Sean. You have my number at work and as soon as I get settled I’ll send you my new address.’ She watched him drive away back to Drogheda and felt relieved that at least they had had some sort of reconciliation. The failure of a marriage was always traumatic but she would put it behind her as best she could and get on with her life.
Driving up to Mountain View she prayed that there wouldn’t be many people viewing it. It was like an omen that Apartment 3B had come on the market just when she had the money to buy it. Claire could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the For Sale sign one day when she was passing. She rang Molly in a tizzy of excitement asking if she would like to live in one of the apartments. ‘I’d love that. It’s a beautiful place, Claire. I’ll have the house sold in another month, so with your money and mine we’ll surely manage to get it,’ Molly had said excitedly.
‘It all depends how many people are interested and what kind of bids they put in,’ Claire cautioned, not wanting to get her mother’s hopes up too high in case they were dashed.
Now, driving into the luxurious grounds, Claire offered up a little prayer that she would be successful. Apartment 3B was in the middle block and, pressing the intercom, she saw the TV monitors come on and was deeply impressed. What great security to be able to see who was ringing your doorbell. A man’s voice, the estate agent’s, responded as she announced herself, and the door slid quietly open. Claire stepped into a pink and grey foyer with an ankle-deep carpet. Hanging baskets of ferns adorned the walls and the place reeked of luxury. She walked to the lift which was waiting and pressed the button for the fourth floor. Swiftly she ascended and in a matter of seconds was standing in the private landing of Apartment 3B. The estate agent stood smiling politely in the doorway. ‘Mrs Moran, good to see you,’ he said smoothly, handing her some brochures. ‘Do come in and feel free to look around.’
Claire knew the minute she walked in that she would love it. It was so bright and airy and tastefully decorated. And the lovely fitted kitchen! And the views from the balconies! Molly would love sitting on the balcony in the afternoon sun, doing her knitting and looking at the view. The main bedroom was beautiful, so restful and feminine, and the en suite bathroom was everything her sybaritic heart desired.
A man and an elderly woman were in the dining-room and she heard him say, ‘It’s nice, Ma, isn’t it? I think Liz is crazy to be selling it.’ Claire’s eyes widened. She looked again and looked away hastily so she wouldn’t be caught staring. That was Hugh Cassidy, the TV personality. He was gorgeous-looking, even better in the flesh. Was he going to buy the apartment? Claire’s heart sank. A tall, extremely thin blonde woman in dusky pink pleated culottes was enquiring in a haughty tone about maintenance fees and Claire could see the estate agent diplomatically steering her out of earshot on to the balcony. ‘It’s actually perfect for our requirements,’ Claire could hear her saying in a high-pitched nasal voice that was rather grating on the ears. Another couple had just arrived. A beautiful tanned woman and a distinguished older man who, to judge from the expression in his eyes, was crazy about her. Make the most of him, Claire advised the other woman silently as she went back into the kitchen to have another look.
Ten minutes later the estate agent was gathering them all together to show them the rest of the complex and the facilities on offer: the pool, tennis courts, activities room and laundry. It was superb and Claire knew in her heart that she wouldn’t view a place as nice anywhere else. This was what she wanted and if she had to go and get a mortgage to top up what she and her mother had between them, then she’d do it! To hell with it. She only had one life and for once she was going to go after something she wanted and she was going to get it. If Hugh Cassidy or the blonde woman or the glamorous couple wanted to buy an apartment, they’d have to look elsewhere. Apartment 3B was going to be hers! Chin lifted in determination, Claire went in search of the estate agent to make her bid.
LAINEY
‘Are you sure you won’t let me buy it with you? Wouldn’t you like to live with me?’ Dominic asked for the thousandth time since he dropped his bombshell about leaving his wife. Lainey sighed. ‘All right! All right! Just checking,’ he smiled, as they drove in from the airport. She had thought about it so much, tried to work out what was fair for her, for him, for Rita. She loved Dominic very much. He was her pillar, her strength and she couldn’t imagine her life without him. She had never put pressure on him to leave his wife, in fact Dominic had often complained laughingly that she wasn’t like a proper mistress at all. She made no demands, caused no scenes, rebuked him for spending money on her and generally behaved in a most unmistresslike manner.
Lainey was nothing if not a realist. She always had been. She knew that at the age of thirty-five she liked her career and her independence more than she liked the idea of settling down. Being totally honest about it all, although she loved being with Dominic when she was with him, she also loved being on her own. In her own place, doing exactly as she pleased. With Dominic, she had the best of both worlds and she had been absolutely shocked when he had told her what he wanted to do. She supposed that most women would have been thrilled at what he proposed, after nine years of a relationship. But she wasn’t most women. She was Lainey Conroy and a future of being single held no fears for her. And damn it, she wasn’t a selfish person, she told herself when this unwelcome thought had crossed her mind a few times. There was nothing selfish about wanting to remain single and free. Why she should feel in the slightest bit guilty was beyond her. She was a woman of the Nineties. Marriage or togetherness was no longer the be-all and end-all of a woman’s life, no matter how conditioned women might be to think so.
Dominic had been stunned and shocked when Lainey gently tried to explain her feelings to him. ‘I thought you loved me,’ he said dully, drawing away from her for the first time ever.
‘Dominic. I do! I do, more than I’ve ever loved anyone. You must know that,’ she pleaded.
‘Then why won’t you come live with me?’ he demanded.
‘Ah, Dominic! What’s wrong with the way we are? What do you want to go upsetting everything for?’ she
said miserably.
‘Because I want more,’ he said fiercely. ‘And I thought you would want it too.’
‘I never did anything to make you think that,’ she said quietly, hating to hurt him.
‘I know you didn’t.’ Dominic sighed deeply. ‘I was fooling myself.’
‘I love you. I’ve loved you for nine years; that will never change for me, Dominic,’ Lainey whispered, leaning over to kiss him.
‘I’ve never met a woman like you, Lainey Conroy,’ he murmured against her lips, holding her tightly.
Many times he asked her to reconsider and always she said no. When Apartment 3B came up for sale he told her as soon as he could catch hold of her. Ironically she had been in Cork on business, he had been in Dublin. Lainey had been so excited. It was precisely what she was looking for. The Mountain View complex was so classy and Dominic would be in the same building as her. Surely that would satisfy him. After all he still had to spend half his week in Cork, so she might as well have a place of her own for when he was away.
‘Let me give you half the money towards it,’ he urged.
‘Dominic please! I really want to buy this place myself. It’s an affirmation of all I’ve been through, of all I’ve achieved by hard work and years of planning. It’s a dream come true. Don’t you realize what this means to me?’ Lainey willed him to understand.
Dominic smiled slowly, then nodded his head. ‘I understand much more than you know. It was the same with me and the business. Buy your apartment, Lainey, and be happy in it. You deserve it, God knows. And if you’ll let me, I’ll call up and borrow a cup of sugar or maybe a jar of coffee and who knows what might happen,’ he grinned. She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and she had never felt so happy as she did then. He had been waiting for her at the airport, the old familiar smile lighting up his face when he saw her coming through customs.
‘You should see what I bought in the duty-free,’ Lainey murmured against his ear as he embraced her.
‘Sounds interesting. What is it?’
‘Wait and see,’ she teased, her eyes twinkling as she raised her mouth to his and kissed him passionately.
‘You wanton woman!’ Dominic murmured as he came up for air.
‘Mmmm . . . ’ she murmured huskily. ‘I want you . . . it’s been ten days. How much time have we got?’
Dominic looked at his watch. ‘An hour or so!’
Lainey smiled. ‘That’s long enough to show you what I bought in London so let’s get out of here quick!’
Speeding in towards the city, Lainey reflected how nicely the motorway from the airport had been landscaped. In the distance she could see the vivid blue outline of the Dublin mountains. With any luck she’d be looking at that view from now on as the owner of Apartment 3B. How fortunate that Liz Lacey had decided to sell right now. Of course she was so successful, she was probably going to buy a bigger place. Dominic turned right at Whitehall and drove down Collins Avenue and then past the new University. Turning left on the Ballymun Road he sped towards Mountain View. Then he pulled in at the shops on the Rise, turned to look at her and smiled. ‘Anything you fancy? I’ve to get stamps.’
‘Just you!’ she smiled back at him. He laughed as he went in to The Winkel to emerge five minutes later with a huge box of chocolate-covered Brazil nuts and two lottery tickets which he presented to her. To her delight she won a tenner.
‘It’s an omen, Dominic. I can feel it in my bones. I’m going to buy that apartment,’ she declared happily as he gave her her winnings.
Five minutes later they were making love in the hallway of his apartment, hungry for each other as they pulled their clothes off. ‘I love you, I love you, I love you,’ she breathed as he came inside her.
‘You should go to Rome more often,’ he teased as he soaped her back in the shower a little later. ‘It does things for you.’
‘Just think of all the new places we’ll have to make love in when I buy the apartment,’ she murmured, turning to face him, drawing him close again.
‘If you don’t stop, you’ll never get to view the place and it will be sold,’ Dominic remonstrated as he turned off the shower and wrapped her in a large towel.
‘Spoilsport!’ Lainey exclaimed as she dried herself.
‘The day isn’t over yet,’ he warned. ‘And I’ve still got to see what you bought in the duty-free.’
‘Yummy!’ Lainey laughed as she went in to the bedroom to dry her hair.
Twenty minutes later they were in the lift heading for Liz’s apartment. The sunlight streaming through the French window was the first thing Lainey saw as she entered the apartment. She looked again to make sure. That woman on the balcony talking to the man looked terribly like Cecily. Imagine there being another Cecily roaming the earth. What a horrible thought.
‘It would suit our needs perfectly,’ she could hear the Cecily clone saying. Her heart stopped. That was no clone. That was Cecily.
‘Holy Divinity!’ she ejaculated, shocked.
‘What’s wrong?’ Dominic looked at her in concern. Pulling him back out into the hallway, unseen by Cecily, Lainey whispered, ‘That’s Cecily out there on the balcony. What the hell is she doing here?’
‘The Cecily?’ Dominic was astounded.
‘None other!’ Lainey said grimly. ‘The nosy bitch! Ma must have mentioned I was going to look at this place. And she’s giving it the once over.’ She frowned, perplexed. ‘But she was saying to the fellow on the balcony that it suited their needs perfectly.’
‘Maybe they’re thinking of buying,’ Dominic suggested, just as perplexed as Lainey was. ‘That could make things awkward for us.’
Lainey straightened her shoulders, the light of battle in her green eyes. ‘Over my dead body! This is going to be my apartment and Cecily Clarke can go and get lost for herself.’ Composing herself, Lainey Conroy strode through the door of Apartment 3B as if she owned it already.
CECILY
Cecily drove through Bray like a demon. She was on her way home after viewing the apartment in Mountain View. And things had not gone as planned at all. That bitch Lainey had stared right through her as though she didn’t exist, giving no indication of any sense of shock at seeing her there. Her moment of supreme triumph had turned flat. Oh how she detested that girl. Always had and always would!
It was a relief, somehow, to know that the knives were drawn between them. No more having to pretend to be nice and polite. They had not spoken to each other since Martin’s wedding and that suited Cecily just fine. Although it was infuriating sometimes if they were in company, because Lainey just treated her as though she didn’t exist. And she could do it so well. It incensed Cecily.
She had made sure to be at the apartment much earlier than the appointment to view. In fact she had been the first there, determined to outsmart Lainey. Cecily had been exceedingly impressed with Apartment 3B. It was superb! And the swimming pool! What luxury. God, she could imagine the parties she’d throw there. The McGraths would be deeply impressed. The whole set would. It was perfect. She had had time to have a good look around before the next viewer arrived. A woman on her own, very attractive, but not very fashionably dressed. The clothes looked as though they were out of Dunne’s! Then Hugh Cassidy and an elderly woman had arrived. And Cecily had been thrilled. If a celebrity of Hugh Cassidy’s calibre was interested in the apartment even though it was on the northside, that was good enough for Cecily! If only that stupid estate agent hadn’t taken her out to the balcony to discuss the service charge, she would have been standing by the door when Lainey arrived. But still, you’d have imagined she would have been utterly shocked to see Cecily there. But no! Lainey had been as cool as a cucumber and looked right through her. It was sickening!
And who was the extremely distinguished man her sister-in-law was with? He was a very handsome man indeed. Trust her of course. She always knew how to pick ’em: Steve, Tony, and now this mysterious stranger. And did Tony know about
this man? Exactly what was the story? Cecily would give her eye-teeth to know.
In the end, every one of the viewers had wanted to buy the apartment and the estate agent had been practically rubbing his hands with glee. The result was that it was going to tender. Sealed bids to arrive at the estate agents by the end of the following week. Well Cecily didn’t care. She and Simon were going to acquire Apartment 3B if it killed her. Lainey Conroy was not going to get the better of her this time. No way! Jaw set, Cecily drove towards Arklow, stopping at an off-licence to buy a bottle of champagne, as she prepared her plan of campaign to get Simon to put in the highest bid for Apartment 3B.
THE RESIDENTS
Al and Detta drove home, weary from their day’s work. Nicole Cullen, whom neither of them could stand, was leaving and they had to donate a fiver each to the collection. That had put Al in a foul humour. Detta hoped with all her heart that Tina, the nanny, had the children ready for bed. Passing the For Sale sign, she wondered if Apartment 3B had been sold and who had bought it. No doubt all would soon be revealed. Meanwhile she had to try and scrape together their next instalment of maintenance fees, if they didn’t want to find their apartment on the market as well.
*
Despite its poor start, it had turned out to be a most interesting day. And Maud and Muriel, declaring a truce of sorts, had found the comings and goings fascinating. After breakfast, they had spent the entire morning at the window, peering down at the people toing and froing from their block. When they saw Hugh Cassidy, accompanied by an elderly lady whom they took to be his mother, there had been great excitement.
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