“What in heaven’s name is going on?” Finn stared at her two gasping friends.
“I need something to drink.” Angie wanted to collapse onto a flat surface.
“Come into the kitchen.” Finn practically carried the gasping Angie into her kitchen. She poured a glass of fresh orange juice that Angie swallowed at a gulp. She filled a fluted glass with Mimosa and put it on the island surface. She had thought of serving brunch in the dining room but these were her friends and it was easier to be in the kitchen watching the waffle irons. She preferred eating in the kitchen anyway. “Sip that.”
“Give!” Maggie accepted a tapered glass of Mimosa. Her girls were with their father. She could do as she pleased today.
“I was sitting in the back of the church.” Angie had wanted a quiet moment to say a few prayers. She’d been minding her own business until she heard Finn’s name being shouted. “A news van was sitting in the parking lot shouting questions at people as they left the church. They wanted to know where Finn Emerson lived.” She sipped her drink slowly, enjoying the refreshing taste. “In minutes the street was filled with vans and reporters shouting questions. I grabbed Maggie and we slipped away. We saw vans driving slowly around the place. There are loads of them, Finn.”
“What on earth do they want with me?” Finn was completely at a loss.
“They could be here any minute, Finn.” Angie wondered if this had anything to do with the garden her granddaughter had designed for the Bloom festival. The garden had won several awards and Finn’s nutjobs had been a great success. That wouldn’t bring this kind of attention though, she didn’t think.
“Well, I have no idea what they want.” Finn shrugged. “We’ll have our brunch and see what happens.” She took a moment to turn the image on the kitchen screen to the street outside her house. She’d keep an eye on the goings-on outside.
“Aren’t you scared?” Maggie was thrilled to see Finn wearing the outfit she’d made. It looked fabulous.
“I don’t know what they want with me and until I find out there’s not a great deal I can do about it.” Today she felt she could handle anything life threw at her. “Thanks for the warning, ladies.”
“Give me another glass of that stuff.” Angie held out her empty glass.
Maggie immediately finished her drink and held out her glass for a refill.
“You look incredible, Finn. Where did you get that outfit?” To Angie’s eyes Finn belonged on the cover of a magazine, not wearing an apron beating batter.
“It was a birthday gift from my personal designer.” Finn mixed the drinks while nodding at Maggie.
“It’s amazing, Maggie, could you make me something?” Angie knew she couldn’t wear anything as fitted as Finn’s outfit but she’d love something as original in her own wardrobe. She’d feel like a film star if she didn’t look in the mirror for too long.
“Of course I could. I’d be delighted.” Maggie smiled. “We’ll talk about that later but first we need to know what has reporters after our Finn.”
“Have you received any calls about this?” Angie jerked her head in the direction of the street. She kept expecting to see the news vans suddenly appear on the kitchen screen.
“I haven’t checked my messages today.” Today belonged to her. She’d do whatever the heck she liked. The wants and needs of others could wait.
“Where’s your phone? I’ll check.” Maggie was consumed with curiosity. What on earth had Finn done that had the paparazzi after her?
“I left it on the desk in my office.” Finn poured waffle batter into the hot waffle irons while Maggie hurried away.
“You’re taking all this very calmly.” Angie was a nervous wreck. She’d only ever seen people being shouted at by reporters and the paparazzi on television. It had never looked like a pleasant experience. Now she knew for a fact it was scary and they weren’t even looking for her!
“There’s not a lot I can do.” Finn took the cooked waffles from the irons and poured fresh batter into the steaming irons.
“Finn, when did you turn off your phones?” Maggie came back into the kitchen carrying Finn’s mobile. “The red light is flashing on your landline and you’ve missed what seems like a hundred calls on your mobile.” The sound of air brakes being applied almost drowned out her words.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on but I am not letting anything interfere with my birthday brunch.” Finn stared at the kitchen screen for a moment, watching as vehicles tried to find a place to park in the street outside her home. “The world can wait on me today.”
Angie and Maggie shrugged and allowed Finn to serve them the hot waffles. She had a tray of delicious toppings for them to choose from. The Mimosas disappeared at a fast rate as the women tried to ignore the noise from outside the house.
“Finn, I’m sorry. I can’t stand it.” Maggie pushed her half-eaten waffle away. She’d had too many of the delicious treats already. If she thought she could manage to make them she’d get the recipe from Finn – her girls would love them. “I have to know what’s going on. Can I please check your messages?”
“Go ahead.” Finn calmly continued eating. The waffle irons were turned off and cooling.
“You have at least twenty calls from Charles Upton.” Maggie stared at the phone. Patrick had to be behind these calls.
“Your ex?” Angie stared at Maggie. “It couldn’t be anything to do with your children, could it?”
“He doesn’t even know I know Finn. He’d never try to call me using her number.” Maggie was certain of that. She examined her own phone just in case.
“See what he wants.” Finn couldn’t be bothered.
“He wants to talk to you rather desperately by the sounds of things.” Maggie could hear the tension in the voice messages Charles left with Finn’s answering service.
“Want to call and ask what he wants?” Finn offered with a grin. “Introduce yourself as my personal assistant and tell him Mizzz Emerson says no.”
“Payback is a bitch,” Angie sniggered.
“Payback by a bitch this time.” Finn winked. “Go ahead, Maggie, go into my office and call using the landline – enjoy yourself.” The Mimosa gave Finn a nice little buzz. “I’ll freshen my make-up and see what those fellows shouting in the street want. Coming, Angie?”
“Couldn’t you wait for me?” Maggie didn’t want to miss any of the action.
“Sure, I’ll make tea and coffee while we’re waiting. I’m ever so slightly drunk.”
“You better put our name on the coffee pot,” Angie said. “Maggie and I are feeling no pain at the moment.”
The kitchen was cleaned, the tea and coffee brewing, when Maggie returned a look of dazed astonishment on her face.
“What did he want?” Finn asked more out of politeness than anything else.
“Finn, thank you. You are my God.” Maggie was buzzing, refusing Charles the opportunity for the media scoop of the century had done more for her than all the lawyers in the world could.
“What’s happening?” Angie wondered if they should try and sober Finn up. It wasn’t natural to be this calm.
“The television station in Germany broadcast previews of the upcoming new show. It went out on some kind of entertainment news programme Thursday evening. Finn Emerson was lauded for her artwork as worn by the stars. The ‘nutjobs’ apparently featured heavily in the Irish scenes shown to the German public. The telephone lines into the station crashed with viewers demanding the name of the artist.” Maggie did a little hip-boogie. “The world is demanding the name of the genius who managed to capture … let me get this right …” Maggie consulted her notes, “The ‘pathos of the human condition’ and set the art world on its ear.”
“What?” Finn croaked, collapsing onto a stool. She’d been sure it was something to do with her son’s sudden fame as sex symbols or some scam of Patrick’s. She’d never thought it had anything to do with her personally. “Jayzeus.”
“Yes, it seems the wo
rld and its sister are going crazy over your ‘nutjobs’, Finn. Everyone wants one.” Maggie laughed in delight. “You’re going to be rich and famous, Finn.”
“I wouldn’t mind being rich but I draw the line at famous!” Finn wailed. She didn’t want to be famous. Her ‘nutjobs’ had saved her sanity through the lonely years of her marriage. How could they do this to her? “How did they find out my name and where I live?” What in the world was going on? How could this have happened? She was losing her mind. That had to be the answer. She’d been busy planning to make money for her ‘old age’ from the house. She’d been ready to get dug in arranging planning permission and permits for a new building to be built in the garden. She’d measured out the footprint for the foundation. She wasn’t ready for any of this.
“I suppose they could have asked one of your sons.” Maggie wondered if Finn would allow her to put the television screen on in the kitchen. She looked at Finn’s pale face and decided not to ask. She was still tingling from the sheer thrill of telling her ex to take a hike – her friend, Finn Emerson, wanted nothing to do with him or his programme. The thought of his frustration would keep her warm on cold nights.
“We need to get out of here.” Finn didn’t intend to be kept prisoner in her own home – it was her birthday, darn it. She was going to kick up her heels and enjoy herself. “It’s a shame I didn’t know about this before I drank all of those Mimosas. I’m not fit to drive.”
Maggie didn’t know how Finn was sitting there calmly ignoring the mayhem outside her house. The screen in the kitchen continued to show more reporters trying to gain entrance. She wondered when a bold one would try to climb the curtain wall.
“How were you planning to get past that lot in front of your house?” Angie asked. The street was blocked with news vans and cars. Reporters were everywhere talking to curious neighbours and anyone they thought might have information.
“Look, isn’t that your German brother Pieter?” Maggie pointed to the man pushing his way to the front of the crowd.
“What in the name of God is he doing here?” Finn turned on the sound. “I wasn’t told to expect anyone.” The film company usually informed her of arrivals.
“Sister, sister, I have my car! I have come to take you out for the day.” The heavily accented voice echoed through the kitchen.
“I thought he was in Germany,” Angie gaped.
“So did I.” Finn frantically wondered how she was going to let Pieter in without the reporters pushing in behind him. That lot didn’t look like they had any manners.
“Angie, you let him in, please. I’ll turn everything off and lock up. We’ll grab what we need then we’re getting out of here for the day, ladies. That lot will lose interest when they see us leave.” She hoped.
Finn and Maggie bustled about, getting ready to leave.
“Finn, I did not call your name because it is you they wish to see. I hope you don’t mind me naming you sister.” Pieter arrived in the kitchen, grinning like a bandit. They had been told about the crowd outside Finn’s house. He’d come to help. It wasn’t every day he charged to the rescue of a damsel in distress.
“You can call me Bodiddley if you can get us out of here.” Finn was almost past surprise at this stage. “Then you can explain what you are doing here.”
“You ladies will have to walk past them, I’m afraid. I could not get the van up the road.” Pieter smiled. “You look wonderful, Finn.”
“Thanks.” Finn would never be ready to face the horde outside – but it had to be done. She sucked in a deep breath and forced a smile, looking around at her friends. “Let’s do this,” She walked towards her front door with her head high. “Up the women,” she muttered under her breath.
They were almost blinded by the flash of light that exploded as soon as she stepped into the street. She couldn’t make out what everyone was shouting, it was all a crazy jumble. She was pushed forward by Pieter while Maggie and Angie cried ‘No comment!’. The crowd of reporters shoved and pushed forward, terrifying Finn. She couldn’t breathe. Pieter was almost carrying her as he pushed his way through the crowd to where the van sat, engine idling.
“Get us out of here, Dolph!” Pieter snapped as soon as he’d pulled the side door of the van closed. They inched forward, watching reporters run to their cars and vans ready to give chase.
Finn was shaking. She never wanted to experience anything like that again. “How are we going to get away from them?” Her plans for the day were ruined and her two friends were being jostled around like loose luggage in the back of a van. This was not how she’d wanted to spend her birthday.
“We are accustomed to this. We have a plan.” Dolph, at the wheel of the van, grinned over his shoulder. He could not have bought this kind of publicity for his new show. He was delighted. He drove slowly, letting the media get a good look at the van, before he jerked on the wheel and pulled the van into the private parking space behind the butcher’s shop.
“When did you get here?” Finn wondered if this was how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.
“All will be explained. Your butcher Mr. Walsh has been very helpful. He was only too happy to offer help to one of his best customers.”
Dolph pulled the van over to an idling limousine. The three women were quickly removed from the van and into the back of the stretch limousine. The van, with two of Dolph’s crew inside, took off. They allowed the media vans to see them and the chase was on.
“Have some champagne, ladies!” Dolph invited.
He and Pieter had joined the ladies in the rear of the limo. They were grinning and slapping each other’s backs in manly delight. Finn wanted to kick them – she didn’t know how but she was sure this was all their fault.
“Gentlemen, allow me to tell you that you are still breathing only because it would be illegal for me to kill you!” Finn shouted the last two words.
“But this is wonderful!” Dolph exclaimed.
“For whom?” Finn took the glass of champagne Pieter passed to her. Who needed to be sober on a day like today?
“Why, for everyone!” Dolph was rubbing his hands together in glee. The reaction of the public to his footage astonished him. The media frenzy guaranteed the success of his new series. He could name his price. The sky was the limit. The fact that the woman – the artist – was his newly discovered niece and the mother of the two male stars of his new show was a licence to print money. He wanted to throw back his head and howl in delight.
“No, Dolph!” Finn snapped. “This is wonderful for everyone else. I am not enjoying this.”
“But I don’t understand.” Dolph couldn’t see any downside to this explosion of interest in his family’s enterprise.
“Why don’t we sit back and enjoy the ride,” Maggie suggested, sipping her champagne, looking at the luxurious comforts all around her. She wanted to remember this ride for the rest of her life. “There is a lot for Finn to take in. Why don’t we allow her to process some of the sh–stuff that hit her this morning?”
“Where are you taking us?” Angie couldn’t care less. She was in the back of a limo sipping champagne, not a hardship. They could drive around all day as far as she was concerned.
“We are putting the finishing touches to some things in Bray.” Dolph shrugged. “We will go there unless you object, Finn.”
“Bray is fine.”
“Settle back and enjoy the trip, ladies.” Dolph couldn’t stop beaming. “Would you like some chocolates to go with your champagne?”
Chapter 41
“Dolph!” Ronan shouted and started running when he saw the limo come to a stop outside the gates guarding the Parade.
“Angie, Maggie, am I seeing my own son or have I fallen into an alcoholic coma?”
“That’s your boy.” Angie bounced on the seat. She was having the time of her life.
“The other one is strolling along with your father and Rolf if I’m not mistaken.” Maggie waved.
“Ha
ppy Birthday, Finn!” – “Mom!” – “Sweetling!”
The voices echoed around her as she was pulled from the car and hugged to within an inch of her life. She finally found herself standing free with a swimming head and no idea what was going on. The buzz of everyone trying to speak at once confused her.
“Yoo-hoo, Finn! Good to see you!” Nellie McGinn’s voice broke through her haze. The woman held a covered tray in her hands.
There was no sign of the media here at least.
“It’s about time you folk got here!” Mick Carr, one of the men living in the Parade, shouted while pushing a barrel of Guinness in front of him. Breda Carr his wife was laden down with her own burdens. People were pouring out of their houses. Everyone was carrying something or other.
Finn stared around her. She was way past confused.
“Right – now, people!” Nellie McGinn shouted and clapped her hands. “Let’s get organised. Where is Emmet? Someone go get that man.” Nellie was in her element. “Finn, you and your friends grab yourselves a seat. Where’s that charming father of yours? He can play a bit of music while we get organised here.”
“What’s going on?” Angie looked around at the hustling crowd.
The three women gazed along the row of long white-cloth-covered tables sitting in a line along the Parade.
“Who on earth knows? I thought all my men were in Germany yet here they are. Nobody tells me anything.” Finn was simply going to go along with whatever happened. “They must be planning some kind of a ‘street party’ – nice of them to make room for us.”
“Nuala, could I have your attention?”
Patrick Brennan glared at Angie and Maggie, expecting them to move. The two women ignored him, remaining close to Finn.
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