The Gift of Friends

by Emma Hannigan

  Celia-Ann looked horrified. Danielle was quite sure no member of the family had ever spoken to her like that before. Her sons mollified her, taking Justin’s old stance of ‘anything for a quiet life’. This was a whole new ballgame, and she evidently had no idea how to play it.

  ‘Jeremy,’ she said now, ‘say something. Tell him.’

  Jeremy sighed and looked directly at his wife, and then he very bravely said, ‘He’s old enough to make up his own mind, dear. You can’t force an adult to do something he doesn’t want to do. He does love Danielle, and you can’t force him not to either.’

  Celia-Ann looked around wildly, obviously looking for someone to back her up. Her eye lit on Mallory, who moved forward and opened her mouth to say something, but a look from Danielle shut her up quick smart. She stepped back again and hung her head. Realising she was on her own in this losing battle, Celia-Ann lashed out – at Danielle, naturally enough.

  ‘You,’ she said, pointing a shaking finger at her, ‘this is your doing. My son was perfectly good and loving until you came along. You little gold-digger. You got pregnant on purpose to trap him. I can see through you. I know exactly who you are and what you’re made of. I’m going to wait and watch and the day will come when Justin realises the truth about you and I’ll be there to comfort him and bring him back into our family, where he belongs.’

  Celia-Ann was panting after this outburst, her whole body shuddering with emotion. There was a heavy, painfully embarrassed silence as everyone stood staring at her, not knowing what to do. Danielle regarded her with cool contempt for a few moments, then she walked towards her slowly.

  ‘That was an extremely undignified rant, Celia-Ann,’ she said. ‘Most unbecoming. Let’s set a few things straight. I am not and never have been a gold-digger. You don’t know me at all because all you see is a poor person who’s not worth getting to know. You grade people by their possessions and their bank accounts and on that basis you decide if you’ll be nice or nasty to them. That’s why you’ve no true friends, why your son is getting away from you and why your other sons will probably follow suit.’ She reached Celia-Ann, who was staring at her wide-eyed, seemingly rooted to the spot. Everyone was watching her intently as she stood in front of her future mother-in-law and looked her straight in the eye.

  ‘I fell in love with Justin one night in Dublin when he asked to walk me home and we talked until dawn. After that, I wanted to be with him all the time. I was never happier than when I was with him. I’d never met anyone like him before, and I couldn’t believe that he liked me back. We met in cafés or at Trinity, so I didn’t know where he lived or what he drove or anything like that. I don’t love him because of things. I’d live with him in a hovel and not care. I love him because he sings Prince songs in the shower, even the high bits. And because he laughs hysterically at Father Ted. And because his secret treat is crisp sandwiches on white sliced pan, which I think is horrible, but he adores. And because after a whiskey, he gets giggly and affectionate and makes me laugh. And because he is an incredibly loyal person, always looking out for his friends. And because when I told him I was pregnant and I was scared and thought I should have an abortion or give it up for adoption, he told me he wanted our baby and that he wanted me and he proposed to me. I love him, Celia-Ann. And I’m going to stay around as long as Justin wants me. So do you know what you’re going to have to do? Build a bridge and get over it.’

  Celia-Ann stared at her coldly, then turned on her heel, got into the car and sat looking straight ahead. Jeremy sighed heavily again and made his way around to the driver’s door. As he passed by Danielle, he smiled at her.

  ‘Well said,’ he said quietly. ‘I admire your gumption, young lady. I’ll be over to visit even if I have to come alone.’

  Danielle smiled at him. ‘You are welcome at absolutely any time, Jeremy. Any time at all, okay?’

  He nodded at her, then climbed into the car beside his wife, who was as still as a statue in her seat. He put the car in gear, waved sadly to Justin and off they went. Mallory had the good sense to do the same. She nodded at Hugh, said she’d be in touch, then jumped into her Mercedes and drove off. The four left behind stood there in silence for a few moments, then Justin walked over to Danielle and enveloped her in a huge hug, holding her tightly. They didn’t say anything, just held each other in that warm embrace and a million unsaid things floated between them.

  ‘Dear God,’ Charlotte said, suddenly bursting out laughing. ‘I need a drink after that. I have never in all my life seen such a display! Hugh, pop open a bottle of wine, quick, and let’s toast Danielle’s incredible speech. Talk about putting a woman in her place. Danielle, that was magnificent.’

  Justin let her go, but slid his arm around her waist and Danielle leaned her head into his shoulder. She smiled at Charlotte.

  ‘I couldn’t have done that even two weeks ago,’ she said. ‘But she has pushed me to the limit. I’m not a crap person because I haven’t got money and don’t know about horses. Once I accepted that, all her nonsense was just that, nonsense. I couldn’t care less what she thinks; now I have Justin at my side, that’s all that matters.’

  ‘You two,’ Charlotte said, her eyes filling with tears. ‘Love’s young dream personified. You’re mad about each other, and it’s gorgeous. Come on, let’s go back inside and raise that glass. I feel like I’ve witnessed some big watershed in your lives.’

  ‘You have,’ Justin said quietly in Danielle’s ear. ‘We’ve really struck out on our own now,’ he said. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m fantastic,’ Danielle said, kissing him lightly. ‘Now, I want you to go inside, enjoy a glass of wine and close this deal. I’ll drive us home.’

  He looked at her in delight. ‘Really? You like it? You agree?’

  ‘Yes, yes and yes,’ Danielle said. ‘This place is for us, I can feel it in my bones. I want you to do this, and I want to help you. I think we’ve found our future.’

  Chapter 30

  MAIA KEPT LOOKING AT ZARA AND ZACH, worried about all they’d witnessed at Pearl’s house the day before, but they didn’t seem traumatised. She felt traumatised herself, but the kids seemed to be taking it in their stride. She had actually felt nauseous when Pearl confessed that Seth had beaten them up, and that feeling hadn’t fully left her. Maia just couldn’t believe that it had been going on right next door, and she’d been blind to it. She hadn’t thought it possible that Kingfisher Road could hide such a horrible secret, but there you go, she thought, life was just so unpredictable.

  ‘There you are, Zara,’ she said as her beautiful daughter walked into the kitchen. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘You keep asking me that, Mum,’ Zara said. ‘I’m absolutely fine.’

  Zach came in and grinned at them. ‘Is Mum still checking for signs of PTSD?’ he joked.

  Maia pouted. ‘I don’t know how you can be so funny about stuff like this,’ she said. ‘I was so upset by it, so I’m sure it had an effect on you two as well.’

  Zara sighed. ‘Oh Mum, of course it was really horrible. I had a good big cry when I got back here afterwards, but crying won’t help them. I just want to make sure that I see Drew plenty while I’m still here. The best thing we can do is spend time with them and make them feel supported.’

  ‘I don’t know how an airhead like me created two such solid and sensible people,’ Maia said shaking her head.

  ‘Airhead,’ Zach scoffed. ‘You’re one of the smartest people I know, Mum. You’re on the ball.’

  ‘Well you two are just amazing,’ Maia said. ‘And I’m not even just saying that as your mother. You’re wonderful people by anyone’s standards.’ She opened her bag, got her purse and took out two hundred euros. ‘And for that reason, I’m treating you to a day out. Go see that film you were saying you wanted to see. Get yourselves a nice supper. You also need to spend time with each other before you both head off.’

  ‘Wow, thanks, Mum,’ Zara said, reaching for the cash. ‘Come on, bro, l
et’s go spend this and have some fun.’

  ‘And get taxis there and back,’ Maia said. ‘It’s so dark, and I think it’s going to rain again.’

  They went off to get ready and Maia continued with her dinner preparations. She hadn’t prepared such an elaborate meal in ages, but she wanted to make sure everything was just right. She did want the twins to spend time together, but she had another reason for sending them off: she had decided to tackle Freddie properly about the way things were between them, and not to let him off the hook until he had been honest with her. She was half afraid of what she might hear from him, but she had decided she couldn’t keep going like this. Looking at Pearl yesterday, standing up for herself and her own happiness, it had made Maia realise that she too was guilty of cruising along on autopilot. Her life was happening to her, rather than her taking control of it, and that had to stop.

  By the time Freddie arrived home, the plates were warming in the oven, the food was ready, the candles were lit and the wine was breathing. Maia didn’t want to distract him with low-cut tops or short dresses, so she was wearing a deep green cashmere jumper with slim-fitting red pants and a cute pair of slingback kitten heels in a gorgeous mustard colour. Just as she’d planned, everything was just right.

  ‘Jesus, this place smells good,’ Freddie said, coming in and putting his briefcase on the sofa and taking off his jacket. He looked tired out, which meant he could be short-tempered, but Maia felt she had to grab the bull by the horns now, regardless.

  ‘I’ve made a very special meal for us,’ she said. ‘Sit yourself down and I’ll dish up. We haven’t had quality time together in ages, so I wanted to prioritise us for a change.’

  ‘Have you been reading some article in those magazines about how to get more money out of your husband or something?’

  Maia laughed. ‘I have not, you big cynic. This is about you and me and nothing else.’

  ‘We’ll see,’ Freddie said. ‘I’ll have some of that wine, though. It’s been a really long day.’

  Maia let him enjoy the starter and main course and they chatted about this and that. She filled him in on the whole situation with Pearl, and he was astounded.

  ‘That big fella hit skinny little Pearl and Drew?’ He shook his head. ‘That’s pure bad, that is. God, I wish I could get my hands on him.’

  ‘I think everyone feels that way,’ Maia said. ‘And do you know, Zach immediately offered to go over and sleep there, so Pearl wasn’t on her own at night.’

  Freddie stared at her in surprise. ‘He did? God, that’s incredible, isn’t it? Talk about a good head on his shoulders. I’m proud of that.’

  Maia smiled. ‘We’ve done a good job, you and me. We’re a good team.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Freddie said. ‘We’re alright.’

  ‘Although,’ Maia said, playing with the stem of her glass, ‘lately I don’t really feel that way.’

  He looked at her and some sort of fear flickered across his face. ‘What do you mean?’ he said gruffly.

  ‘Just that we seem to be a bit far apart these days,’ Maia said. ‘I don’t feel you’re really here. You seem very distracted a lot of the time. I’m lonely most of the time.’ She looked him straight in the eye. ‘Freddie,’ she said, ‘I want the truth and I want it now. Are you having an affair?’

  Her heart nearly stopped beating while she waited for his answer. If he said, yes, what would she do? She had no idea.

  ‘An affair?’ he said, looking at her like she was mad. ‘Of course I’m not having a bloody affair. I’m with you.’

  ‘But you’re not,’ Maia said, trying to bite back the tears that were threatening. ‘You’re not with me anymore, Freddie. I don’t feel it. Something has changed.’

  ‘I’m not having an affair,’ he said stubbornly. ‘And I’m offended you’d think that of me. I’m not like that, Maia, never have been. I’m crazy about you.’

  ‘Then what is it?’ she pleaded. ‘Don’t tell me nothing. I can see the difference in you and something has caused it. If you’re not shagging someone new, then what is it?’

  Freddie sighed deeply. ‘There’s nothing to concern you,’ he said. ‘I’m just ironing out some problems, but I’ll do it myself, okay?’

  ‘Why?’ Maia demanded. ‘Why do you think I can’t help? Do you think staying at home with the kids has made me stupid or something? You used to ask my opinion all the time, so why not now?’

  ‘It’s just . . .’ he rubbed his eyes, ‘. . . it’s just business stuff, Maia.’ He looked at her and she held his gaze, and she could see that he was deeply troubled. The cheerful mask he always wore slipped away and she saw the extent of his fear and stress.

  ‘Jesus, Freddie, what is it?’ she said. ‘Come on, a problem shared is a problem halved. Tell me.’

  He looked like a defeated man. His shoulders slumped and he sighed deeply again. ‘Alright,’ he said quietly. ‘Look, it’s a business problem. I had some lads come around the shop and tell me I had to pay protection money. Real louts they were, and they let me know in no uncertain terms that I’d be messed up if I didn’t give them what they wanted.’

  ‘The black eye?’ Maia said.

  ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘They were just making their point loud and clear that time.’

  ‘Did you give them the money?’ she asked.

  ‘No,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘That kind, if you give them a tenner, they’ll come back the next day for a grand. There was no way I was handing over my hard-earned money to them. But the thing is . . .’ he looked almost embarrassed. ‘The thing is, I didn’t go to the cops, like I should have. I went to this other crowd, some of the old gang from Westwood, and asked them to give me protection from the first lot. That went grand for a while, but then they started demanding more and more as well. And now I’m caught between the two of them.’ He looked at her. ‘I’m sorry, babe, I’ve been really stupid about this. And now I can’t see a way out of it.’

  Maia felt shocked by what he’d told her, and a part of her was screaming that yes, he had been stupid not to see that it was always going to spiral out of his control. Getting involved with two gangs was never going to be the solution to being threatened by one gang. But he didn’t need her anger or judgement right now, he needed her support and help.

  ‘Right,’ she said, thinking it through. ‘So both sides are targeting you and the shop and its earnings?’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I can’t get them off my back. They know there’s good money there, and they want it.’

  ‘Okay,’ Maia said, flicking through the options in her head. ‘Just let me think for a moment.’

  Freddie sipped his wine and watched her as she paced around the kitchen. Her mind was whirring with the problems and the possible solutions, but eventually she sat back down and looked at her husband.

  ‘I think I’ve got it,’ she said.

  He leaned forward eagerly. ‘Well I’m all ears because I’m out of ideas.’

  ‘Here’s what we’ll do,’ Maia said, spreading her hands on the table. ‘First, we’ll put the house in my sole name, to protect our most important asset. Then we’ll shut down the business—’

  ‘Jesus, Maia, are you mad?’ Freddie said, looking disgusted. ‘That’s not the way to handle this. We’ll end up broke.’

  ‘Just listen to me, Freddie,’ she said sharply. ‘Hear me out. It’ll work. We shut down the business to take the heat off it, okay, and we’ll put all the stuff into a secure storage facility in my name, and I’ll use my maiden name. Then you go with Zach to California and spend a few months there, helping him to settle down and lying low yourself. I’ll stay here and hold the fort. I’ll put it about that you’ve run off with another woman and I’m devastated, never want to see you again. But I’ll talk to the gardaí in Vayhill and tell them the truth and see if they can help us out. After six months, we’ll see how things look and either reopen or sell the shop and use the money to open a new shop somewhere else. That way, the targets – you
and the shop – are both gone, and hopefully the gangs will find a new target.’ She sat back, out of breath from all that talking.

  Freddie was listening to her in silence. ‘Okay, that’s not bad,’ he said, ‘but how do we get through six months with me not working? We’ve a lot of bills to pay, Maia, and they won’t go away.’

  ‘No,’ she said, ‘but I’ve got an account I’ve been saving into, so we can use that.’ She snapped her fingers. ‘And,’ she said excitedly, ‘I’m sitting on a pile of money in that dressing-room upstairs. I can sell designer gear on eBay or wherever and make some cash that way. If I do that, it also looks like I’m fending for myself, which is a good thing if anyone is checking up on us.’

  Freddie rubbed his chin. ‘It could work,’ he said slowly. ‘But I hate the idea of leaving you for so long. And I’d be worried sick that you’d become a target.’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Maia said, although she felt more worried than she sounded. ‘Once everyone believes you’ve done the dirty on me too, then they know I’m not worth it. These guys want quick, easy money,’ she said. ‘So my guess is if this revenue stream dries up, they’ll find another one that they can milk easily, you know?’

  ‘Yeah, I suppose that’s true,’ he said.

  ‘Let’s get started,’ Maia said. ‘I’ll get on to Sean Claffey’s office and get them moving on transferring the house to my name. Let me open the laptop and I’ll research secure storage and let’s do that this week. And Freddie, I know this is hard, but I’m going to book you a flight for this week as well. Zach will follow you over, but you need to be gone.’

  Maia went to the study and got her laptop, then set it up on the kitchen table. A few clicks, and she had a ticket booked for Freddie, departing in four days. She checked out some storage facilities, and quickly found the one that looked most suited to their needs. It wasn’t too far away either. She looked at her watch.