“How thoughtful of you,” she said, smiling, and raised her glass to him. “Sláinte!”
“Santé!” he replied, smiling back.
“Well, how about you? Do you live with your fiancé?”
She laughed. “Oh, no, I still haven’t flown the nest. David’s place is far too small for us both. Anyway, I like living with my family. Of course, once we’re married that will change. We’re looking for a house at the moment.”
“Well, it’s a good time to buy. When are you getting married?”
“We haven’t set a date yet. I’m just enjoying being engaged at the moment.” She held out her left hand and looked at her ring.
Sam hid a smile. She was so transparent. The words ‘an innocent abroad’ came to his mind.
“Enjoy it while you can,” he advised. “Getting married is no joke.”
“Yes, everyone tells me it’s nerve-wracking, planning a wedding,” she said, biting her lip. “How about you? Did you find it so bad?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been married but I think I’d elope if I were you.”
“Oh, no!” she squealed. “I adore weddings. They always make me cry.”
“You’re a romantic. Do you know how many weddings end in divorce?”
“Don’t say that!” She felt her voice quiver.
“I’m sorry. I’m an old cynic. Of course there are many happy marriages out there and I’m sure yours will be one of them.” He could have kicked himself. Here was this sweet young girl, newly engaged and dewy-eyed, and hebehaves like an insensitive lout. Just because he didn’t believe in marriage or romance didn’t mean he had to throw cold water on her dreams.
“Your house really is beautiful,” she said, wanting to change the subject. “Was it your girlfriend who did the décor?”
“God, no,I wouldn’t have let her near it! She’d have had everything black and white and stainless steel. An interior designer friend of mine did it.”
“Well, whoever it was, they did a great job.”
“Thank you. I’m very happy with it. Would you like to see around?”
“I’d love to. I’ve never been in a house as nice as this – well, except maybe Frank and Judith’s, where I met you.”
“Yes, I suppose for Mars this is considered a nice house,” he teased.
He smiled as he saw that she was blushing again. He showed her around the house, pleased that she was so impressed with everything. They ended up in the basement.
“This is where I have my office and in this next room I hold my wine courses,” he said, opening the door for her.
“Do you hold many every year?” she enquired as she looked around the airy bright room. There were large French windows looking onto the back garden.
“Well, I lecture for the Wine Board and prepare students for the Certificate exams. On top of that I bring my employees here on a regular basis to update their knowledge and for wine tastings.”
“Employees? How many do you have?”
“Fifty, last count.”
“My goodness! Fifty!” she exclaimed, amazed. “What do they all do?”
“Well, I have ten wine shops and an import business and I’m about to start an online business as well.”
Ellie was gobsmacked. No wonder he could afford this house! She guessed he was still in his twenties. She turned to him, her blue eyes widening.
“Goodness gracious, what a success you’ve made of your life – and you’re still only what . . . twenty-nine . . . thirty?”
“Do I look that old?” He pretended to be offended. “Actually, I’m twenty-eight,” he laughed, seeing her stricken look.
“Gosh, you must have been a genius at school.”
“No way! I dropped out before my Leaving and went to France to work in a vineyard. My parents were horrified. They wanted me to go to university but I hated school and I knew I wanted to be in the wine business so off I went. I spent five years there and made lots of contacts before coming home to open my first wine-shop.”
Ellie was impressed. “I hated school too and was useless at studying.”
“Yes, but you like what you do now, don’t you?” He cocked his head to the side and looked at her with interest. “I remember you told me some funny stories about the beauty salon the first night I met you.” He was grinning as he recalled it.
“I like the clients and the two girls I work with but the job itself is pretty boring. What I really would have liked was to have become a vet. But with my Leaving results that was out of the question. I’m not that smart.”
“Being smart has nothing to do with passing exams,” he said gently. “It’s important to love what you do. I do. I love working with wine. Hey, I see your glass is empty. Let’s go back upstairs.”
She followed him up to the living-room again, admiring the lovely paintings lining the walls. This really was an exquisite house. She sighed, thinking of the poky little houses she and David had been looking at on the Internet and could barely afford.
Over another glass of wine they chatted on, until Ellie realised that it was getting on for ten o’clock.
“Oh goodness, look at the time! I’m sorry, I do go on sometimes. I’d better go,” she said, standing up.
“I’ve really enjoyed talking to you. You livened up my evening. I look forward to seeing you next Monday night.”
“Oh God, I’m sorry, I almost forgot to pay you and that’s the reason I called around,” she said, embarrassed, as she reached into her bag for her purse. She handed him the €300 for the course.
“Thanks. Hold on a jiffy, I have to go downstairs to get you a receipt.”
He turned to go but Ellie stopped him. “Don’t worry about it. You can give it to me next Monday.”
“Fine, I look forward to seeing you then,” he smiled as he shook her hand.He showed her out and Ellie walked home, swinging her bag, thinking that with Sam as the lecturer the course was going to be very interesting.She was really glad that she’d decided to do it.
9
Ronan was tired of the stand-off with Louise. The strain of living in a house with someone who hadn’t spoken to him in a week, along with the uncertainty at work and his dire financial situation, was all taking its toll on him. He was feelingcompletely stressed out. At least Louise seemed to be making an effort. She hadn’t been out of the house since Sunday, or so she said, so at least she hadn’t been shopping. On Wednesday he went to the doctor who prescribed some medication for him and warned him to chill out. When Conor rang and asked him to meet him that night for a pint he jumped at the chance to escape another night of silence. At the least a few pints would help him relax.
Louise was relieved to hear Ronan say he was going out for a few pints as it meant she could at last retrieve the stuff she’d bought in Kildare the previous Sunday from Melissa’s house. The moment he’d left the house she rang her friend.
“Hi, Mel, it’s me. Ronan’s gone out for a few hours and I’d like to come around and collect my stuff straight away.”
“Hi, Lou. I’m sorry, but I’m just about to go out actually. I’m meeting my sister in Wong’s for a Chinese.”
“Oh Mel, I have to have it now. Couldn’tyou drop if off on your way?I’m dying to have it and I may not be alone again another evening this week. Puhleease?” she begged. “It won’t take that long. Can’t you ring your sister and explain you’ll be ten minutes late?”
Melissa sighed. Louise had been bossing her around ever since they’d been at national school together and she was still at it. “Okay, I’ll be around in ten.”
She dropped the bags off shortly after and was greeted by an excited Louise.
“You’re an angel! I can’t wait to see everything again. I’ve almost forgotten what I bought.” Her eyes were sparkling and her face aglow.
“Did that guy Alan ring you?” Melissa asked her.
“No, not yet,” Louise replied as she took the bags into her bedroom, “but he will. I know he will.”
&
nbsp; How great to be so sure of yourself, Melissa thought enviously, as she drove away.
Louise emptied all the bags on the bed and looked with excitement at the mound of clothes. She had to work quickly. First she cut off all the labels and price-tags and then burned them, along with all the bags, in the incinerator in the garden. Ronan would not be out there till the weekend at least. She had already burnt all the receipts the previous Monday when Ronan had left for work. She couldn’t risk him finding any trace of this latest spree. She had been quite shocked to see that she had spent just over €900, and that was without the leather jacket and trousers that Alan had paid for. God, it was amazing how quickly it all added up!
Caressing the beautiful clothes she carefully stored them all away. She couldn’t resist changing into her new lingerie, a DKNY top and the 7 For All Mankind jeans. Wow! The jeans fitted her like a glove. She felt fantastic!
When all the evidence had been secreted away she was in such a good mood that she opened the last bottle of wine that they had in the house. By the time Ronan came wearily in, she was in great form and ready to forgive him.
“How was Conor?” she asked him, taking him by surprise. “Did you have a nice evening?”
His shoulders visibly relaxed. The cold war was obviously over! She looked very attractive, curled up as she was on the sofa.
“Great. Conor says hello.” He’d said no such thing but a little lie wouldn’t hurt.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” she asked, getting up to get him a glass.
He didn’t really want one but he wasn’t going to upset the apple-cart now. “Yes, just a small one,” he replied, noticing that there wasn’t much more than that left in the bottle.
“You look very nice,” he remarked. “Are they new jeans?”
“Course not! I’ve had them for years. I just haven’t worn them in yonks,” she said, taking him at his word and handing him a miniscule glass of wine. She poured the remainder of the bottle into her own.
Ronan didn’t think he’d ever seen the jeans before but then she had so many pairs that he could have been mistaken. He wasn’t very observant of what women wore at any time. So he let it go.
Going up to bed he was pleasantly surprised to discover that she’d obviously decided to move back in with him. He considered initiating sex but, after the few drinks and with all the stress he was feeling, he didn’t think he’d be able to get it up. Instead, he kissed her chastely as he turned out the light and turned over.
Louise fell asleep immediately, dreaming of racks and racks of designer clothes. Ronan tossed and turned for ages before he eventually drifted off.
Louise knew that she was not out of the woods. There was still the question of the €905 she had put on the credit card. Ronan probably wouldn’t discover it until the end of the month so she still had time to do something about it. Then she had a brilliant idea. She rang Mr Mahony, the bank manager, and asked for an appointment. He agreed to meet her the following day.
She dressed with great care as she prepared to go to meet him. He was a bit of a ladies’ man and she wanted to look as attractive as possible.
“Louise, you look charming, my dear,” he said, ushering her into his office. “And what can I do for you?”
She had it all prepared – a big rigmarole about an opportunity to start a small business from home, making eclectic jewellery, if only she could get the €1200 she needed to get started. She was ever so convincing as she leaned towards him, aware that her top was giving him a nice view of her cleavage. The poor man never stood a chance! When he agreed to give her the loan, she came around the desk and hugged him.
“Oh, you’re a terror,” he said, obviously enjoying the encounter. “You have all us men wrapped around your little finger!” He even patted her bum as she left his office €1200 richer.
She punched the air once she’d left the bank. “Yyeeees!”
She drove to another bank where she lodged €905 to their credit-card account. She had a good story prepared for Ronan when he would finally discover the transactions.Meanwhile, she still had €295 in her pocket to spend! She took the DART into Dublin where she blew all of it, inless than an hour, in the fabulous Jervis Street Centre.
She had all her latest purchases put away in her wardrobe by the time Ronan came home that evening. She felt exceedingly clever as she dished up his dinner of Marks and Spencer’s lasagne. She’d even bought a bottle of red wine to go with it.
Ronan didn’t know what had come over her. She was in an exuberant mood but it was a hell of a lot more pleasant than the silent treatment he’d suffered the week before. He was grateful for small mercies.
10
The following Monday Zita came out of the meeting positively fuming. What were they thinking? Here they were, about to make a documentary about ‘The Women Behind Our Successful Men’, and they’d chosen the biggest chauvinist they could find to produce it. Not only that but he was a skirt-chaser and hadsexually harassed most of the women at the station and got away with it. Luckily, he knew better than to try it on with her. She wouldn’t have taken it lying down. Despite her anger she laughed aloud at the unintentional pun.
She was still furious. If she didn’t love her job so much, she’d pack it in, in protest. But what would she do then? She decided to forego lunch and go for a cycle instead in the hope that she could cool down.
“Honestly – men!” she said aloud as she pedalled her way along the seafront at Sandymount.
This prick had been promoted only months ago, by another male of course and with a push from someone in the last government just before they were voted out. It was so unfair. Zita had been up for the same position but had lost out, despite the fact that she was much more qualified to produce this programme than that idiot. But such was life. She really would have to get some political backing, and fast.
People thought that Irish politics had cleaned up their act in the aftermath of all the corruptionthat had come to light, but in reality nothing had changed. Things were as corrupt as ever. It was a case of ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’. She guessed it would never change. Anyway, she might get her chance very soon. Tonight she was starting her wine course and would begin her assault on Mr Perfect Politician, Carl Dunne, and his unsuspecting Stepford Wife. She grinned to herself at the thought.
Rachel was feeling very hassled. Poor Paloma had been down with the flu for the past five days and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.She’d had to cancel two lunches and an interview with VIPmagazine so that she could look after Paloma and take care of the children. Olga was a great housekeeper and kept the house really clean but she would not have been able to manage it all on her own. Rachel had to cancel a parent-teacher meeting but luckily the school principal understood her problem and had re-arranged a private consultation for her with the teachers. Thank God for the perks that went with being the wife of a politician.
Her wine course was starting that evening and she needed to have her hair blow-dried. She’d been to visit the local day-care centre that morning but she had overrun on time. As a result she had to cancel her hair appointment with her usual salon in Dublin city. She’d never have made it there and back in time to collect the children from school at twothirty. Luckily, she’d been able to secure an appointment with the local hair salon in Sutton.
As she sat with her eyes half-closed she saw the very pretty girl who came in to talk to Keisha, her stylist. Oh, to be so young and pretty again, she thought, as she watched the young girl laugh and smile, admiring her exquisite face. While having her head massaged, her thoughts moved to the evening ahead. She was very much looking forward to the wine course, though for a while it looked like she would have to miss it. Luckily, Paloma had recovered quickly and was on the mend and her neighbour’s daughter, Tiffany, had agreed to baby-sit for the evening.
Sam, the guy who was running the course had sounded lovely on the phone. She’d told him that she knew nothing about wine and hoped th
at the other students were not experts. He’d assured her that they weren’t, whichmade her less apprehensive.It wouldn’t do to make a show of herself in front of the others. She’d hinted at this to Sam but he was lovely and understood where she was coming from. She just knew she was going to like him.
Sam prepared for the course that evening firstly by putting a big notice outside, directing everyone down the steps to the basement. He didn’t want strangers traipsing through his lovely home. He wondered what his students would be like. They would be eight in total and, as he placed their name-cards and course literature on the tables, he thought about what his first impression of each of them had been. Ellie, of course, he’d met, and also the two apprentices that he’d taken on in his Malahide wine shop for the summer. The two young men were both enthusiastic and eager to learn, in the hope, he suspected, that he would offer them a permanent job at the end of the holidays. This course would sort them out. He made all of his staff follow the course and some had even gone on to study further. It paid back dividends big-time for Sam. His staff were knowledgeable and interested and his customers appreciated that. This in turn led to increased sales which made everyone happy.
As Sam placed Rachel’s name-card down beside Ellie’s, he wondered if she would last the pace. He’d recognised her name of course, the minute she’d called. It was hard to escape Carl Dunne and his wife these days. They were the new media darlings – both young and handsome. He suspected Rachel was a chatterbox. She’d certainly kept him long enough on the phone looking for reassurance that she wouldn’t be the only greenhorn on the course. Despite her looks and wealth she was obviously very insecure. Sam wondered if that had anything to do with her successful, handsome husband. More than likely it had.
Zita Williams was a complete dark horse and had enrolled and paid for the course online so Sam knew nothing about her. He’d been surprised that she hadn’t phoned him for directions. Hopefully, she’d find the place okay.
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