Changing Places (24 page)

Anna propped herself up on her elbow and took off her shades. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, your father was giving out about all the bills coming in and how were we going to manage on just our pensions. Then the car-insurance renewal came in and he said that maybe we
should just sell the car because it wasn’t as if we ever went anywhere.’

‘You came to see me and Rachel and you went on holidays every year.’

‘Malahide, Courtown and Tramore.’ Bridie ticked them off on her fingers. ‘Yes, we lived in the fast lane, didn’t we? So we decided it was high time we made the most of
the life we had left together. And after the scare he gave me last week, I’m more convinced than ever that we did the right thing.’

‘I’m glad, Mam, but it was awful getting that phone call from you and knowing that we couldn’t just hop in a car and come and see you both.’

‘Yes, I do realize that.’ Bridie took Anna’s hand. ‘And there are times when I miss you both terribly, but I still think it was the right thing to do. And flights are so
cheap now you can come and visit us any time you like. Rachel will be able to send Alex out to us when he gets a bit older. Think of what a wonderful experience that will be for him!’

‘Are you planning to continue to travel?’ Jill asked. ‘Or are you going to settle somewhere?’

Bridie shrugged. ‘Well, we can’t travel for ever.’

‘Would you come home?’ Anna looked at her hopefully.

Bridie met her daughter’s eyes. ‘Honestly, love? No, I don’t think so.’ She gazed out at the twinkling blue water, dotted with swimmers and windsurfers. ‘Why would
we?’

Anna sat up, swung her legs off the sunbed and shoved her feet into her sandals. ‘I’m going to get a drink, do you want anything?’

‘No, thanks,’ Jill said.

‘No, thanks, love.’ Bridie sighed as her daughter stalked off. ‘I don’t think I said what she wanted to hear.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Jill consoled her aunt. ‘She just got a bit of a fright when Shay got sick – they both did.’

Bridie nodded. ‘So did I. I always thought he’d go on for ever. He’s always been so healthy, so strong. But he won’t. Neither of us will.’

‘Oh, I think there’s plenty of life left in you yet.’

‘There’s a bit, love, and I plan to make the most of it. Is that so wrong?’

Jill patted her hand. ‘No, of course it isn’t.’

‘Have you bought me any presents, Mum?’ Alex asked when Gary put him on.

‘I’m fine, thanks, Alex, how are you?’

‘Uh, sorry, Mum. Are you having a nice time?’

‘Lovely.’

‘And have you got me anything?’

‘Alex!’

Rachel smiled as she heard Gary’s voice. ‘I might have. Are you being good for Daddy?’

‘Yes. Mum, there’s this new beyblade . . .’

‘Alex!’

‘I’m just telling her about it!’ Alex protested.

‘Say goodbye to Mummy.’

‘Bye, Mummy.’

‘Bye, sweetheart, I miss you.’

‘Materialistic little sod, isn’t he?’ Gary said after Alex had handed over the phone.

‘Nice to know he’s missing me.’

‘He is,’ Gary assured her. ‘He’s quite clingy and it takes a lot longer to get him asleep.’

‘Is he waking during the night at all?’

‘No, he’s slept straight through every night.’

Typical, Rachel thought. ‘That’s good.’

‘How are you? Are you sleeping any better?’

Rachel was warmed by the concern in his voice. ‘Not really, but I’m having a siesta every day which is nice.’

‘Good, I’m glad. How’s your dad doing?’

‘Not a bother on him and he looks great.’

‘Alex is screaming for his dinner, I’d better go.’

‘Make sure that he eats some vegetables.’

‘I will.’

‘And cut any fat or gristle off the meat or he won’t eat it.’

‘Will do.’

‘And—’

‘Rachel!’

‘Okay, okay. Bye.’

‘Bye, sweetheart, take care of yourself.’

‘I will, Gary, I promise.’

Rachel switched off her mobile phone and went back into Kitty’s Café where her family were sitting relaxing after a late lunch.

‘How’s Alex?’ her mother asked, patting the seat next to her.

‘Doing fine.’ Rachel sat down heavily, fanning her face.

‘Are you all right, love?’ Bridie asked with a worried frown.

‘Just finding it a bit warm today.’ She was feeling hot and sweaty, and being around her sister and cousin didn’t help. Anna was looking cool and sexy in a black mini-dress and
Jill – sitting up at the bar deep in conversation with Kitty – was looking equally gorgeous in a flamboyant red sarong. In her white, drawstring trousers and multi-coloured top, Rachel
felt like an oversized clown. And with her flushed face and swollen ankles she knew that she was looking her worst.

‘Would you like to go back and have a lie-down, love?’ her father asked.

‘Yes, I think I will,’ she agreed.

‘I’ll walk with you.’ He stood up and pulled her to her feet. ‘You girls stay here and have a chat.’

‘Are you sure?’ Bridie looked at Rachel.

‘Yes, really, Mam. You stay here and enjoy yourself. I’ll be fine once I’ve had my siesta.’

‘We’ll pick you up in a couple of hours for your pedicure,’ Anna said, settling back with her glass of wine.

‘Okay, see you later.’

‘Am I going too fast for you, love?’ Shay asked.

‘Dad, I’m pregnant not sick,’ Rachel protested, laughing.

‘Sorry, love, it’s just your feet look so sore.’

Rachel sighed. Her ankles had swollen up even more since they’d got here and she had been reduced to wearing a pair of her mother’s flat sandals. ‘They look worse than they
feel. What about you, Dad, how are you?’

‘Ah, sure I’m grand, love.’

‘You gave us an awful fright, you know. I know this diet lark is a bit of a pain but please try and stick to it. Not just because of the ulcer. Carrying all of that extra weight
isn’t doing your heart any good either and you’re not getting any younger.’

‘Dear God, are you trying to cheer me up or what?’

‘I’m serious, Dad. You need to take care of yourself and Mam too.’

‘Well, to be honest, love, that’s the main reason I’m going along with this bloody diet. She’s keeping to it as well and with her blood pressure and cholesterol, the
doctor says it’s important that she loses weight and cuts down on her fat intake.’

Rachel stopped in her tracks. ‘Mam has problems with her cholesterol and blood pressure? I didn’t know that.’

Shay groaned. ‘Oh, now don’t say that I told you or she’ll murder me.’

‘But how long has she known? Was it before you left Ireland?’

Shay nodded, as he propelled his daughter on towards the apartment complex. ‘Yes, it was. And before you have a go, Dr Mulvany gave us his blessing when we told him we were leaving. He
said the Mediterranean weather and diet would do us both the world of good.’

‘That’s all well and good, but who is there here to look after you if you get sick?’

‘That’s what health insurance is for, Rachel. I would never expect you or Anna to look after us, no matter what happened.’

‘Oh Dad, you know that we’d want to!’

‘Well, we’re not going to need looking after so enough of this depressing talk. I’m going to get skinny and fit so that I can bounce this new little lad on my knee.’

Rachel smiled. ‘Who says it’s a boy?’

‘Do you know?’

She shook her head.

‘I suppose every woman wants a little girl.’

‘I don’t care, once it’s healthy, but a boy might be safer. I’ve a feeling Gary would spoil a girl and make Alex green with jealousy.’

‘Gary must be delighted, is he?’

‘Yeah, he’s pretty chuffed.’

‘And what about you?’

Rachel looked up to see her father studying her carefully. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I’m not as green as I’m cabbage-looking, love. You’re not yourself at the moment. Is it just the pregnancy or is there something else?’

‘I’m fine, don’t worry.’

‘I’ll always worry – you’re still my little girl. You can always come to me, you know that?’

‘Yes, Dad, but it’s not that easy with you all the way out here,’ Rachel pointed out.

He stopped and turned her to face him. ‘If you needed me I’d be there in a heartbeat. I swear it.’

Rachel stepped into his hug. ‘I know, Dad, I know.’

Jill’s mobile rang again and she ignored it.

‘Is that work bothering you again?’ Anna asked.

‘Yeah, but they can get lost,’ Jill said, switching it off.

‘You’re quite right, love,’ Bridie said. ‘You’re entitled to your holiday. Those bloody mobile phones are a curse.’

‘Although you’re getting one,’ Anna told her. ‘Think how much easier it would have been if you’d had one last week when Dad got sick.’

‘I didn’t need it at all,’ her mother argued. ‘I called for an ambulance from the phone on the campsite and it came.’

‘But look at the hassle you had, keeping in touch with us.’ Anna shot her cousin a look of total frustration.

‘I’m sorry I called you at all now. There was no need to worry you both. What could you do from Ireland other than worry?’

‘Mam! You can’t keep something like that from us! Promise me now that you’ll always call us if anything happens.’

Bridie rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, Anna, stop fussing. We’re not children. We’re more than capable of looking after ourselves.’

Deciding that mother and daughter needed some time to themselves, Jill stood up. ‘I think I’ll head back to the apartment. I’d like to have a shower before my
massage.’

‘Right, love, see you later.’ Bridie smiled at her niece before turning back to face her daughter. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked without preamble.

‘Nothing.’

‘Are you sure?’

Anna sighed. ‘I got such a fright, Mam. You know, Rachel and I thought we might be coming out here for Dad’s funeral.’

Bridie crossed herself. ‘Well, thank God he’s fine. We both are.’

‘Would you not come home, now, Mam? You’ve had a nice time, you’ve seen so much – aren’t you ready to come back so that Rachel and I can look after you and
Dad?’

‘But we don’t
need
looking after!’

‘Mam, you know what I’m saying.’

‘I do and it’s a load of rubbish.’

‘Mam!’

‘Will you stop saying “Mam”?’ Bridie tutted in frustration. ‘I think you should tell me what’s wrong.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’m your mother, Anna, and I’m not stupid. This isn’t about me or your father. There’s something else going on. Is it Liam?’

Anna didn’t answer.

Bridie sat forward and took her hand. ‘Look, love, I’m here now. Talk to me.’

‘There is something. Liam’s been spending a lot of time with Tara Brady, the girl he used to go out with.’

‘The one who lives next door to his mother?’

Anna nodded.

‘The bastard!’

‘Mam!’

‘Your father will kill him when he hears this. And what has that stuck-up mother of his got to say about it?’

‘I don’t think she knows and, Mam, I’m not sure there is anything to know.’

Bridie looked her in the eye. ‘Aren’t you?’

Anna gave a sob. ‘Oh Mam.’

‘Come here to me, you poor child.’ Bridie gathered her elder daughter into her arms as if she were a three-year-old.

‘Liam says nothing’s happened and I believe him, but I think he wants it to. I think he fancies her.’

‘It’s taken him long enough to realize that, hasn’t it?’

‘He’s been spending more time around at his mother’s so I suppose he just kept running into her.’

Bridie snorted. ‘I’m sure. It sounds to me like he’s got too much time on his hands.’

‘Or he realizes that he married the wrong woman,’ Anna wept.

Bridie hugged her fiercely. ‘Don’t be silly, love, the lad is mad about you!’

‘Not any more, Mam. You haven’t seen him in ages. He’s changed completely. He hardly opens his mouth to me from one end of the day to the other.’

‘He’s just having a rough time and doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going.’

‘That’s what Jill says. She says that the way he’s behaving has nothing to do with me or Tara but with what’s going on in his own head.’

‘Your cousin’s got her head screwed on the right way. She must have got that from me because her mother was the thick one of the family.’

Anna laughed through her tears. ‘Oh Mam, I’ve missed you.’

‘I’m sure everything will work out with Liam, love. He’s a good man. Maybe he’s done something silly – let’s face it, most men do – but I’m sure
he loves you. You just have to decide whether or not you can forgive him and put this all behind you.’ Bridie stood up and pulled Anna to her feet. ‘Come on, my darling. Let’s go
and get Jill and Rachel. We’re due at the salon in half an hour. A nice massage will do you the world of good.’

‘But it won’t solve my problems, Mam, will it?’

Bridie hugged her close. ‘No, it won’t, my darling, but it might help you to calm down and do some thinking.’

Back at the apartment, Jill was sitting on the balcony checking her phone messages. There were three from Karen, one from Ollie and another from Rebecca, all relating to Vinny
and his handling of some of her accounts. A month ago, Jill would have been on the first plane home but suddenly, it didn’t seem that important any more. She found it hard to get excited
about a department-store sale or a new type of contact lens or a hand cream that could get rid of liver spots (she must get some free samples for her mother and Bridie). The world of advertising
had lost its appeal and Jill felt completely switched off. She was also still missing Andy, which came as something of a shock, as she usually had no trouble walking away from men. It must be her
age. That damned body-clock was probably ticking and any day now she’d start to look longingly at babies.

Having said that, she wasn’t the slightest bit envious of her cousin. Though she’d obediently put her hand on the bump to feel the baby kick, Jill had felt no answering kick at her
heartstrings. Thank God! Baby blues when you didn’t even have a man would be too complicated even for her. And things were complicated enough at the minute. She was beginning to wonder
whether she’d been right to come to Spain in the first place. Rachel was obviously not herself and Jill was hoping that Bridie had noticed this. As for Anna, well, the poor girl was falling
apart in front of her eyes and Jill wasn’t sure what she could say or do to help. There wasn’t much time to wonder or worry about her own problems, which was probably just as well.