It's All About Him (17 page)

If they eventually met, it would be in controlled circumstances and Dee would be the one in control.

Her phone beeped and Dee read the message that Conor had sent back.

FRI IS FINE. PAULA BOOKD FOR 8. X.

'GREAT, XX,' Dee typed and pressed send. Then, after she had put her mug in the sink, she went upstairs to change into more practical clothes for playing with children. As she walked through the hall, the phone rang and she went across to answer it.'Happy Days Crèche?'

'Dee?'

'Yes?'

'Dee, it's Carolyn Maher from Seven TV.'

'Oh, hi, Carolyn.' Dee crouched on the bottom stair and smoothed her skirt down over her knees.

'I just wanted to say thank you for coming on the show, you were really great.'

'Oh, thanks, you're very kind.'

'No, seriously, the phone hasn't stopped ringing and we've got a ton of emails and texts and most of them are about you.'

Dee cringed. 'Did I upset some people?'

'On the contrary, a lot of the messages are from people saying that they learned more about food in twenty minutes than they ever had before. As for the whole salt argument, you really touched a nerve there. One woman said that when the programme ended she went through her whole larder and sat down and cried when she realized how much salt she was feeding her children.'

'And we never even got to tell them about sugar,' Dee said regretfully.

Carolyn laughed. 'I think you have a lot to say, Dee, and one show isn't enough to do it. We're thinking of having a regular spot every week on the show about nutrition and diet.'

'That's a great idea,' Dee said, delighted.

'So will you do it?'

'Sorry?'

'Be on the show every week?'

'Oh, Carolyn, I don't know—'

'Obviously it would involve some research and more of your time, so we would pay you more.'

'Really?'

Carolyn laughed. 'Why don't you come in some time tomorrow and we can talk about it?'

Dee swallowed hard. 'I suppose there would be no harm in talking.'

'About eleven-thirty?'

Dee could hear a smile in the other woman's voice. 'I'll see you then.'

'Oh. My. God.' Lisa took a gulp of her wine. 'Oh. My. God.'

'I know.' Dee poured a glass for herself and sat down next to Lisa on the sofa.

She had spent the afternoon with the children and they'd gone out to the garden for an energetic game of leapfrog. Sam had adored having his mother around and it had made Dee more determined than ever to make some changes to her life. She would not get rich at the expense of time with her son. Putting all of her worries firmly to the back of her mind she had thrown herself into the childish games and, though she was tired and sore at the end of it, she felt happy.

Now Sam was tucked up in bed fast asleep, there was a homemade pizza in the oven, and she'd just told Lisa her news.

Her friend was gobsmacked. 'I wonder how much they'll pay you.'

'No idea,' Dee said, 'but it will have to be good if I'm to spend time on research and then there's the travelling. They're unlikely to send a car for me every week.'

Lisa sighed. 'Oh, it would be nice if they did. I could get really used to being driven around.'

Dee laughed. 'Me too, but I won't hold my breath.'

'So she wants to do a regular spot about diet?'

'Yes, and general nutrition. I don't know why she's asking me. I'm sure Polly would have been a much better choice.'

'Maybe Polly will be doing it too,' Lisa reasoned.

Dee nodded excitedly. 'You could be right; after all, there is always a panel of guests.'

'On the other hand it could be Ann Baker.'

'No!' Dee groaned.

'No,' Lisa agreed, laughing. 'One, as a minister she wouldn't have the time – or she shouldn't have the time – and two, she was rubbish.'

Dee stood up and went to the oven to check on their pizza.

'This forces our hand a bit,' Lisa observed. 'We need to cut you some slack if you're going to do this.'

Dee closed the door of the oven, turned down the temperature slightly and rejoined her on the sofa. 'Yes and I'd better find a cook. Ronan is going to be on my case until I do.'

'Ronan's an interesting character, isn't he?' Lisa mused. 'He comes across all easy going and relaxed, but there's a tough enough businessman underneath.'

'You'd better believe it,' Dee agreed. 'He has a softly, softly approach but he's a force to be reckoned with. I like him.'

'And his son,' Lisa nudged her.

Dee grinned. 'Yeah, him too.'

'Pity about the mother-in-law.'

'Oh, Julia's not so bad. She left a nice message on the phone today although she didn't like your boots.'

'Bitch.'

Dee laughed. 'She'll be so impressed if I'm on telly all the time.'

'You're going to have to go shopping,' Lisa announced.

'Why?'

Lisa rolled her eyes. 'Well, you can't wear the same skirt every week.'

Dee's face fell. 'I hadn't thought of that. What a pain, I don't have the time or the money for shopping.'

Lisa's eyes lit up. 'Maybe they'll give you an expense account or they'll dress you from their wardrobe department.'

'Oh, right. One week I'll be dressed as Snow White and the next I'll be Goldilocks.'

'You nut,' Lisa laughed. 'They must have ordinary, everyday clothes for their newsreaders and weathermen.'

'Weather people,' Dee corrected. 'Do you really think so?'

'Absolutely. That beautiful redhead that reads the nine o'clock news is in a different outfit every night; the clothes must be supplied as part of the job.'

'I hope you're right.'

'But,' Lisa looked her in the eye, 'that's not what we're here to discuss.'

Dee raised an eyebrow at the businesslike tone her friend had adopted and grinned.

'No, it isn't, Ms Dunphy, so let's talk business.'

Dee was woken at five-thirty by Sam. 'What is it, sweetheart?' she asked when she opened her eyes to see him standing by her bed.

'There's a funny noise in my room, Mummy.'

Dee pulled back the covers. 'Want to come in here?'

He nodded eagerly and scrambled up on to the bed.

Dee tugged him in beside her and pulled the duvet up around their ears. 'Now, close your eyes and go to sleep.'

'Is it nearly morning time?' he asked.

'Nearly, but there's still time for a little sleep.' It had been a late night and Dee prayed that her son would go back to sleep for another hour.

'Mummy, what was that?' he whispered, his breath warm on her face.

She sighed. 'It's just the water gurgling in the pipes, now go to sleep.'

'Mummy?'

She opened her eyes and looked into his, less than two inches away. 'Yes?'

'My toes are cold.'

She took his tiny feet between her hands and rubbed them gently. 'Now, go to sleep!'

He smiled, closed his eyes tightly and snuggled even closer. Dee closed her eyes too and inhaled his unique smell, felt his small body squirm against her and wondered how she'd ever got to be this lucky.

They only got thirty minutes more sleep in the end and Dee's eyes were tired and sore but she still felt excited and upbeat at the prospect of her meeting with Carolyn Maher. She had arranged the food for the children's snack and lunch, just in case she didn't get back on time, and she would deliver Ronan's order on her way to the studio.

'On the way to the studio.' She giggled to herself at how cool that sounded and covering the chicken and broccoli pie with tin foil, she went upstairs to dress. Though she wasn't going to be on TV this time, there was a chance that she might be meeting some important people, so she'd done the sensible thing and asked Lisa what she should wear. They'd had several glasses of wine at that stage and Lisa waded through her wardrobe, tossing clothes left and right and complaining loudly about Dee's lack of taste, obsession with practicality and, most importantly, lack of quantity.

'Is this it?' she had asked incredulously.

'Yes,' Dee said defensively, 'it's all I need.'

Lisa looked at her and shook her head sadly. 'Don't you have any mistakes tucked away?'

Dee frowned.

'You know, those impulse buys,' Lisa prompted, 'the sparkly tops, impossible heels, slinky dresses that you never actually have the courage to wear.'

Dee shook her head. 'I had the dress I wore for our last night out but I caught it in the taxi door when I was getting out and it ripped.'

Lisa sighed. 'Seven TV are going to have their work cut out with you.'

Dee slumped on to her bed and watched miserably as her friend held up pair after pair of jeans and tracksuit bottoms. 'Maybe I should cancel.'

'You will not! We'll find something, don't you worry.'

And they had, but as Dee dressed in the simple white shirt, jeans and hacking jacket, she had her doubts.

'Accessories is the solution,' Lisa had pronounced and arrived in that morning with chains for Dee to drape around her neck, a large silver bangle to go on her wrist, and huge silver hoops for her ears.

She had also insisted that Dee use more make-up than usual. 'You saw how fabulous you looked after they made you up in the studio,' she'd insisted when Dee expressed her reservations, 'and make up and jewellery is the only way to carry off an outfit like this.'

And so Dee had carefully applied smoky-grey eye-shadow, eyeliner and tons of black mascara and some pale pink lip gloss. When she went down to the crèche to show Lisa her efforts, it was her son's reaction that said it all.

'Mummy, you look like a princess,' he'd said, wide-eyed, coming forward to throw his arms around her waist.

'Thank you, sweetheart,' she'd murmured, bending to kiss the top of his head.

'Smashing,' Martha had said, grinning excitedly. Lisa had told her where Dee was off to and she couldn't believe that she might end up working with a celebrity.

'What shoes are you wearing?' Lisa demanded.

'My trainers?' Dee said uncertainly.

'No!' Lisa shook her head furiously. 'That would ruin the whole effect. Wear your cowboy boots.'

'But they're ancient.'

'I'll give them a quick polish and they'll be fine.'

'It's okay, I'll do it,' Dee protested as Lisa bustled to the door.

'While you're wearing a white shirt? I think not! Where are they?' Lisa added as she made a beeline for the door.

'Er, in the cupboard under the stairs – I think.'

'Right, stick on a video for the kids and I'll be back in a minute.'

Sam's eyes widened. 'We can watch telly?'

Lisa nodded. 'But only if you're all as quiet as mice, okay?'

Sam and the other children nodded and, whispering and giggling, they curled up on the rug in front of the TV while Dee put on
Postman Pat.
When the children were engrossed in their programme, she crossed the room to the baby section and bent to tickle a baby lying under a play gym.

'Don't get too close,' Martha warned. 'Lisa will murder you if you get dirty. I can't believe you're going to be on telly every week,' she added excitedly as she propped one of the older babies in a bouncy chair and gave him his bottle. 'Good boy, Joshua.'

'It may not even happen; I'm only going in to talk about it,' Dee cautioned.

'It will happen,' Martha said confidently, 'you were a natural on that programme, much better than any of the others.'

'Thanks.' Dee felt her cheeks redden.

Martha laughed. 'You'd better get used to being recognized. People will be coming up to you in the street and asking you for your autograph.'

Dee laughed. 'I don't think so. One, appearing once a week to talk about food doesn't exactly make me a celebrity and two, no one would recognize me without my make-up.'

'But everyone will know where you live and work,' Martha pointed out, 'so they'll be watching out for you.'

Dee's expression clouded. She hadn't given much thought to how this development would leave herself and Sam exposed and vulnerable. Still, she reasoned, really big stars lived relatively normal lives in Ireland, their celebrity accepted and often ignored – including her supposed relative, Bono.

'Here you go.' Lisa arrived back brandishing Dee's boots.

'They look like new,' Dee marvelled, bending to put them on.

Lisa glanced over at the kids. 'They should be okay for another five minutes; I'll walk you to the car.'

'Good luck.' Martha smiled.

'Thanks.' Dee went quickly to kiss Sam. 'Be good,' she murmured and then hurried after Lisa.

'I just hope this heap gets you there in one piece,' Lisa eyed up Dee's car with distaste. 'Maybe we should call a taxi.'

'I'll be fine.' Dee kissed her friend's cheek. 'Thanks for everything, Lisa.'

'No problem, partner.' Lisa gave her a quick hug. 'Give them hell.'

Dee's nerves disappeared almost the moment she walked through the door of Seven TV. The place was buzzing and she spotted at least three famous faces as she sat in reception waiting for Carolyn.

'I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting,' Carolyn said, sweeping into the room and stretching out a hand.

'No problem,' Dee said, taking it. 'I've been people watching.'

Carolyn laughed as she led the way through the swing doors into a long corridor.

'After a couple of days you won't even notice them. So tell me, what did your little boy think when he saw his mummy on TV? It's Sam, isn't it?'

Dee nodded. 'He was very impressed but then it's easy to impress a four-year-old.'

'Don't be so modest, you were great. All of the production team here thought you were a natural. People think it's easy to sit in front of a camera and talk but it takes a real talent to behave as if the camera isn't there and you have it.'

'Thanks,' Dee said, too overawed to say anything else.

Carolyn turned down another corridor. 'I'm taking you to meet Marty Vaughan, he's the director of programmes, and also Marge Preston is going to try and join us.'

'Right, great,' Dee said hoarsely and swallowed hard.

Carolyn stopped abruptly, rapped on a door and led Dee into a tiny office that seemed to have files and paper on every surface. 'Marty, meet Dee Hewson. Dee, this is Marty Vaughan.'