Red Letter Day (15 page)

Celine slipped out of his arms. 'Let me get you a drink.'

Kevin pulled off his tie and stretched out on the sofa. 'I thought this place was rent-free?'

Celine returned with a large whiskey. 'It is. He just has a strange sense of humour.'

'So what did he want?'

Celine smiled slightly. 'He wanted to take me for a drink. Why, are you jealous?'

Kevin laughed. 'I'm not the jealous type, Celine, you know that. Let's go to bed.'

'No, I'm not in the mood.'

Kevin raised an eyebrow. 'Really?'

'Sorry, Kevin, but I've got a lot on my mind at the moment.'

He moved closer. 'I could help you forget.'

Celine looked at him and thought that Richard had sat where he was sitting less than ten minutes ago. 'I told you, I'm not in the mood.'

Kevin's smile disappeared as he picked up his tie and walked to the door. 'I tell you what, Celine. Why don't you give me a call when you are in the mood?'

She looked at him, her face grave. 'I don't think so.'

Five miles away, Rose was lowering herself into a herbal bath that would hopefully help her sleep. She winced as she tried to find a comfortable position and then rested her head against the inflatable cushion. Usually she tried to practise relaxation techniques in the bath but tonight all she could think of was Fergus and that damn job of his. She had been thrilled when he'd told her about it, it sounded wonderful and the pay was good too, but she knew her son well enough to know that he was holding something back. She'd let him talk for several minutes — the fact that he was babbling so much was a sure sign that he was nervous — and then she'd looked him in the eye. 'So what's the problem?'

Fergus had looked away. 'There's no problem, Ma.'

'Don't give me that, Fergus Lynch, I know you too well.'

Fergus had been silent for a moment and then he'd nodded slightly. 'The club is in Sandhill.'

Rose had felt her whole body tense. 'You can't take it.'

'Come on, Ma, it's a great opportunity.'

'It's a great opportunity to get yourself killed.'

'The place has changed, you wouldn't recognise it. They've built all these fancy apartments and there's a new shopping centre being built too.'

'It's too risky.'

'So what if I run into some of the gang? I'm not a kid any more, I can take care of myself.'

Rose had seen the look of determination on his face and given in. She had learned over the years that Fergus could only be pushed so far and the last thing she wanted was to drive him away. 'Are you sure, love?'

Fergus had beamed at her. 'I'm sure, Ma. It will be great, you'll see.'

But now as Rose lay in the bath, willing the water to take away her pain, her doubts resurfaced. Fergus had been involved with some very nasty characters and they had done their damnedest to get him back into drugs in the early days. He had resisted but only because he wasn't running into them on a daily basis. They had come to the shelter occasionally but Fergus was stronger and more secure there because he was never alone. Rose dreaded the thought of him coming face to face with any of that crowd on a regular basis. God only knew what they were into these days. But, she tried to console herself, he was older and wiser now. Rose closed her eyes and tried to persuade herself that everything would work out fine, but it was hard to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach.

'Thanks so much, Jack,' Marina blew the estate agent a kiss as she closed the door and walked the short distance to Close Second. When she went in, Celine was talking to a rather attractive man.

'Well, hello.' She moved forward to kiss her friend's cheek but her eyes were on him.

'Hi, Marina. This is Dominic Nugent, he owns the newsagent's next door. Dominic, this is my best friend, Marina Flynn.'

Dominic held out a hand. 'Pleased to meet you.'

'And you,' Marina murmured.

Celine raised her eyebrows at her friend's sexy tone. She was used to Marina chatting up men but not average guys like Dominic. 'It's a bit early for lunch, Marina, and I'm on my own so I can't take a break.'

Marina dragged her eyes away from Dominic. 'Oh, that's okay. I just dropped in to say hello. I had an appointment with Jack Mullen, the estate agent.'

'Are you looking for a new house?' Celine asked in surprise.

'No, I'm selling up.' She took a deep breath. 'And moving in with Mum.'

'Oh.' Celine stared at her.

'I'll leave you two to chat,' Dominic moved towards the door. Marina didn't move a muscle so he had to squeeze past her. 'Excuse me. Nice to meet you.'

'The pleasure was mine,' Marina purred.

'Bye, Dominic,' Celine called as Dominic went out the door like a scalded cat. 'Honestly, Marina, you scared the poor man to death.'

'He's lovely, isn't he?'

Celine blinked. 'I can't say I noticed.'

'Oh, great eyes — I do love men in glasses — and he's got a gorgeous bum.'

'Dominic? He's not really your type, Marina. I mean, what about those cords?"

Marina shook her head. 'Don't be silly, Celine, clothes are easily sorted. He's not married, is he?'

'I don't think so.'

'Excellent.' Marina rubbed her hands together.

'Look, forget about Dominic for a minute, will you? Are you really moving in with your mum?'

Marina sighed. "Fraid so. She has room, I'm broke . . .'

Celine frowned. 'I've told you before that I can lend you money—' She would be only too happy to hand over some of Dermot's insurance money to her friend.

Marina held up a hand. 'And I've told you thank you, but no thank you.'

'You are a very stubborn woman.'

'And you love me dearly.' Marina turned to examine the clothes rails. 'So how's the job going?'

Celine smiled. 'Good.'

'When does your boss go into hospital?'

'Next Sunday. The operation is on Monday.'

'So does that mean you won't be able to meet me for lunch any more?'

'Sure. Mondays I'm off and then Sadie works part-time when I need a break.'

'Excellent! Can't have you stagnating here all alone,' Marina said as she inspected a hound's-tooth trouser suit.

'No chance of that, someone always seems to be dropping by.'

'I'm glad.' Marina put the suit back and looked at her watch. 'I'd better go and collect Josh.'

'How does he feel about moving in with Granny?'

Marina made a face. 'I haven't told him yet.'

'I'm sure it will all work out fine. Kay is wonderful with him.'

Marina beamed at her. 'She is.' She hugged Celine and went to the door. 'We must go out for a drink soon, it's been ages.'

'I'd like that.'

'Great. I'll call you.'

Celine watched her leave. She hadn't told Marina about Fergus yet. Now that the worst of the crisis was over, though, she'd fill her in when they went for that drink. It would be nice to talk to someone who had been around when Dermot died and would understand why meeting Fergus after all this time was so hard for her. She moved around the shop, tidying shelves, re-hanging clothes and humming as she went. Now that Fergus was out of the picture it was as if a great weight had been lifted. He would not be visiting the shop at all in Rose's absence. If there was a problem, Richard would liaise between them. Celine smiled at the thought. That was another plus. She had seen him a couple of times since the night Kevin had walked in on them but he hadn't mentioned the episode. She stopped humming as she realised he hadn't asked her out again either. She had to make it clear that Kevin was out of her life, but how could she do that without looking too eager? Marina would chastise her for being so old-fashioned. If she fancied a man, she didn't think twice about letting him know. But that wasn't Celine's style. She'd just have to try and drop Richard a hint.

Dominic's smile froze when he turned to greet the customer, only to find it was Celine's friend.

'Oh, hello again.'

Marina leaned against the counter and smiled. 'Hi there. I hope you won't be shocked, Dominic — may I call you Dominic?'

'Of, of, course,' Dominic stammered.

'But life's too short for pussyfooting around, don't you think?'

'Well, I suppose—'

'So I'll just come right out and say it. Would you like to have a drink with me?'

'Er, well, I—'

Marina turned on her heel and went to the door. 'Please don't feel pressurised.'

'No! No, I don't!' Dominic stared at her. 'I'd love to have a drink with you.'

Marina beamed at him. 'Wonderful. How about the bar in the Four Seasons tomorrow night?'

'Er, that's fine. Shall I pick you up?'

'I just knew you were a gentleman! But no, thank you for asking, I'll be in town working tomorrow. Shall we say seven?'

Dominic nodded. 'Seven is fine.'

'Lovely, see you then.'

'See you then,' Dominic replied, but she'd already gone. He sniffed the air, breathing in the perfume she'd left behind. What an incredible, scary, beautiful woman. What on earth did she see in him? He moved into the back room and stood in front of the small mirror on the wall. He was in pretty good shape for a man of forty-three — playing squash with Richard helped. His hair was still thick and the grey bits blended into the sandy colour rather well. He grinned at himself as he adjusted his tie and straightened his glasses. As he went back into the shop, the door opened and two gum-chewing schoolboys came in.

'Hello, lads, what can I get you this lovely day?'

Marina hummed as she waited at the school gate for Josh. Who'd have thought that she'd meet such a lovely man at Close Second? She'd have to take things slowly though, because Dominic seemed the sort to scare easily. But she could be patient when she needed to be.

'Mummy!'

She crouched down and held her arms out as Josh ran towards her. 'Hello, darling, did you have a nice time?'

'Yes. Can we go to the playground, Mummy?'

'There's no time, darling, your music lesson starts in ten minutes.'

Josh scowled. 'I don't like music, I want to go to the playground.'

Marina thought of the money she'd already handed over for the lessons, but it was a lovely day and the fresh air would do Josh good. 'Okay, then, we'll go to the playground.'

'Hoorah! Thanks, Mummy.'

Marina tousled his hair and then pulled out her mobile to phone the music teacher. It was only money, after all. Later as she pushed her son on the swing, her thoughts returned to Dominic. She couldn't explain why this quiet man in his drab clothes had made her heart beat faster. Maybe it was because he was so different from the men she usually met and very different from her ex-husband. As a model, Ray had been very proud of his looks and, she suspected, had always loved himself more than his wife or son. He did still see Josh occasionally on his infrequent trips back from Birmingham but he was more like an affectionate uncle than a loving father. Marina knew her mother thought Josh was spoiled and could do with a strong father figure in his life. Maybe Dominic could be the one. Kay would like him, that Marina was sure of. She had never approved of Ray and though she didn't agree with divorce, she hadn't been too upset when they split up. 'You were too good for him,' she'd told her daughter.

'Mummy, can we go for an ice cream?' Josh asked.

Marina helped him off the swing. 'Why not?'

Rose put another nightie in her bag and then sat down on the bed, exhausted. Tomorrow she would have her hip operation and now that it was so near, she felt nervous. What if something went wrong? What if it was unsuccessful? What if she ended up even more disabled? She heard Fergus coming up the stairs and forced a smile.

'You ready, Ma?'

'Ready.'

'The taxi should be here in a minute.' He took her bag and held out a hand to help her up.

'Now remember, I've left the freezer well stocked with food, there's emergency cash in my jewellery box and just talk to Richard if you have any problems.'

Fergus scowled. 'Ma, I'm twenty-four, I don't need babysitting.'

Rose patted his hand. 'I know love, but just in case.'

'Richard can take care of the shop but he's not taking care of me,' Fergus told her.

'Fine.' The last thing Rose wanted now was a row.

At the bottom of the stairs Fergus gave her a quick hug. 'Sorry, Ma.'

'That's okay, love, I know I'm fussing. Just put it down to nerves.'

'You'll be fine.'

'Of course I will.'

'Are you sure you've got everything?' he asked.

Rose chuckled. 'Now who's fussing?' A horn blasted outside. 'Right, let's go.'

Celine was having a late breakfast and reading the newspapers when the buzzer went. She went to answer it, wondering who could be calling on a Sunday morning. 'Hello?'

'Hi, Celine, it's Richard.'

Celine looked down in dismay at her grey jogging pants and old T-shirt. 'Come on up,' she said, opened the door and went back into the kitchen. 'Coffee?' she offered when he appeared in the doorway.

'I'd love one, thanks.'

Celine poured the coffee and put it in front of him. 'Have you been jogging?' she asked, noting the tracksuit and damp hair.

He shook his head. 'Just thrashed Dominic on the squash court.' He pulled down the zip of his top and Celine felt her eyes drawn to the dark curly hair on his chest.

'Are you bringing Rose into hospital today?'

'No, she was taking a taxi. Are you ready to take over the reins?'

Celine sliced a few more chunks off the French stick on the table. 'Yeah, no problem. Marmalade, cheese?' she offered.

'Cheese, please.' Richard spread butter on two pieces of bread. 'Well, if you need anything, let me know.'

Celine produced the cheese and watched as he cut two generous slices. 'Just keep Fergus out of my way.'

'No problem. He's got his hands full as it is with this new job.'

Celine didn't want to know. 'So have you any plans for the day?' she asked instead.

Richard nodded. 'I've a few things to do.'

'Oh.'

'But the reason I dropped by—'