The Kinsella Sisters (30 page)

‘And if she does that,’ said Paula ruefully, ‘she’ll take after her daddy. Thanks again, Dervla. You need have no worries that that skirt won’t be waiting for you tomorrow.’

‘I know it will, Paula. Good luck.’ Dervla picked up her bag. ‘Oh–I’ll leave your pyjama bottoms at reception for you too, shall I?’

Paula shook her head. ‘Nah. Hang on to them. They look fantastic on you. Honestly. And they only cost six euros.’

As Dervla high-heeled her way back to the foyer, a gaggle of women were emerging from the bar. She braced herself for
sniggers as she strode past them in her pyjama bottoms, then realised she didn’t care. She just set her shoulders a little further back, and raised her chin an extra half-inch. Halfway across the floor she heard a voice say, ‘That’s Dervla Kinsella. Doesn’t she look fantastic? I wonder what label she’s wearing?’

‘It’s Chanel,’ came the categorical response. ‘And if it’s not, it’s a bloody good copy.’

And as Dervla made her presence known to the maitre d’ standing sentinel at the door to the restaurant, she saw, on the other side of the room, ChristianVaughan rise to greet her, admiration in his eyes.

On Tuesday morning, Dervla was woken by Christian Vaughan kissing her shoulder. ‘Oh,’ she said, rubbing sleep from her eyes. ‘It’s you. How strange. I never go to bed with someone on a first date.’

‘You just did,’ he told her. ‘And that has made me a very happy man.’

And half an hour later, when Dervla had made Christian an even happier man, he reached for the room service menu and said, ‘Shall we order breakfast?’

‘Mm. That would be good.’

‘Juice?’

‘Orange, please.’

‘Let’s add a little champagne, and make it a Buck’s Fizz. Porridge or cereal?’

‘Um…Porridge. With cream please.’

‘A cooked breakfast?’

‘Definitely. Scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon and hash browns.’

‘Toast or croissant?’

‘Croissant.’

‘They do
pain au chocolat.’

‘Go for it!’

Christian smiled at her, and she saw that admiration in his eyes again. ‘I love a woman with a hearty appetite,’ he said. ‘It indicates a just for life.’

‘Maybe I’m just hungry after all that exercise,’ replied Dervla.

While Christian spoke to room service, she went to the bathroom. From the bedroom, she could hear him talking on the phone with admirable patience: it must have taken nearly five minutes for him to make his order understood.

Dervla took advantage of the extended conversation to improvise a toilette, thanking the good lord that she always carried cosmetic ammo. She splashed her face with water; slapped on some tinted moisturiser; rubbed away last night’s mascara from under her eyes and applied a little fresh MAC Coal Black; combed her sleek bob and then changed her mind and messed it up a bit.

And all the time she was thinking about Christian. Christian Vaughan was charming, full of character and extremely well presented. He was finished with a superb eye to detail, and in turn-key condition. An exclusive and elegant jewel of gracious proportions and in excellent decorative order with superb fixtures and fittings, Christian presented a unique opportunity for the discerning individual. He had the wow factor, he had the potential to be a forever investment. And as for the all-important location factor? If Christian Vaughan moved to Coolnamara, location was as perfect as it could get.

Desirability aside, Christian had made her laugh–and it had been a long time since Dervla had worn anything but a polite smile during intercourse (sexual or social) with the opposite sex. She had enjoyed his company so much last night that she had even forgotten to drop into the conversation those little gems from the
Bluffer’s Guides
that she usually relied upon to make an impression: it simply didn’t seem necessary to make an effort. Dervla had never felt so at ease–so
right
–with anyone in her life before. She remembered how, when she had shown him round
the Old Rectory, he had turned to her and said, ‘Isn’t it a bitch when you fall in love with a house?’

It
was
a bitch when you fell in love with a house. She knew that. But there were ways and means of securing a house. It was even more of a bitch, Dervla decided, when you fell in love with a man.

On Tuesday morning, Río was woken by Shane kissing her shoulder.

‘Oh,’ she said, rubbing sleep from her eyes. ‘It’s you. How weird. We shouldn’t really have done that, should we?’

‘I’m glad we did,’ he told her. ‘It has made me a very happy man.’

‘But it was a drunken and irresponsible thing to do.’

‘You might have been drunk. I wasn’t.’

‘It was still irresponsible.’

‘Give me one reason why it was irresponsible.’

‘Um. You’re right. It wasn’t irresponsible at all. Yesterday was fun.’

After Shane had un-giftwrapped her and they’d spent a couple of hours beneath the canopy of the four-poster, they had shared a bath and polished off the bottle of champagne. And then a table by the window had been laid with pristine linen and silverware and dinner had been brought to their room, and they’d sat there in the hotel’s fluffy complimentary robes and played the ‘Remember when…?’ game, which didn’t last that long because they didn’t have a whole lot of shared memories, so they turned it into the ‘What if…?’ game instead.

‘What if Dervla hadn’t had a thing for me? Would we have ended up together?’ Shane had asked.

‘I doubt it. You were dead set on getting out of Ireland. I couldn’t have handled the homesickness.’

‘But you didn’t even have a home in those days! You were living in a squat!’

‘I mean homesick for Coolnamara. I couldn’t have reared Finn in LA, Shane.’

‘What if I’d stayed? What if we’d got married? What if we’d had more kids?’

‘You’d have had to give up acting and got yourself a regular job in order to support us. And then you’d have started to resent me and the kids, and taken up drinking, or gone off with another woman. And then we’d have got divorced, and I’d have sued you for maintenance, and we’d have ended up hating each other. And I’d have denied you access to the kids, and Finn would have gone off the rails and ended up on crack, and I’d have been labelled an unfit mother, and the kids would have been taken into care.’

‘It’s just as well I buggered off then, isn’t it? What if I’d applied for shared custody and you’d have had to bring Finn to LA and then decided you liked it? What if…?’

And when they’d finished playing the ‘What if…? game they’d snuck downstairs in their robes to the cloakroom where Wellington boots in all shapes and sizes were available for guests of the hotel, and they’d gone for a skinny-dip in the lake where a sickle moon was reflected upside down like a burnished scimitar, and where an owl was hooting in the woods.

‘What are we going to do today?’ Shane asked, now that he’d admired Río’s nakedness all over again (the morning sun made her a little coyer than she’d been last night). ‘Can we go skinny-dipping again? That was a hoot.’

‘That was irresponsible too. We shouldn’t have gone swimming after eating and drinking so much.’

‘That’s what I love about being with you, Río: the sense of irresponsibility–like something fun could happen at any time and I wouldn’t have to worry about what my agent or manager or PR person might have to say, or what my contract stipulates. Being in LA is like being back at school. Do you know that there’s even a clause in my contract that prohibits me from going boar-hunting?’

‘Dammit! I was going to suggest we go boar-hunting this afternoon. Maybe we should go bungee-jumping instead.’

‘I’m not allowed to do that either,’ said Shane, gloomily.

‘Well, we can’t make too many plans. I’ll probably have to work. What time is it?’

‘I haven’t a clue.’

Río reached for her phone and turned it on. ‘I’d better find out. I can’t run the risk of missing a fare.’

‘How come you weren’t working yesterday?’ asked Shane.

‘I decided to take the day off. I thought it would be nice to spend time with my long-lost son. Except he turned out to be a dirty stop-out. I’d love to know where he went on Sunday night. I wonder if he somehow ended up with that horrible little Izzy thing.’

‘She’s not horrible.’

‘Oh, of course you’d know her a lot better than me,’ said Río snittily. ‘I’d forgotten you spent half of Sunday night flirting with her.’

‘Well, what about you and Baldy?’

She shot him a cross look. ‘I wish you’d stop calling him that.’

‘Why?’

‘It’s unkind. And he’s actually a really sound bloke. The more I get to know him the more I like him.’

‘How well
do
you know him?’

‘Sunday night was the third time we’ve met.’

Shane yawned. ‘Wow. You’re practically soul mates.’

‘Ooh. Are we bickering?’

‘The best couples bicker.’

‘We’re not a couple.’

‘I haven’t given up on that idea.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I have another present for you.’

Something about Shane’s demeanour told Río what was coming. She felt her heart go into a kind of skid as he swung his legs out of bed, strolled over to where he’d hung his jacket last night, produced a small box from the pocket, and set it on the quilt.

‘You know what that is,’ he said.

She nodded.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘It’s a ring.’

‘Aren’t you going to open the box?’

Río sent him a pleading look. ‘No, Shane. Please don’t ask me to.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because I’m not going to marry you.’

‘But we’re good together, Río! Last night proved that. And if you marry me I can offer you all the security you need. I owe it to you after all these years. You’ve worked so hard, and you’ve brought Finn up practically single-handed, and I adore you for that. You’ve been so brave and good and—’

‘No, I haven’t–shuttup!’ Río clamped her hands over her ears.

‘No,
you
shut up!’ Shane leaned towards her and kissed her, and she did shut up. ‘Don’t say anything just yet,’ he said, after he’d kissed her quite forcefully. ‘Just think about it.’

She knew she shouldn’t have opened the box, but she couldn’t resist it, any more than she had resisted the offer of champagne and lingerie and a deluxe suite last night.

It was a diamond. It was the prettiest damn diamond she had ever seen. Set in gleaming platinum, it shimmered as if it was
alive–and Río knew by the size that it had cost Shane an absurd amount of money.

She looked at the diamond, and she looked at Shane, and then she looked back at the diamond, and she felt choked with gratitude for the quixotic impulse that had compelled him to do this.

‘It cost a fortune, didn’t it?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Do you mind me asking how much?’

‘A hundred thousand dollars.’

‘Sweet Jesus, Shane! I hope it’s insured!’

‘Damn right it’s insured.’

She looked at him sternly. ‘You know I can’t accept it.’

‘I want you to have it, Río. Even if you’re not going to marry me, this is something that proves how much I respect you as our son’s mother. Look on it as a friendship ring.’

‘But I’ll never wear it! And if I do, I’ll lose it. I’ll leave it in the loo of some pub, or it’ll come off when I’m swimming, or when I’m weeding someone’s garden, or someone will mug me for it. You’ve got to take it back.’

‘I don’t want it back.’

‘Then what’ll I do with it?’

‘Sell it.’

There was a long, long silence while Río looked down at the ring.

‘Sell it,’ said Shane again.

She gave him a look that combined guilt with relief. ‘You’d really allow me to do that?’

‘It’s yours to do what you like with, Río. I’m sure there’s a lot you could do with the money.’

She shook her head. ‘No. I told you I’m OK for money’ She looked at the ring thoughtfully, slipping it onto one finger, then another. ‘But Finn isn’t. He’s completely skint after Thailand, and the only way he’s going to make a living is by getting the hell
out of here and looking for work some place foreign. And if he disappeared from my life so soon again, Shane, I don’t think I could bear it.’

‘What about the dive outfit on Inishclare? Couldn’t he get work there?’

‘It’s closing down. And I know it’s a mad idea, but when I heard that, I thought how fantastic it would be if Finn had some capital, and could look into setting up a dive shop here, in Lissamore.’

‘He’d still have to get a loan.’

‘I know, but he’d never get any kind of loan if he went to the bank empty-handed. A hundred thousand dollars would make a hell of a difference.’

‘What if he decides he wants to set up somewhere else?’

‘You mean somewhere foreign?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Then that’s what he’d have to do. I’m not going to stand in the way of Finn following his dream–and I know I’m sounding like something out of
Faraway
but I don’t care. Whatever way you look at it, Shane, this ring could help finance Finn’s future.’

‘What about
your
future, Río?’ said Shane.

‘I told you yesterday. I’m content to carry on as I am.’

‘Even without Finn?’

‘If he’s following his dream, I’m more than content. I’m happy.’

Shane put his hands on either side of Río’s face and looked at her, and she realised that the expression he had on was the one he wore when studying a script. He was reading her. ‘You really, really mean that, don’t you?’ he asked.

Río nodded.

‘See? That’s why I adore you. You are the best mother in the world.’

‘No, I’m not. Every mother is the best in the world. Just ask Hallmark.’

‘You silly, lovely woman.’

‘You silly, lovely man.’

‘This is where we kiss in the script.’

They smiled at each other, and as Shane moved in to kiss her, Río’s phone went.

‘A pox on your phone! Do you have to take that?’ he asked.

‘Yes, I do,’ said Río, checking out the display. ‘It’s Finn.’

Before she picked up, Río clambered out of bed and slipped into her hotel robe. She didn’t much like the idea of talking to her son on the phone while she was in bed with her lover, even if the lover was her son’s father, and even if her son’s father wasn’t going to be her lover any more after today.

‘Hello, Finnster!’

‘Hey, Ma. Where have you and Dad got to? I came home last night and you were both gone, and your phones were switched off.’

‘We’re in Coolnamara Castle. Dad decided to take me out for dinner, and we stayed over because we were too over the limit to drive back to Lissamore. Sorry. We should have left a message.’

‘You…stayed over?’

‘In separate rooms, of course!’

‘Oh, OK.’

Río moseyed over to the window to get a load of the view while she talked. The sun was admiring its reflection in the lake, but there were big rain clouds on the horizon where a cold front was approaching from the west. ‘Where did you get to on Sunday night?’ she asked.

‘I–er–stayed over at the Bolger house.’

‘The
Bolger
house? The Villa Felicity?’

‘Yes. Izzy and I have a lot in common. She’s cool’

‘Yeah?’ said Río.
No!
she thought. The first time Finn had seen the girl, he’d described her as a hottie. The fact that she was cool as well made her even more dangerous.

‘Yeah,’ continued Finn. ‘She’s a diver. In fact, turns out we were in Tao at the same time.’

Río felt like coming out with the same quip that Shane had used earlier about Izzy’s father–‘So you’re practically soul mates’–but she refrained. Instead she said, in what she hoped was a conversational tone: ‘They’re off today, the Bolgers, aren’t they?’

‘Well, they were meant to be. But Izzy’s persuaded her dad to stay on for a while. I’m meeting her for lunch later.’

‘Nice. Well, enjoy!’ The exclamation mark cost Río some effort. ‘Will we see you later for supper?’

‘Probably not. I’m not sure what time I’ll be home.’

‘OK. Bye-bye, love.’

‘What’s wrong?’ asked Shane, as Río dropped the phone onto the bed.

‘Nothing.’

‘You were
so
right, Río Kinsella.’

‘Right about what?’

‘You are a crap liar.’

‘Oh, it’s stupid.’ Río flung herself down beside him. ‘It’s just that it looks as if Finn might have hooked up with that little Izzy Bolger.’

‘And why would that not be a good thing?’

‘I don’t like her and she can’t stand me.’

‘How do you know she can’t stand you?’

‘Women’s intuition.’

Shane shrugged. ‘Women never like the girls their sons hook up with, do they?’

‘I liked loads of his other girlfriends. His last one, Maggie, was the best. She used to bring me breakfast in bed.’

‘Why did you tell him we stayed in separate rooms?’

‘Why do you think? He’d be mortified to know that we’d slept together.’

‘Río, we
conceived
him together! Why would he be mortified?’

‘Because nobody likes to imagine their parents having sex.’

‘Ah. I guess you have a point. I wonder how he’d have handled it if you’d arrived home wearing a rock?’

‘You mustn’t tell him about that, Shane. Never, ever tell him that you offered me that ring. He’d be appalled if he thought I’d sold it to give him a step up on the career ladder.’

‘What’ll I tell him, then?’

‘Just say you’re prepared to finance him to the tune of €100,000.’

Shane lay back against the pillows and gave her that look again. ‘Is there nothing else I can give you, Río, that would make you happy?’

‘I just told you that I’m perfectly happy’ she returned, trying to rearrange her features into an unreadable expression. The truth was that she wasn’t happy at all with the news of Finn’s liaison with Isabella Bolger.

‘How about a new car?’

‘No.’

‘New clothes?’

‘No.’

‘A dream holiday?’

‘No.’

‘Because I can afford all that shit now, Río. My agent’s signed a really good deal for the next series. I could give you practically anything you want.’

‘You are sweet, Shane. But the only thing I want is something you can’t give me because it doesn’t exist any more.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Coral Cottage.’

‘Hm. Maybe I could buy Coral Mansion now that it’s up for sale?’

‘I don’t think even you could afford the asking price.’