Woman to Woman (52 page)

“At least if you’re on your own, you’ve got the chance of meeting someone else and finding a good dad for her Aisling said.

“I thought I’d found him,” Jo explained.

“Mark Denton?” asked Aisling.

“Yes. Dear, dear Mark. And I screwed it up. Oh God, I hate to even think about it.” Jo leaned back in the chair and massaged the bridge of her nose with her right hand. She felt tired, exhausted even. It had been a horrible week. She hadn’t even had to avoid Mark because he studiously avoided the office. He phoned Rhona when he needed to talk to her instead of dropping in as he usually did. To make matters worse, she couldn’t go home until late every evening as the estate agent was showing the apartment to prospective buyers.

So she’d ended up sitting in the office with a take away until eight on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

If she hadn’t promised to visit Aisling this Saturday morning, she

wouldn’t have got out of bed at all. Even then she’d only managed to drag on her ancient woolly cardigan, a faded pink T-shirt and her grey jogging pants. She hadn’t had the energy to wash her hair and knew it fell in lank waves around her shoulders.

Aisling contemplated her for a moment and then got up.

“Come on into the kitchen and I’ll make you something decent for lunch she said firmly.

“You can tell me all about Mark while I’m cooking.”

The scent of the herb and mushroom omelette she’d made Jo still lingered in the air as Aisling hurried round the house that evening, collecting tights, socks, knickers and jumpers off the radiators. Sam was picking her up at half seven and she only had an hour to dry her hair, dress and put on her make-up. It was her own fault for spending too long planning the menu for her first catering dinner.

When Rachel Coughlan had rung on Monday morning, tentatively booking Aisling for a dinner party for twelve, she’d been so stunned she’d been speechless for the first minute.

“I thought I’d book early in case you’re really busy Rachel said on the phone, not sounding anything like a high-powered businesswoman who’d just set up her own PR agency.

“Jim said everyone was thrilled and very impressed with your cooking and he’s sure you’re already madly busy. I do hope you can fit me in. It’s for my brother’s forty-fifth birthday.

He’s coming home from the States and his wife is so fussy, I’d love to outshine her.”

Thrilled to be asked, and even more thrilled that Jim Coughlan thought so highly of her that he assumed she’d be snowed under with work, Aisling said she’d dream up a very posh menu if that’s what Rachel wanted.

“Yes.” the other woman said enthusiastically, delighted to have found an ally.

“You can’t imagine what it’s like to feel like a second-class citizen to this New York career woman who can whistle up a four-course meal at the drop of a hat and still look like something from a fashion magazine at dinner.”

“Oh yes I can said Aisling grimly.

“Don’t worry, Rachel. She be dumbstruck when she sees what we’ll do.”

“Unfortunately, my sister-in-law has never been dumbstruck in her entire life, more’s the pity,” muttered Rachel.

Aisling had been so engrossed in deciding whether rack of lamb would be suitably classy for the meal, or if she should try something more difficult like pheasant in Calvados, that she hadn’t noticed the time. When she finally looked at her watch, she abandoned the menu and raced upstairs to the bathroom.

An hour later, wearing the crossover bronze body Fiona had given her, she sat in the kitchen picking cat fur off her long black skirt. Flossie, disgusted at the prospect of being left alone, wove herself in and out between Aisling’s ankles, leaving enough fur on her owner’s sheer black tights to knit another cat.

“I’m sorry, Flossie.” She stroked the cat’s silken chin and wondered how Flossie always knew when she was going out.

“I

won’t be out late. Wait till you see the treat I’ve got you.”

She checked her make-up one last time, gave herself a blast of Magic Noire and got up to feed Flossie.

“Isn’t that nice?” she asked as the cat tucked into a bowl of tinned salmon.

When the doorbell rang at a minute after half seven, her stomach was rumbling with nerves. She had no idea how she was going to be able to eat anything at all, but she didn’t care.

Sam stood on the doorstep, holding a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. For a moment Aisling was stunned. She’d forgotten how heart-stoppingly attractive he was. He wore a pale blue cotton shirt that brought out the bright blue of his eyes and set off his tan. A well-cut dark jacket and jeans showed off a physique that spoke of many hours in the gym.

He looked like a Calvin Klein aftershave advert come to life, from the tips of his brown suede boots to his all-American grin.

“You look lovely, Aisling.” His eyes glinted in admiration.

“Can I come in?” he added.

“Oh God, yes, I’m sorry.” Blushing bright pink, Aisling stood back and let him in. She’d been so busy staring at him that she’d quite forgotten to ask him in.

These are for you he said, handing her the bouquet, ‘for making me feel at home in Ireland again.”

To hide her red face, she buried her nose in the flowers, breathing in the heady scent of pale yellow roses and the fragrance of the forest green ferns. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had given her flowers, apart from Michael’s guilt-ridden garage forecourt arrangements.

“They’re beautiful,” she said fervently.

“So are you.” Sam looked deep into her eyes and gave her another slow, lazy grin.

Aisling felt the fluttering in her stomach move lower. God only knew what it would feel like if he actually touched her.

The table is booked for eight,” he said.

“Do you want to go out or aren’t you hungry?” he asked, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

“Oh, of course. I’ll just put these in water she muttered.

She wondered if he could tell what she was thinking. She hoped not.

He held the door for her to climb into the taxi. She’d been sure he’d have a car.

“Can’t drink and drive he said.

“I thought we’d have champagne and you simply couldn’t drive after drinking that.”

“No, of course not replied Aisling in a knowing tone, as if she had champagne all the time. She wasn’t sure she believed that stuff about him not drinking and driving. Sam had the air of a man who never did anything by the rules. There was something about him, a sense of recklessness, that made him very, very attractive. And just a little bit dangerous.

He’d chosen a small French restaurant, with dim lighting and small tables set far enough apart from each other to allow couples to talk privately. Their table was in one corner, the golden glow of a candle cast flattering light on the snow-white damask tablecloth and gleaming silverware. Good, thought Aisling. Candlelight was much more

flattering to crow’s feet than harsh lighting. The waitress handed them the menus and then disappeared, leaving them alone. The place was jammed with couples, obviously enticed in by the fact that the restaurant was dark and dim, making it perfect for illicit encounters.

Probably the sort of place Michael had taken that cow to.

The staff kept firmly in the background while Ella Fitzgerald’s rich voice crooned love songs in the background.

“Do you like this place?” asked Sam softly.

“I love it,” she answered.

“Good. We should come here every Saturday night,” he replied.

Aisling’s pulse raced. It was only their first date and he was already talking about a future together! She couldn’t wait to tell Fiona and Jo.

She shot him what she hoped was a sexy smile, and looked at her menu. Who needed food on an occasion like this?

They drank Moe’t from elegant crystal champagne flutes and Sam told her all about working in Texas and Louisiana.

“I’d love to bring you to New Orleans.” he said, sliding his hand past his empty soup bowl to grasp Aisling’s hand.

“You’d love it.

It’s so atmospheric and European, it’s the most European city I’ve ever been to in America. You can walk along the streets in the French Quarter and it’s like being in Paris or Budapest.”

“You’ve travelled so much,” said Aisling enviously.

“I’ve been to Greece, Portugal, France and Britain, and that’s it. You’ve been everywhere.”

He shrugged.

“I travelled for a couple of years after leaving college, that’s how I’ve seen so much. You simply didn’t have that chance, you were bringing up two kids.”

“I can’t wait for you to meet them,” Aisling said eagerly.

“They’ll love you.”

Oh no, she thought in horror. She couldn’t believe she’d just said that. Single men were not fascinated by the notion of other men’s children.

“I can’t wait either Sam said.

“I love kids. My sisters’ children are fantastic and the two older ones Jerri’s boys came out to stay with me last year for a month. They

went wild for New Orleans and had me down at the aquarium for two days solid.”

“It sounds fascinating.” said Aisling, mentally giving him ten out of ten for loving children. Handsome, kind, funny, romantic and dying to meet the boys. What more could a woman ask for?

“It is fascinating,” Sam was saying.

“It’s got every sort of sea creature you can imagine, apart from whales, that is. You walk along these corridors with glass overhead and around you and you can see sharks, stingrays, giant squid swimming around these massive tanks.”

He stopped as the waitress placed their main courses in front of them and refilled their glasses with Moet.

“Anyway, that’s enough about sharks. My favourite sort of wildlife doesn’t reside behind glass.” Sam flashed her a killer smile.

“What do you mean?” Aisling asked demurely.

Sam slid one hand across the table and grasped hers, his fingers putting gentle pressure on the palm of her hand.

That I enjoy life, in every sense of the word. I’ve always believed that you’ve got to live life to the full, take all the pleasures and passion from life while you can. That can mean being a little wild sometimes,” he said, gazing at Aisling intently, leaving her in no doubt as to what he meant.

She felt herself grow pink under his scrutiny.

“I don’t get much of a chance to be wild,” she said, picking up her glass with the hand he wasn’t holding.

“Work, kids, exhaustion none of it leaves time for acting wild. Coming out to dinner instead of staying at home doing the ironing is my idea of wild these days!”

Aisling knew that this wasn’t what he’d meant but she wanted to change the subject rapidly. The whole conversation had taken a distinct dive into territory she wasn’t either comfortable or familiar with, and she wanted it back on track.

Until she’d had another couple of drinks, anyway.

“Of course, there was another reason for the boys’ fascination with the

aquarium,” Sam said with a smile, returning to their original conversation. They came during their summer holidays in July and in the summer walking around New Orleans is like being baked in a hot oven with ninety per cent humidity thrown in to make it worse. After an hour meandering around the markets by the river, the aquarium is beautifully cool!”

As they ate he told her about his two years of travelling with a college friend. Aisling listened wide-eyed as he recounted tales about backpacking in India ‘an unbelievable experience’ driving across America in a rent-a-wreck “New Mexico has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth’ and working on a kibbutz in Israel.

He made her laugh telling her stories about ending up in cockroach-infested motel rooms, and how he ended up in hospital in Ecuador thanks to a virulent stomach bug.

Aisling couldn’t help but notice that he never talked about his feelings. There was no mention of the woman he’d been involved with in Texas, or of their split-up. Still, Aisling thought, there was plenty of time for those sort of confessional conversations later.

Accustomed to being a listener after years of marriage to Michael, she sat in rapt silence as Sam talked her through all the places he’d seen in his thirty-nine years. Everywhere he went, he tried some new sport or pastime to fulfill his love of danger.

His favourite had been rock-climbing in Colorado.

That sounds terrifying,” she said with a shudder, as he explained how difficult it was to scale a two-hundred-metre cliff-face with a deadly overhang at the top which had claimed the lives of two climbers.

The adrenaline buzz is something else,” Sam said, his eyes distant as if remembering.

“I can’t explain it, it’s primeval, the feeling that it’s just you, one man, against nature. When you’re up there, you can imagine what it must have felt like for primitive men battling the earth just to survive.”

For a moment he stared into space. Then, just as quickly, he came back to her.

“There’s a climb in Arizona every year, in one of the canyons off the Grand Canyon,” Sam said.

“I’ve never done it but I’d like to. You see, I always dreamed of being a stunt man when I was a kid,” he explained.

“It was all those years of watching Steve McQueen movies or Clint Eastwood ones. But my mother told me not to be stupid and to go to college. Still, I think I would have made a pretty good stunt man what do you think?”

Aisling didn’t even need to consider it. The more Sam talked, the more apparent it became that he’d love risking life and limb every day with lots of people watching. For a moment, she wondered why Sam had come back to Ireland since he loved the States so much. But she didn’t want to ask him difficult questions, any more than she wanted him to ask her awkward ones. Tonight, she merely wanted to feel good, sexy and wanted.

“It was the biggest goddamn shark I’d ever seen in my life,” Sam said, telling her about the weeks he’d spent shark-fishing the previous summer, when he’d caught a monster shark.

A little voice in Aisling’s head reminded her that Sam in ‘action-hero mode’ was not a million miles away from Michael telling her about the brilliant political profile he’d just written. But then Michael wouldn’t have been feeding her strawberries from his plate while he did it.