Two Days in Biarritz (23 page)

“I will call you as soon as we get organised, okay?” Kate didn’t want to sound too standoffish but Shane had to learn that her boys were the most important people in her life.

“Okay, byeee,” he said, trying to sound light hearted.

Kate sighed. Her condition had improved since returning to
Ireland and she wasn’t suffering from morning sickness anymore. It was such a relief as it could have gone on for weeks or months. The baby was probably well settled in there and apart from the sleepy hour which usually hit around five in the evening she was having no other symptoms.

“Mummy, mummy,” two loud voices called up the stairs.

Kate dashed down to the hallway and flung her arms around her sons. She hadn’t seen them in ten weeks and they seemed to have sprung up inches in the short time.

“How are my big guys?” she asked, ruffling their smart brown haircuts with both of her hands.

“Where’s Grangran?” Ciaran asked.

“She’s upstairs but you will have to take it easy guys, she isn’t well,” Kate stood back as the boys dashed upstairs. They loved their grandmother. She always presented them with money on their arrival and it usually sufficed for the duration of their holidays.

Kate stood in the doorway of the bedroom as her sons jumped upon Betty’s bed.

“My boys, I wouldn’t know you both, look how big you have grown since Christmas.”

Betty had spent Christmas in the Pyrènees and Damien had stayed at home. Kate was glad that she had come now as it was more than likely her last.

Betty handed her grandsons fifty euros each from her tan leather bag that she kept beside the bed at all times.

“Mum, that’s too much,” chastised Kate.

“Please, humour me.” Betty’s eyes said that it would probably be the last time she would be able to give money to her grandsons and Kate felt a sudden pang of loss.

“Okay, guys, go downstairs and wash your hands, you must be starving,” Kate ordered. She stood in the doorway and smiled at her mother who smiled weakly back. Time had crept up and given her mother a sharp shock.

“Kate.”

“Yes, Mum?”

“Treasure every moment you have with those two boys. Get them out of boarding school. They will be grown before you know it.”

Kate nodded. She had been convinced by Stefan that boarding school would make men of her boys but now she realised that he probably wanted them out of his way. She didn’t want to miss out on another day with them after seeing their bright shiny faces bounding through the hall. She would have to see what they wanted to do and everything else would work itself out after that. She followed them down to the kitchen where her father was buttering bread and placing thick slices of honey roast ham on top.

“You’ve become very domesticated in the few days since I was away,” she commented.

“I’m glad Betty is letting me do things, she never let me into the kitchen before in case I made a mess. It’s ironic really that now she has to.”

“Can I have some juice, granddad?” David asked as he levered himself onto a chair and tucked into his ham sandwich.

“Thanks Dad,” Kate smiled. It was the first time she had smiled at her father since Annabel had made her revelation.

Damien beamed back at his daughter, delighted to be in her good books again.

“Hey guys, do you want to go to the park?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Ciaran and David answered together, as was their habit.

“Why don’t you take a rest Kate, the nurse will be here soon?”

“No Dad, I want to come to the park with you.”

After the nurse arrived the four packed into Damien’s Saab, complete with woolly hats and overcoats and took the scenic route to St Anne’s Park.

“Mum, when are we going to see Annabel and Sam?” Ciaran asked naively. That would usually have been one of the boy’s first ports of call.

“Annabel is away darling,” she lied, watching her father’s face for a reaction. “We can go see them next time you’re over.”

“That’s not fair. I wanted to play with Sam,” the young boy sulked.

“Mum, why is Grangran in bed in the afternoon?” David asked. He was always the more sensitive half of the twins, whereas Ciaran was more interested in sport than anything else.

“Grangran is very ill. She won’t be with us next Christmas.” Kate didn’t know how to tell her sons that she was going to die soon.

“Where will she be?” Ciaran asked.

“Heaven, boys,” she looked over at Damien who was listening to every word of the conversation. “She’ll be in heaven.”

* * *

“Hey, Annabel,” Meave said cheerily. “How is the stall going?”

“Hi Meave, great thanks,” Anabel nodded. She was hopping from one foot to the other to stave off the cold.

“I’ll buy two cartons off you.”

Annabel took the humus with basil and humus with sun-dried tomatoes off Meave and packed them into a brown paper bag. “That’s eight euros please.”

Meave handed the money over.

“Any word on Kate’s mum?”

“I haven’t heard a thing,” Annabel said with a shake of her head.

“I might give her a call. I suppose you heard about Melissa’s bash next weekend?”

“Yes, but I can’t make it because of the stall.”

“I’ll bet that really pissed her off,” Meave said with a grin.

Annabel nodded. “I only realised how much she used me as her personal caterer when I said I couldn’t help her. I haven’t even been invited to the drinks later on.”

Meave smiled. “I only humour her too.” She looked around to make sure that nobody else could hear what she was about to say. “You know Annabel, there’re a lot of shallow people in this town and Melissa’s probably the queen of them all. You’re better off only seeing them in small doses.”

Annabel liked Meave. She kept herself to herself and didn’t get caught up in the social pettiness in Howth.

“Do you fancy calling around for coffee with the kids after school tomorrow?” Annabel blurted out. Her self and Meave were never very close. Meave’s husband was a school teacher and they lived in a smart but adequate three bed-semi on the way into Howth.

“I’d love that, about two-fifteen?”

“Great and don’t feed the kids. I’ll have homemade sausage wraps for them.”

“I’ll look forward to that, thanks Annabel. I’d better get going. John hates me spending too long at this market. He says he needs open wallet surgery after I’ve spent more than an hour here.”

Annabel chuckled.

Meave moved along the stalls and Annabel reached down to pick up her ringing phone.

“Hi, Annabel. How are you?”

“Shane, Hi! What a nice surprise.” She recognised him instantly.

“I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”

“Not at all, I’m standing here at the market, selling humus.”

“Hah?” he grunted with surprise in his voice

“It’s a long story. Did you call Kate?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m ringing about actually. I’ve seen quite a bit of her this last few weeks and I’m concerned about her. Is there any chance of meeting me for a coffee sometime?”

“Sure, could you come out this way?”

“No problem.”

“What about after three tomorrow?” Annabel suddenly remembered Meave. “No wait, I forgot I’ve a friend calling. How are you on Tuesday?”

“I’m finished work at eleven on Tuesday and I could call straight out to you.”

“Great, do you know where I live?”

“That would help, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m up at Baily Green, third house on the right-hand side. It’s called Highfield.”

“See you about eleven-thirty?”

“Perfect.”

Annabel slipped her phone into her pocket and took a pot of humus off an elderly lady with a tartan shopping trolley on wheels.

“That will be four euros please,” Annabel smiled affably as she put the carton into a paper bag.

“Really!” the old dear exclaimed with a strong west-Brit accent. “I came down here to buy provisions– not to get robbed!”

* **

Natasha’s hair was perfect after the wash and blow-dry. She had her nails French-polished and was wearing a new crossover dress that had cost the best part of four-hundred euros. She slipped her sunglasses on her nose as she left the salon and got into her Mazda sports car. She knew exactly where she was going. Josh always took his break at 3 o’clock on the days that he worked and it was one of his perks as manager that he had a private room on the top floor of the Gym.

She breezed past the young lad in his tennis whites at reception causing his head to turn. She walked straight to Josh’s office and without knocking on the door opened it. Josh had his head down over a pile of papers. He was wearing a red-vest and white shorts that showed his bronzed figure off perfectly. His jet-black hair was thick and down to his shoulders. He ran his fingers through it when he looked up and saw Natasha in front of him.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he grinned.

Natasha scowled. “Upstairs now!”

It was part of the game that they played with each other. She loved being the pursuer and he loved being the pursued. Josh was her personal trainer. They only made love on her terms and when she wanted it. She had a great body and a pretty face and Josh wasn’t one to miss out on any opportunity to be with her.

They discretely took the back stairs up to his apartment and made love vigorously on the large three-seated couch. Natasha jumped up when they had finished and quickly tied her dress around her. Josh leaned back on the couch – still naked – resting his head on his hands.

“Are you rushing off again?”

Natasha turned around to answer him. “Why don’t you get dressed?”

“I thought you liked my six-pack – isn’t that why you keep coming back for more?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she huffed. “You’re convenient and available.”

Josh smiled. He knew this woman’s style. The usual charming approach that women took while chatting him up didn’t work. Natasha was a smart girl and knew exactly what buttons to press to turn him on. She was also great in the sack. She’d be around again and again. Maybe even someday she’d be looking for more. Josh was willing to bide his time.

* * *

Shane was calling around at four to meet the boys. Kate felt more anxious than if she were on her very first date. What if they played up and didn’t like him. Lord knows they were powerful opponents of anyone when put together. The plan was to take them to the pictures and then for something to eat in one of the burger joints that they were kept well away from in boarding school.

“This is a very old friend of mine from a time when I wasn’t much older than you guys,” she had informed her sons. “Now, I want you to be very nice to him.”

“He had better be very nice to us!” David had piped up.

When they saw his black BMW drive up to Greenfield Close, Shane was already home and dry.

“Your friend’s got a great car, Mum,” Ciaran called from the upstairs bedroom window where they had been waiting.

“Will he take the roof off?” David shouted down the stairs.

“We’ll see,” she called up to them on her way out to greet Shane on the driveway.

“Do I look alright?” he asked nervously. She noticed he had tried to spike his hair up in an attempt to appeal to the boy’s sense of cool.

“They aren’t going to care what you look like silly. They’re two little boys. Your car has passed the test anyway and that’s much more important,” she smiled reassuringly.

Two bright faces with wide boyish grins waited at the front door as Kate and Shane walked up the short driveway.

“Boys, this is Shane.” Kate introduced him with an air of formality that the boys found amusing.

“Which one of you is David and which Ciaran?”

“I’m David,” they both said together.

“Now boys you mustn’t tease,” their mum berated. “This is David and Ciaran has the dark freckle on his left cheek. But you’ll remember him better by his red T-shirt for today.”

“Don’t give our secrets away Mum,” Ciaran groaned.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to tell you guys apart anyway,” Shane said with a grin.

As the boys piled into the back of the car and Kate took her seat beside Shane she felt an unexpected surge of emotion. This was how it would have been if she had stayed with Shane all those years ago and they had raised a family together. This is how it would feel going on a family excursion. It felt good. It felt warm and natural and for an instant she really believed that they were a cosy family unit.

Shane looked across and smiled at her as he fixed the buckle on his seatbelt. “Okay?” he checked.

“Mmm,” she nodded.

A short while later they settled down in a row at the UCI cinema. Shane had bought massive tubs of popcorn for each of them.

“Cool,” said the boys.