Driving Home for Christmas

by Emma Hannigan

  ‘Maybe I sound like a complete lamer here, but I really liked Briana,’ Pippa said.

  ‘That’s not lame. It’s important you have a good gut feeling about her, and that the two of you hit it off. It’s not easy to work with people you can’t stand.’

  ‘I love the whole concept and I’ll be working with all the new clothing, footwear and jewellery collections. I want to puke when I think about it. It’s so exciting.’

  ‘It sounds like a job that was tailor-made for you,’ he said, laughing.

  At that point Joey’s doctor appeared so Pippa had to calm down and sit quietly.

  ‘If your blood pressure is still stable by mid-morning tomorrow, I’ll be happy to let you out of here,’ he said. ‘Have you someone to mind you? Is this your girlfriend?’ he asked, looking at Pippa.

  ‘No, I’m his sister. But I’ll gladly pour him glasses of wine and cut him pieces of cake over Christmas,’ she said, flashing him a cheeky smile.

  ‘That sounds very helpful.’ The doctor chuckled.

  He was very good-looking, Pippa thought, distinguished too. He’d be a fantastic husband, probably loaded. She’d never considered a medic. Maybe she should. As he left them, Pippa scraped her chair back to Joey’s side. ‘He’s a bit of a dish, isn’t he?’ she said.

  ‘I wasn’t sizing him up, to be honest,’ Joey said. ‘I’m just grateful he was able to fix my leg.’

  ‘What about the nurses? Any of them tickle your fancy? Now that you’ve rid yourself of the miserable stick insect, maybe you could date a few.’

  ‘I’m not really on form right now,’ Joey said, shaking his head. ‘Pippa, you are something else.’

  His dinner arrived.

  ‘What’s that supposed to be?’ Pippa said, peering at it.

  ‘Some sort of pie, I think,’ Joey said. ‘The cake’ll do me. It’s safer.’

  ‘Yeah, and Sophia won’t be telling you how many calories per bite you’re consuming. See? There are advantages to not having her breathing down your neck.’

  ‘She really was very difficult in a lot of ways.’

  ‘You’ll be fine,’ Pippa said. ‘And now I have to go and see if I can sort out the mess I’ve made of my relationship. I’ll be down to Huntersbrook in a couple of days. Skye’s coming with me and Lainey’s bringing Jules. She’s very Barbie doll to look at. So, all in all, you’re going to be surrounded by gorgeous women for the season of goodwill.’

  ‘Lucky me!’ Joey said, trying to inject cheer into his voice.

  ‘I know you must be really pissed off at the moment. But you won’t be crippled for ever and you’ll find a much better woman in no time.’

  ‘Pippa, you’re a tonic,’ he said, cracking a smile. ‘You really believe in moving things along swiftly, don’t you?’

  ‘No point in wallowing like an old rhino in mud! You need to keep your sunny side up. Just think of yourself as evolving from a rhino to a unicorn.’

  ‘A what?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ve always thought rhinos look like sad old shrunken unicorns. The ones that ate too many burgers and drank pints of Jameson whiskey, ruining their complexion and ending up in a dodgy mud slick instead of all shiny and gorgeous at the end of the rainbow.’

  ‘Pippa!’ Joey held up his good arm. ‘You’re gone in the head! Try not to say anything like this to Jay if you want him back.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ she said, as she kissed him on the cheek and skipped out.

  24

  Pipes of Peace

  Pippa was bricking it as she found a table. She was ten minutes early, a miracle in itself, and the pub was busy with groups of rowdy revellers practising their drinking skills. She ordered some sparkling water. Right at that moment she’d have preferred a large gin and tonic to steady her nerves, but the new improved Pippa felt it was better that she conducted this possible meeting sober. In any case, she’d gone off the idea of drinking herself under the table since the attack.

  ‘Hi,’ Jay’s voice said above her, as she rooted in her handbag for her phone.

  ‘Jay!’ she said, overwhelmed with relief that he was there. ‘Thanks for coming.’ As she stood up to greet him and inhaled his familiar musky scent, she felt an urge to kiss him.

  ‘Drink?’ he asked, keeping his hands in his suit pockets.

  ‘I’ve ordered one. And here it is.’ A waitress had brought it over from the bar. ‘Let me get you one,’ she insisted. ‘What’ll you have?’

  ‘Just another sparkling water,’ he said to the waitress, and smiled.

  Not knowing where to put herself, Pippa sat down and sipped her drink. ‘How have you been?’ she asked.

  ‘Better than you, by the look of it,’ he said, staring at her nose.

  ‘Oh, yeah. That,’ she said, suddenly embarrassed. ‘I forgot you didn’t know about it.’

  ‘What happened?’ he asked, full of concern.

  As Pippa explained, Jay sat with his hands clasped, only moving when his drink was placed in front of him. Pippa paid the waitress before he could put his hand into his pocket for his wallet. ‘It was my own fault,’ she concluded. ‘I deserved to be boxed really.’

  Jay sat in silence for a moment, which felt like an hour. ‘I can’t work you out, Pippa,’ he said finally. ‘One minute you were lovely and fun and seemed really into me. Then it was like you’d had a lobotomy and your entire personality changed. Now you’re back to being the girl I fell in love with,’ he said. ‘I know we were only together a few months but I honestly thought I’d hit the jackpot with you. Then you clearly wanted nothing more to do with me. Why the change of heart now?’

  Pippa dropped her head into her hands. ‘I’m such an idiot,’ she said. ‘I think I lost the run of myself. I went to New York and came back thinking I was some sort of superstar and that the world owed me a living. You were so lovely and I got overly cocky.’

  ‘I just don’t understand,’ Jay said. ‘You were great. If a little impulsive. But you suddenly became—’

  ‘—a total bitch,’ she finished for him. ‘I know. I’m really sorry.’

  As she looked up at Jay she felt butterflies in her tummy. She’d taken his returned love and affection for granted. She’d misused his care for her and somehow twisted it in her mind, deciding it was dull. ‘I wish I could take back the horrible things I said to you,’ she said. ‘I thought I could do better than us. But I was wrong.’

  Jay’s eyes softened.

  ‘I did what the proverb tells us not to.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘I looked a gift horse in the mouth.’

  In spite of himself, Jay burst out laughing. As she stood up and handed him the envelope with the tickets inside it, he put his hand on her arm.

  ‘Neigh,’ he said.

  Raising an eyebrow, she walked around the low table that was separating them and into his arms. She wondered how she could have thought he wasn’t worth having.

  ‘Keep the tickets for the moment,’ he said, after he had kissed her gently on the lips. ‘Let’s just rewind the story a little.’

  ‘Okay?’ she said.

  ‘I didn’t think I’d ever want to sit in the same room as you again, let alone kiss you,’ he admitted. ‘I was so angry and hurt. But you have a way of wriggling under my skin, Pippa.’

  ‘Good.’ She grinned.

  ‘Eh, not so quick,’ he said, placing his finger on her lips. ‘I need to think this through. I don’t know that I can trust you.’

  ‘I’ll wait. I’m getting good at doing stuff I never did before,’ she said. ‘I have Skye living with me now. I have a spending budget and I keep to it. I’ve even started a new company.’

  Laughing, Jay shook his head in disbelief. ‘I haven’t seen you for a couple of weeks and more has happened to you in that time than it would to most people in a year.’

  ‘I’m going to call a spade a spade here, Jay,’ she said, taking a deep breath. ‘I want you back. I know I’ve messed up big-time so the ball is in your court. I’ll understand if you te
ll me to take a hike. But there you go.’ She made a wide, sweeping gesture with her arms. ‘My cards are on the table.’

  ‘I hear you,’ Jay said, smiling.

  ‘Oh, and Joey fell down a hole and skulled himself,’ she added.

  ‘What?’

  ‘He’s properly gonzoed, poor fecker,’ she said. ‘He’s made a total mess of himself.’

  They chatted for another few minutes, then walked outside.

  ‘Just give me a bit of time.’ He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

  ‘You got it,’ she said, stroking his cheek.

  The drive home was surreal. Pippa glanced at the Christmas trees inside people’s homes. The world was preparing to share magical moments with loved ones. She hoped so much that Jay would forgive her. She knew she was asking a lot, but time would tell if she’d get her wish.

  Echo was at the apartment with Skye when Pippa got home.

  ‘Hello there,’ she said, surprised.

  ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ he asked, smiling.

  ‘Sorry. I guess I expected you to have dreadlocks, a woolly beard, and to dress in old flour sacks because of your name.’

  ‘Apologies, but I’m more into dance music and shopping at TopMan,’ Echo said.

  ‘Please tell me you at least smoke weed and drink home-brewed beer from a chipped dirty mug,’ she teased.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said.

  ‘Ah, you’re crap,’ said Pippa, good-naturedly. ‘Guess who I just saw?’ she said to Skye.

  ‘Santa Claus?’

  ‘Almost. Jay.’

  ‘Ooh.’ Skye whistled. ‘How did it go?’

  ‘Good, I think. He’s lovely, Skye,’ Pippa moaned. ‘He’s gorgeous and cute and I just wanted to kiss him.’

  ‘Sounds like a lucky fella,’ Echo said.

  ‘He’s a dote, and genius here dumped him a few weeks back, figuring he was superfluous to requirements,’ Skye told him.

  ‘Urgh! Stop!’ she said, yanking at her hair. ‘I’m such a gobshite. But I grovelled and told him I want him back.’

  ‘Fair play to you.’ Skye looked pleasantly surprised. ‘What did he say?’

  ‘He’s going to think it over. He’ll have to go home and remove the pins from the voodoo Pippa doll and rethink his feelings towards me,’ she said. ‘He said I get under his skin, though.’

  ‘Like scabies or in a good way?’ Echo laughed.

  ‘In a can’t-live-without-me way, I hope.’

  ‘I love the drawings you’ve made. They’re seriously cool. Skye was telling me all about the website. Sounds like it’s going pretty well already,’ Echo said.

  ‘Certainly is, thanks to both your help,’ Pippa said. ‘Skye, you won’t believe what Briana’s offered me.’ She filled them in.

  ‘Well, the good news is that I made twenty copies of the Chanel sketch. They’re all framed and you’ve another twenty varied ones framed behind the sofa,’ Skye said. ‘So you can bring them in to Briana and change them into cash.’

  ‘Fantastic!’ Pippa said, clapping. ‘This is like the grown-up version of bringing back the glass bottles to the local shop. Did you guys do that when you were kids?’

  ‘We used to root through people’s bins in the hope of finding a Lucozade bottle,’ Skye said.

  ‘Lainey, Joey and I would get the money and cash it in straight away for penny sweets,’ Pippa said. ‘Hopefully this version will generate a good bit more cash.’

  ‘And you won’t be spending it on sweets, I’m guessing,’ Echo said.

  ‘Did Skye tell you that you’re both invited to my family home for Christmas dinner?’ Pippa asked.

  ‘We were just talking about it before you came back, and thanks for inviting me,’ Echo said, ‘but I’m going to stay put in my place with the lads.’

  ‘If you change your mind, just come along, yeah?’ She flung herself onto the sofa.

  ‘Skye told me you were very laidback,’ he said.

  ‘That’s me,’ she replied. ‘I’m in the chrysalis state at the moment.’

  ‘You’re what?’ Skye laughed.

  ‘You know the way a caterpillar goes into a chrysalis and evolves into a butterfly?’ They nodded. ‘Well, I’m going to emerge as a top businesswoman.’

  She meant it. Pippa felt she was changing for the better. She was taking control and moving forward in making something of her life.

  25

  Walking in the Air

  It was 22 December. Each year on this date she and Paddy went to Dublin for a day of Christmas shopping. When the children were young it was traditionally on the eighth, which was a holy day. The schools were closed and the day off was the perfect opportunity to go to Grafton Street to look at the shops and see Santa Claus in Brown Thomas.

  Since they’d grown up and moved out, though, Paddy and Holly had changed the date. ‘If we leave it until nearer Christmas Day, we can pick up all the last-minute gifts and really get into the spirit of things.’ Paddy had suggested.

  This year Holly would have skipped the day out. They had more important things to spend their limited budget on. But Paddy had surprised her with his insistence that they honour the tradition.

  ‘I know things are tight this year, love,’ he said, ‘but we don’t have to spend a fortune. A day out, soaking up the Christmas atmosphere, will do us both the world of good.’

  So Holly had reluctantly agreed.

  ‘I’ll run you guys to the city in the truck. Then you can have a nice meal with a few bevvies and really spoil yourselves,’ Scott offered.

  He dropped them at the top of Grafton Street, which was decorated with flashing lights at roof level. Each store was prettier than the last. With every theme exploited, from goblins to traditional fairytale characters, the pedestrian shopping street was a sea of glitter and Yuletide cheer.

  ‘Isn’t it lovely?’ Holly said, clasping Paddy’s hand. After all the years they’d been together, they still held hands when they walked out.

  ‘It certainly is, love,’ he said, kissing her. ‘So many people tear off to New York to go shopping at this time of year but I never understood why.’

  ‘Nor me,’ Holly said. ‘All that travelling and the time difference, not to mention the expense, when we have a wonderful setting right here. Thank you for insisting we come and do this today.’

  ‘It would have been a terrible shame to miss out,’ Paddy agreed.

  The windows at Brown Thomas, the street’s department store, didn’t disappoint. The theme was Alice in Wonderland. ‘Oh, Paddy, look! It’s the Cheshire cat! Isn’t it so clever how they’ve dressed him in men’s designer clothing?’

  ‘And Alice is looking rather more stylish than I’ve ever seen her before,’ Paddy pointed out. ‘I think she’s sporting about a hundred grand’s worth of Tiffany jewels, let alone the amazing dress.’

  The next window depicted the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

  ‘Isn’t this just incredible?’ Holly said, almost pressing her face against the window so she could drink in every magical detail. ‘The Dormouse is just beautiful with his soft fur, glittery little waistcoat and matching suit. He’s even wearing Jimmy Choo shoes!’

  ‘The March Hare appears to have stopped off at Ralph Lauren by the look of him.’ Paddy grinned.

  ‘And the lucky Mad Hatter has obviously got an in with Philip Treacy!’ Holly said, in awe.

  ‘If you say so, love. I thought I was doing well recognising Ralph Lauren but I don’t know that Tracey girl.’

  ‘Philip Treacy is one of the most famous living milliners. He’s known for his outlandish and lavish designs,’ Holly explained. ‘He’s Irish, too, which is fantastic. He clearly made the headpiece Alice is wearing too. That’s called a fascinator. Isn’t it divine? Look at the tiny feathers and the twinkly detail. It’s just out of this world.’

  Paddy smiled and made all the right noises as Holly took in every detail of the five large windows.

  ‘Can you guess how many Swa
rovski crystals have been used to make up the midnight sky on that dark blue velvet?’ Holly gasped at the final display.

  ‘I couldn’t even begin to try, my dear,’ Paddy said. ‘Will we venture inside and have a cup of something?’

  ‘Yes, please.’

  The traditionally dressed doorman greeted them politely, and a whoosh of warm air, mixed with exotic fragrances, welcomed them inside. A brass band, the musicians dressed in red, trimmed with fur, as old-fashioned toy soldiers, played festive music in a corner. Paddy and Holly made for the café where Holly ordered coffee and a slice of chocolate torte.

  ‘I’ll have a cappuccino and a taste of your cake,’ Paddy said. ‘Is there anything you really want to buy, or do you just want to soak up the atmosphere?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ve nothing I desperately need, actually,’ she said. ‘Why?’

  ‘Weeell,’ he looked delighted, ‘I’ve a surprise for you.’ He took an envelope from his inside pocket and handed it to her.

  She opened it, and her eyes filled with tears. ‘The Nutcracker! Oh, how wonderful! But how can we afford treats like this?’

  ‘I got a present of them from Mrs Nichols. Remember I rescued her little girl from the back field during the first hunt of the season? Well, she dropped these over to the house last week as a thank-you gift.’

  As Paddy put his arm around her and hugged her, Holly knew again how lucky she was to have him. She’d been difficult to live with since her mum had left but Paddy hadn’t complained.

  ‘We have an hour to wander and then we can head down to the O2,’ he said.

  Later, they sat enraptured by the Russian State Ballet. As the dancers, dressed as toys and mice in twinkling costumes, spun in front of her, Holly forgot her worries and was spellbound.

  ‘That was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,’ she said to Paddy as they made their way towards the exit. ‘I’ll have to call Mrs Nichols tomorrow and tell her what a wonderful time we had. People are very kind and generous, aren’t they?’