The Perfect Gift

by Emma Hannigan

  ‘How sad,’ Keeley said. ‘For all of you. But for the record I think what you did was very selfless. Have you seen him since?’

  ‘No,’ she said wiping her eyes. ‘Goodness, I have no idea why I told you this, Keeley. I apologise. All you want is for me to pay my bill and go. You didn’t have a sign on your gate saying that you do counselling also!’

  ‘Oh please, I’m honoured that you feel you can talk to me,’ she said, reaching out and patting her hand.

  ‘Could I ask you a silly favour?’ Ida asked.

  ‘Sure,’ Keeley smiled.

  ‘The brown bread you serve at breakfast. Do you make it yourself?’

  ‘Yes, would you like the recipe?’

  ‘Thank you, but what I am wondering is whether you might consider showing me how to make it next time we come? I’d love to see how you do it.’

  ‘I’d be honoured. It’s a deal.’

  ‘Thank you, Keeley. You are a dear. Now let’s pay you.’

  Ida counted out the money and handed it to Keeley. As she stood to leave, Claus walked in.

  ‘Ah there you are, ladies.’

  ‘So we are all ready to go,’ Ida said. She hugged Keeley and whispered thank you in her ear. Keeley hugged her back and wished them a pleasant journey.

  ‘We have had the most wonderful time,’ Claus said. ‘I cannot thank you enough.’

  ‘My pleasure.’ Keeley smiled warmly.

  ‘And I hope your husband will not be angry with me for borrowing you and taking you to dinner,’ Claus said. ‘Please tell him I thank him too. He’s a lucky man.’

  ‘Don’t worry about Doug,’ Keeley said flapping her hand. ‘He wouldn’t notice if I went to Mars for the evening!’

  ‘Really?’ Claus laughed. ‘Well if I was married to you, Keeley, I would know every step you took.’

  Keeley blushed and walked on ahead of them to the front door.

  ‘We plan to travel for another two months,’ Ida said. ‘Do you think we could come back at the end of August or beginning of September? Would you take us?’

  ‘Of course!’ Keeley said. ‘I’d be thrilled. Call me. Wait, I’ll fetch a card.’

  ‘No need!’ Claus said. ‘I already have one.’

  They both waved as they drove away. They were such lovely people and even though she’d only just met Ida, she’d felt a wonderful connection with her. Her story of unrequited love was so sad. Keeley knew she was lucky in so many ways. But she couldn’t help feeling a little bit giddy at Claus’s words. He was a real romantic!

  Chapter 12

  Rob Walsh was in turmoil as he stood at the counter of Blake’s jewellery store in Limerick city. Theresa was a nice girl. Well, she was incredibly hot and hung on his every word. All his mates were in awe of her and kept telling him he was a lucky bloke to have a girl like that on his arm.

  He’d found her fun in the beginning and there was no doubting she was gorgeous, with her long legs and perfect blonde waves, and yet he kept thinking there was something missing. Some sort of feeling he felt he should be having. He could never tell any of the lads that, though. They’d laugh him out of the pub. But as he looked at the small photo of his parents that he kept in his wallet, he couldn’t help being envious of the way they were looking into one another’s eyes. His father was always asking him when he’d give him some grandchildren, and the pressure had increased tenfold since his brother’s announcement.

  ‘I don’t mind that your brother is gay and I’m happy he’s happy, but the onus is on you to produce the next generation, Robert.’

  ‘Right, Da. I’ll start to sow my wild oats all over the county, then. How many children would you like by the end of the year?’

  ‘Don’t be smart, son,’ Melvin Walsh said. ‘But what’s the point in me building my bank balance and ending up as the richest man in the graveyard? I understand that you wanted to get your craft beer business started and established. But you’re doing surprisingly well now. Do yourself a favour and settle down. Don’t let the window of opportunity pass you by, son.’

  Rob had incredible respect for his old man. He’d taken his inheritance from his own parents and turned it into a relative goldmine by investing wisely and selling off parts of the land at the right time. It seemed that anything Melvin Walsh touched turned to cash.

  The increasing fortunes over the years hadn’t saved Rob’s mother, who had died after a heart attack. Rob could still remember the day they’d all walked behind his mam’s coffin as they laid her to rest in the local cemetery. Although he was fifteen at the time, his father was always terrified he and his brother would somehow forget Ellen. So he spoke of her often, and at times Rob feared that he hadn’t actually accepted she was gone.

  There were photos of Ellen all over the house and Melvin had never so much as looked at another woman. He’d dedicated his life to his boys and the business. Now, as he was growing older, he made no bones about the fact that he wanted to see out his days surrounded by grandchildren.

  ‘What about Theresa?’ he’d asked Rob last night as he was headed out the door to meet her. ‘Are you going to make an honest woman of her?’

  Rob had stopped and sighed. He knew it was time to move out from the comfortable bachelor pad he and his dad shared. He also knew Melvin was probably right. He should be thinking about his future.

  ‘I don’t know,’ he’d replied honestly.

  While Rob couldn’t think of a reason why he shouldn’t marry Theresa, neither could he say that he was busting a gut to spend the rest of his life with her. They’d gone for dinner and Rob had felt totally paranoid as she’d sat staring with doe eyes at him. It seemed that she was pleading silently for him to pop the question. If everyone he met thought it was a good plan and almost inevitable, perhaps he was the one misjudging the situation?

  So he’d caved. He’d come to Limerick city and picked out a stop-’em-dead diamond ring. The enthusiastic shop assistant was chatting animatedly and assuring him they would resize the ring within two days should it need it.

  ‘She’s one lucky lady,’ she beamed. ‘Good luck with the proposal. Have you something romantic in mind?’

  ‘Not really,’ he said as he accepted the package. ‘I’m sure I’ll think of something.’

  He felt claustrophobic by the time he sat in the van. He had some deliveries to make, so there was no reason to fret about the ring right this second, he reasoned.

  Looking at his schedule, he smiled when he saw Nourriture on his list. Róisín was always flying about and coming up with new ideas. A trip to Ballyshore was just what he needed to settle his nerves. The place was what he’d consider to be a total backwater, but it was serene and beautiful. There was a great vibe to the place too, mainly thanks to Nourriture, which was quite simply fantastic. Róisín had managed to use every inch of space to pack in an amazing array of products. She usually asked him to haul shelves or even parts of counters into a different section, but he didn’t mind.

  Turning up the music, he tried not to think about the ring or Theresa. He would put the box into the safe at his father’s house and bide his time. The shop assistant was right, he needed to come up with something romantic to make the whole thing more special. That way, it would probably sit better with him. Besides, the photo of his parents in his wallet was taken at their sixteenth wedding anniversary. He was guessing it took time and a lot of hard work to reach a point where you seemed almost at one with another human being.

  Ballyshore came into view and the shimmering water looked so inviting he actually wanted to pull off his clothes and jump in. Instead, he parked in the loading bay outside Nourriture and grabbed his delivery dockets. Finding the one for Róisín, he walked inside to see if one of the lads could give him a hand.

  ‘Rob!’ Róisín waved from the kitchen behind the counter. ‘Just the man I wanted to see. Did you think of bringing me that second driftwood shelf?’

  ‘Ah blast,’ he said knocking his forehead with the heel of his hand. ‘I
totally forgot.’ He made the display shelves at a workshop back at the farm. Only certain retailers were offered them, and Róisín had fallen in love with the design. He’d promised her a second one and given her his word that he’d bring it next time he was passing.

  ‘Did you remember the beer?’ she teased.

  ‘The day I go on a delivery without my craft beer I’ll check myself into the local nuthouse,’ he said with a grin.

  She dispensed one of the young lads to help carry the bottles into the off licence section. Once it was all stacked to his liking, with the labels facing the right way and the Grolsch-type tops in a neat row, he waited for Róisín to come and sign the delivery docket.

  ‘I’ll be with you in a jiffy,’ she called over. ‘Will you have a bite to eat and a smoothie? I got a new machine and it makes drinks that are almost as good as your Celtic Beer.’

  He smiled and nodded, saying he’d order a plate of food. He was almost finished when Róisín sat down at his table.

  ‘How’s it going?’ Rob asked.

  She sighed. ‘It’s seriously busy in here. Not that I’m complaining,’ she assured him. ‘I’ve a lot going on though.’ She crossed her legs and hit off his brief case, knocking it to the floor.

  ‘Oh no!’ she said diving to grab it. As she did, the ring-box rolled out. ‘Hey, hey, hey!’ she said with a wide grin. ‘Have you some news on the way?’

  ‘No,’ he said, sounding a lot crankier than he’d intended.

  She sat back and said nothing.

  ‘Listen, I’m a bit all over the place right now,’ he admitted. ‘I’m with this girl Theresa and my old man is constantly telling me I need to settle down. He thinks she’s good for me. My friends all think she’s a dolly. The business is starting to do really well and so I guess it’s time …’

  Róisín folded her arms and didn’t flinch.

  ‘What?’ he said.

  ‘Listen, I’m certainly not an oracle on relationships, believe me, the only big one I had went royally wrong. So please don’t think I’m preaching or even attempting to sound like a wise owl …’

  ‘But?’

  ‘But, you don’t seem that excited about any of this. I know you’re a man, so that means you’re emotionally crippled.’

  ‘Hey, less of that, thank you very much,’ he said, grinning.

  ‘But seriously? Shouldn’t you be even a teensy bit happy at the thought of proposing to your beloved?’

  ‘Ah, I am. It’ll be grand. I’m probably a bit nervous. I’ve never done this kind of thing before.’

  ‘Grand,’ she said sarcastically. ‘Diamond rings and wedding dresses and celebrations shouldn’t be organised around grand.’

  ‘So I should expect fireworks and bluebirds and roses then? Does the Disney dream really exist?’

  ‘Nah,’ Róisín said thoughtfully. ‘I don’t suppose it does. But I’m a bit sad for you that you’re not more upbeat about it all. But hey, it’s none of my business.’

  Rob nodded and turned his head to follow Róisín’s gaze. Her eyes had dulled and her smile was gone.

  ‘Excuse me a moment,’ she said patting him on the shoulder. He watched as she walked over to talk to an elderly man, not dissimilar to his own father. The conversation was brief. Róisín walked back toward him, looking ashen faced.

  ‘You OK?’

  She shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips. ‘Sorry Rob, something’s come up. I need to go up to my office. It was nice chatting to you. Good luck with the ring and all that.’

  Before he could answer, she dashed from the shop and through a door at the rear near the kitchen. Not sure if he should run after her, he shuffled to the counter to pay.

  ‘Róisín said it’s on the house,’ Brigid said.

  ‘She’ll have to stop doing that,’ he said, smiling. ‘Tell her thanks. I’ll have the shelf for her in the next couple of days. I’ll deliver it myself.’

  ‘OK cool. I’ll let her know. See you then, Rob.’

  As he drove from Ballyshore, Rob couldn’t help worrying about Róisín. She was an unusual character. Stunningly beautiful with her coal-black hair and piercing blue eyes, he’d been a little nervous of her in the beginning. She was very self-assured but not overly friendly. She’d thawed hugely over the past year as he’d gotten to know her. She believed in his product too, which had clearly gained him some form of acceptance in her eyes.

  The first time he’d spoken to her at any length was back in January. The shop was quiet and he’d asked if he could join her to drink his coffee before he set off again.

  She was telling him about a new company that was producing raw food products and how she wanted to give them some shop space.

  ‘You’re so passionate about what you do,’ he said.

  ‘Well there’s no point in running a business unless you believe in what you’re selling.’

  ‘True,’ he said. ‘My father was a bit upset with me and my brother that we didn’t want to take over his farm. But thankfully he had the foresight to see that we both had good ideas of our own.’

  ‘My parents are very supportive too,’ she said.

  The next time he’d called to Nourriture, Róisín had asked him to join her for a coffee and now it was routine.

  He eyeballed the bag containing the ring and sighed. Was Róisín right? Was he doing the wrong thing while attempting to do the right thing?

  She’d said she was sad for him. That resonated with him. Nobody should be sad when they’re about to get engaged, surely?

  The phone rang and his mind was drawn to a frazzled customer who needed extra stock immediately. Grateful for the distraction, Rob decided to put all thought of rings and celebrations to one side. He’d give himself a month, he decided. He’d pretend in his own head that he and Theresa were engaged and he’d see how it made him feel. One month, then he’d know for sure.

  Chapter 13

  It was three days since Nell had discovered the young girl crouched in her boiler-house.

  She still hadn’t talked at any length. After the initial information about her mother dying and how she’d come from Dublin, it was as if she’d shut down. Nell wasn’t too bothered. In fact, it suited her. She wasn’t exactly in the market for a lodger and it most certainly wasn’t her wish, at seventy-four, to become the guardian of a troubled teen.

  But so far she hadn’t actually annoyed her and she didn’t get in the way or cause a fuss. Her long, limp, brown hair and bloodshot chestnut eyes weren’t helped by her frail pointy face and sticky out ears. She looked like a little string of misery, God help her.

  ‘Have you a name?’ Nell eventually asked that morning, when she found her sitting in front of the lighthouse staring out at the water.

  The girl simply perched on the edge of the bank and refused to speak. Nell sighed.

  ‘Listen girly,’ she said. ‘I’m not asking you to tell me stuff. Believe me, I don’t need to know. I’m not one of those sorts. I keep myself to myself so you needn’t think I’m a gossip-monger. But if you’re going to hang around here for a while I do need to know a thing or two … starting with what I should call you.’

  The girl looked up at her and hesitated. Nell thought she was going to say something, but then she didn’t.

  ‘You’re as quiet as a mouse,’ she said folding her arms. ‘So unless you have any objections, that’ll be your name.’ She shrugged and didn’t look too upset by this. ‘Mouse it is. Are you in trouble? As in, are you running from the law or anything like that?’ Mouse shook her head. ‘So nobody’s going to screech up to my door in a squad car and accuse me of harbouring a master criminal?’

  ‘Nope,’ she said.

  ‘Do you want to make a call to anybody?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘Fair enough. Are you hungry?’ Nell ventured. She nodded vehemently. For such a skinny little slip of a thing, she ate a lot. ‘I’ll make us some breakfast. Follow me inside in a few minutes.’

  Nell made eggs with beans
and a pile of toast once again. Laura had loved that type of food too. They used to sit and listen to the radio together, especially on weekends or if Laura wasn’t well enough to go to school.

  Willing herself to stop thinking about Laura, she got on with making breakfast. She was about to call Mouse when she appeared. She banged the two plates onto the table and waited for her to say something.

  ‘Manners are free. If you’re staying here, I expect you to use them. If you’ve never done it before, learn.’

  Mouse looked over and seemed unperturbed by her tone.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Welcome,’ she said, sitting opposite her. ‘As you can see, everything is geared toward one person in this place. The table isn’t ideal. But that hasn’t been an issue before now.’ Nell bought the table in one of those furniture warehouses and it had enough room for a single plate, cutlery and side-plate at a push.

  Mouse polished off the food in record time, just as she’d done over the last couple of days.

  ‘Hey, slow down or you’ll have beans coming out your nose,’ Nell said. The girl placed the cutlery down ever so gently and kept her gaze on the table.

  ‘You probably think I sound like a grumpy old woman. I don’t get many visitors around here. Especially not kids. I’m out of practice.’

  She didn’t quite smile, but Nell was pretty sure the corners of her mouth had at least twitched a little.

  ‘I need to send a couple of e-mails,’ she said. ‘Can I leave you to clean up the breakfast things?’ Mouse nodded and looked quite happy.

  Nell nearly collapsed when Mouse followed her up into the observatory and started talking.

  ‘Thanks for being so kind to me. I know it’s a total pain in the ass to have a little scrubber like me turn up. I promise I won’t stay much longer.’

  Nell nodded.

  ‘Thanks for not pushing me to talk.’

  ‘Yeah, whatever,’ Nell said. She turned back to the laptop and finished what she was doing. Mouse perched at the window and stared out.