Changing Places

by Colette Caddle

  Well, that was it, she certainly wouldn’t see Charlie again, but what about Liam? If she truly loved him, surely she’d never have gone with Charlie in the first place? And yet, if she didn’t love Liam, why was she so jealous of Tara? The questions ran round and round in her head until she finally fell into a troubled sleep where strange men lurked in shadows and she was chased by Charlie while Liam watched.

  Liam was glad he’d put the bike in the boot rather than taking a taxi home. While he cycled through the clear night air he was able to think, and the physical exercise helped to keep his increasing panic at bay. Between his mother’s accident and Anna’s attack there was plenty going on to distract him. But still, at the back of his mind there was a little voice reminding him that he hadn’t got a phone call. The interview had only been on Friday and, for all he knew, they could be doing more interviews this week but that didn’t matter. He’d expected a call. He knew in his heart that he’d done an excellent interview and he knew they’d been impressed. He should have heard something by now. He’d called the recruitment company first thing this morning to give them his mother’s phone number, and any time he’d left the house, he’d placed the phone by Josie’s bed. He was beginning to wish he’d taken Anna’s advice and bought a cheap mobile phone. It would be much better to be contactable wherever he was. Maybe tomorrow he could slip out and get one – there was a good place in the village where Tara had bought her latest snazzy new phone.

  He turned on to Ballymun Avenue and into a freezing cold wind. Crouching lower over the handlebars, Liam pushed himself even harder, almost enjoying the pain in his calf muscles. Physical pain was a lot easier to deal with than the emotional stuff. On one side, he had Anna who seemed to be moving further away from him, and he wasn’t sure how to get her back or even if he should. On the other, he had Tara, gorgeous, sexy and funny, but she was beginning to suffocate him.

  They’d fallen into the habit of having the odd cuppa together but recently, Tara had started wearing fewer clothes when he was around and making some very suggestive comments. Liam, who had been enjoying the mild flirting, had gotten the fright of his life. Tara had practically offered herself on a plate, making it clear that while she’d accept the post of mistress in the short term, she’d expect a bit more at a later stage. Liam had immediately pulled back and tried to visit his mother only when Tara was busy with clients, but Josie’s accident had put paid to that strategy. Tara had been on the doorstep within seconds of them arriving home from the hospital today, and while she’d said all the right things and sympathized with Josie, she couldn’t hide her delight when Josie had told her that he was moving in for a few days. When Josie had added that Liam had to drop back to his house later, Tara had immediately offered her services. When Liam had thanked her, she’d winked at him and said that he could make it up to her later. Liam groaned at the memory.

  As he got nearer to his childhood home, he wondered how he’d get it through to her that he wasn’t interested. She would be upset because, in a way, he had led her on. He’d given her the whole ‘my wife doesn’t understand me’ spiel and lapped up the sympathy she’d given in return. And while he hadn’t made any moves on her, he hadn’t pulled away when she’d put a hand on his thigh or leaned up against him or bent over him in a low top showing off small but exquisite breasts. It would be a lot easier to go to bed with her and have done with it, but the thought of being unfaithful to Anna sickened him.

  When she’d arrived home tonight in another man’s car, he couldn’t believe the wave of jealousy that had engulfed him. It had been like a slap in the face. It was a relief of course to know that the man had only been a friend in need, but Liam still couldn’t help feeling that she should have called him. In the old days she would have. He had always been the one she turned to first when she was upset or in trouble. But she obviously didn’t see him in that way any more. Now he was an unemployed, broke loser who spent his days wallowing in self-pity.

  After his interview on Friday, Liam had been in buoyant form and when Anna had called, it felt like fate, and he was convinced that they could get back on track. But today he hadn’t heard about the job and when his wife had been in trouble she’d turned to someone else. He was surplus to requirements, he thought miserably as he turned into the driveway and got off his bike. Tara and his mother were the only ones who wanted him. Somehow that thought depressed him even more.

  Chapter 33

  Jill’s first day back at work had been as frenetic as she’d expected and more. Vinny had been lighting a few fires in her absence and ruffling a lot of feathers. Many of those who had supported him in the past were beginning to see him as a threat, and even Sue had upbraided him on one occasion.

  ‘He’s inclined to take too much on himself,’ she’d told Jill, ‘and though I’m the first to encourage independence and ambition, he needs reminding that he’s part of a team.’

  Jill should have been overjoyed at this little titbit of information but in her head she’d already moved on and Vinny Gray’s machinations no longer interested her. She had sat in the large boardroom today watching her colleagues bicker, debate, nitpick and backbite and she’d felt like a scientist studying a swarm of angry, demented ants.

  Whatever had attracted her to this job, she’d wondered, recalling how she used to be in the thick of these sessions. How could anyone get so worked up over an advertisement for crisps? When she thought of the money she earned, the car she drove, the generous bonuses that she got paid and the relative pittance that teachers, nurses, or firemen received, she felt humble and somehow ashamed.

  As she finished tidying her desk and rose to leave, Jill chuckled at the way her mind was working. Next thing, she’d find God and go off and join a cult in the middle of nowhere! She could see herself now – hair tied back, no make-up, making sandals and growing vegetables, living on home-made soups and rough bread. Not!

  Jill called an immediate halt to her fantasy. Wherever she ended up and whatever she ended up doing, she was determined there would be no more dieting. She loved her food and that was that; so what if she was a little on the curvy side? It hadn’t stopped her attracting some seriously fine-looking men.

  She sighed as she remembered Andy and his gorgeous, sexy smile. There had been no one else since they’d broken up. Somehow, Jill hadn’t been able to get him out of her head. She’d thought of calling him a couple of times but she always chickened out, too proud to go crawling back. What if he turned her down flat, how embarrassing would that be? It would be so much better, she thought, as she picked up her briefcase and headed for the door, if they just ran into each other in a pub or restaurant. Then she could check out the lie of the land without making an idiot of herself.

  Not that she was going to have much time for socializing now, she reminded herself as she breezed through Reception giving the security man a friendly wave. She had to sell her car, her apartment – oh yes, and hand in her notice. Strangely, the only thing that she had doubts about was giving up her beloved car. She patted the glossy hood lovingly before slipping behind the wheel. Her apartment had always been more of a statement than a home, and as for her job, well, it had been fun but now it was time to go.

  Jill had promised Kitty that she’d be over in time to help out with the Christmas rush. They had agreed on a six-month contract to allow them both a chance to see if they could work well together. Then, Jill would either buy into the business or move on to pastures new. The latter, Jill believed, was unlikely. Kitty O’Driscoll seemed to be a woman after her own heart. Kitty’s plans to expand the bar into a full apartment complex were comprehensive and well thought out. She had a good head for business but, at the moment, she didn’t have the time or the cash to implement her plans. If things worked out and Jill came on board, she would have both.

  This was a big move for Jill and she could imagine her parents’ reaction when she told them, but she knew it was something she had to do. For the first time in months she felt adrenaline cour
se through her veins, as she contemplated the challenges ahead. To finance the project she would need every penny she had. To cut costs she would live over the bar and buy a moped or use Kitty’s van to get around. It was going to be a far cry from the level of luxury she was currently used to, but Jill didn’t care. It would all be worth it in the end. A new country, a new lifestyle and hopefully, less stress, although Kitty had warned her that running a restaurant was a very stressful business indeed.

  Jill didn’t doubt it but she was used to pressure and hard work. In ADLI, she’d often worked round the clock to impossible deadlines and limited budgets. In Spain she might have to work equally hard but it would be for her and she wouldn’t have any office politics to contend with.

  As Jill drove to her parents’ house, she pondered when to tell everyone her plans. Being her usual independent self, she didn’t feel the need to consult her parents or friends about her decision and she didn’t want advice. But she would like their blessing. After the initial shock, she felt sure that she would get that from her cousins. As for Mam and Dad . . . ah well, they’d come around eventually. After all, they’d have somewhere new to go on their holidays. The flat over the restaurant was small but it had a second bedroom so she would be able to have family and friends to stay. No, she was completely confident that she was doing the right thing and had no regrets about what she was leaving behind – with the possible exception of Andy.

  Jill couldn’t help but feel that she’d made a big mistake ending it with him. They’d enjoyed an easygoing, relaxed relationship that she’d never found with a man before. Andy had not only made her pulse quicken; he’d made her laugh as well. She’d be very lucky indeed if she found another man like him. Still; he was gone now and there was no point in dwelling on it.

  Her mother was cleaning the front window when she pulled up outside the house.

  ‘Shouldn’t Dad be doing that?’ Jill called as she got out of the car.

  Pat looked around at her daughter and smiled. ‘I won’t hold my breath.’

  ‘Good to see you, Ma,’ Jill said, kissing her cheek.

  ‘Nice holiday?’ Pat asked, leading her daughter inside.

  ‘It was great. Bridie and Shay send their love.’

  ‘How is he?’

  ‘Not a bother.’

  ‘He had it coming, you know, although I blame Bridie. She feeds him all the wrong food.’

  ‘Not any more,’ Jill assured her, taking off her jacket. ‘They’ve gone all Mediterranean.’

  Pat sniffed. ‘Boiled potatoes, poached fish and plenty of greens, they’re what the man needs. Look at your father, almost five years older than Shay and in the whole of his health.’

  ‘Thank God,’ Jill said automatically. ‘Where is he?’

  ‘At a Neighbourhood Watch meeting in the community centre.’

  ‘Telling the Gardaí what they should be doing, no doubt.’ Jill laughed.

  ‘Someone has to,’ Pat told her. ‘So what’s the news? Are they coming home?’

  ‘They’ll come back for the birth.’ Jill watched as her mother made a pot of tea and took some buns out of a cake tin.

  ‘Are they going to stay?’ Pat quizzed.

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  Pat shook her head. ‘I don’t know what they think they’re doing. They’re behaving like a couple of teenagers.’

  ‘Would you not be tempted, Ma?’

  ‘Indeed I would not,’ Pat scoffed. ‘Why would I leave my own lovely home?’

  ‘You don’t have to do anything as drastic as selling up,’ Jill pointed out. ‘Just take a couple of holidays abroad now and then. You must know every last inch of Enniscrone and Wexford at this stage. Aren’t there countries or cities you’ve always wanted to visit? Rome? Naples? My God, you haven’t even seen London, have you?’

  ‘And what would I do in London?’ Pat said. ‘One city is no different to another. I’m quite happy to stay in my own country, thank you very much. Although your father was saying that maybe we would go up to Donegal next year,’ she confided. ‘Wouldn’t that be lovely?’

  ‘Lovely.’ Jill smiled. Her mother was nothing like her sister Bridie and she’d never change. It was funny, Anna and Rachel wanted their parents to be conventional and traditional and to stay at home, while she was trying to persuade hers to be more adventurous.

  ‘So.’ Pat sat down opposite her daughter and lifted her cup to her lips. ‘Any news?’

  ‘News’ was Pat’s coded way of asking Jill if there was a man in her life. She wasn’t interested in her daughter’s successful career. She wanted to see her march up the aisle and have lots of babies, preferably in that order. That was real success as far as Pat was concerned.

  ‘None,’ she told her mother.

  Pat sighed. ‘How’s Rachel coping? Is she huge?’

  ‘Not really. She found the heat a bit much in Spain and her feet swelled up like balloons in the evening.’

  ‘I was just the same when I had you,’ Pat told her. ‘The poor love, I must give her a ring.’

  ‘She’d like that. I think she’s missing Bridie.’

  ‘Well, of course she is. She needs her now more than ever. And little Alex could do with his grandparents too. It’s hard for little ones when a new baby comes along. They need to be pampered and reassured.’

  ‘Well, like I said, they are coming home for the birth,’ Jill reminded her.

  ‘Yes, but for how long? They really should be a bit more responsible at their age,’ Pat tut-tutted. ‘And now that Shay’s health is failing he’d be better off settling down.’

  ‘His health is not failing,’ Jill protested. ‘He just has a bloody ulcer.’

  ‘No need for that language,’ Pat retorted.

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Has Liam found himself a job yet?’ Pat asked as she poured herself more tea and pushed the cakes towards her daughter.

  Jill shook her head and helped herself to one.

  ‘I don’t know what his problem is. There’s plenty of work out there for those willing to do it,’ Pat said self-righteously. He’s too picky, that’s all. It’s that mother of his and her airs and graces. Josie Harrison always thought she was better than the rest of us. She certainly thought Liam was too good for our Anna and now look at them. He’s idling at home and she’s the breadwinner.’

  ‘Liam hates being unemployed,’ Jill said, sneaking a look at her watch and standing up.

  ‘Are you going already?’ Pat said, disappointed.

  ‘Yeah, sorry, I’ve got to meet someone.’

  ‘A man?’ Pat’s eyes lit up.

  ‘Yes,’ Jill confirmed with a wink. ‘He’s tall, dark and about Dad’s age.’

  ‘Jill!’ Pat’s eyes were like saucers.

  ‘Don’t worry, Ma, it’s business.’

  ‘Huh, aren’t you very funny?’ Pat started to clear away the dishes. ‘You and your work! Don’t you think it’s time you concentrated a bit more on your own life and forgot about that company for a while?’

  Jill nodded. ‘Yes, Ma, as it happens, I do.’ Planting a quick kiss on her mother’s cheek, she made a quick exit before Pat could question her further. ‘I’ll see you at the weekend,’ she called as she headed for the door, grabbing her jacket off the banister in the hall. ‘Tell Dad I said hi.’

  ‘Will you be here for dinner on Sunday?’ Pat hurried after her. ‘I was going to do a nice pork roast.’

  ‘I’ll be here,’ Jill promised, getting into her car. ‘See you, Ma.’

  As Jill drove away she could imagine the conversation at her parents’ table that evening. ‘That daughter of yours still doesn’t have a man,’ her mother would start. Her father would grunt and keep eating while her mother would remind him that both Anna and Rachel were settled, Rachel with her second child on the way, and yet ‘his daughter’ was only married to her job.

  Well, Jill didn’t think that was such a bad way to be. Look at Kitty O’Driscoll. There was an advertisement for living a
lone if ever there was one. According to Pepe, the business was more successful now than it had been when her husband ran it, and Kitty had every single male in the area queuing up to take her out. Jill grinned to herself. A queue of men would be very nice. If she ever got the time off to go out, that is. Kitty had warned her that the hours would be unsocial but given that they were in the centre of town, there was nearly always something to do or somewhere to go. Still, she’d miss meeting Anna for lunch and having girly nights out.

  But tonight she had to see if she could get a good price for her car. There was a dealer coming over to see it and Jill was hoping he’d make her a reasonable offer. Then she could concentrate on selling the apartment. She was confident that she would sell it easily as it was in an excellent and tranquil location, surprisingly spacious, and it came with its own parking spot, something very coveted in this area. She would ask Anna to handle the sale, of course, but not just yet.

  First, she wanted to hand in her notice and she couldn’t do that until she’d had a quiet word with Karen and her team. She might be walking away from her career but she was still very aware of the responsibility she had to them, especially with a shark like Vinny around. She had allowed herself a week to do this and then she would talk to Sue. She was curious as to how her resignation would be received. Sue was a pragmatist and would probably wish her well and turn her mind towards the matter of a replacement. Vinny would be positively triumphant and the others would no doubt see it as an opportunity. And if they didn’t, she’d tell them in no uncertain terms that it was time to reconsider their positions. This was a competitive business and no place for people who wanted a quiet life with a generous salary at the end of every month.

  Jill drove into her apartment complex and parked the car in its designated spot. It was amazing that she could feel so happy about leaving all this, she marvelled as she watched the electric gates close behind her. She’d come a long way from her childhood in a three-bedroom council house in Malahide. And though her mother didn’t understand why her daughter was so driven, she knew that both of her parents were proud of her and boasted of her success to anyone who’d listen. What they would make of her leaving it all behind to go and work her butt off in a restaurant in Spain she could only imagine. She laughed at her own stupidity. She wouldn’t have to imagine at all. Her ma and dad wouldn’t think twice about telling her exactly what they thought!