Beyond Grace's Rainbow: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance

by Carmel Harrington

  ‘It’s terribly terrifying you mean!’ Abby shrieked. ‘What the hell am I supposed to say to twenty strangers?'

  ‘Just tell them about your job and where you’re from I suppose,’ Tom contributed, only to be shouted down by Gerry.

  ‘Are you mad, darling? No talk about work or home! That’s too boring! You must be mysterious and exciting. Come on let’s practice! I’ll be your first date.’ Gerry then put on a deep accent, ‘Hi, my name is Gerry. How are you?’

  ‘Nice to meet you, Gerry. I’m Abby and I’m a bit nervous to be honest,’ Abby said with a hint of sarcasm.

  ‘No darling – wrong! Don’t tell them you’re nervous. They’ll think you’re no fun at all. Remember you’re mysterious and always game for trying new things – like speed dating! Now try again, how are you?’

  ‘Terrible because my stupid friend Gerry keeps banging on and on if you must ask,’ Abby quipped.

  ‘I’ll let you off with that remark because you’re obviously highly strung right now. I’m doing this to help you, darling. Come on. When they ask you how you are, what are you going to say?’

  Abby gave in and decided to play along with Gerry. It was easier. He wouldn’t give up. ‘I’m fantastic. Never been better in fact. This is a great idea, isn’t it?’ She said this in her brightest, most enthusiastic voice.

  ‘The force is with you, young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet,’ Gerry responded sadly.

  ‘Haven’t heard The Empire Strikes Back quote for a while,’ Tom drawled.

  ‘It seemed appropriate. You’re almost there; just remember to be positive always!’

  ‘God Tom, what am I doing here? Your boyfriend has a lot to answer for!’ Abby exclaimed.

  Tom then gave her a much needed pep talk. ‘Look Abby, ignore Gerry and his words of wisdom. Just be yourself and say whatever comes naturally. You’ve a great personality; the lads will all be queuing up for you.’

  ‘Thanks for the vote of confidence. Shit, I better go up, I’m late.’ Abby downed the last of her cocktail quickly.

  ‘“Seize the day, darling, make your life extraordinary!’” Gerry shouted at the top of his voice. The whole bar stopped and stared.

  Abby looked at Tom in horror and said. ‘God, I’m scarlet. Tom, is that him waxing lyrical or another movie quote?’

  Tom laughed and shrugged. ‘I find it hard to separate the two sometimes!’

  ‘As it happens, it’s a quote from Dead Poets Society,’ Gerry laughed. ‘And to be honest I’ve been waiting months to find a time to use it! Now go get them!’

  Abby left Tom and Gerry laughing and ran upstairs to the function room. She was given a number and nametag at registration – she was number four, which was a good sign, as it was her lucky number. She was directed over to table number four and took a seat, ordering another Cosmo from the waiter as she sat down. She had a feeling that she would need alcohol to get her through this. She’d just had time to catch her breath when her first date sat down beside her.

  ‘Hi there. I’m Brian, number four. Better get the paperwork sorted first. Right your number four too and your name is Abby?’ he questioned. He seemed very serious.

  ‘Yes that’s right. Have you done this before?’ Abby thought he sounded like he knew what he was doing.

  ‘Yep, I go every month to all of the events. You know there are loads of companies running these now. I’ve been to them all. You should try the chat fest one too; there is over four hundred people at that!’

  Abby was gobsmacked. Meeting twenty dates in one night was bad enough, four hundred seemed crazy!

  She needn’t have worried about what to say because Brian kept talking about the various speed dating events he’d been to, and the next thing she knew the organiser was shouting ‘Time, Gentlemen, move to the next table please! Ladies you stay where you are and your next date will be along.’

  God, he was mad that Brian guy. Talk about professional speed dater! He didn’t ask her one question mind you, so she wasn’t sure how he actually got to know people.

  Date no. 2 was Tom who was a farmer from Drogheda – not her type, enough said. Date no. 3 was Mick from Cork – he was older than her old fella! By date no. 10 she was really into the swing of things and having a ball. They called an interval then, so she picked up her bag and ran back to the bar downstairs to catch up with Tom and Gerry.

  ‘Darling, you look happier! Have you met the man of your dreams yet?’ Gerry asked excitedly.

  ‘Guys, my head is spinning. It’s mad up there!’ Abby answered.

  ‘Has anyone ticked your box Abby?’ Tom joked.

  ‘He’s been waiting hours to say that to you, darling!’ Gerry laughed. ‘I bet they’ve all ticked your box! How many have you ticked?’

  ‘Well so far, I’ve only ticked one box out of ten, with another maybe. Pickings are slim my friends!’

  ‘I hope you’re not being too fussy, darling. Tell me all about it,’ Gerry said.

  ‘Well so far the tally is this – three were definitely over fifty. I’m not going there yet! One was the opposite who couldn’t have been more than twenty. Not sure which would be worse, sugar daddy or toy boy? One guy from Raheny was definitely on something. He was out of his tree! There was also a farmer from Cork who told me he didn’t like Dublin girls as a rule, but would possibly make an exception for me! Like he was doing ME the favour. God, lads, he was a minger! Then there were two who were really nice but just not my type – either physically or personality wise.’

  ‘That’s eight by my reckoning. What was the crack with the others?’ Tom enquired.

  ‘Well one is a guy called Shay. He’s lovely looking and an architect. I thought we really got on well, so I’ve ticked his box! The other guy, who’s a maybe, is called Fergus. He works in advertising. He’s cute but seemed a bit quiet, I’m not sure if he’d be my type.’

  ‘Oh go on, tick his box! Sure you’ve nothing to lose,’ Tom said.

  Then it was time to go back up for the second half. The first of her next set of guys stood her up! He’d obviously had enough in the first half so legged it. After that it was a blur of different guys. It began to get a bit tiring. There were all shapes and sizes there and with the exception of one or two of the guys all were really nice. In the end she even ticked two more boxes. There were two South African guys who were really fit and worked in finance in the IFSC centre. Abby thought why the hell not! So when the event was over she handed in her card with four ticks and made her way downstairs where Tom and Gerry were dutifully waiting. Gerry was half-cut, having downed at least half a dozen Cosmos by this time. He was busy telling Tom how much he loved him when Abby joined them. They had a couple more drinks and Shay the architect guy even came over to say hello. Gerry let out a squeal with excitement when he walked over; Tom had to kick him under the table to shut him up. They finished the night off in Crystals and eventually rolled home singing in the wee hours. The last thing Abby thought of before her head hit the pillow was, God, this looking for a man game is great craic!

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was Thursday night and the gang were all meeting in the Cock Tavern for drinks. Gerry was beside himself with excitement, as Abby would have the results of the speed-dating event with her. Tom wasn’t sure who would be more disappointed if Abby didn’t get any matches, Gerry or her!

  When everyone had arrived and had their drinks, Gerry demanded a full disclosure from Abby on the results.

  ‘Drum roll please guys,’ Abby asked. Liam, Sean and Tom obliged. ‘Well out of nineteen guys that I spoke to – one refused at the first fence and didn’t even come and say hello – I got, wait for it, fifteen ticks!’

  They all exploded with whoops and squeals of delight. Gerry stood up and took a bow, claiming all credit for Abby’s success. ‘It was my words of wisdom that did it! You seized the day, darling!’

  ‘Well, don’t go buying a hat yet, Cilla, I haven’t got fifteen dates! I only ticked four guys, so that gave me four ma
tches!’ Abby told him.

  ‘Remind me again who they were?’ Grace asked.

  ‘Well there’s Shay an architect, he’s my favourite, Fergus who works in advertising, then two South African guys, Richard and Cameron.’

  ‘Gonna go for a ménage à trois with the two dudes from South Africa?’ Sean joked, dodging the beer mat Abby tossed.

  ‘What happens now? Do you call them or do they call you?’ Tara asked.

  ‘Well, either, I suppose. I have their contact numbers and they have mine.’ Then seeing Gerry’s face, Abby continued, ‘But I’ll wait for them to call me. If they’re interested they’ll be the ones to get in touch.’ Gerry nodded his approval. He had given Abby a present – The Book of Rules. This was featured on Sex and the City as a dating rule book for the single girl, and as Gerry basically treated the show like his guru, he went out and bought it straightaway for Abby. He already had a copy himself and swore that the reason he ended up with Tom was that he used the rules. The main concept in the book was that you shouldn’t waste time waiting for a guy who wasn’t interested in you. Let the guy make the first move, and then you’ll know he’s interested. Then make sure he keeps interested by ensuring he’s the one actively chasing you. As she read it, Abby had to admit that there were certainly bits that rang true for her. She recognised mistakes she’d made with guys in the past. So she was going to give it a shot. She reckoned if she could get a guy like Tom she’d be laughing – a straight version that was! When the whole speed-dating night had been dissected and discussed from every angle, Tara asked Grace how she was doing.

  ‘Well, we had some bad news yesterday actually,’ Grace responded. ‘Catherine’s results from the tissue test came back. They weren’t a match.’ Nobody really knew how to respond to that. They all had their hopes pinned on Catherine being a suitable donor.

  ‘Oh honey, keep positive, I’m sure you’ll find a donor soon. Won’t she, Sean?’ Tara said.

  ‘There’s every chance the NBMP will come good for us. People are added to that continually. At least your blood count is on the up again. Are you set for chemo on Friday?’ Sean asked.

  ‘As ready as anyone can be I suppose,’ Grace replied flatly. Liam clasped her hand. He knew how disappointed Grace had been yesterday when Catherine called round with the news. She was devastated too. They had all believed that when Grace finally met her mother and she was fit and willing to be a donor, she’d definitely be a match.

  ‘I’ll be bald soon guys,’ Grace said just to break the silence. She had been hiding the bald patches with bandannas and hats, but she knew that the next bout of chemo would probably get rid of the rest of her hair. She looked up and saw the faces of her friends and realised that they didn’t know how to respond. So she put a big smile on her face and said. ‘So girls, I’m going to need a shopping trip soon to go get myself a new wig! And yes Gerry, don’t worry I’m including you too!’

  ‘Fabulous, darling. I can see you with a black bob – very Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Or maybe long red curly locks à la Julia Roberts or you could go really blonde like Charlize Theron!’ Gerry was in his element. He could see himself transforming Grace into all his favourite leading ladies!

  ‘Hold on there buddy, if you don’t mind, I’d like Grace to come home to me as Grace, not as someone else!’ Liam added.

  ‘Don’t you worry, babe, I’m coming home with a wig as close as I can get to my own! But with maybe one difference, no Frizz!’

  Tara and Abby laughed. They understood where Grace was coming from. She had a natural wave in her hair and unless blow-dried really well with a helping hand from the GHDs, it would frizz up.

  ‘Has Catherine gone home now?’ Tara asked.

  ‘Yeah, she left yesterday evening. But she’s going to come up on Friday to sit with me for the day while I have chemo.’

  ‘I’m looking forward to meeting her, Grace. She sounds like a great woman from what Liam’s told me,’ Tom commented.

  ‘She is Tom. I really like her. Other than the first half hour of meeting her, I feel really at ease in her company. She’s not pushing me in any way, trying to be my mother. She’s kind of like a cool aunt or something I suppose.’

  ‘What about your father?’ Tara gently asked.

  Grace shrugged.

  ‘She hasn’t asked Catherine yet. You’re going to though aren’t you, babe?’ Liam said.

  ‘It’s been a bit difficult to find the right time. She hasn’t mentioned anything, so I don’t like to,’ Grace said.

  ‘I’d ask her on Friday, darling,’ Gerry said.

  ‘Why Friday?’ Grace asked.

  ‘Sure how could she refuse to answer you when you’re hooked up to a bloody drip! You won’t even need to throw in any tears; the hospital alone will be enough to tug the heartstrings!’ Gerry declared.

  Grace laughed with the others then realised Gerry was actually serious. God, she loved how shallow and manipulative he was sometimes!

  Chapter Fifteen

  It was Tuesday afternoon and Grace was in the middle of her chemo. She was lucky really, as she hadn’t been too badly affected by it. Apart from some nausea each evening and feeling really tired, she was pretty much coping with it. She had still managed to get some mouth ulcers despite trying all the washes and lollies that Liam supplied her with. They were the things that annoyed her the most right now.

  Liam had been a godsend too. Knowing that his Daddy was looking after Jack in his own home after Montessori was great. They could do things slightly differently this time. As Liam was at home for Jack, Grace didn’t have to worry about finding different people to watch him. They had decided together that they needed to tell Jack that Mommy was sick, but not make it too big a deal. Jack was pretty amazing. They’d been really worried about telling him that Grace had to go to hospital, explaining that she needed to get some medicine. He had just walked over to Grace and given her a big sloppy kiss, ‘I kiss it better Mommy.’

  Grace felt her eyes mist up. This was so hard. ‘Thank you sweetie-pie, I feel so much better already. That kiss really helped. But I better get some medicine too, just to be sure. That okay with you?’

  ‘Mebibine Mommy?’ Jack asked, finding it difficult to say the word.

  ‘Yes my sweetie-pie, it’s good medicine. You just wait and see. I’ll be home before you even miss me!’

  Grace opened her eyes when she heard a noise, bringing her back from her thoughts. Catherine had arrived and was sitting beside her hospital bed.

  ‘How long have you been there?’ Grace asked her.

  ‘Just a couple of minutes, pet. You looked so peaceful, so I thought I’d leave you resting. How are you feeling?’ Catherine said.

  ‘Not too bad actually. You get used to the feeling of the drugs going into your system after the first session. I’m nearly done now. Only another hour or so. Traffic bad?’

  ‘No love, it’s grand. I didn’t know what to bring you, so I got you some glossies. The girls that work in my shop all say that these are the best.’

  Catherine pulled out Tatler, Stellar, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Way and Image.

  ‘That’ll keep me going for a while!’ Grace laughed. ‘You shouldn’t have, Catherine. I keep telling everyone that they have to stop bringing stuff with them when they visit. Having your company is the best present, honestly.’

  ‘How are Liam and Jack?’ Catherine asked.

  ‘Great. I think they’re secretly enjoying the time on their own. It’s good for Liam to be the primary carer for a while. I know he has a lot of guilt for the three years he missed. Spending quality time with Jack on his own helps ease that a little, I think.’

  ‘Do you think he’ll ever drink again?’ Catherine asked quietly.

  Grace thought about it for a few minutes before answering. ‘I don’t know to be honest. My gut instinct tells me he won’t. He’s had to deal with some heavy stuff over the last month or so and he hasn’t turned to the bottle, so I’m hopeful. We talk ab
out it and I think that helps both of us. We have a deal that we have to be honest with each other and that includes him feeling the need for a drink. Liam says that he’ll always want a drink and that he scales it each day from 1 to 10. Anything under five is fine, but if he feels the need is over five, he’ll go to an AA meeting.’

  ‘That sounds sensible. How often does he go to meetings then?’ Catherine asked.

  ‘Once a week religiously. Last week he went twice,’ Grace replied.

  ‘He needed a drink when I wasn’t a match?’ Catherine said anxiously.

  ‘Don’t be silly, Catherine. Don’t start blaming yourself for everything. As it happens, I think Jack caused it! Liam had just finished an article for his newspaper and Jack came bounding in and knocked Liam's coffee cup all over the papers. He only writes longhand, so it was a slight disaster!’

  ‘Oh dear. Did he go mad?’ Catherine said with a small laugh.

  ‘Nah, just jumped up and told Jack not to worry about it when he started to cry. But I was narky as hell that day too and poor Liam took the brunt of it, so I reckon he needed to get away from both of us!’

  Catherine noticed that Grace had her hair covered up completely with a scarf. ‘How’s the hair situation, pet?’

  ‘Ah, nearly all gone now! I’m going to have to shave the rest of it off. I’ve been avoiding it, but it’s driving me mad. The nurses have all said it’ll be easier just to get rid of the scraggly bits in the long run.’

  ‘That makes sense, Grace. It’ll be a tough moment for you I daresay.’

  ‘Not looking forward to being bald, but I’m going shopping next week for a wig. You’re not going to believe it but I found out yesterday that Liam was going to shave his head in support of me.’

  ‘That’s sweet Grace,’ Catherine said with a smile.