With a smile, she handed it over.
Belle chatted non-stop on the way to the shiny new Range Rover pulled up outside. Raoul drove expertly as Belle talked. “Raoul has to go into work, so he’s just going to drop us home and head straight out.”
Raoul worked? “What do you do, Raoul?”
“I run an export business. We are very busy with orders this time of year. I wanted to be here to greet you, but unfortunately business can’t wait.”
“Raoul’s company are the major pearl exporters on the island,” Belle said. “Wait until you see them, darling. They’re gorgeous. I’ll show you some when we get home.”
“You should let her rest.”
“I’ve sorted my jewelry box especially for Val’s visit.” Belle laughed. “She always loved poking around in my shiny things. Didn’t you, Val?”
Belle’s words sparked a memory. Dressing up in her mother’s costume jewelry, staggering around in sky-high heels. The two of them swathed in brightly colored feather boas, acting like kids. She’d forgotten the fun they used to have.
“We’re here.”
The car pulled up outside a large, white villa covered in hot-pink bougainvillea, facing the azure ocean. The house was so beautiful Val just stood and stared.
“Raoul bought it a couple of years ago,” Belle said, as they walked to the house. “He says it was a good investment, but I suspect he just loved it on sight.”
Raoul draped an arm around Belle’s shoulders. Gazed deep into her eyes, with a look of passion that couldn’t be faked. “It was empty, then. Now that I have someone to share it with, it is truly perfect.”
He placed Val’s bag inside the front door, “I have to go. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He kissed Belle, squeezed her hand, and strode away.
“Come on in.”
As they entered, a dark haired lady dressed in an apron, rushed in. “I’m sorry, I was baking.”
“Maria, this is my daughter, Val.”
The woman grasped Val’s hand. “Belle has spoken of you often,” The warmth in her voice was matched by her smile. “Your room is ready.” She turned her attention to Belle. “Shall I take Val’s bag?”
“Leave it.” Belle said. “We’ll take it up later. Right now, I want to show my daughter around.”
“I’ll bring tea.” Maria brushed her hands over her apron. “And something to eat. Some pastries, maybe?”
“Perfect.”
There was no way Belle had the finances to support this lifestyle. The car, the villa, the staff—all of them must be paid for by Raoul. Instead of the gold-digger Val had thought him, it was obvious that he was a wealthy man whose love for her mother must be real.
Shame skittered along Val’s spine as she followed her mother into an elegant room with floor length glass windows facing the ocean. She’d misjudged him. Purely because he was younger. Hadn’t considered for a moment that perhaps Belle had found that most elusive of things, love.
“He’s not what you expected,” Belle said as they sat opposite each other on rich cream sofas.
“No, he’s not.”
“I knew that.” Belle’s fingers played with tassels of a cushion she’d placed on her lap. “Raoul is thirty-five. The fact that he’s younger is just one aspect to him, but I knew it would be difficult for you to get over.”
There was no point in denying it. She had jumped to a conclusion about him based purely on the one thing she knew about him. His age. “I thought he might be, you know…”
“After my money?” Belle didn’t look remotely disturbed by the thought. “At the beginning, I doubted him. Until I got to really know him, to understand him. Raoul says age is just a number, and he’s proved that to me. We’re very happy together, and have a great group of friends. We wanted to hold a little party to celebrate you being here, just a small gathering of our closest friends. I’d like you to know them.”
“I’d like that.”
“There’s something else I want to talk to you about.” Belle bit her lip. “Something serious.”
What could be more serious than Belle’s upcoming wedding? Val waited.
“When we are married, neither of us will be coming back to Ireland,” she said. “I want to put the house on the market, but I didn’t want to do that before talking to you about it. I’m settled here. I love our home, and our life, and when the house is sold I can give you some money—”
Val’s response was instant. “I don’t need anything, Mum.”
Belle nodded. “I knew you’d say that, but I want to give you some seed capital to set up on your own. Consider it a business venture on my part, if you won’t take it with no strings attached. You worked so hard while you were married. I want to do this for you.”
Maria came in with a laden tray, and Belle took it from her and set it on the coffee table between the two sofas. “Now, enough of that. Tell me about you. Any love interest on the horizon?”
*****
Mid-way through the week, good news visited the offices of Logan & O’Donoghue. They’d been selected to take part in Wonderful Houses. Finn should be ecstatically happy. Connor and Anna sure were.
“They want to start filming before we’ve even broken ground,” Connor said. “With our first meeting discussing the budget and the details of the build.”
“Great.” Finn tried for delighted, but missed it by a mile. He rubbed the back of his neck, and shoved another espresso pod into the coffee machine.
“That’s three.” Connor frowned. “Triple espressos are going to have you wired, Pal.”
Finn shrugged. Nothing seemed to shift his mood nowadays. Since Val left, he’d been in a funk that was impossible to shake. Her leaving the party with his brother had been bad, but walking back into the room where all his family waited had been way worse.
His mother had been full of questions, and the rest of his family had gazed at him with pity in their eyes. He’d been well and truly smacked down for the sin of telling her he loved her. She’d left the country without so much as a phone call.
“What the hell is the matter?” Connor perched on the corner of Finn’s desk. “I thought you’d be happy that we’ve got the contract, but you’re not.” He frowned. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Val.”
Connor’s frown disappeared. “She wants more, huh?” He looked sympathetic. “I know you’re used to casual, but maybe if she’s worth it, you have to reconsider.”
The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Finn. He’d always been the one to run from commitment. Now, for the first time ever, he wanted more, and Val was the one heading for the distant hills. “That’s not the way it went down.” He swallowed the strong coffee. “I…” God, Connor would think he was a total idiot. “I told her I loved her, and she ran.”
Connor’s eyes widened. “Okay, so you just backtrack, make a joke out of it, and work on her.” He grinned. “The sex is hot, right?”
Finn nodded.
“And she likes your company. You have fun, don’t you?”
Finn nodded again, feeling rather like one of those bobble-heads in the back window of a car. “It’s not quite that simple. She’s divorced, and pretty phobic about getting involved with someone again. I took her home.”
“Yikes.” Connor grimaced. “Full family immersion? I can see how that might have been difficult.”
“It gets worse. She didn’t want to meet everyone as my girlfriend, but capitulated at the last minute. While we were at the party, I said I loved her in front of everyone.”
“They all heard?”
The memory of his shouted words in the silent room filled Finn’s head. “Yeah. The music was loud, I was talking to Steven, and shouting. Then the music stopped.”
“Oh God.”
“I thought for a minute she was going to be okay with it. There was something in her eyes, but then I said it again, and she bolted. She told me it was over, and left the country to visit her
mother.”
“But she’s coming back.” Connor stood. “The question is, are you going to try again?”
Am I? She’d been adamant. Determined to end it. His heart was bruised, and no amount of whiskey had eased the pain. He’d tried. He’d put himself out there, in front of his entire family, dammit, and she’d rejected him. He should move on. Should have some self-respect, and some respect for her wishes too. But the thought of life without her…
“Yes, I am.” He didn’t know exactly how, but he was definitely going to try again.
*****
“Alejandro is dying to meet you.” Belle fastened the black pearl necklace that her fiancé had given Val around Val’s neck. “He’s based in London, which isn’t so far from Dublin, is it?” Her eyes twinkled with suppressed excitement. “He’s single, and totally gorgeous. Raoul does business with him, and I’ve met him a few times, he’s—”
“Mum. I’m not interested in being set up.” Val fingered the necklace.
“You need a boyfriend, darling.” Belle was determined. “I want you to find someone. It isn’t healthy for someone your age to be without a partner.”
Val hadn’t told her mother about Finn, but couldn’t hold back anymore. “I was seeing someone. We broke up last week.”
Belle grabbed Val’s hand and pulled her down onto the bed. Her eyes were wide with concern. “Did he treat you badly?” Her lips compressed. “So many young men these days are just after sex, they run at the first sign of something more permanent. I can’t bear the thought that your heart was broken again. I wish I knew him, I’d…” She twisted her hands together in an eloquent strangling gesture.
“He told me he loved me. In a room filled with his family.”
“Oh.” Belle blinked. Her mouth opened, then closed again.
“I haven’t been seeing him long,” Val explained. “Our relationship was only supposed to be casual, I didn’t want more.”
“You didn’t?”
I did. I do. Since she’d walked out, Val hadn’t been able to think of anything else apart from the look on Finn’s face as she’d turned away from him. “I thought I didn’t.”
“How do you feel now?”
Val searched for words to explain the feelings that churned inside. Alone. Bereft, Empty. “I miss him. I miss being with him.” She covered her eyes to hide the sting of tears. “I think I made the biggest mistake of my life.”
Belle put her arm around Val’s shoulders and hugged her tight. “You never know when love will come calling,” she whispered. “The amount of time you’ve been together doesn’t matter. If you love him, you love him. I know you’re scared—your marriage break-up was hard on you.”
“Not as hard as you think.” Years of guilt poured out. “After Michael cheated, he begged me to give him another chance, but I was relieved, really. I didn’t want to be the responsible one anymore. Didn’t want to try to save our marriage.” She raised her tear-stained face to her mother’s. “What sort of person does that make me?”
Belle handed Val a tissue from the box on the dressing table. “Someone married to the wrong man.”
Chapter Nineteen
The fire Maggie and Val had built in the fireplace blazed. They sat before it, cross-legged, the white leather sofas pushed back out of the way. On the hearth, an open bottle of red had barely got the chance to breathe before it had been poured into large glasses. The huge wooden bowl, intended for salad, was full to the brim with hot, buttered popcorn.
“So, where are you meeting him?” Maggie asked.
“I said I’d meet him at his place.” Val drank some wine. “I thought about meeting him for a drink, but…”
“You didn’t want other people around.” Maggie nodded. “Just in case.”
It wasn’t that. She’d publicly rejected Finn; he had every right to do the same back. “Going to his house is hard for me. He’ll be in his element; he won’t feel threatened. I thought it was only fair that it happens at his house.”
“Fair enough,” Maggie said. “When?”
Val looked at her watch. “An hour.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “An hour?” Her gaze flickered over Val’s jeans and casual cotton jumper. “What the hell? You need to get ready.”
“I thought I’d just wear this.” Nerves formed a fist around Val’s stomach and squeezed tight.
“No, no, no.” As if there were any doubt to Maggie’s feelings on the matter, she accompanied the words with a finger-wagging. “No way. You’re nervous as hell. You haven’t eaten for days, and you’re chugging that wine like it’s water. I’m not letting you go around there looking like a bedraggled waif. If you’re going to prostrate yourself before the mighty Finn and beg him to give you a second chance, you’re going to look like a goddamn goddess doing it.” Her mouth curved in a wicked smile. “I have the perfect outfit in mind.” She swallowed the last of her wine and stood. “Come on.” She reached for Val’s hand. “Finish your drink and get ready to rock his world.”
The taxi Val had ordered arrived on time. She picked up her purse, and glanced down at her legs, barely covered in sheer black hose. “You don’t think this is too much for afternoon?”
Maggie had insisted that the fitted black dress accessorized with black stiletto heels would knock Finn dead, and that any resistance he had to seeing her again would evaporate with one flick of her mascaraed eyelashes. The dress clung to her curves, and ended just above the knee, with an oversized gold zipper from neckline to hem. She knew she looked good, but couldn’t stop playing with the chain strap of her purse. What if he says no?
“You look fantastic,” Maggie said. “Have you got everything? Your phone? Keys?”
Val nodded.
“Call me later.” Maggie placed a hand on Val’s back and gave a little push. “It’s going to be okay.”
Val turned and enveloped Maggie in a hug. “Thanks for being there.”
A horn blared from outside. The taxi was getting impatient. “Go get him, Val.”
*****
Finn had been so surprised to hear from Val, he’d agreed instantly to seeing her. After all, it was a Saturday. A day he almost always spent lying around at home, doing as little as possible. He’d forgotten that this Saturday would be different. In preparation for the first shooting episode of Wonderful Houses, he had an appointment with Jasper Smith, the client whose house was to be featured. On site—a swathe of muddy land outside the city.
He’d thought he’d have plenty of time to conclude business, but things weren’t going according to plan at all. Jasper had been late, and had brought a friend with him he insisted on chatting to about everything under the sun. By the time Finn had managed to focus his attention on the plans he’d brought, it was mid-afternoon.
Val was arriving at his house in half an hour, and there was no way in hell he’d get back in time. “Excuse me for a moment.” He left the two men talking, stepped a discreet distance away and called her.
“Hello?” Her voice was breathless. The hum of music was in the background.
“Where are you?”
“I’m in a taxi. We’re stuck in traffic. There’s a boyband playing in Dublin this evening.” She sounded frustrated.
Finn made a snap decision. “My meeting has run over. How about you divert and come out here?” She didn’t know he’d got the contract. Showing her might make their meeting less tense. “We won the Wonderful Houses contract, and I’m on site.”
“That’s great! Where are you?”
Finn gave her directions and heard her pass them on to the driver. He smiled as he stowed his cellphone in his pocket, and walked back. They would be going against the traffic. She’d be here soon.
*****
“Are you sure this is where you want to be?” The taxi driver leaned forward and peered through the windshield. “There’s nothin’ here.”
They’d pulled up behind Finn’s car on the quiet country road. He’d told her to get out here, and that he was workin
g on the site across the field. She could just about make him out in the distance.
“This is where I want to be.” Val paid the tab, and tipped him generously.
“Shame you didn’t bring a coat, love.” The taxi driver frowned. “It looks like rain.”
“I’ll be fine.” With luck, Finn might have left his car unlocked. She angled her knees sideways, and stepped out. Slammed the door, and watched the taxi disappear.
She tried Finn’s car door. Locked.
She’d call him. Val fished around in her purse and found her phone. She frowned. Held it up and walked around for a few minutes, holding it up in the air searching for signal. Damn. No luck.
She walked to the rusty metal gate between the hedgerows. Put her hand up high, and waved. Relief flooded her as Finn waved back, but changed to dismay as his arm swept back behind him in a come-on-over gesture. He was standing with two other men who must be his clients. There was obviously no way he could leave them and walk across the field to her. She’d have to go to him.
She unbolted the gate, stepped into the field on tiptoe, keeping her heels from sinking into the soft ground. If Maggie could see me now. She bit back a nervous laugh as she shot the bolt of the gate behind her. This certainly wasn’t what they’d imagined when she’d stepped into her do-me heels.
The ground was uneven, but at least it wasn’t muddy. It was too far away to see if the men were watching her unsteady progress across the uneven clods of earth, but they were facing her direction, so she tried her best to look as though walking across a field in heels was part of her everyday reality.
Her fingers were clenched around the chain strap of her bag. Under Maggie’s tutelage, she’d tousled her bob into a sexy style and sprayed it with hairspray. Unfortunately, the horizontal wind had totally undone the look she’d spent what seemed like forever creating. A strand of hair blew across her face, and got stuck on her lip-gloss. She pushed it away, careful not to smear Berry Crush all over her face.
If I could go back in time… She ruefully thought back to her jeans, sweater and comfortable sneakers. Pulled in a deep breath, and plastered on a smile. Halfway there.
Logan 02 Three Minutes to Happiness Page 14
