‘Oh, yeah?’ Lucy shouted into his face. ‘Watch this space!’
She turned, swung the buggy out of the front door and marched down the driveway. I’ll show you, Gabriel, she thought. I’ll make you regret your words. I’ll raise the two most amazing kids in the world. Just you wait and see.
Part Two
* * *
2016
14
Billy was worried. He knew this was a great opportunity for the twins, but he thought Lucy was too invested in it. He was also worried the kids might not fit in. They were happy in their current schools. Of course he was proud of Dylan. What an amazing kid he was! To think of what he’d achieved – Billy couldn’t believe a grandson of his was so gifted.
Also, Billy had to admit, it was lovely to see Lucy so excited about something. She was so happy, like a young girl again. Billy was glad of that. She deserved to be happy – she’d had a lot of heartache and disappointment.
‘Dad?’ Lucy asked. ‘Should we get another pizza? I think we might need one more.’
‘Lucy.’ Billy took his daughter by the shoulders. ‘We have enough food for the feckin’ cast of Gandhi and Titanic combined. Will you stop fussing?’
Lucy smiled. ‘You’re right. I’m just so happy, Dad.’
‘You don’t say!’ Billy smiled back at her.
‘I’m so proud of them. Can you imagine? My twins going to the best school in Ireland! Dylan is incredible, isn’t he?’
‘Did I hear my godson’s name?’ Sarah came into the kitchen holding a big chocolate cake. Congratulations was written across the middle.
Lucy hugged her. ‘It’s gorgeous, thank you.’
‘I suppose it’ll have to be battle of the godmothers,’ Jenny said, as she strolled in holding up an equally large cake. ‘They can have one each. Mine’s for Kelly, though, because it’s got white icing, which is her favourite.’
Lucy took it from her sister. ‘Thanks, Jenny. She’ll be thrilled.’
‘Nice to see you out of the shed, Dad,’ Jenny said. ‘The last two times I’ve called in you’ve been hiding in there.’
‘Sure I see you all the time, these days. You’re never out of the place since you bought that apartment down the road. It’s like you never left. Besides, every man needs a room of his own,’ Billy said, ‘away from all the women’s talk.’
‘You could learn a lot from women’s talk, old man,’ Jenny teased. ‘I like living nearby – it’s nice to be able to drop in anytime I fancy and keep an eye on you.’ She picked up an olive and popped it into her mouth. ‘I hope the twins don’t become all stuck-up and annoying in St Jude’s. I like them just the way they are.’
Lucy bristled. ‘Of course they won’t. They’re very grounded, but it’s an incredible opportunity. A scholarship for the final two years of their education at the best school in Dublin will set them up for life.’
‘None of us went to St Jude’s and we all turned out okay,’ Jenny pointed out. ‘Sarah and I run our own businesses, and you help Dad with the shop and do all our accounts.’
Lucy muttered, ‘Not exactly my career goal. I was supposed to be a top lawyer, remember?’
‘Hey.’ Sarah leant over. ‘You have succeeded at the most important job of all, bringing up two amazing kids.’
Lucy smiled. Yes, they were amazing and they had saved her when times were tough. When she looked at them, the disappointment of her life not turning out as she had hoped faded away. Dylan and Kelly were her life. ‘They’re good kids, but they’re by no means perfect.’
‘Compared to my two, yours are angels,’ Sarah said.
‘Come on, Shannon and Ollie are great,’ Lucy said.
Jenny coughed as she poured them all a glass of wine. ‘They’re lively anyway,’ she said, handing Sarah and Lucy a glass each.
‘I’m grand here, don’t mind me,’ Billy grumbled.
‘Sorry, Dad. Do you want a beer?’ Lucy asked, opening the fridge door.
‘Don’t mind if I do. I’ve been slaving away here all afternoon and, in case you’ve forgotten, I’m sixty-four, not seventeen.’
‘You’ve moved a bit of furniture around. It’s not exactly slave labour,’ Jenny noted.
Lucy handed her father his beer. ‘Darren, would you like one?’
‘Yes, Darren, you must be worn out over there watching the football,’ Sarah drawled at her husband.
‘I’m keeping Billy company. Isn’t that right?’ Darren waved from the sofa at the other end of the kitchen extension.
‘Too right, Darren. It’s nice to have some male company. Too many bloody women in this house,’ Billy grumbled. ‘Thank God for Dylan.’
‘You love it, Dad. You love having Lucy and Kelly to look after you,’ Jenny said.
‘Well, I’d be waiting a long time for you to do it,’ Billy said.
Jenny grinned. ‘Consider me the son you never had. Cheers.’
A teenage girl wearing a very short, tight skirt rushed into the kitchen, followed by a ten-year-old dressed from head to toe in camouflage. ‘They’re about three minutes away,’ the girl shrilled.
‘Thanks, Shannon,’ Lucy said.
‘What in the name of God are you wearing? A face cloth?’ Darren asked.
‘It’s called fashion, Dad. Not that you’d know anything about that. FYI, cords went out in the seventies.’
‘I like my cords and no one’s going to tell me different.’
‘I agree with Shannon. They’re horrific and should be burnt,’ Jenny said. ‘Sarah, seriously, they have to go.’
Sarah shrugged. ‘He likes them and he’s happy.’
‘Yeah, but we have to look at them and they’re an eyesore. You’re not even forty yet, Darren, so stop dressing like my dad.’
‘It’s no wonder she hasn’t a husband the way she goes on,’ Billy said. ‘No lad could listen to that kind of abuse.’ To his younger daughter, he said, ‘You’d want to tone your opinions down or you’ll never get a lad to marry you.’
‘It’s 2016, Dad. Women are allowed to have opinions now, and jobs and the vote.’
‘You were born with opinions,’ Billy retorted.
‘So, Jenny, tell me, what was Elle Sapphire like? Was she nice?’ Shannon asked.
Jenny took a sip of her wine. ‘She was a total diva. The hotel manager told me that she’d demanded her room be filled with white orchids, Evian bottled water at room temperature, fresh mango, chocolate-covered strawberries and two bottles of Dom Pérignon on ice.’
‘Is she stunning?’
‘To be honest, she looked a bit rough when I got there. She’s got bad skin, but obviously by the time I was finished with her she looked incredible.’ Jenny grinned. ‘She was tricky, though. She asked me to do her make-up one way and then said it was all wrong and I had to redo the whole thing. Mind you, she paid me a fortune so I’m not complaining.’
‘Well, she looked fabulous on TV so you did a great job. Kelly and me wanted to go to her concert but the tickets sold out in seconds.’
‘I know. I asked her manager if you two could come backstage with me, but he said no way. Her security is really tight since her kidnapping scare.’
‘Did she say anything about Colin King? Are they together?’
‘I don’t know. I asked her if she was seeing anyone and her PR girl nearly had a seizure – she was all over me like a cheap suit. “No questions.” I said, “Relax, I’m just making conversation.” But there was no way Elle was going to tell me anything with the PR woman breathing down her neck. It’s a pity because if I’d had her on my own I definitely would have got info.’
‘You have such a cool job,’ Shannon said. ‘I bet Kelly ends up doing something creative too. I don’t have a creative bone in my body.’
Lucy handed Shannon a party popper. ‘Kelly’s going to college to get a law degree.’
‘Here we go with the law degree,’ Jenny said.
Lucy glared at her. ‘She’s my daughter, Jenny, and she’s really brigh
t. There’s no way I’m going to let her waste those brains. She’s not going to make the mistakes I did. She’s going to get a proper degree, and if she wants to do something creative in her spare time or later on in life, she can. But she’ll get a solid foundation first.’
‘They’re here,’ Ollie shouted, and ducked down from the window.
Billy switched off the TV and everyone stopped talking. The kitchen door opened, and as the teenagers walked in, everyone jumped up and cheered.
Kelly grabbed Dylan’s arm. ‘Jesus, guys, you nearly gave me a heart attack,’ she gasped.
Dylan grinned. ‘Wow, this is great, thanks.’
Lucy went over to hug him. ‘I’m so proud of you.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’
She turned to Kelly, who was talking to Shannon and Jenny. ‘Congratulations,’ she said to her daughter.
Kelly shrugged. ‘It’s Dylan who deserves to be congratulated. He got the scholarship. I’m just part of the package.’
‘Yes, but you’re really smart and it’s a fantastic school and a brilliant opportunity for you.’
‘So you keep saying.’ Kelly sighed. ‘I’m perfectly happy in Woodside. I don’t see why Dylan can’t go to fancy St Jude’s on his own.’
‘Can we please not have this argument again?’ Lucy said wearily. ‘It’s the best school in Dublin and tons of really successful lawyers have come out of there. You’ll be in good company. I’d appreciate it if you could try to be happy about it.’
‘Why should I when I don’t want to go?’
‘Hey, guys, let’s not argue now. Come on, it’s a celebration. Look, Kelly, I got you your favourite cake.’ Jenny pulled her niece over to look at it. She wanted to get her away from Lucy before another argument blew up. Those two had been fighting since Kelly was born. They were too alike, strong-minded and smart. But Jenny knew that, underneath, Kelly was just a ball of teenage mush and insecurity. She was a lot less confident than Lucy had been at that age, less sure of herself.
Jenny couldn’t remember a time when Lucy wasn’t banging on about studying law. From a very young age it was all she had ever wanted to do. She was so focused and studious, it had made Jenny’s life much harder. Lucy had set the bloody bar so high, and Jenny was never going to come close. It was a good thing Jenny hadn’t wanted to do law or anything bookish because she’d always have been second best.
But Kelly was different. She hadn’t had an adoring father, like Lucy had. Kelly had no dad – she didn’t even know his name. Lucy had told the twins she’d had a fling with a boy in college and that he’d left the country as soon as he’d found out she was pregnant. She had been honest from the beginning but had never told them his name.
Kelly had asked Jenny recently who her dad was. She’d said she wanted to try to find him, but Jenny had respected her sister’s wishes and said she didn’t know his name. She’d lied to protect Kelly, too. Tom had made it obvious he wanted nothing to do with them and she couldn’t bear her niece to be hurt again.
To be fair, Lucy had been a fantastic mother, but sometimes Jenny wished her sister would go a bit easier on the twins, especially Kelly. She was a great kid and didn’t need all that pressure.
Lucy was definitely tougher on Kelly about getting top marks than she was with Dylan. It was as if she saw herself in her and was determined that her daughter would succeed and be the woman Lucy had always wanted to be. But Jenny could see that Kelly was struggling under the weight of expectation. It wasn’t fair to put so much on a seventeen-year-old’s shoulders. Kelly was smart, and she studied harder than any other teenager Jenny knew. Lucy had decided Kelly was going to be a successful lawyer and that was that. Jenny worried that Kelly would end up being forced into a career that she would hate, just to please her mum.
A glass tinkled. It was Billy. ‘If I could have your attention, please.’
Everyone turned to him.
‘Get down out of that, Ollie.’ Darren pulled his son off the kitchen counter, where he was trying to do a headstand.
‘I just want to say a few words to mark this day. First of all, congratulations to Dylan for winning a sports scholarship to St Jude’s. I hope you and your sister won’t disown us when you start hanging about with the posh set up there.’
‘You’d better not.’ Shannon nudged Kelly, who rolled her eyes.
‘No, but seriously, I want to congratulate Lucy. From the day you twins were born, she’s done everything in her power to make your lives the best they can be. She has worked harder than any other mother I know to give you the best life possible and she had to do it on her own. It’s not been easy, she’s had to dig deep, and I’m very proud of her. She has raised two fantastic young people who are a credit to her.’
‘Hear, hear,’ Sarah shouted.
‘And not only that, but soon after you were born, when your granny Tina got cancer, Lucy had to help nurse her and look after me and Jenny too. She’s been the rock in our family. When Tina died I fell apart, but it was Lucy who got me back on my feet. You were only toddlers so you won’t remember, but it was your mum who helped me to keep the business afloat and carry on. She’s an amazing woman and she has sacrificed so much for this family. We owe her a deep debt of gratitude.’
Lucy brushed a tear away. Dylan put his arm around her. ‘He’s right. You are brilliant,’ he whispered.
‘What about me? Remember your other daughter?’ Jenny joked to hide the hurt. It stung that Billy only remembered Lucy being brilliant and Lucy nursing Tina. It had been hell for Jenny to watch her mum die and have to sit her Leaving Cert exams while her mother lay in the next room, pumped so full of morphine that she didn’t know if it was day or night.
Okay, Lucy had done a lot of the caring, but Jenny had looked after the twins while her sister and her dad had tended Tina. Jenny had also worked in the shop when Lucy was too busy with the kids and Billy was ferrying Tina to and from chemo appointments. Jenny was the one who had made Tina laugh during those awful years, always telling her silly stories to make her smile. But Billy never seemed to remember that. It was always Lucy.
Jenny knew how Kelly felt, having Dylan as the star of the family, the favourite child. Jenny had always come second, too. Most of the time she hadn’t cared but sometimes, like now, it stung a little.
‘I’ll get to you in a minute.’ Billy smiled.
‘Dylan and Kelly, I know I’m only your granddad, but I’ve loved watching you grow up and being able to help out, especially with Dylan’s football. My God, the fun I’ve had watching you become the star player you are. And, Kelly, you’re a fantastic girl too, always with your head in your books, doing so well in school. You’re a great girl.’
‘Yes, she is,’ Jenny agreed. ‘And drop-dead gorgeous too.’
Kelly blushed. Jenny winked at her. Her niece had no idea how stunning she was. Kelly had really blossomed this summer, going from a tall, gangly teen to a slim, stunning young woman. Her face had fleshed out a little, her skin was tanned, she’d grown her dark hair long and she had those eyes! Lucy said they were Tom’s, that Kelly was a beautiful female version of him. No wonder she’d fallen for him, Jenny thought. Those eyes were killer green and mesmerizing.
‘I know it hasn’t been easy for you both not having a dad around,’ Billy continued, ‘but your mum has managed to make up for that by being the best mother ever. You’re lucky to have her. I thought she was mad when she decided to train as a humanist celebrant to earn more money to pay for all your extra-curricular activities and holidays in Spain, but she’s done a great job. People are queuing up to have her marry or bury them.’
‘Come on, the Vicar of Violet Road,’ Darren heckled.
‘She always liked to preach,’ Jenny said.
‘The ravishing reverend,’ Sarah said.
‘The pain-in-the-arse preacher,’ Kelly muttered, as Shannon giggled beside her.
‘I’m still waiting,’ Jenny said to Billy.
Billy grinned. ‘Twins, you were also ve
ry lucky to have an aunt like Jenny, who was living here for the first seven years of your lives and helped out a lot. Even since she moved out she’s remained very hands-on with you and will be even more so now she’s living in her apartment two minutes away. You’ll probably be sick of seeing her.’
‘Never,’ the twins shouted.
‘In all seriousness, it’s good to have you so close by, Jenny. We’re all delighted you’re back in the neighbourhood, and you’ve been a wonderful aunt to these kids.’
Jenny smiled. Finally, praise from her dad. It felt good. It wasn’t the ode-to-Lucy type of praise, but it was nice all the same.
‘Well, that’s it, really, so here’s to you Dylan, Kelly and to my darling Lucy.’
Lucy went up and hugged him. She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. ‘Thanks, Dad, lovely words.’
‘I meant every one. You’ve been incredible, Lucy, to all of us,’ Billy whispered in her ear.
‘I couldn’t have done it without you, Dad. You’ve been a rock to me too. Especially with Dylan. If it wasn’t for you, he’d never have played football – and look at him now, a star.’
‘He’s a great kid and I’ve loved watching him play.’
‘Do you want some cake, Mum?’ Dylan asked.
‘Thanks, love.’
Sarah took photos of the twins beside their cakes and more as they rubbed icing into each other’s faces.
While the kids stuffed themselves with cake, then watched funny, and inappropriate, videos on YouTube, Sarah and Lucy sat outside in the little front garden, eating cake and drinking wine.
‘So, how does it feel for the twins to be going to Tom’s old school?’ Sarah asked tentatively. Any mention of Tom and Lucy tensed, so she had to tread carefully.
Our Secrets and Lies Page 8
