Red Letter Day

by Colette Caddle

  'You're kidding.'

  She smiled. 'Yes, I am.'

  Chapter 23

  Marina applied a second coat of red lipstick and pouted at her reflection. She was getting ready for her third date with Dominic Nugent and she felt uncharacteristically nervous. The first night they'd met for drinks, the second, they went to dinner, but tonight she was going to Dominic's house. So far, he had kissed her hand or her cheek. Tonight, Marina had other plans. She was convinced that under that quiet demeanour lurked a passionate man just waiting for the right woman to discover him. And she, Marina decided, was the right woman. She'd chosen to wear a demure black dress that fell to the knee but which showed off her beautiful figure. And her underwear — as Dominic would find out — was far from demure. She smiled at her reflection and turned her attention to her jewellery box. She ignored her more dramatic pieces and instead chose some simple gold earrings and a heavy bangle. Slipping her stockinged feet into low black pumps, she ran downstairs.

  'You look lovely, dear,' Kay said, looking up from her newspaper.

  'Thanks, Mum. What do you think, Josh?'

  Her son scowled. 'You look yuck.'

  'That's very rude,' Kay snapped.

  'It's okay, Mum, I think he's a little bit upset at me going out again.'

  'That's no excuse.'

  Marina sighed and wondered if she should take her mother aside and have a chat. If they were going to live together there would have to be some rules about disciplining Josh. Marina had no objection to Kay taking control when she was at work but when Marina was there, Kay would have to learn to keep quiet. She was about to say something when Josh ran to her mother.

  'Granny, will you help me make my jigsaw?'

  'Of course, love.' Kay put aside her paper and got down on the ground beside him.

  Marina smiled. Maybe it would be better to say nothing for the moment. Her mother might be a tough disciplinarian but there was no doubt she was great with Josh. 'I'll leave you to it,' she said, slipping her wrap around her shoulders.

  'Josh, give Mummy a kiss,' Kay ordered.

  Josh obediently ran to Marina.

  'I love you, darling,' Marina murmured into his hair. 'I won't be late. Be good for Granny.'

  'We'll be fine, love, you go and have a good time.'

  Marina blew her a kiss. 'I will, Mum, thanks.'

  It was about twenty minutes' drive to Dominic's house. His directions were excellent and Marina found the tiny cottage quite easily. She eased the car into the driveway and parked beside his ancient, grey Volvo estate. She smiled as she saw that Dominic was standing in the porch waiting for her. So much for her plans of finding herself a rich husband!

  She joined him and lifted her cheek for his kiss. 'What a beautiful house.'

  'Would you like a tour?' he offered as he drew her inside.

  'Maybe later.'

  'Then come through and I'll get you a drink.'

  As Marina followed him, she admired the understated décor that allowed the beauty of the house to shine through.

  'Gin and tonic?' Dominic asked as she settled on a small but comfortable sofa.

  'Just a small one.'

  'Did you find the house okay?'

  'No problem.' She offered him a brilliant smile as he handed her the drink and went to make himself one. Marina noticed with satisfaction that his was rather larger and that his hand trembled slightly as he poured. She tapped her foot gently to the music playing in the background. 'I do love Bizet.' She noticed with amusement the surprise on Dominic's face. 'Just because I'm a model doesn't mean I'm completely uneducated,' she chided.

  'I never thought that for an instant,' Dominic protested.

  'I'm just teasing.'

  Dominic took a seat opposite her. 'Sorry. Do you like opera?'

  Marina nodded. 'Yes, but only the cheerful ones.'

  Dominic threw back his head and laughed. 'I know what you mean. All that dying in garrets can be a bit wearing.'

  'And it always takes so long for them to actually die,' Marina complained.

  'You must come to see my Henry Higgins.'

  'Pardon?'

  'Didn't Celine tell you? Hopefield Musical Society are putting on "My Fair Lady".'

  Marina's eyes widened. 'And you're the lead? Well, I didn't know you were a celebrity.'

  'Hardly.'

  Marina noticed with amusement the pleased look on his face. 'You must have a very good voice.'

  He shrugged. 'It's not bad but to be honest, I think I got the part because of my age. Most of the male members are pensioners.'

  'I'm sure you're just being modest. I'll look forward to your performance.'

  Dominic paused, his drink halfway to his mouth. 'You'll come?'

  'Well, of course I'll come.'

  Dominic smiled. 'That would be nice. Now, I must go and check on dinner.'

  'It smells lovely.'

  'It's nice to have someone to entertain. I love experimenting.'

  Marina made a face. 'I'm a lousy cook. I think it's the main reason Josh didn't object to moving in with Mum. He knew Granny would feed him well!'

  Dominic chuckled and excused himself and Marina took the opportunity to have a closer look at his bookcase. Intertwined with some classics were biographies, murder mysteries and thrillers. Taking up a large spot on the bottom shelf was a copy of Ulysses.

  'Have you actually read this?' She held it up for Dominic's inspection when he returned.

  'Of course not,' he laughed, 'but it looks good, doesn't it?'

  'It would if it weren't for all these thrillers next to it.'

  'I'm a sucker for blood and guts,' he admitted.

  Marina shook her head. 'You surprise me. You're such a gentle man.'

  Dominic's eyes twinkled. 'Ah, never judge a book by its cover.'

  Marina looked at him from under heavy lashes. 'I look forward to delving between the covers,' she murmured in a sexy drawl.

  Dominic visibly gulped. 'Er, right, well, I'd say the food is ready.'

  Marina stood up and crossed the room to stand just inches away from him. 'Good, because I'm really hungry.'

  Dominic ducked out the door. 'This way then. I'm afraid I've no dining room so we're eating in the kitchen.'

  'Much cosier,' Marina assured him and smiled when she saw the table was set with candles, flowers and linen napkins. 'You've gone to so much trouble.'

  Dominic shrugged. 'Now, for starters, we have salmon pâté. Oh, God, you do like fish, don't you?'

  'Love it.'

  'Thank God for that, because you're getting more of it for the main course.'

  Marina put her napkin in her lap and looked at the plate he put in front of her. At least five hundred calories, she figured. She'd have to starve tomorrow.

  Dominic pulled a bottle of Chablis from an ice bucket on the window ledge and poured it into crystal glasses. 'Cheers.'

  'Cheers.' Marina smiled at him. 'Thank you so much for inviting me.'

  Dominic beamed happily as he took his seat opposite her. 'It's my pleasure.'

  'So apart from music and books have you any other hobbies?'

  'I play squash.'

  Marina nodded in approval and her eyes slid to the outline of his torso under the heavy cotton shirt. 'I like a man who keeps in shape.'

  Dominic reddened. 'Not as much as I should. Richard drags me out for a game when he's about.'

  'Richard Lawrence?'

  'Yes, have you met him?'

  'No, I haven't had the pleasure yet.'

  'He's a nice guy, you'll like him.'

  'How are he and Celine getting along?'

  'Okay, I suppose. He's a very decent chap and I believe he bought a lot of new stuff for the flat.'

  Marina rolled her eyes. 'That's not quite what I meant.'

  'Oh? Oh!' Dominic nodded as the penny dropped. 'Well, I don't know if there's anything else going on. Celine is obviously a terrific girl. But Richard . . .'

  'Yes?' Marina prompted.

>   Dominic sighed. 'Well, he's not really the settling-down type.'

  Marina shrugged her slim shoulders. 'Neither is Celine.'

  'She's a widow, I believe.'

  Marina nodded. 'She was only twenty-one when Dermot died.'

  'She must have been distraught.'

  Marina put her head on one side. 'She was quite strong, actually. I'd have preferred it if she'd cried her eyes out.'

  'More therapeutic,' Dominic agreed, 'but sometimes it takes a long time for people to deal with their feelings.'

  Marina reached across and touched his hand. 'You seem to be speaking from experience.'

  'Not really, I wasn't bereaved, although it felt like it at the time. I went out with a girl for nearly five years — we were engaged for three of them. But she found someone else.' He gave a short laugh. 'Unfortunately, she neglected to mention her new love to me. She left her father to do it at the church.'

  'Oh, Dominic! How terrible!'

  'I was pretty devastated,' he admitted.

  'Is that when you decided to move to Ireland?'

  He nodded. 'You see, they didn't have the decency to rim away together. They set up home just around the corner. I couldn't take that, it was the final humiliation. So, I ran away.'

  'Anyone would have in such an impossible situation,' Marina assured him.

  'Maybe. Have you finished?' he asked.

  Marina nodded and he took their plates over to the counter. She stared out of the window at the small garden and wondered why nice people always seemed to draw the short straw.

  When Dominic had served their main course — monkfish stuffed with prawns — and topped up their wine glasses, Marina waved a hand around at their surroundings. 'I just love your house. Did you do all the decorating yourself?'

  'I had to. I didn't have the money to pay anyone else to do it! But it was a labour of love. It was almost uninhabitable when I bought it but I just knew it was exactly what I wanted. It helped that it was cheap, of course!'

  Marina stared at him in admiration. 'You turned a dilapidated shell into this, alone?'

  'Not quite. I let the experts take care of the electrics arid the plumbing. Knowing a property developer helped enormously.'

  'Richard helped you?'

  Dominic nodded. 'He took a look at the place and told me what needed doing. He also got me all the materials I needed at cut price.'

  'A nice friend to have,' Marina remarked.

  'He is.'

  'And you live here alone?'

  Dominic smiled. 'Yes, all alone. Once bitten, etcetera.'

  Marina frowned. 'Maybe I should leave right now!'

  'No! Please, I haven't enjoyed myself so much in a very long time.'

  'I haven't either.' Marina put down her knife and fork and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. 'And now I'm going to be very forward.'

  'Oh?'

  'Yes, I'd like that tour of your house now. And I'd like to start in the bedroom.'

  Chapter 24

  Fergus pushed open the door to the fitness club, nodded at the receptionist and wandered down the corridor whistling. He'd just come from the hospital and Rose was doing very well. She was able to get about now with the aid of a walker and her confidence was building. In a couple of days she'd be discharged and would go to stay with her sister, Babs, for a few weeks in Arklow. He had offered to take time off to look after her but, given that Rose would need help in and out of the bath, she'd decided that she preferred the help of a woman. Besides, she said, Fergus was still so new in the job it would be a bad idea to take time off so soon.

  Fergus didn't argue. He was a bit nervous of caring for his mother and he knew she'd be fine with Aunty Babs. The woman never stopped talking but she had a heart of gold and would treat Rose like a queen. In the snack bar, Fergus went behind the counter and slipped into his white jacket. 'How's it going?' he asked Cindy.

  'It's been very busy and there's a class just finishing so prepare for a rush.'

  'No problem.' He smiled at her. 'You go ahead and have your break.'

  Cindy slipped out of her jacket and adjusted her tiny blue top. 'See you later then.'

  'She fancies you.'

  Fergus whirled round and grinned as he saw Sarah approach. He pulled her to him and kissed her. 'There's no competition.'

  'Don't do that here or you'll get us both fired.' Sarah pushed him away but she looked pleased. 'How's your mum?'

  'Very well.'

  Sarah sighed. 'She'll be home soon, then?'

  Fergus grinned. 'Didn't I mention? She's going to stay with her sister for a few weeks.'

  Sarah punched him in the stomach. 'You sod! You know you didn't tell me!'

  'I thought it would be a nice surprise,' he murmured, pulling her close. 'We'll have the place all to ourselves for a while yet.'

  Sarah squirmed in his arms. 'You're just looking for an unpaid housekeeper.'

  'Oh, isn't this touching. Not bad, Gus. I didn't think ye'd ever get a woman, never mind one as cute as this.'

  Fergus froze as he looked over Sarah's head into the cold eyes of Mick Garvey. 'What are you doing here?' He moved so that he stood between Sarah and Mick.

  'I'm a member, of course. It's important to stay in shape, Gus, isn't it?'

  Fergus turned to Sarah. 'I'll see you later.'

  She looked worriedly from Fergus to the thin man with the hard features and the scar above his left eye. 'Are you sure?'

  'Sure.' He waited until she'd left before turning back to Mick. 'What do you want?'

  Mick looked up at the menu. 'Coffee, I think.'

  Fergus thought about throwing him out but the snack bar was filling up with women from the aerobics class and Fergus knew that Vincent wouldn't be impressed if he caused a scene. He poured a coffee and handed it to Mick.

  'Thanks, mate. Oh. Sorry, I don't think I have any cash on me.'

  'It's on the house,' Fergus said through gritted teeth.

  'Very decent of ye. Nice to know ye remember yer mates.'

  'I've got to get on,' Fergus said as a queue started to grow behind Mick.

  'Course ye do. We'll catch up some other time.' Mick winked. 'When it's quieter.'

  Fergus felt physically sick as he served, all the time keeping one eye on Mick who sat in the corner watching his every move. Fergus thought he should talk to his boss about banning Mick from the club but then Vincent would want to know why. Maybe he should just keep quiet. He was cleaning down the counter when Mick rose to leave, giving him a small salute before disappearing down the corridor. Fergus stared after him and decided that he'd have to deal with this himself, sooner rather than later. After all, he wasn't a kid any more and he wasn't on drugs. Mick Garvey had no hold over him. Not any more.

  Rose opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Richard sitting by her bed. 'Have you been here long?'

  'Just a few minutes. I didn't want to disturb you. How are you feeling?'

  'Not bad at all.' Rose pushed herself up on the pillow.

  'The nurse says you're making a good recovery.'

  Rose made a face. 'The food in here is a great incentive. I can't wait to sit down to a decent steak and chips. Have you heard how Fergus is getting on?'

  'Vincent seems very pleased with him and I think Fergus is happy.'

  'I hope so.'

  Richard shook his head. 'Stop looking for something to worry about, Rose, everything is fine.'

  'I know, but it's not easy given that he's back in Sandhill.'

  Richard looked at her. 'What do you mean?'

  Rose sighed. 'That's where he grew up, Richard. That's where it all started.'

  Richard blanched. 'Jesus, Rose, I'm so sorry. I had no idea!'

  'Why would you? Oh, Richard, I'm so afraid of him meeting up with the lowlifes who dragged him down.'

  'I'm sure, you don't have to worry about Fergus, he's a different person now.'

  'I know that but some of those lads were downright thugs. Who knows what they're capable of?'
r />   'They're probably all married with kids now and working for the civil service.'

  Rose smiled slightly but she wasn't convinced. 'I wish Fergus would settle down. He's too much of a loner.'

  'He's only twenty-four,' Richard protested. 'Worry when he's as old as me.'

  'So what about you?' Rose smirked. 'Any action?'

  'Rose Lynch, what a question!'

  'How's Celine?'

  He chuckled. 'Is there a connection between those two questions?'

  'You tell me.'

  'She'll be in to see you later,' he said standing up. 'Ask her.'

  Rose smiled as he bent to kiss her. 'I wouldn't dare! Thanks for coming, Richard. Keep an eye on Fergus, will you?'

  'Sure, but there's no need.'

  'I'd feel happier.'

  Richard sighed. 'You're a meddling old woman, do you know that?'

  'Less of the old please!'

  Before he started the car, Richard sent a text message to Celine. ROSE FINE. EXPECT QUESTIONS! Then he sent a message to Fergus. MEET ME 4 A PINT?

  He was climbing into his car when Celine's reply came through. He looked at it and laughed.

  WHAT HAVE U SAID?!

  He keyed in his reply. NOTHING. HONEST.

  As he started the engine, a reply came back from Fergus.

  8.30, DONNELLYS?

  Richard sent back a reply immediately. FINE. He reversed out of the parking spot and headed north, smiling as he imagined what Celine must be thinking. For days he had been threatening to tell Rose about their relationship and she'd made it clear what she'd do to him if he did. He understood her need for privacy but he was so happy lately that he wanted to tell the world. Failing that, he'd love to tell Rose. She knew how to keep a secret. He was disappointed he wouldn't see Celine tonight but he wanted to talk to Fergus as soon as possible. Now that he knew Fergus and Rose used to live in Sandhill, he understood the lad's reluctance to take the job at the leisure centre. He cringed as he remembered the tough time he'd given Fergus over it. Tonight he would apologise and try to find out if Fergus was having any problems in his old neighbourhood. Maybe if they finished up early he'd still get to tuck Celine in.

  The object of his affection was at that moment trying to politely tell a customer that she could not return a soiled jacket. 'This has obviously been worn,' she said, looking the woman straight in the eye.