Page 127 of The Rebound
“Just distribute the T-shirts, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The rest of the group isn’t anywhere near as suspicious as Ned. In fact, they seem delighted to finally meet me, the mysterious sister they’ve never seen. There must be around two dozen people there. But by eight even more show including parents towing their children with homemade signs, tourists from the nearby rental cottages wanting to see what all the fuss is about, and, as Ned promised, a few reporters from the local radio stations, capturing soundbites for the morning headlines.
At eight-thirty, just as the developers are due to arrive, Louise starts her speech.
“This is a public beach,” she says to the gathered crowd. She stands on a sea-beaten log with Ned beside her, looking like he’s about to head into battle. “The oceans are for everyone; thislandis for everyone. This beach has stood open to anyone who wants to visit it for hundreds of years and now they just want to seal it off? For some luxury hotel that’ll take it from us? That’ll continue to cordon off each bit of land until there’s nothing left? Is that what we want?”
“No!” the crowd yells, and Tomasz laughs when I join in with them.
She doesn’t need a megaphone, even with the wind and the roar of the ocean behind us. Her voice carries loud and clear, full of purpose. Full of promise. I’ve never seen her like this before. I didn’t accompany her on her protests and marches when we were younger. I only saw her arguments around the family dinner table, which didn’t have the same effect. Or at the Easter Fun Day, where her zeal had seemed misplaced among the petting zoo and painted eggs. But now she’s in her element.
“She’s really good at this,” I say to Tomasz from where we linger at the back of the crowd.
“I know. It’s how we first met.”
“I thought you met on a night out?”
“We did,” he says affectionately. “We were in the queue for Coppers,” he explains, mentioning the famous nightclub in Dublin. “She was standing in front of me and someone had the misfortune to litter right beside her. I’d never seen anyone so fired up.” He grins at the memory. “I thought she was drunk but then I learned that’s just Louise. I fell a little bit in love with her right there.”
“That’s sweet. I think.”
“She’ll never be a diplomat,” he says as a photographer snaps a picture of her. “But she cares. And she tries. I’ve never met anyone like her.” His eyes drift over my shoulder. “Oh, look,” he adds casually. “Your special friend.”
“Abby!”
I turn to see Luke striding toward me, dressed inappropriately for the drizzly weather in shorts and an Oceans T-shirt.
“Did I miss anything?” he asks. Before I can respond he kisses me hello in front of everyone. Tomasz politely averts his gaze.
“They just started,” I say when I find my voice again. “We’re waiting for the developers.”
As I speak, the crowd starts to break apart, taking up their positions along the entry points to the beach. Louise heads toward us.
“I brought some friends,” he says when she nears, and gestures behind us to where even more cars are looking for a space to park.
“Is it press?” Louise asks.
“Even better,” Luke says seriously. “It’s Clonard’s under-seventeen girl’s football team. Division Three almost-champions.”
“Almost?”
“You have to win it to be champions.”
She stares at him. “You brought the whole team here?”
“Sure,” he says. “I just sent a text around telling them to—” He breaks off as Louise grabs the front of his T-shirt, holding him steady as she kisses him firmly on the cheek. “Thank you,” she says before she hurries over to them.
Tomasz takes a sip of tea from his flask. “She does that again and you’re going on my list, my friend.”
“Hi, Mr. Bailey,” a few of the girls call in unison. Luke waves as they start to pull the T-shirts on over their clothes, but it’s the mothers who are watching him, smiling broadly as their gazes linger. Suddenly Tomasz’s list doesn’t seem so ridiculous.
“What?” Luke asks at the look on my face.
“You really are oblivious, aren’t you?”
“To what?”
