Page 13 of Snowed In
“Do you like it?” I ask politely.
“I do.” And she sounds so earnest, so damn cheerful about it, that I check to see if she’s joking.
She’s not.
“I work for this company that does eco mold remover,” she continues. “We’ve got a few products on the market now, but it’s still pretty small. My boss started the business in her kitchen a few years ago, and now they’re talking about expanding into Europe. The money isn’t amazing, but I like working there.” She pauses. “I think I love it, actually.”
“You sound surprised.”
“Everyone always thought I’d be a teacher.”
“My parents thought I’d end up in jail, so you’re doing better than me.”
“There’s still time,” she says pleasantly and pulls the zip of her jacket up. “What about you? Have you been in Dublin this whole time?” She sounds skeptical, which I understand. Dublin’s a capital city, but a small one, and it isn’t unusual to regularly bump into people you know.
“I just moved here,” I explain. “From London. My company started up an Irish branch and put me in charge.”
“The fools.”
“Tell me about it.”
“How’s it going?”
I shrug. “Fine, I think. No one’s fired me yet.”
“Do you like it?”
“I like the money.”
“Ah. Work to live, is it?”
“That’s it.”
“So, what do you do to live?” Her voice is probing, unabashedly curious, and I get an honest-to-God flashback. Not a sense of déjà vu. Not a vague,I’ve been here before. But a crystal-clear memory of seven-year-old Megan sitting in class with her hand in the air and her forehead creased in a constant frown as she pesters our teacher over and over and over again.Why?
It used to annoy the hell out of me.
But now I just feel a vague sort of affection for the woman beside me. It’s kind of comforting how so many years can pass, and yet a part of her is still exactly the same.
“I’m still figuring that part out,” I say truthfully, and she seems to accept this as we cross a junction and enter into that middle space between city and suburbia. It’s not exactly the nicest part of town. I can’t tell if things are downtrodden in a hipster way or a real way, but Megan seems to know where she’s going.
“What about everyone else?” she asks. “Liam?”
“Married,” I say, thinking of my eldest brother. “Two kids. Weirdly normal and well-adjusted, so they take after their mother’s side. Andrew’s in Chicago and has got himself a girlfriend. And then Hannah’s in college studying fashion.”
“College?” Megan makes a face. “I feel old.”
“What about you guys?” I know it’s just her mam and her brother, but for the life of me, I can’t remember his name. “How’s…”
“Aidan,” she supplies. “He’s in Melbourne. Don’t ask me what he’s doing, but it’s something with software for some other software, and it’s one of those cult companies that he spent six months interviewing for, and now they keep him trapped in the office. Like every time he tries to leave, they add an arcade game or something. He’s like a magpie.”
“Is he coming back for Christmas?”
“Yep,” she says, popping the p. “Big reunion time.”
I glance over at the uncomfortable edge to her tone. “You guys get along?”
“Oh, no, it’s not that,” she says quickly. “He’s great. Annoying but great. I want to see him. I’m just nervous about going home. It’s been a while.”
