Page 64 of Just Say Yes
‘Thank you, kind sir.’
Beside me, Calum was vibrating with holding in whatever it was he wanted to say but a glance from me kept him silent. I gave him a wave and turned back to focus on the steps in front of me.
‘Look after yourself and we’ll talk soon,’ Lorcan said, glancing over his shoulder before concentrating on taking as much weight as he could from me as we headed to the car he’d parked at the bottom of the steps.
* * *
‘So, I have a couple of projects to check on in Dublin and a short meeting. You’re welcome to come with me but I’m sure you have plenty of your own work to do, plus we still need to be careful about that leg. I know a great dog-friendly café that we can ensconce you in, if you don’t mind dog-sitting? Would that be OK? I’ll take him with me if not. It’s not a problem.’
‘No, that sounds good. I’m happy to keep Bod with me.’
‘Great, thanks.’
I was realistic enough not to read anything into the fact that Lorcan had taken to using ‘we’ sometimes now, but inside there was a tiny part of my heart that fluttered with warmth when he did. It had been a long time since I’d felt part of a ‘we’. On occasions in the past when it had been employed I’d felt uncomfortable about it, my independence being so ingrained in me over the years, but somehow here, with Lorcan, it felt OK. More than OK, in fact. I couldn’t help liking the sound of it.
Having said an unexpectedly heartfelt goodbye to Gerry and Brighid, Lorcan, Bod and I were preparing to leave and set off across the country for his meetings and our flight back to London later this evening.
‘Can you take Bod if I take your case?’ Lorcan asked, already handing me the pooch, clearly knowing I couldn’t refuse the fluffy little face looking up at me.
I waved again to my new friends and added in a little paw wave from Bod, a whimsical move that took me by surprise. I didn’t do whimsy. I was down-to-earth, sensible Madeleine, fully grounded in reality. But their smiles at my action made me wonder if I’d been missing out on something by being so set in those ways. Oh, Maddie, come on. Of course not. The sooner I got back to my cottage, the better. There was something about Ireland that was determined to try and work some sort of magic on me and I just didn’t have room, or time, in my life for magic.
‘Ready?’ Lorcan asked.
I nodded and his smile stayed in place as he moved towards the door, motioning for me to go first as he opened it.
‘Oh!’ The woman on the other side jumped, placing a hand on her chest. ‘Lord, you gave me a fright.’
‘Sorry.’ I laughed, turning to Lorcan. My laughter died in my throat as I saw his face drain of colour and the smile he’d worn just seconds ago disappear, his features hardening like stone. The woman followed my gaze.
‘Lorcan.’ Her eyes shifted between me and him. ‘I… didn’t know you were back.’
‘Just for the weekend.’ The words were clipped and his eyes shifted to me. ‘We should get going if we’re not going to miss the plane,’ he stated, taking hold of the suitcase handles again.
We had hours, not to mention his meetings, before the flight, but he clearly wanted to be out of there.
‘I love your dog,’ the woman said, shifting her attention back to me. Bod looked up as if realising he was being admired, making sure his best side was on show. Not that he had a best side, of course. He was plain adorable all round.
‘Oh. He’s… umm… not mine,’ I said, returning her smile and feeling inexplicably as if I were betraying Lorcan in doing so.
‘A fan of dogs now, are you?’ Lorcan flicked a glance at her that would cause a penguin to shiver.
‘People can change, Lorcan.’
‘Is that right?’
She shook her head. ‘Can’t we just put this behind us? It’s been ten years.’
Lorcan dropped his head and, for a moment, it seemed that he might be considering that whatever the problem was between them had perhaps indeed run its course.
‘Mammy?’
Lorcan’s head snapped up as a young boy walked up towards the woman. He watched as she wrapped her arm around him. ‘Sorry, sweetheart. I won’t be a moment and then we’ll get you home. I just need to pick up some eggs from Brighid so I can make your favourite sandwiches.’ A wan smile lifted the corner of his mouth but his face was pale.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Lorcan asked, nodding at the boy.
‘Tummy bug, the doc says. I’ve just picked up some medicine for him and I’m taking him home.’
‘You’d better get your eggs, then. He looks fit to drop.’
