Alberta Clipper (16 page)

“More like staid-at-home Mummy.  If I have to make one more car out of plasticine, I will just leave.  I've had enough.  I just dumped the two of them on their Granny’s doorstep and rang the bell.  I hope she was in.”

“
Nina
!”

“Okay, okay, she answered the door.   But I literally have sixty, nope, fifty-five minutes before I have to go and get them and then collect Gerard from camp.  I thought
Shay
would have been free to meet me.  Typical.”

“I am gratified to be your second choice of lunch partner.  Really.”  Christine smiled. 

“Thanks.  I appreciate it.” 
Nina
unfolded her napkin.  “Share a glass of wine with me?  C’mon.  One chardonnay.”  She nodded to the waitress who had been setting their table as they sat.

“
Nina
! I’m working!”

“Oh, go on.  I’m sleeping with the boss.  I’ll make sure you don’t get into trouble.”

“Strictly speaking, Mark is my boss, not
Shay
.  Any sway there?”

“Well
I
don’t.  I would have thought you’d be the one with the pull there.”

“Pardon?”

“Are you serious?” 
Nina
studied Christine’s face.  “Do you really not see that he likes you?”

“What?”  Christine half expected
Nina
to start laughing, but it seemed she was serious.

“Chris, I have been of the opinion for some time now,”
Nina
spoke slowly, “t
hat Mark,
likes you.” 

The waitress arrived with a glass of wine and sparkling water. 
Nina
divided them between two empty water glasses as Christine
sat looking at her in silence.
  Mark Harrington.  Mark Harrington her boss.  She cast her mind back to her birthday evening in London.  Sure, she'd had a great time.  If honest, she could recall a distinct
frisson
as they shared a cab back to the hotel from the Dorchester.  But she was fairly sure that was more to do with
Gavan
's texts than Mark's conversation.  Had they kissed goodnight?  Had he been acting weird?  She couldn't remember. 
But no. 
Nina
was delusional
.  Mark had no particular interest in her.  Anyway -

“He's practically married.”

Nina
shook her head.  “Over.”  She sipped her drink with the look of someone with a juicy secret to share.  “She's moved to Scotland.”

This was news.  Why hadn't Mark mentioned that in London?  She tried to remember what they had talked about, but all she could remember for sure was that she had tried to steer the conversation away from relationships herself.  Maybe he had been doing the same thing, and she just hadn't noticed.  She had just
been
glad that he hadn't asked about hers.  Maybe he had felt the same.
  “Really?”
she said, and took a drink of the wine without thinking.

“Very recently.  Only in the past few weeks.”

“Wow.”  Christine felt sympathy for Mark.  “They've been together a long time.”

“Same as me and
Shay
.”

“Wow.”  The waitress came and took their order.

“Anyway.  It's just an observation.  Maybe I'm completely wrong.”

“You are,” Christine laughed.

“
Shay
thinks it too.”

“What?”  Christine was horrified.  “You're joking.”

“I'm not.”

Christine took a large gulp from her glass.  “Well, you're both wrong.  He has
never
done anything to make me think -”  She stopped mid-sentence. 

“Wh
at?” Nina said
.  “What were you going to say?”

“Oh nothing.”
Definitely nothing about the Dorchester.
  Christine jumped at the chance to change the subject. 
“Anyway, how is
Shay
?  After all that's happened with Mick and Craig.  Is he okay?”

Nina
sat upright on her seat.  “I could kill Craig.  Little bastard.  I know he's your friend, Chris, but he is a little shit.  After all
Shay
had done for him.  He mentored him.  He's been good to him since the day he star
t
ed at CarltonWachs.”  She sat back deflated.  Christine was
a little
taken aback at her friend's anger.  “He's an ungrateful sod.  Although it was almost worth it to see the back of Mick.  I worked with him when I started at CarltonWachs, you know?  He was a letchy ogre then and he's a letchy ogre now.  He got what he deserved.”

“And how is
Shay
?”  Christine smiled at
Nina
.

“Sorry.  He's fine.  He didn't get into much trouble over it really.  But he could have, you know?  And Chicago is always going to remember that this happened on his watch.  It's not exactly a gold star for him.”

“I know.  He's back in next Monday, you know.  Craig.”

“Yeah.  Well.  Put it this way.  I won't be looking to invite him for lunch the next time I'm escaping from my domestic bliss.  Anyway, stop trying to change the subject.  We were discussing Mark.”

“I'm not!  It's just,” Christine straightened her cutlery, “I'm sort of seeing someone.”

“Really?”

“Don't look so shocked.  He's a friend of Emily's new man.  I
t's only been a month, but he's…
”

“He's?”

“Well, he's nice. 

“Oh, I'm so glad I asked you out for lunch.  This is exactly the type of news I needed,”
Nina
laughed.  “To be honest, I was starting to wonder if maybe you just preferred girls.”

“
Nina
!  Shut up.”

“I'm joking.  But you know, I've known you over a year and a half, Chris, and you've never been on a serious date as far as I can remember.  Am I right?”

Christine twisted her napkin in her hands.  “You are.”

“So,”
Nina
said gently.  “What makes this guy so special?  What's his name anyway?”

“
Gavan
.”

“
Gavan
.  So what's so great about
Gavan
?  What does he do?”

“He's in computers.”

“Computers.  Good.  And his family?  Are they of good stock?”

Christine laughed.  “Fabulous stock.  Wexford stock.”

“Wexford.  Marvellous.  And when will I get to meet this
Gavan
?  Have you introduced him to your Dad yet?”

“Dear God, no.”  Christine looked shocked.  “Although, maybe we could double date.  Me and
Gavan
, and Dad and Grace.  Wouldn't my sister
just love that.”

“Let's not get ahead of ourselves, honey.  You had better get to know him properly yourself before you introduce him to the rest of the Grogans.  Have you been to his place yet?”

“No.”  Christine waited as their food was placed on the table before them.  “But he's stayed over at mine.”

“What?” 
Nina
almost spat her sandwich out in shock.

“A couple of times.”  Christine was enjoying this. 

Nina
swallowed.  “You go girl,” she breathed.  “This sounds serious.  I'll have to get
Shay
to plan some impromptu office night out so I can get to meet him.”

“No way.”  This time it was Christine who spoke with her mouth full.  “I'm not parading him in front of CarltonWachs.  Not a chance.”

“Hmm,”
Nina
pondered as she chewed.  “You're probably right.  I'll just have to have you both over.  For dinner.”  She looked like she was having a lightbulb moment, and Christine started to get worried.  “A dinner party!  This calls for a dinner party.”

Christine tried to look enthusiastic. 
Nina
's dinner parties were legendary.  She had been to a couple of them.  The food was always amazing, and the night usually ended with dancing in the kitchen.  “Maybe,” she nodded.

Nina
seemed to notice her reticence.  “Or you could just come over for dinner.  Just the two of you.  Without the party bit.”

Christine thought about it. 
Shay
would like
Gavan
.  It could be a fun night.  “That would be great, thanks.  But not yet.  Maybe in a few weeks.  It's very early days.”

“Sure of course.  Well, you give me the nod, and I'll organise it.” 
Nina
smiled.  Two girls from the CarltonWachs reception desk came in, and when they saw
Nina
and Christine, they stopped at their table for a chat.  After they left,
Nina
checked her watch.  “I'll have to scoot.  I can't be late for Gerard.”  She swallowed back the last of her wine.  “So, any plans for tonight?  Anything more exciting than bathing three children and chasing them around the house until they get into bed, before crashing in front of the TV that is?”

“Actually, I'm going over to my Dad's this evening.  It's my Mum's anniversary today.”

“Oh Chris, I'm sorry.” 
Nina
reached across the table and squeezed Christine’s wrist.  “That's not easy.  How many years is it now?”

“Five today.”  Christine couldn't believe it herself.  Some days
,
it felt like
they had just buried her
.  Some days
,
it felt like two lifetimes ago.  Other times
,
she could hardly remember it happening at all.

“Wow.” 
Nina
eyed her with a worried look.  “How's your Dad?  Today, I mean.”

“Oh, he's okay.  But we promised to skype Aggie later.”  She laughed unconvincingly.  “That should be fun.”

“I'm sure.” 
Nina
checked her watch again.  “Look, I'm sorry honey.  I really have to go. 
Shay
's mother has bridge this aftern
oon, and if I don't collect the kids
on time, she's liable to bring them with her.  And I can't have them hanging with gin-swilling wrinklies at two in the afternoon.  That just wouldn't look good.”

“No problem,” Christine laughed.  “You run.  I've got to go too.  Although maybe I should put your theory to the test and wander in late smelling of booze and see if I get any special treatment from Mark.”

“Well,”
Nina
stood up from her squashy seat with some difficulty.  “All I'm saying is he looks very much like someone who would just love to give you some special treatment.  But hey, you don't need it now.  You have bootie-call
Gav
on tap.”

Christine threw her a dirty look as she stood to leave. 

“Listen girl, I'm just jealous.  I'd love to have all the men baying at the moon on my behalf.  All I have is poor old
Shay
.”

“As if you'd have it any other way,” Christine said, and
Nina
winked at her.

~

Usually, Wednesday evenings at Matt's meant eating dinner in the sitting room watching cookery programmes on the television.  As she reversed into the driveway, she hoped this would be like any other Wednesday.  When she had spoken to him on the phone that morning, he had sounded okay.  But she lived in fear of one day calling over to him and finding him in foetal position on the floor with delayed grief.  Not that he hadn't cried when her mother had died.  But she suspected he had gone to extraordinary lengths to keep himself together for his daughters.  She worried even now, five years later, that he might one day just lose it.  She always worried more on anniversaries and birthdays. 

Matt met her in the hallway.  He seemed fine.  They hugged hard, which was not an everyday occurrence, but other than that, there were no signs of
the utter shock that had pervaded
the rooms of the house five years ago that very day. 

“Dad.”

“Well Chris.  You okay?  Did you have a good day at work?”

“Yeah, fine.  What did you do?  Were you at the grave?”

“I was, I was.  Your Auntie Kathleen came with me.  We went to mass at ten, and went up to the cemetery then.”

“Okay.  Good.”  Christine felt a small stab of guilt.  She should have gone to mass with her father.  Her mother would have wanted her to.  But then she knew her mother would have wanted her to
want
to go to mass, and she honestly didn't.  “I'm sorry,
Dad.  I should have gone with you.
”

“Not at all, not at all.”  He seemed to understand.  “Anyway, it was nice to see Kathleen.  We went for lunch into town.”