Are You Ready? (11 page)

When he'd put the phone down he turned to his parrot. ‘So, we are free and single this weekend Mango, both bird-less.'

Sarah had just arrived home from work and was sitting watching Sky News when her mum came in and handed her a piece of paper. Sarah looked at it and saw it was a shopping list.

‘What's this, Mum? I thought you only went grocery shopping yesterday?'

‘I did, but we are short a few things and I was thinking you could head to Superquinn in Blackrock and pick up what we need.'

‘Oh Mum, I'm wrecked from work. Can we not just survive with what we have in the fridge for tonight, and I promise I'll go shopping tomorrow evening?'

Her mum looked put out.

‘Sarah, please go. You never know what could happen there. It could be fun!'

‘Fun?' Sarah said, suddenly sitting up and looking suspiciously at her mum. ‘Since when has grocery shopping been fun? What's this really about, Mum?'

Catherine Doyle sat down and turned off the TV.

‘Sarah, I was having lunch with a few of the girls today and Joyce was telling me about these Superquinn Singles Shopping Nights. Apparently, her niece went once and met a man by the frozen pizza section! I think it could be perfect for you. You don't seem to meet the right men when you are out with your friends, and then after the Ross fiasco, meeting a nice man at one of these Superquinn nights could be just what you need.'

Sarah looked in shock at her mum and felt herself getting flushed and annoyed.

‘Have you gone mad, Mum? I am not going to a singles shopping night. No way. My God, what do you take me for?'

Sarah looked at the shopping list that included food she'd never seen her mum eat.

‘I mean, do we even need these random groceries, or are they just a ploy to get me running after some man and his trolley? Like when was the last time we ate Vienetta or ice-cream wafers? My eighth birthday party, probably. God, you are so obvious, Mum.'

Catherine looked taken aback and after a few minutes took the shopping list from her daughter and crossed out the majority of it, leaving only wine, crackers, cheese and grapes.

‘OK, Sarah, maybe I was being too pushy, but I do really need a few things as it's my turn to bring snacks to bridge later tonight, so while I make dinner for the two of us can you please go and get these for me? Thanks, love.'

Sarah was about to complain but thought it better
not to fight with her mum or raise her own blood pressure even more, and so instead grabbed her coat and made her way to the door. Just as she did so she heard her mum shout at her from the kitchen.

‘And don't forget, Sarah, not only would it be great to meet a nice man tonight, but you know that any man who can do his own grocery shopping must be domesticated and that's a great quality in a husband!'

She didn't answer back but just slammed the door and made her way to Superquinn.

Sarah vowed to be as quick as she could in the supermarket, she didn't want anyone thinking she was desperate enough to attend a dating event at her local shopping centre. Just as she'd made her way to the cheese counter she ran right into two old school friends, Val and Jessica.

‘Hi, Sarah! God, we haven't seen you in ages. How are you? You look well, although I didn't know you were still single,' Jessica said to a stunned Sarah.

‘Single? What makes you think I'm unattached?' Sarah replied.

‘Oh, Sarah, don't play innocent with us,' Val laughed. ‘We single girls know all the tricks, and these Superquinn Singles Shopping Nights are something we'd heard about, too. Jess and I have come the last three weeks and although we have yet to meet Mr Right, we have seen some cuties! I mean, it's easy to spot who's here for a potential partner rather than a box of cereal and some milk!'

‘Yes,' Jessica agreed, ‘when you see someone at the
last aisle with an empty trolley you know they are here to check all the singletons out!'

Sarah looked at the girls in horror. ‘You two honestly believe you can meet a husband here alongside potatoes, orange juice and mince?'

‘Well, Sarah, we can only hope. Of course we don't want to close off other options in case these shopping trips don't work out, so at the moment we are doing a blitz on speed dating, blind dating and, of course, online dating,' Val said matter-of-factly.

‘Dating is a serious game, Sarah,' Jessica added.

Sarah looked at her two old friends, girls who were intelligent and very popular in school. What had happened to the world, she wondered, that made girls like them have to resort to fake shopping trips in the name of meeting a partner?

Sarah wished the girls luck, bought the goods she needed and drove home as quickly as she could. As she watched TV alone that night, with not even her mum for company, she wondered would she become as desperate as Val and Jessica? Would she soon be resorting to looking in a shopping aisle or online for a man?

The Stone Studio had been quiet enough all day, so Sarah was on the phone with her sister Mel, filling her in on the previous night's awful experience in Superquinn, when Hugh Hyland walked in.

‘I have to go, Mel, but don't even tell Mum about Val and Jessica's ideas of meeting men online, or she'll have me signed up to those websites by the time I get home.'

‘Mr Hyland, I'm sorry for rushing off the last time you were in,' Sarah apologized.

‘No problem, Sarah. I was actually in Monkstown for a meeting today, so I thought I would drop by to find out how your sister got on.'

He is so kind, remembering about Mel, Sarah thought. Although he must think me and my mum are mental cases, and that I'm not the sophisticated gallery manager I'd hoped he'd think I was.

‘Well, I'm now the proud aunt and godmother to baby Fiona!'

‘You will be a great aunt, very funky.'

And as they chatted away Sarah realized for the first time how nice he was. She had always just seen him as a client of the gallery's, and treated him as that, but now she saw that he was interesting and relaxed, and with his good taste in art and kind eyes was actually becoming more and more attractive to her. Almost an hour had passed when Sarah realized it was time to close up the gallery.

‘I'm sorry, but we need to close. Was there anything else I could help you with, Hugh?'

Hugh Hyland cleared his throat, suddenly looking rather awkward.

‘I know I'm a client of the gallery, Sarah, but do you know why I've been calling in quite so often?' He looked at her. ‘It's because I'd love to ask you out, just for a drink or something. I've tried to ask you before, but other men, and babies being born, kept getting in the way!'

Sarah didn't know what to say. She'd never been asked out at work before, and it was a little daunting that an important client was the one doing it. But then she remembered that her mum was out tonight for salsa lessons with Mr Macken, and that she didn't want another night in fretting about not having a boyfriend or a baby like her sister, so she grabbed the keys, locked the gallery and headed for the pub, with a very happy Hugh Hyland beside her.

The drinks went well. Sarah was careful not to drink too much, and give Hugh the wrong impression, the
way she had with Ross. She was not easy or casual or whatever that American wannabe had thought she was. She and Hugh talked about art and exhibitions, and Sarah was fascinated by how much he knew. She told him about her failed attempts at becoming a full-time artist, and how the gallery had become her saviour. Hugh now worked in Dublin, and loved the social life in the big city, but he did crave to one day move back to Galway, and be closer to his family and friends there. As the night wore on, Sarah got to know him more, and liked what she heard, and was almost sad when the barman started flicking the lights off and pulling the shutters down.

As Sarah walked into her house that evening, her mum started demonstrating the different steps and moves involved in salsa, and as she dragged Sarah up for a spin around the kitchen table she could see a glint in Sarah's eye that hadn't been there for quite some time.

The next afternoon when Sarah arrived back at work after lunch, there was a package on the step, with her name on it. She opened the large, yet very light box. Inside was a blank stretched canvas, with a note.

His business card was attached. Sarah didn't even have to think twice about grabbing the phone and ringing him. Men like this don't come along often, she thought, and I'm not going to be the fool who lets him get away. And within minutes they had a cinema date booked for that evening. Sarah looked at the canvas. Maybe sometimes you just needed a blank canvas to start something new, something exciting!

Molly was happily making her mum's version of gingerbread men, called ‘honeymen'. Her mum used to make them for Molly and her brother when she was younger, and since they didn't like ginger she'd used honey instead. And as Molly had some spare time, she'd thought before the lunch rush began she would make some new treats for the customers to try out. She made some big ones to sell and a few mini-men as samplers for the counter. Heavenly was doing well, and each day Molly worked here it felt more and more like home. The smell of baking, coffee brewing and apple pies all made her feel calm, safe and so happy. There was always a great buzz about the place, it was full of people chatting, laughing and enjoying their food. The atmosphere was so different from Molly's last job where everything was serious and competitive; and it seemed like years ago that she wore a suit to work. Nowadays jeans, a T-shirt and her apron were all she needed, with her suits being banished to the back of her wardrobe, hopefully never to appear again.
It was amazing how much your life can change in such a short time, she thought, giving her little honeymen marzipan buttons and eyes.

After another busy day at the café, Molly was meeting Ali in Merrion Square after work. Ali had said in her text message that she had ‘something very important' to tell her. I wonder what it is? Molly thought, as she found a free park bench. She began reading a magazine while she waited. Ali arrived in a flurry from work.

‘Sorry I'm late, I've been so busy since I got back from my holidays, it is like I never had a break I'm so stressed. Anyway, it is great to see you.'

As they hugged, Ali pulled out her wallet and handed a cheque to Molly.

‘What is this?' Molly asked in surprise.

‘It is for the engagement party, of course. You were a huge hit, Robin is still talking about those profiteroles! Thank you so much.'

‘Ali, are you mad? I can't accept this. I did it for you as a friend, and I was delighted that you trusted me, but I don't want your money.'

‘Too late, Molly, we are paying you, you are our first “wedding expense”!'

So Molly took the cheque, and was secretly delighted, and knew straightaway she would take Luke out for dinner tonight to celebrate. Somewhere nice, as he was always treating her to the finest restaurants in Dublin.

‘But Molly, that isn't the big news I had. Well,
I wanted to ask you something else, in relation to cooking. Will you cater our wedding?'

Molly was speechless. A wedding was a huge deal, a massive event, it would blow the niblets and finger food engagement-party job out of the water. But would it be too much for her to handle? she wondered.

‘And before you say you won't be able to: I know you can. We would love you to do it, you are so talented and I would trust you completely. I would rather give you the business than some other random old caterer. Molly – I know you can do it.'

Molly didn't know what to say. A job like this could really get her going on the catering scene and would also be extra money for her, a lot of extra money. And she was sure she could get her cousin and aunt to help her.

‘OK,' she said impulsively. ‘I'll do it. Thanks so much, and I promise the food will be to die for!'

The girls spent the next few hours chatting about the wedding, food ideas and the all-important wedding cake!

Ali was busy at work, but so happy that Molly had agreed to cater her wedding, or as Robin kept correcting her, ‘their wedding'! Molly was a great cook, and Ali trusted she would know what was best for the day, and she liked to help a friend out. It was weird to be back at work, and back to real life after the excitement of being on holiday on a different continent, and then the engagement. Now she was back to hundreds of files, emails and meetings.

It had been a bit of an anti-climax arriving at work the first morning. The receptionist and the girls in accounts had seemed very excited, and asked her a million questions, and had kept trying the ring on. But Mary, her boss, had congratulated her, had a quick look at the ring, and then, after a few awkward questions about how it had happened, turned back to her computer and begun working as usual. She must be jealous, Ali had thought, but even so, her reaction had put a dampener on the whole thing. Although that didn't stop Ali checking wedding websites and forums
every time Mary turned her back or left the office. It was amazing how obsessed some people became with themselves and their own wedding. There were people on those forums that had minute-by-minute countdowns to their weddings, even though they were years away! Ali and Robin did not want a long engagement. They had waited long enough, and just wanted to walk up that aisle and say I do. As exciting as a wedding is, it was being married that was the important thing for them, so they were going to do it as soon as they could.

Sarah and Tom were discussing what godparents should buy a newborn baby, over a cup of coffee. Sarah wanted to do something different, like buying a star in her name or adopting an animal on her behalf, while Tom preferred something more practical, like a year's supply of nappies. ‘Because that's all she seems to want and need,' he joked. They were both very proud godparents, and were for ever taking out their camera phones to show everyone the latest picture of baby Fiona. Sarah was convinced Fiona was going to be tall like herself, and kept checking the baby's hair to see if she would be blonde, too!