Are You Ready? (29 page)

‘You already have, son,' Joe said, taking another biscuit. ‘I just wish you had someone special to share all the joys with, a nice girl. What about that Laura girl? She seemed nice.'

‘I messed up there, Dad. It's over. I've been seeing someone else, but I'm just not sure about her.' Ben stopped before going into much detail; he loved his dad but didn't feel too comfortable telling him about Nikki.

‘Well, Ben, life is too short to be with someone
you're “just not sure” of. The second I met your mother I just knew, and I still know. Every day I thank God for her. She might drive us all demented sometimes, but I couldn't live without her.' And with that Joe headed up to bed, leaving Ben sitting thinking about work and girlfriends until way past his bedtime.

The next day Ben was meeting Nikki for lunch. Between rugby, helping out at home, work, and catching up with his friends he hadn't spent much time with her lately. But as usual she was so laid-back Ben couldn't tell if she cared or not. Ben had always thought he would want a girl who was like him – laid-back, not overly dying to hang out all day long, not looking for much commitment – but now that he had exactly that he realized he would prefer someone who really made him feel they were glad he was there. But Nikki was always busy: as she worked on a popular magazine, she was always at the latest launch party, or promotional event, or just checking out celebrities. Ben had been to some of the events, and they were great fun, with lots of free drinks and food – but he felt they were both holding back on spending much time alone, just one-on-one.

They had agreed to meet at a local Italian, which served quick yet tasty lunch dishes. Ben ordered the spaghetti carbonara, Nikki the tuna Niçoise salad. She
looked fantastic in a tight-fitting skirt and black shirt, with her hair tied back and sunglasses perched on her head. Ben could only spare forty-five minutes for lunch, but tried to catch up as much as he could within that. He told Nikki about his dad and work, while she told him that the captain of the Irish soccer team had been spotted out drinking the night before a match. It was interesting to know, but as Ben tried to turn the conversation to more personal things she just talked faster about people he didn't care about. It was frustrating, but he kept thinking she might just be nervous; they didn't really know each other that well. Even the few times he had stayed over at her place after a night out, they had normally ended up having breakfast with her flatmates and chatting to them. Ben knew something was missing, but then as Nikki walked him back to his office and gave him a hug and kiss he forgot all his worries: lunchtime kissing! She handed him an invite to the launch party of a new aftershave the next Saturday in Krystle nightclub.

‘It will be fun! I've to work for the first hour or so, as we want to get pictures of celebs, et cetera, but after that I'm free to dance the night away with you.' And with that Nikki was gone.

Ben took the invite and thought to himself, Well I can't turn down a free drinks party, and sure, we can see how things go on Saturday. But as he walked back to his office, he kept thinking of what his dad said about knowing you had the right girl. Ben wasn't sure about Nikki.

Molly and Sarah were having dinner and drinks in the 40 Foot bar in Dun Laoghaire, after working up an appetite by walking the harbour pier. Sarah was telling Molly how she was off to Galway the next day, once Hugh had finished work.

‘Are you nervous about meeting his family?' Molly asked.

‘Of course! But he's met all of mine, and after the way he “met” baby Fiona I suppose it is only fair to give his family a go,' Sarah replied. As she sipped back her Heineken shandy, Molly laughed.

‘Well, as long as none of them poo in your face, it should be fine!' And with that the girls collapsed in fits of laughter, until their food arrived. Although Sarah suddenly felt a pang of guilt for telling her friend about the baby Fiona and Hugh poo incident, as she had promised Hugh she would tell no one.

‘I got a text today from that guy Will, saying he was going to the gig of some rival band on Saturday night and did I want to go,' Molly said, keeping
Sarah up-to-date on her love life. Sarah didn't say much.

‘You don't like him, do you?' Molly asked her oldest friend.

Sarah put down her fork.

‘It is not that, Molly. I want you to be happy, especially after the shock of breaking up with Luke, but I still just don't know about Will. I'm sure he is talented and fun, but he is so different from Luke or any other guy you have dated. Are you sure you know what you are doing?'

‘No, I don't, that's just it. The other day, after that gig, when I was so hungover I thought I would die, I was ready to forget all about Will. I thought: Yes he is cute, and fun, and so different from me, but it's too different. But then when I got that text today I thought: Is this it? Could he be the only guy out there who likes me? And if he is then I'm stupid not to give him a chance. I don't want to be single and living at home for ever. I love my job, but I need more than work.' Molly stared out of the large glass window at the harbour and boats.

‘Molly, there are tons of guys who like you. You just need to open your eyes – and your heart – to them. Don't settle for the first guy you meet after Luke. Trust me, there will be others.'

Molly didn't know if she agreed with her friend, but she decided to drop the conversation. Instead they talked about what they would wear to Ali and Robin's upcoming wedding.

* * *

The next day at work, as Molly was making homemade Caesar dressing, Eve came into the kitchen.

‘You have a visitor!'

Molly wiped her hands and tried to smooth back her hair, as Eve smiled and pushed her into the café. There stood Scott Williams with a large teddy bear.

‘You forgot to take him with you after we massacred those ducks at the funfair,' he said, passing Molly the fluffy cream and brown stuffed bear.

Molly was confused for a few moments, then remembered how she had won the Hello Kitty watch and a teddy bear at the Sterling Bank party. She had actually been wearing the watch ever since.

‘I tried to find you later on in the night to give you the bear, but you must have sneaked off. Anyway, I thought you might like the little guy, and, besides, a single guy with a big teddy bear on his bed isn't that attractive!'

Molly laughed, but also noticed how he had said single. She was sure that that night when she had left he had been deep in conversation with a beautiful girl.

‘Thanks, Scott, and as a single girl living at home with her parents, having a big teddy bear on my bed to cuddle up to is perfect, and couldn't make me any less attractive, so I'll take him.'

She thought she saw Scott smile when she said she was single, but she wasn't sure if he mightn't have been laughing at her.

‘I meant to give him back to you sooner, but I kept forgetting the furry guy, and then I was away all last week surfing with friends in Portugal.'

Molly now understood why he had a tan and bleached hair, but she couldn't help looking surprised when he said surfing.

‘You look surprised, Molly. Let me guess, you think I'm some boring banker, who eats the same sandwich every day and loves counting numbers and working on spreadsheets? Well, there are plenty of things you don't know about me, Molly. I'm actually quite like Mr Benn – you know, the old children's cartoon character.'

Molly smiled to herself. Maybe he
was
like that old cartoon she had loved when she was a kid.

‘I might wear my banker clothes and look boring all day, but you can't imagine the adventures I have after hours.'

And with that Scott, aka Mr Benn, was off, leaving Molly standing flabbergasted in the middle of Heavenly holding a very large bear.

On Saturday afternoon, with nothing else planned for that night, Molly thought she would give Will one more chance. She put on her jeans, a T-shirt and boots and, with her hair tied back, headed on the bus into Smithfield to where the gig was. As she approached she could see a big group of girls and guys queuing to get in. She had received a text from Will saying he was inside, and to meet him at the bar. The queue was quite large, and while she was waiting Molly looked around and recognized some of the same girls she had seen at Will's other gigs. One girl kept staring at Molly. Molly didn't know who she was, so she just ignored her until the doorman let her in and she headed for the bar. Will and the band were all there, drinking and laughing. Will gave Molly a hug and introduced her to another band. Will loved being the centre of attention and was happy sitting around with the big group, while Molly would have liked to have got to know him a little better. When they talked on
the phone it was always about his band and their gigs, he never asked about Molly's job or her life. And every time she suggested they hang out with her friends he always had an excuse, from guitar practice to checking out rival bands. Has he any real interest in me? she wondered. They all had a few beers and just before the music began Molly headed for the bathroom. As she got into another queue, she again noticed the girl who had been staring at her outside. The girl and her friends were all fixing their make-up and chatting. As Molly entered a cubicle she overheard what they were saying.

‘Did you see that small girl with dark hair is here again?' she said to her friends.

‘Girl?' one of the friends laughed. “You mean woman! She looks ancient, she must be in her thirties!' she said as they all giggled.

‘How sad is she? I mean, not only should she get someone her own age, but AS IF she is the only one seeing Will. Lauren said Will brought her to a gig in Eamon Dorans last week, and I know his ex is still always hanging around as well. That dark-haired girl must be deluded if she thinks Will is hers.'

When she was sure that they'd gone, Molly pushed her way out of the cubicle, trembling. She had never been so embarrassed. Was I just a bit of fun for Will? she asked herself. Was I just like these other girls, a sad groupie for a pretty average wedding band? Well, I've got to get out of here, she thought. I'm too old for this. Forget Will, they can have him, he only cares about music, drink and himself, anyway. I just want to be at
home. Molly walked as fast as she could from the bathroom to the main door.

‘Let me stamp your hand, love, so you can get back in later,' a bouncer said to her.

‘Trust me, I won't be back, ever,' Molly said, and with that she legged it to a taxi rank, and climbed into a cab.

As she sat in the back, she realized Sarah had been right: Will had been the wrong guy all along. Molly texted her mum to say she would be home in time for
The Tubridy Show
and that maybe they could make some brownies.

Sarah woke up to the smell of bacon and frying sausages, and for a second she couldn't remember where she was. Then she heard Hugh snoring and remembered she was in Galway. They had arrived last night, and gone straight to Hugh's parents' house. Hugh had his own house in Galway, but as he lived in Dublin had been renting it out the last few years, so he had thought it would be nice if Sarah and himself stayed with his parents. ‘So you can get to know them!' he had said encouragingly. Sarah had been a bit stressed, and the whole way down hadn't been able to stop worrying about what his family would think of her, and wondering if living with his mum and dad for a whole weekend would be too intimidating. She had wished they could turn the car around and she could have spent the afternoon painting in her garden, but they had ploughed ahead and arrived down in Galway by 10 p.m.

Hugh's parents lived outside Galway city, in a lovely house overlooking the sea. His parents were quite old,
but very friendly. Hugh's mum had had some dinner prepared for them, which they had eaten quickly, as Hugh had wanted to make it down to the local pub to catch up with his brothers and friends – ‘And to show you off!' he had said proudly to Sarah. Sarah knew Hugh was a good man, and from the brief dinner she had understood where he got his attractive manner from: both his parents were interesting, friendly and not over-the-top. Their house was also full of amazing art, and Sarah had suddenly seen why Hugh had become so interested in it himself. Drinks in his local bar had been fun, too. Sarah had met his brothers before at The Galwegians' rugby match, so she had been happy to see their familiar faces, but there had been so many other people to meet that her head had spun from all the names and faces. But there had been live music, and between that and the beers Sarah had had a good night. Hugh had promised Sarah that on Saturday he would take her round ‘his Galway' before they headed off to his friends' engagement party.

Sarah heard a knock at the bedroom door.

‘I have breakfast ready whenever you want to come down,' Hugh's mum said softly.

Sarah didn't reply: she felt awkward at sleeping in the same room as Hugh under his parents' roof. When she heard his mum make her way downstairs she shook Hugh.

‘Wake up, your mum is waiting for us for breakfast.'

Hugh mumbled something, he looked and smelt very hungover.

‘You go down, I need more sleep,' he eventually managed to say.

No way am I eating breakfast alone with his parents, it's too early in the day and our relationship for that, Sarah thought. Instead she threw off the duvet and made him get up. They both flung on clothes, Sarah hastily tied back her long blonde hair and applied some make-up, and then they headed down to the kitchen, which smelled of cooking. Hugh's mum had put on a big spread: the table was covered with sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, orange juice and tea. Hugh was suddenly wide awake and tucking into the fry. As his mum poured Sarah tea, she asked what their plan was for the day.

‘Well, I want to bring Sarah to Moran's on the Weir for some lunch, and I want to show her around the city, and we might pop down to the beach for a swim as well, it's a warm day,' Hugh said between mouthfuls of toast.