Then another photo came though. Now the woman
’
s face was clearly visible and with a shock Ronan saw that it was clearly Zita who was looking at Carl
adoringly.
“
Oh my God
!”
Ronan moaned aloud. Poor Rachel, he thought. That bastard has been cheating on her and with Zita of all people.
The final photo was a bit blurred but there was no mistaking that it was Carl and Zita. It had been taken outside the restaurant and they
’
d been caught in a passionate embrace.
He stared at the photos for a long time
,
wondering what to do. If Rachel ever saw these, it would kill her. God, what a dilemma! What should he do?
58
Rachel could see that Carl was making a huge effort. He brought her breakfast in bed, spent a lot of time with the kids during the day and bombarded her with gorgeous gifts: orchids, jewellery, a beautiful white Versace evening gown and, what really touched her, a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes which fit her perfectly and were absolutely divine.
For her birthday, he hired a yacht and took her over to Monte Carlo for lunch at Alain Ducasse
’
s three-Michelin-star restaurant in the Hôtel de Paris. It was simply wonderful. Then on the trip home he presented her with a stunning diamond bracelet.
But at the end of the day it wasn
’
t about the presents. How he was behaving towards her was the most important thing and how he would continue to behave when they got back to Dublin. In the meantime she was enjoying the holiday and willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Zita was distraught. She had not had a single word from Carl and she didn
’
t know what to do. She
’
d even called his
mobile and left messages on his voicemail, with no response. For a crazy moment she considered hopping on a plane to Nice and confronting him but realised that no good could come of that. She didn
’
t know which way to turn.
Carl, meanwhile, was terrified that Rachel would intercept Zita
’
s texts or calls. He blanched at the thought of that happening. How could he possibly explain it away? Rachel was no fool but he was slowly gaining g
round with her. They were almost back to their old intimacy. He had to find a way to stop Zita. She was becoming a bit of a bunny-boiler. He
’
d thought that ignoring her
was the best plan of action but now he saw that it was making her even more insistent.
At his wit
’
s end, he finally texted her
:
I
’
m sorry but I can
’
t go on with our relationship. Please stop texting and calling. Carl
Zita read his message with disbelief. Was he serious? Did he think she was like an old sock that could be discarded just like that? If so
,
he had another think coming. Nobody messed with Zita Williams like that and
,
if they did, they paid for it dearly, as someone else had found to his cost. She closed her eyes and gave a shiver as she thought of the gory scene she
’
d left behind all those years ago in Australia
.
Two things happened that evening that almost sent Zita into orbit. The first was a newspaper photograph of Carl
and Rachel at a party on a yacht in Cannes. They both looked tanned and glamorous. On either side of them were
a famous actor and his equally famous wife, who were seemingly the hosts. The thing that riled her most was the way Carl was gazing adoringly at his wife who was laughing up at him. Zita banged her fist into her other open palm, seething with fury.
‘
Still Madly In Love
’
was the caption. Well
,
that was a lie for starters. She knew otherwise.
She was still furious with him when she received the call from Ronan.
Ronan had been at his wit
’
s end
,
wondering what to do with the information he
’
d received from Louise. His main priority
was to protect Rachel. The best course of action would be to tackle Carl about it man
to
man but that was obviously out of the question. The next best solution was to appeal to Zita. Surely she wouldn
’
t want word of their affair to reach the media
?
It could destroy not only Carl
’
s marriage but also his career.
He gathered his courage and rang her.
“
Hi
,
Zita, it
’
s Ronan from the wine course here.
”
“
Ronan, hello. What can I do for you?
”
“
I know it
’
s none of my business, but certain information h
as come to my attention with regard to you and Rachel
’
s husband and I
’
m very concerned about what it might do to her
,
were she to find out
.”
He heard her gasp.
“
What kind of information?
”
“
That you
’
re having an affair with Carl Dunne.
”
There was silence on the line.
“
Zita, are you still there?
”
“
I
’
m still here,
”
she replied
,
her voice cold and hostile.
“
You
’
re right, it is none of your business
,
and may I ask how you came by this information?
”
“
I was sent some photographs of the two of you together and it
’
s pretty obvious
–”
She cut him off.
“
I
’
d like to see these photographs for myself before I comment – if you don
’
t mind.
”
Ronan saw that he was wasting his time. He would get no satisfaction from
this quarter.
“
I
’
ll text them to you.
”
She hung up without saying goodbye. Ronan was troubled. He realised that Zita hadn
’
t denied the affair.
Zita sat transfixed, looking at the photographs Ronan had sent. There was no mistaking Carl – he was as recognisable as could be – and in the full-face photo, so was she. Nor was there any possibility that Carl could pretend it was a business dinner. He was stroking her and kissing her and there was one grainy photo of them just outside the restaurant
,
embracing passionately. Zita felt a pang remembering how good it had been. It couldn
’
t be
over. They were soul
-
mates.
They were meant to be togethe
r, forever. He said he wanted nothing more to do with her but she didn
’
t believe it.
She had no doubt that it was that witch Rachel
’
s fault. She
’
d obviously spent the holiday wooing him back. Zita felt the hatred well up inside her against the other woman. She sat for a long time thinking of how she could get her revenge. Eventually it came to her and she grinned evilly as she planned how she would do it.
59
Ronan had just finished his shift and was poring over the
‘
apartments to let
’
section of the evening paper, circling suitable properties, when Sam came into the shop.
“
What are you doing there, mate?
”
he asked.
“
Looking for a place to rent. The problem is that by the time I get there they
’
re usually gone – the good ones
,
that is. They
’
re snapped up immediately.
”
“
Actually, I want to talk to you about that. Can you come for a pint now?
”
They went into the pub on the corner where Sam ordered two pints of Guinness.
“
I
’
ve decided to restructure the business,
”
Sam said
. “
Firstly, you should know that Fiona has told me she
’
s not coming back to work anytime soon
.”
“
I figured she wouldn
’
t want to leave Oisín till he
’
s much older.
”
“
No, and she
’
s damn right. Kids grow up so quickly. Besides
,
I think it would break Doris
’
s heart if she were to take him back to Dublin
.”
“
You can say that again. Doris intimated as much to me.
”
“
Yes, well
,
here
’
s what I
’
ve been thinking . . .
”
Sam
stroked
his chin as he chose his words.
“
I
’
ve decided to open a new shop in Naas and I was wondering if you would be interested in going down there as manager. What do you t
hink?
”
He looked at Ronan eagerly, waiting for his reaction.
Ronan was speechless for a moment.
“
Me? Manager?
”
“
Yes, how about it?
”
“
Gosh, thanks
,
Sam
!
I
’
d be delighted to do it
–
if you think I
’
m up to it, that is
.”
“
I wouldn
’
t ask you if I didn
’
t think you could do it. I run a business
,
not a charity. You
’
ve learnt all aspects of the business amazingly quickly. Dermot was even saying the other day how you
’
ve streamlined the stock control. I think you
’
re more than capable. Would you like to think about it?
”
“
I don
’
t need to. I
’
ll take it. It will be great to get away from Raheny. It holds too many memories.
”
His eyes were shining at the prospect.
“
The property I have my eye on has an apartment overhead
,
so hold your horses till the deal is finalised. You may be able to live there.
”
Ronan grinned at him.
“
That would be fantastic. I quite like the idea of getting out of the city and it will be much easier to visit Fiona and Oisín from Naas than brave the awful traffic going out of Dublin to Blessington.
”
Sam knew that Fiona and her
baby had become very important in Ronan
’
s life.
“
You can say that again. You don
’
t miss working as a draughtsman, do you?
”
“
Not in the least. I find the wine business fascinating a
nd anyway the prospect of getting a job as a draughtsman
any time soon is zilch.
”
“
Okay so. Let
’
s shake on it.
”
“
Thank you, Sam. I
’
m beginning to think you
’
re my guardian angel. How can I ever thank you?
”
Sam roared with laughter.
“
Well, you can start by ordering me another pint!
”
Ronan ordered another two pints and thought about his good luck. Everything seemed to be falling into place for him all of a sudden. The only fly in the ointment was what he
’
d learnt about Carl and Zita
’
s affair. He considered confiding in Sam about it but decided not to. The fewer people that knew about it, the better. If the tabloids got hold of it they
’
d have a field-day. No
–
better to say nothing and confront Carl when he got
back from France.