“
Oh, yes! That
’
s a brilliant idea!
”
Fiona exclaimed, nodding her head.
“
Okay, okay,
”
Ronan laughed, feeling outnumbered.
“
I
’
ll pay for it but don
’
t expect anything more from me.
”
“
Fine, just give us a guest list and we
’
ll take care of the rest.
”
The two women high-fived each other, excited at the
prospect. They planned it for the following Sunday afternoon.
Th
ings were not going as Sandrine had planned. She couldn
’
t believe her ears when she heard that Ellie was seemingly having a ball. She
’
d expected to find her moping
because she
’
d lost David.
“
She
’
s
really enjoying herself,
”
Marie-Noelle had reported
with satisfaction.
“
Sam has taken her under his wing and is introducing her to all his friends, who love her, natur
ally. She
’
s having a great time.
”
“
She didn
’
t exactly waste any time, did she?
”
was Sandrine
’
s bitter retort to this news.
She recounted this later to David and
had expected him to be as furious as she was that Ellie had so blithely gone from being his fiancée to being flavour of the month on the Dublin social scene.
Instead
,
he was visibly upset and hardly said a word all night.
When she mentioned moving in with him again, he snapped at her.
Seeing that she was hurt
,
he apologised.
“
I
’
m sorry, Sandrine
,
but I
’
m just upset about Ellie. I obviously didn
’
t mean very much to her at all. Let
’
s not talk of moving in together for the moment. I just need a little space right now.
”
She said nothing but she was annoyed with him. She had hoped to be out of her poky flat by now and happily cohabitating with him. It looked like it wasn
’
t going to happen any
time soon. David could be very stubborn when he wanted to be.
75
Rachel was first to arrive in Naas the Sunday of the party
,
laden down with boxes. Carl had taken Jacob and Becky for the day. She got down to business decorating the apartment
,
placing candles on every available surface. Next she set the table with the red tablecloth and napkins that she
’
d brought and placed the beautiful flower arrangements she
’
d made on it. With the silver and crystal that she
’
d taken from home, it all looked very festive
.
She had brought plates of perfect little amuse-bouches and tiny canapés that looked almost too good to eat. She also produced some marvellous salads and a whole baked salmon from a cooler box she
’
d brought with her.
Fiona arrived to help out shortly after with Oisín in tow. He gurgled with delight when he saw Ronan and held out his chubby little arms to him. Ronan picked him up and threw him up in the air
,
making the baby peal with laughter. The two women looked on
,
smiling.
Fiona then unloaded numerous Tupperware boxes
stuffed with sausage rolls, Cornish pasties and quiches
that Doris had baked for the party.
They could be reheated in the oven later
,
and there was also a coffee cake and chocolate brownies. Conor
’
s wife, Betty, had said they would bring something as well. There would be more than enough to go round
.
Ronan couldn
’
t believe his eyes when he finally came up from the shop to
get ready for the party
.
He thanked them both profusely as they stood grinning, happy that they could do this for him.
“
It
’
s all Rachel
’
s doing
,”
Fiona insisted.
“
She did most of it
.”
“
You really have a gift for this sort of thing,
”
Ronan observed, smiling at Rachel while admiring how lovely the apartment looked.
“
I love doing it,
”
she told him, happy that he was pleased.
“
Have you ever thought of doing it professionally?
”
he as
ked her.
“
I
’
m sure there are people who would appreciate having someone like you to take the hassle out of their
parties.
”
“
I have
,
actually. It
’
s something I think I
’
d really enjoy
.”
She was looking radiant, Ronan thought. It was good to see her back to her bubbly self.
“
Well, I think you should look into it seriously. With all your contacts and your flair, I
’
m sure you
’
d be a huge success.
”
She blushed, embarrassed by his words
,
and Fiona, looking on, wondered if perhaps Rachel wasn
’
t a little in love with Ronan.
Maybe Ronan was in love with her
,
without realising it. She hoped not
!
While Fiona fed Oisín, Rachel went to change and when she came from the bathroom, looking beautiful in a slinky red silk dress and very high black
-
patent Louboutin shoes
,
Fiona was more than a little envious. She saw the admiration in Ronan
’
s eyes and felt a pang of jealousy. She couldn
’
t blame Ronan one bit if he was in love with Rachel. How on earth did she keep that figure when she
’
d had two children? Fiona patted her own tummy bulge, determined to start a diet the following day.
The champagne was chilling and all was ready when the first guests, his brother Conor and Betty
,
arrived.
She was carrying a big saucepan of chicken curry and Conor one of rice. Doris arrived next
,
then Ronan
’
s friend Jim and his wife, Sheila, and lastly came Sam with Ellie
.
She immediately made a beeline for the baby, asking Fiona if she could take him in her arms. He was so cute that she was
reluctant to give him back to Fiona when she said it was time for his nap.
It was a wonderful party and everyone was delighted to see Ronan in such high spirits. The party lasted well into the evening when everyone enjoyed a bowl of Betty
’
s delicious curry
.
“
That was wonderful
!”
Fiona, who was the last to leave, laughed as she helped Ronan clear away.
“
I really like
your friends
.”
“
Yeah, they
’
re a great bunch,
”
he agreed.
When they
’
d finished, he helped her on with her jacket, kissing her on the cheek before she left. She knew she was falling for him but she couldn
’
t stop herself. What a mess!
The shop in Naas opened the following week and was an instant success. Sam was delighted and Ronan was in his element. There seemed to be no shortage of money in this wealthy town and he quickly established a loyal clientele. He got to know his customers and their preferences and they came to appreciate and trust his advice. He was happier than he
’
d ever been.
Keith, who was
continuing on
to the Higher Cert course
,
moved from the Malahide shop and worked full-time along with Ronan. He took on
two students to help out part-time
evenings and weekends. It was all going very smoothly.
76
The second Monday in October, Fiona took over in the shop while Ronan and Keith left for Clontarf and the first night of the Higher Cert course.
Sam hadn
’
t been joking! It was way more difficult than the Lower Cert course but all of them were committed to learning more about wine and were eager students. It was also a chance to meet up together again
.
Rachel had invited Ronan to stay over on Monday nights but
,
as they were both in delicate marital negotiations prior to their divorces, he didn
’
t think it was appropriate
.
Instead he stayed with Sam. They were becoming great friends, as were Ellie and Rachel.
Occasionally the four of them met up for a meal in a restaurant or in Rachel
’
s house. That was better than any restaurant, they all agreed! She had started her party-planning business and was slowly but surely getting it off the ground. She
’
d let Paloma go and was taking care of the children herself with the help of Tiffany, the
new baby
-
sitter, who was turning into a treasure. She was a Trinity student who lived two doors away and she had a great way with the children. They adored her and so everyone was happy.
D
avid had found out very quickly that Sandrine was not the girl he
’
d thought her to be. To his dismay
,
she kept pushing for him to make a commitment. After the mess with Ellie, he was very loath to rush things. Sandrine wanted to move in with him almost immediately and it had taken all of his talents to avoid this. When she started insisting that he take back Ellie
’
s engagement ring – well, that was a step too far. He felt quite guilty about Ellie. All the planning she
’
d done for the wedding – she
’
d even bought her wedding dress! He felt quite ashamed of how he
’
d treated her and was more than happy for her to keep his ring. She could sell it or do whatever she wanted with it.
What Sandrine didn
’
t know was that Ellie had offered to give the engagement ring back to David but that he had refused to take it. When she did find out, she was furious. She berated David loudly about it but he wouldn
’
t budge.
“
No, I gave it to Ellie and I
’
m not going to take it back,
”
he insisted angrily, to her disappointment.
She would have loved that ring.
Shortly after that, David
had told her he couldn
’
t live with himself and that she was a daily reminder of what he
’
d done. What a cop-out!
Sandrine was disgusted. All in all, David had turned out to be a big disappointment. She
’
d been so jealous of Ellie when she
’
d arrived home with him and had been green with envy when they
’
d got engaged. Well, that had been misplaced because she knew now that David was not at all what he had seemed to be.
So now she was alone once more while Ellie got everything she wanted, as usual.
To Sandrine
’
s amazement Ellie had forgiven her and had even tried to pour oil on the troubled waters between her and her parents. They at least spoke to her now, thanks to Ellie
’
s insistence, but it was an uneasy relationship. She knew that Marie-Noelle would never forgive her betrayal.
Fiona loved working with Ronan and
,
more than that, she was now deeply in love with him. She knew it was hopeless. He was seeing Rachel regularly and she often heard him on the phone with her, laughing, his voice warm. She guessed that they were waiting for their respective divorces to come through before they went public with their relationship. She knew she shouldn
’
t complain. She was lucky – she had Oisín, who was the light of her life. He was such a happy baby and becoming more of a little personality every week. He brought her great joy. No one had said life would be perfect, she sighed. She guessed she was happier than most.