The receptionist looked up. 'Hi, Fergus. If you're looking for Sarah she's gone to the pub.'
'Thanks.' He smiled at the girl and headed towards the pub on the corner. He was halfway across the busy, smoky room when he heard someone call his name. He turned to see Mick Garvey waving at him, a broad smile on his face.
'Hey, Gus, over here. We were just talking about you, weren't we, Sarah?'
Fergus's heart sank as Mick moved to one side to reveal Sarah sitting on a barstool beside him. She smiled and waved. As he approached, Fergus shivered at the cold calculating look in Mick's eye.
Sarah stood up to kiss him. She was more than a bit tipsy and he slipped an arm around her waist to steady her.
'Fergus, what a lovely surprise.'
'I thought I'd come by to take you home.' Fergus kept his eyes on Sarah as he spoke.
'Did you hear that?' She turned to Mick. 'Isn't he lovely?'
'Oh, yeah, he's just great.'
'Let's go, Sarah.'
She waved him away and sat down. 'I'm not finished my drink. Pull up a chair, Fergus, and have a drink. Mick's being telling me all about the old days. You never told me you used to live around here.'
'It was a lifetime ago.'
Mick chuckled. 'Not that long, Gus!'
'Oh, cheer up, Fergus,' Sarah pouted his grim expression. 'Aren't you happy to meet an old friend?'
'Thrilled. Now come on, Sarah, time we went home.'
'Pity we don't have more time to catch up, Gus,' Mick murmured, an amused smile playing around his lips.
'Yeah, sorry about that.'
'Oh, don't worry about it. I work out on a regular basis so you'll be seeing plenty of me. I think it's important to look after yer health, don't you, Gus?'
Fergus looked at his yellow teeth and pimply skin. 'Whatever you say, Mick.'
'Seeya, Mick.' Sarah struggled to focus on him. 'And if you need any help with your exercise programme you just let me know.'
Mick winked at her. 'I'll do that, thanks, Sarah.'
Fergus gripped her arm and steered towards the door.
Celine plumped the cushions on the sofa, opened the window and leaned out to sniff the air that smelled of cut grass and lavender. It was a perfect May evening and Marina would be here any minute. As it was so nice, Celine was planning to bring her down to the courtyard at the back of the shop. She had already been down to dust off the chairs and set out wine, glasses and some nibbles. This was the first time that she and Marina had got together since Celine had discovered Fergus was Rose's son and since she'd started dating Richard. They had a lot to talk about. The phone rang and she jumped on it, thinking it would be Richard.
'Hello, Celine.'
Celine groaned inwardly. 'Kevin!'
'I've missed you.'
'Oh, Kevin, please don't say that.'
'But it's true. When can I see you?'
Celine took a deep breath. 'I'm sorry, Kevin, but you can't. It's over between us.'
'You don't mean that. If this is because of Eileen—'
'It's not Eileen. I'm . . . seeing someone else.'
'It's that landlord of yours, isn't it?'
'It doesn't matter who it is, Kevin, there was no future for us anyway.'
'You've said that before, Celine, but you've always come back.'
'Not this time.'
'We'll see.'
When she heard the dial tone, Celine put down the phone with a shaking hand. Kevin was charm itself when he was happy, but upset him and he could get very nasty. Perhaps she should invite him over some evening and try to finish it in a more amicable manner. The buzzer interrupted her thoughts and she hurried to let Marina in.
'Hello, darling,' Marina called as she climbed the stairs. 'Sorry I'm late. Just had to nip next door for some mints.'
Celine's lips twitched. 'Mints, eh?'
Marina's eyes widened. 'What else?'
'So I take it the romance is going well.'
'Wonderful,' Marina purred. 'Dominic is a darling and he's great with Joshie.'
'Wow, you've finally introduced them?'
'We've been to the park twice and the cinema once,' Marina reported. 'Do you know that Dominic's the first man that ever showed an interest in my son?'
'And what does Josh think of Dominic?
Marina's smile faded. 'He's been very quiet but it's early days. Dominic is being wonderfuly patient.'
'He's definitely an angel.' Celine agreed. 'Even if he did get me involved with his damn musical society.'
'I'm still in shock about that. It's so unlike you to be sociable.'
'Thanks.' Celine picked up her sunglasses. 'Let's continue this conversation in the courtyard.'
Marina frowned. 'I didn't know you had a courtyard.'
'Well, I don't, but there's a pretty little yard behind the shop and Rose says I can use it whenever I want.' She went over to the window and stepped out onto the fire escape.
Marina leaned out of the window and looked down. 'Are you sure that thing is safe? It looks ancient.'
'It's fine,' Celine assured her. 'Come on.'
Marina pulled on her baseball cap. 'Okay, lead the way.'
Celine was pouring the wine by the time Marina joined her. 'Oh, it is nice down here!' She looked around in appreciation at the tiny courtyard with its potted plants and climbing roses. She pulled a chair under the protection of the large multi-coloured parasol and Celine handed her a glass of chilled white wine.
Celine placed her chair directly in the sun and stretched out, raising her face to the warm rays. 'Isn't it heaven?'
'I hope you're wearing sunscreen,' Marina remarked.
Celine waved a lazy hand at her. 'It's nearly seven o'clock, Marina. Anyway, I'm not a model, I don't have to worry about my skin.'
Marina studied her pretty friend. 'You could be if you weren't so short.'
Celine opened one eye. 'I am not short!'
Marina grinned. 'Course not, shorty. Anyway, tell me all your news. How's Rose doing?'
'Really well. She called this morning and she was telling me that she can get about the house without her frame now. She hates doing the physio though.'
'When will she come back to Dublin?'
'Probably next month, but she won't be able to work for a while yet.'
'And when she is, what will you do?'
Celine shrugged. 'I'll worry about that when the time comes. I almost left a few weeks ago.'
Marina stared at her. 'But why?'
And after taking another sip of her wine, Celine told her friend about Fergus.
'That's incredible!' Maria gasped when she'd finished. 'I know Dublin is a small town but that he should turn out to be Rose's son! Oh, Celine, why didn't you tell me? This must have been a very hard time for you. What did your dad say?'
'I haven't told him.'
'So you've gone through this all alone.' Marina shook her head in disbelief.
'Not quite,' Celine told her with a smile.
Marina rolled her eyes. 'You're still seeing Kevin then?'
'No! It's . . . someone else.'
'Celine! Who? For God's sake, tell me!'
'It's Richard.'
'Richard Lawrence? You've been dating the most eligible bachelor in the country?'
'Don't call him that,' Celine complained. 'He's actually a very ordinary kind of guy.'
'I'll have to take your word for that. So is it serious?'
'Oh, come on, Marina, we've only gone out a few times! What about you? Has Dominic popped the question yet?'
Marina gave her a small, satisfied smile. 'Shouldn't be long now.'
'You only met a few weeks ago!'
'Let's face it, Celine, when you know, you know.'
'I thought you were holding out for a rich man. Dominic is almost on the breadline!'
Marina made a face. 'That's a slight exaggeration but it's true, he's not exactly what I was looking for.' She sighed happily. 'But when you're in love, who cares about money?'
Celine put a hand to her friend's forehead. 'Are you feeling okay?'
Marina laughed. 'Never better.'
'I'm so happy for you,' Celine said, genuinely delighted. 'You couldn't find a better man than Dominic.'
'What about Richard?' Marina asked with a sly look.
Celine laughed. 'Yeah, you're right. He's perfect too!'
'I want to meet this man for myself. We shall set up a foursome.'
'We'll see.'
'Don't give me that! What could be more natural? He and Dominic are friends. You and I are friends. We must go to dinner. I'll tell Dominic to arrange it.'
Celine bit her lip as she saw the determined look on Marina's face. 'Promise me you won't grill him about his intentions?'
'But of course not, darling, I'll be on my best behaviour. Tell me something. Does Dominic know all about you and Fergus?'
Colin nodded. 'But don't be cross with him, Marina, it was a very delicate situation.'
'I'm not cross, darling. I'm impressed. How wonderfully discreet of him. Is there no end to his good points?'
A week later Celine arrived at the church hall just as the cast of 'My Fair Lady' finished a rousing rendition of 'With A Little Bit of Luck'. She applauded delightedly as she pulled up a seat next to Cathy. 'Gosh, they're really good, aren't they?'
'Not good enough,' the producer replied out of the side of her mouth, 'but they will be.'
'So what do you want me to do?' Celine asked.
'The costumes for the ballroom scene have arrived, so maybe you could work with the ladies on those?'
'Sure.'
Cathy clapped her hands. 'Okay, everybody, this is Celine Moore and she's very kindly offered to look after the wardrobe for us.'
There was a polite round of applause and Celine smiled. She was amazed at the number of faces she recognised.
'So,' Cathy continued, 'any of the ladies not involved in the Ascot scene, please go into the next room with Celine and she will organise your ballgowns.'
The women chattered excitedly as they moved down to the door at the other end of the room.
Dominic appeared at her side. 'Hi, Celine, all set for Saturday night?'
'Yeah, looking forward to it. I just hope Marina doesn't give Richard the third degree!'
'She'll behave herself, I'll make sure of it,' he promised.
Celine shot him an amazed look. She didn't think any man was capable of keeping Marina in check, least of all a softly spoken gentleman like Dominic. 'See you later,' she said and went to join the ladies of the cast. When she saw the rails of clothes she almost groaned aloud. She should have spent some time going through the stuff before dragging everybody in here. She clapped her hands together and smiled nervously. 'Hi, everybody, why don't you all have a rummage and see if you can find something to suit you?' She went to the nearest rack and flicked through some of the dresses. 'Yes, the sizes are all clearly marked so it should be straightforward enough. When you've found something you like, try it on and come to me if it needs some adjusting.'
She watched as the women started to rummage through the racks. With a couple of exceptions, they were all middle-aged and Celine thought that most of the adjustments would be to the rather revealing bodices.
'Hello, dear, how nice to see you.'
She turned around to see Mary Boyle bearing down on her. 'Oh, hello, Mrs Boyle, I didn't know you were a member.'
'Thirteen years.' Mary stuck her chest out and cast a scathing eye over the other women. 'I planned to retire this year but Cathy begged me to stay on. There aren't many strong sopranos,' she confided.
'Oh, I see.' Celine nodded gravely.
'You still haven't come for tea.'
'Yes, sorry about that,' Celine murmured. 'But now that I'm running the shop alone, it's been quite hectic. And then I normally spend Sundays with my dad.'
Mary was slightly mollified. 'Well, family is important.'
'Isn't it?' Celine grabbed a flamboyant pink creation off the rail and shoved it into the woman's hand. 'Why don't you try that on, Mrs Boyle? I think that colour would be very good on you.'
Mary preened. 'Really?'
'With your wonderful skin I'm sure of it,' Celine said, backing away. 'Excuse me a moment, I think I'm needed.' She hurried across the room to where a large, red-haired woman was trying to squeeze into an orange dress with layers of netting. Celine ran her eye along the nearest rail and seized a more regal gown in royal blue. 'I think this would suit you much better,' she suggested with a tentative smile.
And so the evening continued, with Celine feeling more like a peace commissioner for the UN than a costume mistress.
'You survived then,' Dominic remarked as he walked her back to the flat.
Celine grinned. 'Only just. No, I had fun. You make a wonderful Henry Higgins, by the way.'
Dominic looked surprised and pleased. 'I didn't think you'd seen any of the rehearsals.'
'I just caught a few minutes of you singing "I've grown accustomed to her face". It was lovely.'
'I think you're being kind.' They stopped outside her flat.
'Would you like a coffee?' Celine asked.
Dominic sighed. 'I'd love one but I promised myself I'd go over the books this evening. Not my favourite occupation.' He handed her the clothes he had been carrying for her. 'Mind you, looking at that little lot, it looks like you're going to be busy too.'
Celine laughed. 'It's just some minor alterations, it won't take long.' As she turned to open the door, a car pulled up alongside them and Kevin got out.
'Hello, Celine.'
'Kevin!' She quickly turned back to Dominic. 'See you tomorrow.'
Dominic hesitated for a moment and then nodded. 'Right, bye.'
'Pleased to see me?' Kevin asked when they were alone.
'I am, actually. We need to talk. Let's go upstairs.'
The follow
i
ng morning, Celine was in the shop bright and early and singing along to the radio as she dusted the shelves and hoovered.
'Someone sounds happy.'
She turned to see Richard standing in the doorway and switched off the Hoover with her foot. 'Hello, there.'
After a long kiss Richard drew back to look at her. 'You're gorgeous.'
Celine laughed. 'Rubbish.' She'd pulled on jogging pants and a T-shirt and her hair was pinned on top of her head and she just knew her face would be shiny from all the exertion. 'Come back in an hour and I'll be scrubbed up.'