Page 4 of The Granddaughter's Irish Secret
‘I’m glad you realised that.’ Rose paused, already cheered by Lily’s voice.
‘Was that why you rang?’ Lily asked. ‘To say thank you?’
‘Yes and no. I was just feeling a little sad. I found Aiden and Louise’s wedding invitation in my bag. I got that over a month ago but I haven’t replied yet.’
‘Do you want to go?’ Lily enquired.
‘In a way yes. It’ll be one of those blingy affairs in Aghadoe Heights Hotel in Killarney. Everyone who’s anyone will be there. And I’m desperate to see Louise and catch up. I don’t want to let her down.’
‘Sounds important,’ Lily said. ‘You should go.’
‘I don’t think I want to,’ Rose said with a sigh.
‘Why not?’
‘I’ll be the only one without a boyfriend.’
‘Are you worried Gavin might be there?’ Lily asked.
‘No, he won’t,’ Rose replied. ‘He’s in New York, so I’m sure he won’t travel all the way back just for this.’
‘What’s the problem, then?’
‘Louise said to bring a “plus one”, but I have nobody to bring and they’ll all know what a loser I am.’ Rose felt tears prick as she said it out loud.
‘Don’t be silly,’ Lily snapped. ‘Of course you must go. A Fleury woman can never be a loser. It just isn’t on the cards. Pull yourself together and put on your blue dress and your gorgeous necklace you got from Granny, go to that wedding and smile. Did you have it cleaned like I told you?’
‘Yes, I handed it into that jewellery shop in Killarney on my way through. They specialise in antique jewellery,’ Rose said. ‘Granny told me about them.’
The necklace was Rose’s most precious possession. With large blue topazes and tiny pearls set in white gold, the necklace had been in the family for a hundred and fifty years. It had been a morning gift to a Fleury bride in the middle of the nineteenth century. Rose’s grandmother had given it to Rose two years ago, just before the annual Magnolia party they had thought would be the last. It had all ended happily and the Magnolia party was still the event of spring in Dingle town. Rose had been allowed to keep the necklace and wore it occasionally to parties that demanded some dressing up. It matched her blue silk dress perfectly and brought out her deep blue eyes.
‘Good,’ Lily said. ‘It’s important to look after the old pieces.’
‘Of course it is. So if I do go, to the wedding, who am I going to bring?’ Rose continued. ‘It has to be a good-looking, successful man who looks great in a tux. I can’t think of anyone that fits the bill around here in the sticks. Oh, I wish Gavin hadn’t dumped me just now. He looks amazing in black tie.’
‘He wasn’t the right man for you,’ Lily stated. ‘You deserve better.’
‘It’s too late for me to find anyone better or worse.’ Rose sniffed. ‘I’m a thirty-five-year-old spinster. Left on the shelf.’
‘Oh please.’ Lily sighed. ‘You sound more like an eleven-year-old right now. Enough of the self-pity.’
‘Yeah, okay. I’ll try to perk up. But I don’t want to go without a date. There’s nobody around I can ask.’
‘Why can’t you go on your own?’ Lily asked. ‘Then you can be the beautiful single girl, and maybe meet someone and dance the night away with no worries.’
‘And no boyfriend,’ Rose muttered. ‘But maybe you’re right. If I go on my own, I’ll look confident and independent like I don’t really care. Hmm. I’ll consider that.’
‘You should,’ Lily agreed. ‘That’s what a strong Fleury woman would do. And now that you’re going to run the senior apartment project, it would also help your image as a business woman. Are you excited about it?’
‘Yes. I think it’ll be great,’ Rose replied. ‘I’ll be using all my skills. Not only business and marketing, but also design when I do the furnishings. It’ll be fun. Except the legal aspect, but then I can call on Wolfie. Granny said he’s her solicitor now, he’ll be dealing with all things legal, contracts and all that.’
‘He’s changed his name to Noel,’ Lily cut in.
‘He’s Noel Quinn now instead of Wolfie? Why?’
‘Noel is his middle name,’ Lily explained. ‘I actually suggested the name change because I thought Wolfgang was a mouthful for his clients. Hey, maybe he could be your plus one?’
‘Are you joking?’ Rose tried to imagine Wolfie – or Noel Quinn, Lily’s former boss – in a tux. Not the kind of clothes she would associate with him, he was not the snappiest dresser in town, to put it mildly. Especially when he dressed casually in tracksuits that had seen better days, teamed with a Kerry football shirt. But when she thought about it, she realised Lily was right. Wolfgang – or Noel – might look good in black tie. Tall and good looking in a Scandinavian way, with light blondehair, light blue eyes and a dazzling smile, he might do. But he wasn’t exactly the man of her dreams.
