Page 6 of The Granddaughter's Irish Secret
‘Oh great,’ Victoria said, sounding relieved. ‘Thanks for letting me know. And please call me Vicky. Everyone does.’
‘No problem,’ Rose said. ‘So Noel…?’
‘Oh yeah. Sorry, he’s busy with a client right now. Can I ask him to call you back?’
‘Yes please.’
‘What’s it about? Not being nosey, just to save time, really.’
‘A private matter,’ Rose said.
‘Oh, right. Okay. I’ll tell him.’
‘Thanks.’
‘No problem. Bye, Rose.’
Rose hung up with a smile. Vicky sounded like a fun woman. Rose decided to ask her to have coffee sometime soon. It was nice to know people who worked in the town instead of just childhood friends. She turned on her old laptop and looked through the files of the apartment project. There was a lot to get through, starting with the accounts and the design of the new website Henri had suggested. Sylvia had already told Rose that Henri had a lot of ideas for the project. When the phone rang, she was deep in thought. She picked it up, her eyes still on the screen. ‘Rose Fleury.’
‘Good morning,’ a slightly familiar voice said.
‘Noel. Thanks for calling me back so quickly.’
‘You’re welcome. So what’s it about? All is well with Lily and her family, I hope?’
‘Oh yes,’ Rose replied. ‘They’re in great form, except Naomi keeps them awake at night, but I’m sure she’ll settle down. I rang you about something else.’ Rose paused, feeling suddenly awkward. ‘Hey, can we meet for coffee? It’ll be easier to explain to you in person.’
‘That would be grand. We need to get to know each other better, anyway. How about a coffee at the Wild Atlantic Café in the harbour? It’s a new place that I haven’t tried yet.’
‘Yes, it looks nice,’ Rose agreed. ‘Let’s meet there in half an hour.’
‘Perfect. See you then.’ Noel hung up.
Rose turned back to her computer but found she couldn’t concentrate. She had never been in this situation before, having to ask a man to escort her to an event. It felt strange and kind of miserable. She was so used to being asked out by men or having a boyfriend always by her side. But here she was, all alone, feeling oddly vulnerable without the security of a partner.
She shivered and tried to get back to work but it was too hard, so she touched up her makeup, got into her car and drove the short distance to Dingle harbour, where she managed to find a parking space. As she walked towards the café, she thought about what she was going to say. How on earth could she convince a man she hardly knew to be her fake date at a wedding?
3
The café was charming, all blue and white with dolphins painted on the inner walls, and outside a wooden deck with tables overlooking the bay. Rose bought a mug of latte at the counter and settled at one of the little tables on the outside deck. The salt-laden sea breeze was refreshing after a warm morning, and the sound of the waves so soothing. Rose took her sunglasses off her head and put them on against the dazzling sunlight. She looked out over the bay, spotting a rib laden with tourists going out to sea to spot whales and dolphins. She promised herself to join one of those tours soon – she loved watching the marine wildlife. She gave a start as someone touched her shoulder and turned to smile at the tall man standing there.
‘Hi there,’ she said. ‘Long time, no see.’
Noel, dressed in a dark blue suit and a white shirt, grinned back at her. ‘Hi, Rose. Yes it’s been a while. But it’s great to see you and have a chance to talk, now that I’m going to handle everything legal at the manor once it’s up and running.’ He paused. ‘I’ll just go and get a coffee. Won’t be a tick.’
‘Grand.’ She watched him walk away and was, for a brief moment, reminded of Gavin dressed just like that, in a suit andtie, all serious and businesslike. Rose mentally shook herself, feeling foolish for thinking the two men were alike at all.
He was back shortly and settled his tall frame on a chair opposite Rose, taking a sip of his mug of black coffee. Then he pushed back his shock of light blonde hair and looked at her, his bright blue eyes twinkling. ‘I was just thinking how nice it is to have another Fleury girl back in Dingle. Lily and your grandmother must be delighted that you’ve moved here. What a stroke of luck that you decided to work for your grandmother.’
‘A stroke of bad luck,’ Rose said with a sigh. ‘I had to get away from Dublin after a rather painful breakup.’
‘Oh?’ His eyes were sympathetic as he looked at her. ‘I’m sorry. But why did you have to run away?’
Rose shrugged. ‘I didn’t have to run as such. But it was difficult to face everyone after it happened. We worked together and the office was rife with rumours and backstabbing. But what did I expect when I was in a relationship with my boss?’
‘I’m sure that was not a calculation on your part,’ Noel soothed. ‘Even if the gossipmongers said so. You can’t stop yourself falling in love, even if it’s with the wrong person.’
‘That’s true,’ Rose said, touched by his sympathy. His kindness was a great surprise and she suddenly felt he was someone she could confide in. Not only that, he made her feel so at ease that she was no longer nervous to tell him why she’d asked to meet him.
