Page 18 of The Book of Irish Secrets
‘Don’t apologise.’ Pierce smiled and put down his spoon. ‘I give up too. We’re not very good at pigging out, are we?’
‘Not really,’ Claire agreed, smiling back at him.
‘Would you like another Guinness? Or something else to drink? A cup of tea?’
‘Actually, a cup of tea would be nice,’ Claire said. ‘Then I think I’ll get back to the B&B. I don’t want to be out too late as I have to get up early tomorrow.’
Pierce nodded. ‘Yes, me too. I have two business meetings one after the other on Zoom tomorrow morning. Let’s have tea and then call it a night.’
They ordered tea which arrived promptly and then they continued chatting, forgetting the time and that they both had to get up early the next day. It wasn’t until the shout of ‘Time, ladies and gentlemen’ that signalled the pub closing for the day that they realised how late it was.
‘I can’t believe it’s this hour,’ Claire exclaimed, checking her watch. ‘I forgot all about the time while you were talking.’
Pierce grinned. ‘I take that as a compliment. It’s not often someone is so interested in my early childhood.’
‘It sounded like so much fun,’ Claire said, gathering her handbag and her jacket. ‘My childhood was pretty boring compared to yours. But then my parents were a lot less interesting and quite strict. Especially my father.’
‘My parents were bohemians.’ Pierce went around the table to pull out Claire’s chair. ‘It was all about music and dancing and reading books. My mother played the harp quite beautifully. And we were taught to play the piano and all kinds of other instruments.’
‘I used to take piano lessons,’ Claire said as they walked together to the entrance. ‘But it wasn’t because of my parents but my grandfather and then his sister, my great-aunt. They were very talented musically. I actually love playing the piano.’
‘I’m sure you’re very good at it,’ Pierce said as he held the door open for Claire. They waved at Brian as they went out and said goodbye.
‘Bye, lads,’ Brian called back from behind the counter.
They walked out into the street. Claire looked up at the dark sky and the stars twinkling above them, breathing in the mild air laced with salt and a faint whiff of woodsmoke. ‘It feels like spring.’
‘So it does,’ Pierce agreed. They looked at each other for a moment. ‘This was an unexpected surprise,’ he said. ‘I really enjoyed your company and the chat and the fact that you laughed at my jokes.’
‘I did so because they were funny,’ Claire said, not wanting the evening to end despite being tired.
‘That’s nice to hear.’ Pierce looked at her for a moment. ‘I was wondering, though, if you have any Kerry ancestry? You have a kind of Kerry aura about you. Something familiar that resonates with something in my memory.’ He stopped and shook his head.‘Oh, forget it. Just a passing fancy, really. I’m sure Dublin girls are just as friendly and fun.’
‘Maybe you should go there and find out?’ Claire said.
‘No. I’m happy where I am. And now that you’re here, things are looking up.’ Then he looked suddenly shy. ‘Well, time to go. Goodnight, Claire. See you tomorrow.’
He walked away before Claire had a chance to say goodnight back. She watched him walking up the street, trying to figure out what he had meant. There was something familiar about her, he had said. Could that be her Fleury traits again? She shrugged and walked across the street to the B&B, using her key to let herself in. She had thoroughly enjoyed the evening after accidentally bumping into Pierce.What a nice man, she thought.And how utterly comfortable I felt in his company. No tension or drama, just a meeting of minds, having fun without pressure.Or it would be, if she didn’t feel she had been lying to him by omission. But she couldn’t tell him the real reason she had come to Kerry, or why she had jumped at the chance to work for Karina when she had learned that she catered for the events at Magnolia Manor. She couldn’t allow herself to get involved with anyone right now. It carried with it risks she didn’t want to take. She couldn’t quite explain to herself why she felt so attracted to him, or why she was upset that she couldn’t let it go any further than a casual friendship. It could have been the start of something new and exciting, but she knew she’d have to hold back.
NINE
‘Stop overthinking,’ Finola ordered, when Claire told her how hard it was to lie about why she had come to Kerry. ‘Try to compartmentalise and remember why you’re there. Pretend you are who you say and then, when the right moment arrives, you can reveal the truth and be the real you.’
‘I’ll try,’ Claire said. ‘But it’s hard when everyone’s so nice.’
‘Just go with the flow,’ Finola said. ‘And remember that your aunt Rachel wanted this. What else is happening?’
‘I got the job, as I told you,’ Claire replied. ‘And my first day was pretty hectic. Karina is lovely but a bit disorganised. She needs someone to put all her activities into a schedule and keep track of her bookings and be nice to clients.’
‘Didn’t I say you’d be perfect?’ Finola chortled. ‘You’re the queen of organisation. You’ll soon have all that stuff filed where it’s easy to find.’
‘I’ll do my best, but we get on, which is a good start. But guess where we went after the interview?’
‘Oooh,’ Finola breathed. ‘You mean… Magnolia Manor?’
‘Yes. And I met Sylvia and Rose and Lily and went on a tour of the house. It’s absolutely amazing. So grand and beautiful and old.’
‘Wow,’ Finola whispered. ‘I wish I’d been there to see it all. And…’ She stopped. ‘Oh!’ she exclaimed. ‘I forgot to tell you. There’s a letter.’
