Page 30 of The Widow's Irish Secret
‘But he must have changed a lot since the last time you saw him.’ Lily started to fry the meatballs.
‘Er, yes, of course,’ Tricia said, feeling that there was no need to say anything about them dating twenty-five years ago. The girls had been in school and hadn’t known who Tricia was seeing. ‘So have I,’ she said. ‘But I would recognise him anywhere even after all the years.’
‘Unless he had grown fat and bald,’ Lily said. ‘But I bet he hasn’t.’
‘No, he looks really good,’ Tricia said, feeling that annoying heat in her cheeks again.
‘I’d love to meet him,’ Lily said. ‘He must have so many memories of Dad. Things we never knew.’
‘He’d love to see you, too,’ Tricia said. She began to feel more relaxed about how everyone would react to her friendship with Cillian now that they might get close again. That was partly the reason she had pulled away from him all those years ago. She had been worried about the reaction to her dating Fred’s best friend. But now she realised that the girls wouldn’t be upset – they’d be happy to meet him and talk about Fred. ‘You can meet him at the engagement party,’ she said. ‘Sylvia already invited him.’
‘That would be brilliant.’ Lily turned to Dominic. ‘Go and see what the kids are up to. They’re taking too long washing their hands.’
‘You’re right.’ Dom pushed the document across the table at Tricia. ‘Those figures and the work listed are all fine. I take it Ted has already started?’
Tricia nodded. ‘Yes. He said he couldn’t wait to begin so I gave him the go-ahead. I’ve never seen builders work so fast.’
‘Ted loves his work,’ Lily said when Dominic had walked out of the room. ‘I think it’s helped him get over his wife’s death. When he retired, they had all these plans to travel and do things together. But then she got sick and died soon afterwards. That was four years ago, I think. I’d say he was lonely so he started working again but at his own pace. He only works on projects he loves, so you were lucky to get him.’
Tricia got up to lay the table. ‘That’s a sad story. Must have been hard to have had all those plans with his wife that came to nothing.’
‘Yes, I’d say it was.’ Lily pulled open a drawer. ‘The cutlery is in here, Mum. And the glasses are in the cupboard over the sink. I’ll pile everything onto the plates and we use paper napkins which are in the little shelf over there by the window.’
‘Okay.’ Tricia found the items and put them on the table. ‘I’d better remember where everything is if I’m to help you out on a regular basis.’
‘I’d be happy with any kind of help.’
Then Naomi ran into the room, dressed in pyjamas. ‘Granny Tricia,’ she shouted and jumped into Tricia’s arms.
Tricia laughed and hugged her granddaughter, who, at seven years of age, was promising to grow as tall and willowy as her grandmother. ‘Hello, Naomi. How come you’re already in your jammies?’
‘We got wet in the bathroom,’ Naomi said with a delicious giggle. ‘So Daddy thought we should get into our jammies instead of clothes. Why are you here again, Granny? Are you going to mind us tonight? Are Mummy and Daddy going on a date again?’
‘No, I’m just having dinner with you and talking about my cottage with your daddy,’ Tricia replied. ‘And I wanted to get out of Vi and Jack’s hair for a bit. They need to be alone and talk about the wedding.’
‘Why were you in their hair?’ Naomi asked. ‘Were you giving them haircuts? Are you going to get a new dress for Great-gran’s party?’ she asked in nearly the same breath. ‘Mummy said it’s a twenties party. Is that because everyone there will be in their twenties?’
‘Not quite.’ Tricia took Naomi by the hand. ‘Come and sit down and have your dinner and I’ll tell you all about it. Where’s your daddy and Liam?’
‘Here.’ Dominic entered the kitchen carrying Liam, who was dressed in a pyjamas with the Superman logo on the front. Notonly that, he was also wearing a snorkel and mask and flippers on his feet. ‘He was diving in the bathtub. That’s how they both got so wet.’
‘I was trying to get him out,’ Naomi explained. ‘It’s dangerous to play in the bath all alone when you’re only four.’
‘It’s not dangerous when you have a snorkel,’ Liam said through the mouthpiece.
‘Dom,’ Lily chided. ‘I told you not to let him play with your snorkelling gear.’
‘I didn’t know he was going to use it in the bathtub,’ Dom argued.
‘I was practising,’ Liam said. ‘I want to dive like the men on the boat. They’re looking for a pirate ship out in the water.’
‘What men?’ Tricia asked. ‘Where did you see them?’
Liam took off his mask and snorkel. ‘In the bay when I was walking on Great-gran’s little beach with Daddy yesterday. They were in a rubber boat that wentveryfast. Whoosh and they were gone.’
Lily put plates with spaghetti and meatballs on the table. ‘Whoosh to the table and have your dinner, Liam.’
‘Pasghetti, yum,’ Liam shouted, wrenching off his flippers and wriggling out of Dominic’s arms. He proceeded to run to his place and started slurping spaghetti into his mouth at an impressive speed.
