Page 29 of The Widow's Irish Secret
‘We’re both lucky,’ Tricia said, feeling a mixture of sadness and joy. It felt good to have met him again and be so comfortable in his company. ‘I have this bittersweet feeling, you know. Part of me is crying in the rain, but the other part of me is dancing in the sunlight. Isn’t that weird?’
‘Weird and beautiful at the same time. But that’s what life is all about, isn’t it?’
‘Very true,’ Tricia agreed. She felt a sudden dart of happiness. It was wonderful to be able to talk about Fred with someone who had known him so well and with whom she shared so many memories.
‘But now I will let you get some sleep,’ Cillian said. ‘I have an early start tomorrow anyway.’
She said goodnight and hung up, despite her desperate desire to ask what he was busy with. The memory of their chat made her smile even if she still felt like she was lying to him. She hadn’t found out anything about the drawings yet. And Cillian hadn’t mentioned it either.
Ted sent Tricia the promised quote which she accepted and then the work could start on the cottage. Ted had all the workers lined up, including the electrician who promised tohave the rewiring done within a week. They went through the whole house together and marked the positions of every light switch and plug outlet which took up nearly a whole morning with input from Ted, who offered advice and suggestions which were very helpful. Then there were discussions about dry lining of all the interior walls and what it all would cost. Ted was incredibly organised and had every single detail written down on a document he sent to Tricia by email so she could discuss it with Dominic before the work commenced. Tricia went through it all with him when she came to the house in Ventry for dinner one evening.
‘That looks great,’ Dominic said when he had studied the plan sitting at the kitchen table while the children ran around chasing each other. ‘Ted knows what he’s doing.’
‘He’s a darling,’ Tricia said. ‘I feel I can trust him with everything.’
‘But you didn’t move in yet?’ Dominic caught Liam as he ran past and put him sitting on a chair. ‘Calm down, willya? And sit still for a minute. We’re trying to work here.’
‘Granny Tricia doesn’t work,’ Liam said, fixing Tricia with his brown eyes. ‘She’s on her holidays.’
‘Not really,’ Tricia argued. ‘I’m doing up my new house. And no, I haven’t moved in. Cill— I mean, I didn’t think it was a good idea to live there until the rewiring is finished.’
‘You said Kill,’ Liam remarked. ‘Is that the electrician? Nora said you were reconnecting with him.’
Dominic laughed and ruffled the little boy’s hair. ‘You shouldn’t listen when grown-ups are talking. I’m sure your granny meant something completely different.’
‘I was talking about Cillian,’ Tricia said, deciding it was better to drop in his name casually. ‘He was friends with Fred. He’s here on business and dropped in to see the cottage.’
‘Cillian O’Malley?’ Lily turned from the counter where she was chopping vegetables for dinner. ‘Is that our dad’s friend that Granny was talking about?’
‘Yes, that’s him,’ Tricia replied, the mere mention of his name making her cheeks hot. ‘We bumped into each other just after I arrived.’
‘You were great friends, too, Granny said. Must have been nice to see him again,’ Lily said over her shoulder. ‘Liam, go and tell your sister it’s nearly time for dinner. You should both go and wash your hands.’
Liam slid down from the chair. ‘Okay, Mum. I’ll tell her. Are we having pasghetti for dinner?’
‘That’s called spaghetti,’ Lily corrected. ‘And yes, that’s what we’re having. With meatballs and vegetables.’
‘Yum,’ Liam shouted before he ran out of the room calling Naomi.
‘So you met Cillian?’ Lily said. ‘Must have been strange to see him after all these years.’
‘It was a bit of a shock,’ Tricia replied. ‘Especially as he just appeared right in front of me at this speed dating thing.’
Lily laughed. ‘He was at the speed dating? That’s some coincidence. Like two oldies at a lonely hearts’ club or something.’
Tricia bristled, feeling annoyed at Lily’s joke. ‘Look, Lily, you’re young and lovely with a gorgeous husband and two beautiful children. I’m very happy for you. I, on the other hand, am growing older by the minute. I have been through a lot, as you know. Your father was the love of my life and I still love him – or the memory of him, in any case. Sean was also someone I loved dearly. I miss him terribly, but not as much as I miss Fred. But… I want to live again, maybe even love again before I get too old. So yes, I might join a lonely hearts’ club or any kind of club where there are people like me who don’t want to spend the restof their lives alone. Cillian was there maybe for the same reason, but I doubt it. He said it was accidental, whatever that meant. He and Fred were like brothers and we share so many memories of him. That’s why I was so happy to see him.’ Tricia drew breath and looked defiantly at her daughter.
‘I didn’t mean…’ Lily started.
‘Whatdidyou mean, Lily?’ Dom asked, looking annoyed. ‘I think you’d better stop talking about oldies before your mother walks out of here in a huff. Tricia is a lot of things, but “oldie” is not one of them. She looks more like your older sister than your mother.’
Lily put her knife on the counter and went to Tricia and gave her a hug. ‘I’m sorry, Mum. I didn’t mean to say you’re old or anything. I was just teasing you. Now I feel both mean and stupid.’
Tricia hugged her back. ‘It’s okay, sweetie. I know you didn’t mean anything bad. It’s just that one gets a little sensitive about things like that at my age. And I’m trying to adjust to my new life. There’s so much going on and then meeting Cillian again at an event like that…’
‘I bet it was a little awkward for you both.’ Lily went back to the counter and resumed chopping the vegetables. ‘Must have been like stepping back in time in a way.’
‘It was. I thought I was dreaming when he was suddenly there in front of me.’
