Page 44 of The Widow's Irish Secret
Tricia patted Rose’s cheek. ‘Of course you do. I’d love to have Sophie for a few days. I could ask Lily to bring Naomi over so we’d have a little girly holiday.’
Rose brightened. ‘That’s a brilliant idea. Sophie idolises Naomi. She’s always talking about her “big girl cousin”.’
‘That’s settled, then,’ Tricia said, feeling excited at the thought of having her two granddaughters to herself. ‘When are you going?’
‘Tuesday. We have to be back on Thursday evening. There’s another wedding on Saturday, so I’ll have to be there to supervise. Noel will be happy that we’ll get a few days on our own. And I’ll go to the National Gallery while Noel is at the conference. There has to be something about Kieran O’Grady in their records.’
‘I’d be very interested to find out more,’ Tricia said. ‘I can’t wait to have the girls.’
Rose kissed Tricia on the cheek. ‘Thanks, Mum, you’re the best grandmother.’
‘Of course I am,’ Tricia said. ‘I love being with the kids. They make me feel young.’ She smiled fondly at Rose, looking forward to the visit. She’d ask Ted if he could help her put together the bunk bed that had just been delivered. Then the girls could sleep in the little box room next door to her bedroom. She was sure he’d do it and then she’d be all set for a lovely few days with her little granddaughters. She’d have to put Cillian on hold for a while, but with everything that had happened tonight, and Sylvia’s odd reactions, she thought that might be best.
22
Tricia had been right. When Ted heard that her granddaughters were coming to stay, he not only put the bunk bed together in double-quick time, but he also produced a doll’s house he had made for his daughter who was now grown up. ‘It’s a little worn,’ he said. ‘And the furniture has seen better days but I think the girls will have fun with it. The dolls are also old and some of the clothes are threadbare but…’
‘Oh, that doesn’t matter,’ Tricia assured him, touched by this lovely gift. ‘They will adore it.’
‘There is another thing I meant to ask you,’ Ted said when he had made sure the bunk bed was secure and the ladder fastened.
Tricia put a mattress on the bottom bunk. ‘What’s that?’
‘Well, maybe now is not the right time, but I was wondering if you’d like a kitten? My cat gave birth to four of them and I found a home for all except the last one. He’s still with me and I have made sure he’s house trained, so he won’t cause any trouble.’ Ted drew breath and looked at Tricia.
‘A kitten?’ Tricia asked. ‘Oh, well, I hadn’t planned to have a cat but now that you mention it, I think it would be nice. Great company and it will keep mice away.’
‘But maybe we’ll wait until after your granddaughters have gone back home,’ he suggested.
‘No, bring him over today,’ Tricia said. ‘Then we’ll get to know each other and he can settle in. The girls will love playing with a kitten. It’ll be fun for them.’
‘Or it might cause mayhem,’ Ted said, looking doubtful. ‘It’s a lively little thing.’
‘Mayhem?’ Tricia smirked. ‘Bring it on. Couldn’t be worse than two little girls running around the house. They’re Fleury girls, you know.’
Ted laughed. ‘I see. Well, in that case, the cat might be the least of your challenges.’
‘Could be.’ Tricia unfolded the other mattress. ‘Please give me a hand with this one.’
‘Of course.’ Ted took the mattress and heaved it onto the top bunk. ‘There. Anything else before I go to get the kitten?’
‘No, I can manage. But it would be great if you could bring me the bed the kitten has been sleeping in to help him feel at home. And some food?’
‘No problem,’ Ted said. ‘See you in about an hour, then.’
While she waited for Ted to come back, Tricia made up the beds and hung the curtains with a Barbie motif on the small window. Then she stepped back and looked at the room, happy with her labours. The room was tiny but the bunk bed fitted perfectly and the wall lights the electrician had put up would give the room a cosy glow and could be left on if either of the girls were afraid of the dark.
Tricia heard a car pull up outside and wondered who it could be. Was Ted here already? But he couldn’t have come back from his house in Anascaul so quickly. When she opened the front door she found not Ted, but Cillian grinning at her from the driver’s seat of a huge white campervan.
‘Hi, Trish,’ he called. ‘Want to come for a spin? I have a few days off so I thought we could go for a little holiday together up the coast. I have a list of B&Bs that you can stay in if the campervan experience should be too much for you. What do you say?’
Tricia stared at him, unable to speak. She hadn’t expected him to arrive like that unannounced, especially in his campervan. He had said he’d be in touch soon, but she had thought they’d have dinner together or maybe a walk on the beach and a picnic. But here he was, looking happy and hopeful, inviting her to go on some kind of holiday. She knew that in usual circumstances she’d jump at the chance to be alone with him, especially if they were to go away from here. It would be the most wonderful adventure that would kickstart a possible romance.Oh, I wish I could, she thought.How perfect it would be to go away and get to know each other properly, and maybe take it a step further…She knew by the way he looked at her that he was waiting for her to say yes, to pack a bag and hop into the campervan and take off.
‘Oh, Cillian,’ she said, walking closer. ‘I’d love to but I can’t. Not right now.’
His face fell. ‘Why?’ he asked. ‘What’s stopping you?’
‘My granddaughters,’ she said. ‘I promised to have them for a few days and they’re coming tomorrow.’
