ferry to France, disembark at Cherbourg and keep going across Europe until he ran out of land, then maybe just drive into the sea.
‘Johnny, don’t go mad, but the box of Soviet stuff for Jin Woo Park? When it comes I want to deliver it in person.’
‘To Geneva? No!’
‘Ryanair flights are barely more than the cost of FedExing the box.’ She stopped. ‘Bad time? You’re wrecked, babes. Sorry, sweetie. Enjoy your beer.’
That was the thing about Jessie. She always knew when to pull back … Hold on, what’s happening here?
Ferdia, his face in a too-familiar thundery expression, was striding across the grass – Jesus Christ, he was the spit of Rory. How had he not seen this before? Or maybe it was a new development. Either way, it was impossible to move past the Kinsellas. If Ferdia and Saoirse weren’t visiting their grandparents in Errislannan, newspaper articles were rehashing the bad blood. Ferdia had just had some sort of a scuffle with Liam, by the look of things.
Liam’s phone rang and he looked at it, almost in outrage. ‘It’s work.’ He pressed Accept. ‘Chelsea?’
Nell listened to him getting an earful from his manager. ‘Busy. Never got the chance.’ Then, ‘Hey. You do the rosters. Put more of us on. Responsibility? Call me “acting manager” all you like, but I’m not getting paid what you’re getting.’ More listening. ‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’ A sigh. ‘Monday, then.’ He ended the call.
‘She’s raging I didn’t bank yesterday’s takings. But if she only has three of us on, what does she expect?’
‘Mmm. Totally.’ Actually, Nell worried that Liam’s attitude to the woman who managed the six PlanetCycle shops was too belligerent.
‘Maybe it’s time I moved on. I’m getting all the grief of a manager without any of the money.’
‘Liam, don’t do anything mad.’
‘No. But. The sports-massage thing. I’ve been thinking about it long enough. Maybe I should just go for it.’
‘Could you work and study at the same time?’ They were lucky that Paige let them live rent-free, but they still needed money for food, a phone, the essentials.
‘Ah, yeah, I’ll be grand.’
‘All okay?’ Jessie was suddenly at their side. ‘Dilly went for it?’
‘Yes! Thank you!’ Nell was jubilant.
‘Soooo.’ There was a sly little twinkle in Jessie’s eye. ‘Wanted to run something by the pair of you. Tuscany, all of us, August? You know about it, Nell?’
‘Mmm, sort of.’ A villa had been booked and everyone was invited.
‘I was thinking,’ Jessie said, ‘about Violet and Lenore.’ She raised a hand. ‘Liam! Hear me out!’ Speaking quickly, she said, ‘There’s room for them, they’ve been before, they loved it, their cousins miss them, I miss them, we all miss them, I bet they miss us, Paige can come if she likes –’
‘No,’ Liam said. ‘Not Paige.’
‘Okay. But let’s invite the girls. How would you feel about it, Nell?’
‘Oh, my God, I’d totally love it.’ A relaxed week in the sunshine would be a great way to get to know the girls. Unlike that one grim, tense dinner in an air-conditioned bunker in Atlanta where the only sound was of expensive cutlery clinking off expensive plates mixed with Lenore’s quiet sobs.
‘Liam?’
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Maybe. We’d have to do something with flights. Would they fly from Atlanta to Ireland first? Or would they go straight to Rome? But we can work it out. I’ll talk to Paige.’
‘Or I can talk to Paige?’
‘Jessie,’ Liam said gently, ‘she’s my ex-wife. Let me talk to her.’
‘Okay! You’ll do it? Thanks!’ Delighted, Jessie swung away.
‘That would be amazing!’ Nell sparkled at Liam.
‘Whatever makes my angel happy.’
From across the garden, Johnny studied Liam. There was a gleam about him that snagged the eye, as if he’d been dipped in a glossy topcoat. He looked way too glamorous for this suburban garden. Nell, by the same token, didn’t. But she was endearing, immensely likeable, taking such joy in living. All the kids were besotted – just look at her there, twirling in a circle with Tom, her pink hair flying. Would Nell let him have a quiet life? he wondered.
She was certainly a lot more easy-going than Jessie could ever be. And from one or two things he’d gathered, herself and Liam were a great pair for the alfresco riding – beaches and forests and whatnot.
But you couldn’t be thinking like that about your brother’s wife.
Johnny’s smartwatch beeped, triggering his heart to pound pure adrenalin for a half-second. It was as if Jessie had seen into his thoughts and was on to him.