‘I’m sorry, Ally, but that is just not the spirit of Los Banditos. We’ll have two bowls of nachos with everything, and extra chipotle sauce, thanks. Well?’
‘I’ve spent half my Christmas money on overpriced sports gear that I’m not even sure I can return, and that I know in my heart I’ll just end up watching telly in.’
‘So does everyone .?.?. except a tiny minority. And they’re not natural.’
‘William is one of them.’
‘Except William.’
‘Thanks. Rosemarie, what’ll I do about the job?’
‘Well, there’s two ways of looking at it. Either you tell your mother that if she’s that keen on the job she should do it herself, or else you could go to the interview, play for time and see how things pan out.’
‘That’s too vague. I need more, Rosemarie.’
‘This is all about Pete, isn’t it?’
Ally nodded mutely then realised that, despite all the Santasand the squashed tinsel garlands, she was liable to bawl into her drink.
‘You like him?’ said Rosemarie.
‘Yes. That time he stayed over .?.?. It was kind of the feeling I’d always been hoping to find with someone.’
‘Then what are we even talking about?’
‘I can’t risk another disaster after spending five years with Francis. I’m thirty-six on my next birthday. I can’t waste time.’
‘Thanks for reminding me.’
‘Sorry.’
‘It’s OK. Look, Ally, this doesn’t make any sense. I don’t understand .?.?. Why don’t you just go back to The Owl’s Nest and accept the offer of the flat?’
‘Because, first of all, it won’t be ready for months – at absolute best. In the meantime, I earn €300 a week there, and right now I’m burning through my savings. On top of all that, even if I got myself into that flat, then if anything goes weird with Pete – which, believe me, it could – I’d be totally screwed. I’d be worse off than I am now, and everyone would say I should have seen that coming.’
‘Still .?.?. no guarantees in life. Why won’t you give him a chance?’
In truth, Ally half-wondered that herself.
Chapter 14
The morning of the interview, Ally woke up feeling uneasy and lay there for a while, going over her planned wardrobe. It wasn’t hard – just a case of pulling out one of her Celtic Concrete outfits that were less than two years old. So, neat pencil skirt, satin blouse, heels and belt. She’d been finding it impossible to get excited about the whole thing, but after knocking back a mug of coffee in her favourite cat mug while applying her makeup, she was cheered to see she didn’t look half bad.
Still, deep down it felt like getting dressed up for going down the mines.Look, she told herself,I absolutely don’t have to take the job, it’s only an interview.Just go to shut Mum up, so at least I can say I tried.?.?.
She arrived at the address of Hogget and Simpson, a Georgian house just off Baggot Street, and pushed open the door to find herself in a cool tiled hall with a white marble statue on a table. The place felt smart, chilly and formal.
A harassed-looking woman with heavy-framed designer glasses and a bob, wearing an enviable navy dress that Ally immediately clocked as being from AllSaints, bustled out of a side office. She was struggling with a thick file under one arm and a box balanced under her chin, while an insistent male voice was coming through the speaker on her mobile.
‘No, no, I’m sorry, he’s not in yet. Surprise, surprise. No, I don’t know when he’ll be in. You know what Vincent’s like. No, I can’t take a message, I’m not a .?.?. bloody secretary.’
It was obvious from the exchange that they were in dire need of a receptionist or some sort of troubleshooter. She felt the woman’s eyes fasten on her. ‘Ally?’
She nodded. The woman was too busy to even speak – she just jerked her head towards another office, which was literally packed with files and boxes from floor to ceiling. If she hadn’t seen Hogget and Simpson on the door, she might have mistaken it for a hoarder’s den.
The woman dumped the armful of papers on her desk and introduced herself as Georgina, one of the partners, though Ally couldn’t help wondering if the workload mightn’t be rather unevenly distributed. She flicked through Ally’s meagre CV that proved she’d stayed in her last job for nearly six years and enjoyed going to films as a hobby. Fabulous. Oh, so what, Ally thought – she hadn’t had time to think up anything better, so she braced herself for the dreaded question as to why she’d left her previous job so suddenly. Up close, Georgina looked not much older than herself, but completely exhausted. Ally actually began to feel sorry for her.
‘Look, you’ve been recommended by Maeve and .?.?. Elizabeth Mariani?’
