‘You okay?’ I ask him.
‘Yup!’ he replies with a clap of his hands.
‘Well then, Dan, your timing is impeccable!’ I tell him.
‘Is Terry still at the hall?’ Giselle asks, handing me my bag and turning the sign on the door from open to closed.
‘Terry’s setting up for the meeting for me. Yes, I need a little break, he’ll be down for you in a few,’ he says but I hear that heaviness and his eyes dip.
‘Well, I’m celebrating some great news! My friend Jill is expecting a baby!’ I wave my phone at him, trying to lift his mood.
‘Excellent. That is gorgeous news. So let’s celebrate that too with a drink too .?.?. let’s go.’ For a split second, he holds out his hand but then he pulls it back. I know he’s thinking what I’m thinking: I leave soon.
The snow is sleeting a blizzard as we run across the road and into the welcoming Heartwell Lounge and Bar. The place is buzzing. The fire crackles, Christmas revellers are enjoying themselves, pints are being raised and laughter and vibrant chatter fills the air. But as Dan slips out of his wax jacket, I wonder if it’s my imagination or if a sort of hush just fell over the entire pub? I look around, confused.
‘Wine?’ Dan ignores the hush, asking me.
‘S-sure.’ I look around as people stare at us.
‘As you were,’ Dan says to no one in particular and the chatter pipes back up. ‘Bottle of the Saint-Émilion Merlot please, Gráinne,’ Dan orders. ‘Two glasses.’
‘Coming up. Hi Maggie. The snug is free, Dan, if ye want the fire, like? Some privacy?’ Gráinne suggests, drying a glass in her hand, her tone more solemn than I remember it as I return her greeting.
‘See you later, Dan.’ An older man passes them, lifts his cap, replaces it.
‘Shall we move on in?’ Dan slaps a hand on the man’s shoulder but says nothing as I stand close behind him, slightly bewildered but also amazed to feel my heart fluttering again at the proximity of his body.
‘Cheers, Gráinne, take a drink for yerself.’ Dan hands her his credit card as he takes the bottle of wine and an opener from her. I pick up the glasses and I follow him into a tiny room with a wreath on the door.
‘Was that weird?’ I ask him. ‘Did the pub just go terribly quiet?’
‘You’re coming to the céilí tomorrow night, I hope?’ Dan shuts the glass door behind us, ignoring my question. Another open fire crackles brightly, and strings of Christmas lights are draped around the window frame, blinking on and off.
‘The fundraising céilí?’ I tread carefully, knowing I need to talk to him right now about Frederick before we leave this snug. In fact it’s the perfect place to talk to him.
‘That one.’ He extends his arm, twists the corkscrew in the bottle.
‘I bought a ticket from Kate but I don’t know, I still have a whole lot of work to do. I need to talk to you about all that actually, one of the jobs I was asked to do.’
But Dan is busy concentrating, he’s pulling at the stiff cork and then it comes out with a hiss and a pop. Dan examines the cork, smells it. He pours my wine first and now I can really feel the heat, so I remove my sweater and adjust my cotton green long-sleeved T-shirt underneath as the fire throws out a ferocious heat.
‘To us!’ Dan makes a toast and I clink his glass gently. ‘Try it. One of my favourites, let it settle on your palate for a moment.’ So we sip the wine. Dan stares into the open fire, the reflection illuminating his face. I could look at that face forever, I find myself thinking.
But you can’t, I tell myself.
Dan swirls his wine glass, he seems miles away. Here we go, I think, I’ll try again, but before I can speak the door opens and Gráinne pops her head around.
‘Dan, food for ye? You’ll need to eat before the meeting?’
‘I had Betsy’s pie,’ he tells her.
‘Ack, that’s not a dinner, that’s a tiny snack. It’s going to be a long night, you know it is.’ She pulls off her tie-dye bandana. ‘I’m finishing up now too.’
‘Alright,’ he tells her. ‘Still hungry?’ He turns back to me.
‘I am actually,’ I say but more so because I want to stay in this snug alone with him so we can talk in private.
‘Ya fancy anything in particular?’ he asks, rubbing his stubble roughly.
