‘Every night’s a hot date with you two.’ Sive smiled fondly. ‘Give my love to Rocco,’ she called as she waved goodbye to Mimi.
‘What’s tomorrow?’ Sam asked, falling into step beside her.
Sive sighed. ‘I’m seeing Ben – my ex. He’s home for the weekend.’
‘Ah right.’ Sam’s face fell, though he hid it quickly. They reached the pub and he pushed open the door. Most of the company were already inside. Sam asked her what she wanted and went to the bar to get the drinks, while Sive found a table in a cosy nook tucked into a corner.
‘Cheers!’ Sam lifted a foamy pint of Guinness when he was seated beside her on the banquette. ‘Mineral water again?’ He nodded to Sive’s glass.
‘I’m getting a jump on dry January – trying that sobriety thing. It’s all the rage now.’
‘Good for you.’ Sam took a sip of his pint and wiped Guinness foam from his mouth. ‘So are you and Ben getting back together?’ She heard the strain in his voice, belying his air of casual indifference. His jaw tightened as if he was steeling himself for her answer.
‘No, nothing like that.’WouldBen want them to get back together? She didn’t think it was at all likely, but you never knew.
Sam must have sensed some uncertainty in her tone because he said, ‘But he wants you back?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘Why else would he want to see you?’
‘It’s me who asked to see him, actually.’ She ran a finger along her glass. ‘We have some … unfinished business. There’s a sort of joint project we were working on that I need to discuss with him.’
‘Sounds serious.’
‘It is.’You have no idea. ‘How about you? Any plans for the weekend?’
‘Nothing much, apart from dinner at yours, of course. I’ll probably just laze around and do some work on my lines.’
‘I could help you with that if you want?’ Sive said eagerly.
‘Thanks. I need all the help I can get.’
‘You’re better than you give yourself credit for, you know.’
Sam smiled.
‘I’m making dinner on Sunday. You could come and help me if you like, and we could run lines at the same time?’
‘Help you cook?’
She nodded. ‘Aoife and Jonathan won’t be back until the evening.’ They were going to a wedding in Wexford the following day and staying overnight. ‘So I’ll be on my own and I could use a sous chef.’
‘Well, I’m not much of a cook. My signature dish is beans on toast. But I’m good at the grunt work. You can boss me around and I’ll say “yes, chef,” and do the peeling and chopping and stuff.’
‘I’m sure we can find you something more interesting to do than that. I could show you some new things.’
Sam smiled. ‘Okay, deal.’ He took a sip of his pint. ‘So what are we making?’
‘I haven’t decided yet. Any ideas?’
‘I’m a dab hand at a stir fry.’
Sive wrinkled her nose. ‘I think we could be a little more ambitious than that.’
Sam drummed his fingers on the table. ‘What about beef wellington? I love that.’
Sive laughed. ‘Not quitethatambitious – or expensive. What about enchiladas?’
