‘You’recoming to the pub, aren’t you?’ Sam asked her.
‘Yeah. I promised this one pizza.’ She nodded to Jack who was hobbling over to them on his crutch. ‘We’d better set off now and get a head start on the rest of you.’
‘No need for that,’ Mitch said, coming up behind Jack. ‘Why don’t I take a leaf out of Jack’s book and stay in character?’ He bent down and lifted a delighted Jack onto his shoulders. ‘Now let’s beat them all to the pub,’ he said to the boy.
Jack grinned, raising his crutch triumphantly over his head.
‘Oh, Mitch, are you sure?’ Ciara winced. ‘You spend enough time humping him around on stage. You should take a break.’
‘It’s no bother. He’s light as a feather,’ Mitch said, striding towards the exit.
They all followed him downstairs and outside.
‘I hope you feel better soon,’ Ciara said to Sive. ‘Take it easy at the weekend.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Yes, you’d better knock whatever you’ve got on the head now,’ Andrea said as a parting shot, ‘because there’ll be no slacking off come tech week.’
Slacking off! Sive gritted her teeth furiously as she stomped off. That was it, she decided. She wouldn’t wait any longer to announce her pregnancy. She didn’t want the company thinking she was flaky or unfriendly, not joining them for drinks and only showing up at the theatre when she was absolutely required. And she didn’t want to give Andrea any excuse for getting digs like that in. She’d go public next week.
19
Sive wasn’t neededfor rehearsals on Monday, so she had a long weekend to rest and stew over telling Sam she was pregnant.
‘Feeling better?’ Andrea asked her when she arrived in the green room on Tuesday morning. Andrea was there alone, drinking coffee and flicking through a newspaper, which she abandoned when Sive walked in.
‘Yes, thanks.’ Shewasfeeling better. She was still tired, but she hoped the morning sickness was abating. She made herself a green tea and joined Andrea on the sofa.
‘So, you missed all the gossip,’ Andrea said gleefully, turning to her.
‘Really? Sive took a sip of her tea, cupping both hands around the mug. ‘What happened?’
‘Sam and Ciara! That’s what happened.’
Sive felt her jaw drop and she was powerless to stop it. ‘You mean …’
Andrea nodded vigorously. ‘They’re a thing. I know!’ she said, watching Sive’s reaction with satisfaction. ‘That’s how I felt too. I’d never have put those two together. I mean, isn’t she abit old for him for one thing? And I must admit, for a while I thought maybe you and Sam …’ She trailed off, shaking her head.
‘Sam and I are just friends,’ Sive said faintly, her voice hollow. She was dazed, trying to take in this information. ‘But what happened exactly? I mean … how do you know they’re a thing?’ Maybe Andrea had got the wrong end of the stick. After all, she reminded herself, Andrea had imagined a non-existent romance between herself and Rocco when they were inPrivate Livestogether.
‘Oh, it was pretty obvious. They were very cosy in the pub on Friday, off in the corner at a little table by themselves, while Mitch entertained Jack. And apparently Sam was over at Ciara’s house on Sunday – Jack said something about it this morning. And Ciara gave him back a charger he’d left there.’
Sive was hardly listening as Andrea prattled on. So Ciara was the ‘mate’ who’d invited Sam to dinner on Sunday. The odd, secretive way he’d said that came back to her. He obviously didn’t want to admit to her that it was Ciara. But then why had he asked her to go to a wedding with him practically in the next breath?
Maybe he’d just got tired of her stringing him along. She had no one but herself to blame if he had. She’d told him not to wait, she’d even tried nudging him to date other people, so it was irrational to be put out if he’d taken her up on it. But she couldn’t help it.
As she made her way to the stage for rehearsal, she spotted Sam and Ciara huddled together in the wings near the prompt box. She stopped in her tracks, hesitating to intrude on what looked like a private scene. They were almost hidden from view and there was something furtive about their body language. Their heads were bent close together and they spoke in hushed voices, having what appeared to be an intense conversation, Ciara intermittently casting wary glances towards the stagewhere Jack was playing with Mitch. Sive’s heart sank – it looked like Andrea had got it right this time. As she watched, Ciara threw her arms around Sam and pulled him into a quick hug, then headed for the stage, Sam following a moment later.
Sive’s heart was in her boots as rehearsal began, regret gnawing at her insides. The irony that she’d held back because of her pregnancy and now Sam was taking up with a single mum made it all the more bitter. Damn it! Why hadn’t she gone for it with Sam when she had the chance? Instead, she’d hesitated and prevaricated until it was too late.
At the first break, she headed for the fire escape, feeling in need of some fresh air. She stopped in her tracks and almost turned back when she saw that Ciara was already there ahead of her. But that was cowardly. She decided she might as well face this situation head-on and get it over with.
Ciara was leaning on the railing overlooking the small rear yard and she turned to Sive with a smile as she pushed through the door.
‘Good weekend?’ Ciara asked as Sive joined her at the railing.
‘Yeah, it was nice. You?’
