‘Okay, then,’ he relented, smiling indulgently at hissister.
‘Good,’ Jonathan said. ‘We’ll have a proper family Sunday lunch.’
Jonathan and Ali beamed delightedly at this idea, while Luca and Jacqueline exchanged nervous glances.
‘Oh, look!’ Ali squealed, pointing out to sea, where two fins arched out of the water and disappeared again. ‘Dolphins!’
‘See what I mean?’ Luca said to Claire. ‘Ten a penny. And there are two of them now.’
They all stood up to watch, leaning against the rail, shouting with laughter as both dolphins leapt right out of the water, turning perfect somersaults before diving back beneath the sparkling surface.
‘It really was lovely to meet you, Claire,’ Jacqueline said later, as the whole family saw her to her car.
‘You must come again soon,’ Jonathan added.
‘And be prepared for a sleepover next time,’ Ali said, hugging her goodbye.
Claire was carrying her shoes, wearing an old pair of plimsolls Jacqueline had given her. She felt a fraud, knowing it was unlikely she would ever be back there with Luca.
‘I’ll see you on Tuesday,’ Luca said, giving her a lingering kiss on the lips as the others went back towards the house. ‘And thank you for last night,’ he whispered in her ear.
‘What about this morning?’ she asked teasingly.
‘That wasn’t too shabby either.’ He grinned. ‘But last night was… incredible.’
‘Well, I couldn’t have done it without you.’
Claire couldn’t get the goofy grin off her faceas she got into the car and pulled out of the drive – or, in fact, for the entire journey back to Ranelagh.
Later that afternoon, Claire drove her mother to Dun Laoghaire, and they went along the pier, Claire pushing Espie in her wheelchair. Half of Dublin seemed to be there, strolling, jogging and generally making the most of the rare heatwave. When they walked back, they queued for ice-cream at Teddy’s and sat looking out to sea eating 99s, while Claire told her mother all about the party, Luca’s family home and the dolphins.
‘And what was the mother like?’ Espie asked her, always avid for more details.
‘She was… nice enough. A bit uptight – and there was a lot of tension between her and Luca. But she wasn’t as cold as I’d expected. I was a bit rude to her,’ she admitted.
‘That’s my girl!’ Espie said.
‘Well, I felt bad about it, but she was being mean to Luca so…’
‘She had it coming, then.’
‘How was everyone this morning?’ Michelle, Neil and their kids had been leaving when Claire got home.
‘They were grand. Holly had an awful tantrum, but I’m sure you can read all about it in Michelle’s next column, so I won’t spoil it for you.’
‘Ooh, can’t wait!’ Claire laughed. ‘You shouldn’t have told me. I’ll never sleep with the anticipation.’ She scooped up the last of the ice-cream with her tongue and bit into her cone.
‘Where did you sleep last night?’ her mother asked slyly, giving her a sideways glance.
‘I slept in a very nice bedroom with a sea view,’ Clairetold her primly.
‘You’re so cruel. I could have you up for elderly abuse, you know.’
‘And I could push you off the end of the pier. Don’t let my mild-mannered façade fool you.’
Espie laughed. ‘I can get out of this chair. I’m only in it because I’m lazy and I like having you push me around.’
‘I know – you’re a complete charlatan. I don’t know why I put up with you.’ She finished her cone, wiping her hands on a tissue. ‘Anyway, I think you’ll find that not sharing the details of my private life doesn’t count as abuse.’
