‘And way too young for us,’ Maeve concluded before returning to the seriousness of the conversation. ‘I always knew I would tell him. I’ve just not been able to work out how or the best time to do it. If I’m totally honest I’m afraid that he’ll be angry. He’s every right to be.’
‘Yeah, I suppose he has.’ She finished her salad and finally Maeve tucked in to her lunch.
When the door to the café opened and Adrian came in she didn’t miss the way Maeve’s demeanour changed. This girl had it bad for the eldest Magowan brother and it was all Nina could do not to smile. Because any fool could see he felt the same way. Maeve might have Jonah’s paternity to deal with, but here was an added complication. Love, or the potential for it anyway. She suddenly had the urge to see Leo and tell him what she was witnessing, the way they both cast glances at each other, how Maeve hooked her hair behind her ear and Adrian stood behind a customer to wait his turn and rather than perusing the specials board or what was in the display cabinet, looked at Maeve as though she was on the menu.
‘Join us,’ Nina called over before she could stop herself, and she ignored the look she got from Maeve as Adrian went to order something at the counter.
‘Don’t you dare try to set us up,’ Maeve warned.
‘Would I ever do such a thing?’
She looked about to answer, but when the café door opened again Rhianne’s parents came inside and Elijah asked whether it would be all right for them to join the girls.
‘Of course.’ Maeve shared a perplexed glance with Nina.
Nina looked over to the counter where Adrian had got to the front of the queue. She doubted he’d seen the latest arrivals at the café as they were sitting towards the back. If he’d seen them he’d very likely have left already.
‘It’s good to see you both looking so well.’ Bridget took off her cardigan and sat down. ‘How’s that young boy of yours?’ she asked Maeve.
Maeve told them all about Jonah’s school and swimming,his Canadian accent that had already begun to fade.
‘The cabin looks wonderful,’ Elijah told Nina. ‘We saw the photographs in the window of the estate agents. You’ve done Walt proud.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I’m sorry we couldn’t make the party the other night. Thank you for the invite, we appreciated it, but it was my brother’s sixtieth. Not often we’re double-booked, is it Bridget?’ he chuckled.
It was then that Adrian came over holding his mug of coffee, a smile on his face, until he saw the company the girls now had.
But Elijah turned and saw him before he could sidestep them or leave. ‘Adrian.’ He stood up, shook Adrian’s free hand. ‘Good to see you home.’
Adrian found himself seated in a chair before he had a chance to do anything different.
‘Oh it really is good to see you all,’ said Bridget. ‘We’ve just been to the cemetery to visit Rhianne.’ She told them all about the flowers they’d put on her grave, but the words washed over Nina and she knew they’d had the same effect on the others.
Neither Maeve nor Adrian said a word, and Nina simply didn’t know what to say.
When Maeve got up to go and help Jo in the kitchen even though she hadn’t called over, Bridget asked Adrian how he was settling back in. ‘It’s good you’re back. You belong here.’
He managed to mutter a ‘Thank you.’
‘It broke my heart every time I’d ask your mother about you,’ Bridget went on. ‘She said you hardly ever came home, you hadn’t gone out on your boat since that night.’
Adrian’s eyes filled with tears that reminded Nina of the night she’d tried in vain to comfort him over what happened.
‘I wish I’d been able to save her,’ Adrian said in a voice barely loud enough to hear, despite being at the same table.
‘You tried,’ said Elijah. ‘You risked your life for our little girl. And for that we thank you.’
Bridget covered Adrian’s hand with hers and gave it a squeeze and with her smile she brought one out of him too.
When Maeve came to sit back down with them Bridget spoke again. ‘It’s good to see all of you back here together. What happened was a lot for you all to cope with, we know that, but you’re such good friends, seeing you here today makes us happy, doesn’t it Elijah?’
He nodded. ‘It does. This place is your home just like it’s ours.’
When nobody said anything Maeve said, ‘Well I hope you all like doughnuts. I’ve asked Jo to bring us one each, glazed, sprinkles, the works.’
It broke the tension in the atmosphere at least.
