For the first time since I’d been kicked out all those years ago, I had my own place. The irony that it was my childhood home wasn’t lost on me. Declan and I fixed her up, and an old fella who wasn’t getting much use out of his transit van was only too happy to sell it on to me. Soon enough, Declan and I found ourselves out on the open road once more.
It was strange not having my mate beside me and someone to trade off driving with on longer journeys, but I got the impression that Declan was just as relieved as I was to finally have some privacy. We’d been living together, cooped up in a fucking tin can since we were fifteen. It was well overdue. Whenever I found myself wondering if I would miss living with Declan, I just reminded myself of allthe nights I’d spent freezing my bollocks off or sleeping in the fucking van whilst he got his end wet, and I swiftly changed my mind. This was for the best. Even the closest of friends needed some space, and when one was hiding a shameful secret, even more so.
Life continued on much as it always had done, except now Declan wasn’t the only one of us who was scoping out potential talent at each layover point. Eoghan had inspired a new level of confidence in me. I grew adept at reading body language, knowing where to find what I was looking for and getting a sense for when a fella might be game for a bit of a roll around. I got better at sneaking around, too and made sure to throw anyone off the scent by occasionally chatting up girls. I rarely forced things, never pursuing them with much intensity, but if a wee shag was offered up to me, I’d usually take it, even if it did pale in comparison to what I knew Ireallywanted. Declan never suspected a thing.
Visiting Appleby Horse Fair became an annual tradition for us once again, both of us mourning our ma’s now and keen to keep their spirits alive by living it up in any way we could. For years, everything had just ticked along nicely with no drama, no bumps in the road…
And then Declan met Tess.
Chapter One
John-Francis
Appleby-in-Westmorland
Present Day
“Y’right or what?”
“Aye, keep y’hair on, now.”
I pushed myself up from leaning against Declan’s caravan, the fella himselffinallymaking an appearance. After all the years that we’d spent together, I knew Declan Furey was never on time for anything, and yet I still bristled with frustration.
“The others’ll be waitin’ on us, like,” I muttered, waiting for Declan to lock up.
“Ah, they’d be gettin’ over it.” He shrugged. We walked ahead down the gravel drive, a transit with its engine running waiting for us by the gates that lead to the compound. Declan and I had only hitched up in Appleby an hour or so ago, but we’d quickly been accosted to go for a pint by a couple of the fellas we’d made friends with over the years – Seamus being the most notable. He stayed in Appleby all year round and was a decent fella. He could always be relied upon for a laugh, and he had good connections if you needed a wee pick me up to get a party started.
“Ah, is it not yourself?” Seamus shouted sarcastically as I tugged the passenger door open. “I’d started t’ wonder if ya’d fallen in.”
“Don’t ya be lookin’ at me, now,” I replied, shuffling over the bench seats to sit in the middle, allowing room for Declan to clamber in beside me.
Seamus just laughed and pulled off, the van jostling as it headed out onto the road. The fair wasn’t due to start until the weekend, but there were already traveller folks everywhere. The van dodged groups of people and horses the entire way until we finally pulled up in the town.
“Leavin’ her here, aye?” I asked Seamus as we climbed down from the van.
“F’now, like. Depends how many drinks I have in me later whether I’d be drivin’ her home,” he replied with a shrug. “If I’m not totally mashed, I’ll give us all a wee lift.”
“Sound.”
It was a warm, humid June evening, the sun just beginning to set. The pub we’d set our eyes on was already rammed and I knew it would be fucking murder trying to get drinks, but there wasn’t a lot of choice in a small town like Appleby. I knew all the pubs would be much the same; travellers loved their drink, and there was nothing quite like the beginning of the horse fair to get everyone in the mood for a party.
We muscled our way inside, chatting shite just as we always did. The place was packed out, but folks made space for us as we passed. There was no chance at getting a seat, so we found a gap in the crowds where we could stand at the far side of the pub.
“A’right, who’s gettin’ ‘em in, now?” I asked the group, met with groaning and grumbling as they each tried to get out of paying for the first round.
“‘ey – y’got the wee notes on ya, aye?” Declan said, running a hand through his hair.
I knew what he was talking about immediately. There was a wedge of forged notes in my back pocket.
“F’sure, we’d just be needin’ an opportunity t’ use ‘em,” I replied with a nod. “What’s the bar lookin’ like? D’ya think they’re on it t’ notice, now?”
Declan craned his neck to look through the crowds. Something about his entire demeanour shifted in an instant as he did a double-take. I followed his line of sight, noticing a dark-haired beauty working behind the bar. She was pretty as a picture and covered in tattoos, but there was something sharp about her that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. All I knew was there was no chance on this earththat Declan wasn’t going to be interested in her. If my mate had written down everything that he liked best in a girl, this one had it all and that spelt trouble.
“She’s a nice piece, eh?” I said, smirking when Declan seemed to snap out of his trance, eyes glued to the pretty barmaid.
“A feckin’ride,”he muttered, running his hand over his mouth.
“Y’think y’gotta chance, boyo? She’s a wee settled, no?”
