‘Hi. I’m Sa… I’m sad… ‘Sabrina in nearly tripping up with her name, started speaking not only in riddles but in an abnormally slow voice. ‘I’m sad… yes… sad that you fell over. That you fell over my bag…’ She held out her hand to the man, who now had a very confused look on this face.
‘Jilly Dickens.’
‘And what the Dickens do you think you’re doing here, Jilly Dickens,’ The Irish man smirked at his own joke. He swayed slightly, then let out a massive hiccup. ‘If you’d given me a bit of warning, we could have danced around it. I take it this is yours?’
‘Guilty as charged.’ Sabrina started to laugh at the farce-like situation. ‘And me scare you? It wasn’t me breaking in!’
‘How dare you. I wasn’t breaking in.’
‘Well, it seemed that way to me.’
The man unsteadily rested his hand on the dining room table. ‘So, Jilly Dickens, whatareyou doing here?’
‘I live here. Well, I will do officially, once I’ve paid Kara.’
Now her heart had stopped racing, Sabrina took in the characterful individual in front of her. The apple certainly hadn’t fallen far from the Brady tree as he was ringer for Big Frank. The same accent. Handsome. Broad-shouldered, with dark curly hair that tumbled all over the place and with his full lips and just the one deep dimple on this right cheek, he could have walked straight off the set of Poldark. But there was something about him so much more than a face full of perfectly formed features. An energy, not an attraction. Not unlike how she felt around Isaac Benson, and despite the chaotic situation, Conor Brady made her feel safe.
Conor screwed his face up. ‘You’re going to be living here, you say?’ Sabrina nodded. ‘Well Houston and Jilly Dickens, I think we may have a problem here, because from tonight, I’m supposed to be living here, too.’
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning Sabrina awoke to what sounded like a whole flock of seagulls squawking at the top of their voices outside on the balcony railings. The strange bed had led her to sleeping in a funny position, and her neck was stiff. She felt gross from not having had a shower after her sexual exploits with Lowen. On remembering that she might be losing this lovely flat to Big Frank’s nephew, she groaned. Sometimes, when things seemed to be too good to be true, they quite often were.
It was still dark, but on checking her phone, she was surprised to see that it was actually seven a.m. Dragging the curtain across to reveal a grey and rainy day– the first of such since she’d been here– she pulled on last night’s clothes and crept to the kitchen. The last thing she wanted to do was wake Conor, who after announcing he was living there too, had gone straight to the other bedroom and crashed out. She had heard him tumbling to the bathroom in the middle of the night but luckily had been able to go straight back to sleep.
She made herself a cup of black coffee and sat down on the seat in the bay window with her legs curled under her so she could take in the view. Rain was now lashing in strips against the windows and balcony door. The red and yellow tug, aptly named theHappy Hartand now bobbing around in the rippling estuary hadn’t even started its daily ritual of going back and forth to Crowsbridge. She’d overheard Billy reciting its opening hours in Frank’s, and had guessed it must be a regular question from the tourists who visited here. ‘Eight until dusk, January to December. Nine until four on a Sunday. Closed Christmas Day. Weather dependent, of course.’
She checked the time again. Should she get a bus or a taxi to Penrigan? It was too early to expect Belle to come and get her and she was conscious that not only did she honk but it looked like seagulls had been nesting in her hair for a week. With no shampoo, soap or towels in the bathroom she would just have to do some kind of ride of shame home.
She heard Conor’s alarm go off, then a swear word, then all six-foot-two of rugged Celtic gloriousness walked into the lounge wearing just his boxers, scratching his arse in front of her as he did so. Another giant, she thought. He gave her a lop-sided grin, a thumbs up and without a word walked through to the kitchen to flick the kettle on.’
‘Dickens, do you want a hot drink?’ he shouted through.
Sabrina laughed to herself and shouted back. ‘I’ve got one, thanks. There’s no milk, though. Why are you up so early?’
He poked his head round the kitchen door. ‘Some of us have got to work, you know.’ He double took her. ‘Do I know you? I recognise you from somewhere.’
Sabrina reached for her bag and put her glasses on, stating calmly, ‘I’m sure I’d have remembered you if we’d met.’
‘Ah, maybe you just look different with your clothes on.’ The Irishman laughed.
Sabrina was thankful for the knock on the door and the sight of a flushed Kara rushing in.
‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry, both of you! Jilly, I hope our Conor didn’t scare you last night. Billy literally only just told me. Men and their lack of communication.’ She rolled her eyes, looking stressed.
Conor paraded back through to the lounge. Both women doing their best to keep their faces at eye level to avoid gazing at his crotch. ‘Me, scare her! I tripped over her fecking handbag, so I did. Look.’ He pointed to the red mark on his elbow. ‘Let me get my jeans. It’s too early to be given you two lovely ladies a show. Although, old Dickens here already gave me one last night.’ He winked at the pair of them.
‘Less of the old, you.’ Sabrina shook her head, then smiled at his effortless banter.
Kara lifted a couple of towels from her bag. ‘Thought you may want a shower. And here’s some milk.’ She popped everything on to one of the dining chairs.
‘You’re so thoughtful, thank you.’ Sabrina stood up, put a dash of milk in her coffee and went to put the bottle in the fridge.
A fully dressed Conor appeared and kissed Kara on both cheeks.
‘Look at you, all pregnant and gawgus there. Four, I hear! Four bairns! Just my Niall is enough for me, and as you know I only get to see him part-time.’
‘So lovely to see you back. Billy is made up, and I am too. It’s such a relief that you can help him on the ferry. Starting today, too– now that’s commitment.’ She turned to Sabrina and her face screwed up with guilt once more. ‘Sorry again Jilly. So, what’s happened is my Billy sees Conor at the party last night, who wasn’t expected, but has already re-recruited him to work on the ferry and said he can stay here whilst he does.’ Kara became animated with her hands. ‘I, with my baby brain had forgotten to tell him that I’d mentioned this to you, hence Number One Ferry View Apartments is now double booked.’
