‘Not really. Dom is staying at Kevrinek Cottage.’
‘Oh.’ Conor’s face fell to the ground floor. ‘What does he want?’
‘It’s complicated.’ Sabrina took a big swig from the can of beer.
‘When is it not, when the heart’s involved?’ Conor kissed her on the cheek and handed her the remote. ‘I’m going to bed.’
‘Oh.’ She felt a thud of disappointment. ‘I’ve just got back.’
‘We’ll chat tomorrow, eh?’ He stood up.
‘Don’t be like that, Conor, please.’
‘Like what?’ His voice was flat. ‘I’m just tired and, being honest, I don’t like the thought of you wasting your time with that eejit.’
His bedroom door slammed shut.
Sabrina turned the television off and listened to the silence. Isaac’s quotation of Rumi had been right, for the quieter her life had become, the more she was beginning to hear. The thought of hurting honest and reliable Conor was too much to bear, but was the thought of not following her heart an even greater burden? This was what she had meant about ruining friendships. As soon as intimacy got involved, it was a whole different ball game– literally! She got up to go and knock on his bedroom door to try and ease the tension, but swiftly sat down again. For there was nothing she could say to make the situation any better. Because at this precise moment in time, she was completely unsure if she wanted to be back listening to the chimes of Big Ben in fancy London, or be in Number One Ferry View Apartments, Hartmouth taking in the simple, methodical ticking of the kitchen clock above the fridge.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Friday’s market day arrived with a huge rainstorm. Sabrina pulled back the curtain then let it go and snuggled back under her duvet.
Conor lightly tapped on the door. ‘Tea for madame.’
‘Aw, you angel.’ A smiling Sabrina sat up, relieved that their familiar dynamic seemed to have returned to normal. Nothing had been said after their words about Dominic and unless he brought anything up about him, Sabrina had decided that she would just remain silent about the whole situation.
‘It’s raining cats and dogs out there today.’ Conor put the steaming mug of tea on her bedside table.
‘I’ve seen. You’ll be being sick over the side of theHappy Hart.’
‘Thanks for that! Actually, since Star gave me a tiny sapphire to rub and I started chewing the joy that is raw ginger, I’ve actually been pretty good.’
Sabrina propped up pillows on both side of the bed. ‘Come and chat with me.’
Conor lay on top of the bed and checked his watch. ‘I’ve got ten minutes.’
‘Is that what you say to all the girls?’
‘If they’re lucky.’
They both laughed.
‘If you don’t mind me asking, what happened with Star? She seems so lovely; I can’t imagine her hurting you.’
‘She didn’t. Well, OK maybe a bit.’ He sighed. ‘In short, she had a brief fling with Jack, her now husband. He stayed here in this very room. Anyway, he went off and did his thing with his girlfriend in New York and then me and Star met, and she found out she was pregnant.’
‘Woah! That’s big.’
‘I know, tell me about it. I didn’t love the girl– we’d only known each minutes– but I proposed as I wanted to do right by her.’ Sabrina put her hand to her heart, for here lay another significant difference between Conor Brady and Dominic Best. Conor smiled. ‘But it turned out the bairn was Jack’s after all, so he came to find her, and the rest is history. It was all very romantic on her side.’
‘That must have been so hard for you.’
‘I wasn’t ready for another child, so it was a bit of a relief, to be honest. Niall is enough for me.’
‘But your relationship ended.’
‘Yes, but she loved someone else, and love always wins.’
