Phoebe adores her. We’re lucky to have her in our lives. But she has some seriously outdated views when it comes to relationships. Which is why she won’t even contemplate leaving my father, even though his infidelity is as notorious as his multi-million-euro transport company. I can barely look him in the eye. I have no idea how she suffers him. She lives in denial.
I flip the phone over in my hand and stare at the screen.
Fuck it, what have I got to lose?
She answers on the first ring. ‘Cillian? Is everything okay?’
I glance at the clock, it’s nine pm. Does she think I should be in bed or something? ‘Everything’s fine. How are you?’ I take another sip and revel in the burn as it slips down my thorax.
‘Good. We’re at a fundraiser at the golf club. Your father is about to take the stage.’ Of course he is, the pretentious prick. William Callaghan, generous sponsor of just about any cause that makes him look honourable, and all-round smarmy asshole.
When I was thirteen, I walked in on him balls-deep in the nanny. All he could say was, ‘don’t tell your mother about this.’
‘Oh, sorry. I won’t keep you.’ There goes the drink with Ava Jackson in the city. Probably for the best. It was madness anyway.
Maybe I can convince one of my clients to call to the house and pretend to Teagan that we’re an item? Charlotte Mulrooney’s divorce went through last week and she made it clear she’d like to ‘compensate’ me for going above and beyond.
No. That’s too messy. I could never even pretend be associated romantically with a client. Very unprofessional.
‘Are you sure you’re okay, son?’ Mam asks. The echoing sound of her heels clicking against the flooring suggests she’s moving somewhere quieter to continue the conversation.
I exhale a heavy breath. ‘Teagan is back.’
‘I see.’ She gasps.
‘I’m just concerned she’s going to upset Phoebe. Again.’ It feels good to admit my fears out loud rather than have them race through my brain like a silent but deadly poison.
‘How long is she staying for this time?’
‘I have no idea. You know what she’s like. She flits in and out on a whim.’ Teagan always liked my mam. And the feeling was mutual. Maybe Lillian Callaghan could be the one person capable of talking some sense into her? Explain the need for stability for our daughter, though God knows, no one should have to.
I hear my mother swallow thickly. ‘Son, I’m going to say something you might not want to hear.’
Tiny hairs prick on my neck. ‘What is it?’
‘Just think about it, before you jump down my throat, okay?’ she urges.
‘What?’ Suspicion swamps me.
‘Did you ever think about giving it another try, you and Teagan?’ I can practically hear her wince, waiting for the horror she surely must know she’s rousing.
‘What? You’ve got to be joking?’ Apart from being the most conniving, unreliable, inconsistent woman I’ve ever met, Teagan is about as faithful as my father.
‘Just hear me out for a second.’ My mother pauses for a few seconds while she builds her case. ‘Teagan is Phoebe’s mother. She’s always been a bit flighty, but she was so young when she had Phoebe. Maybe she panicked. She’s not a bad person. You know that. Unreliable yes, selfish, absolutely. But I know she still has feelings for you. She wouldn't keep turning up if she didn't. Maybe you could find it in your heart to give her another chance? For Phoebe’s sake?’
My molars clamp so hard they could crack. ‘I can’t believe I’m hearing this.’
‘What? Come on. No relationship is perfect. They all take hard work, son. Look at your father and me.’
Case in point. Their marriage is a farce. She turns a blind eye, so long as he doesn’t shit on the doorstep. Whatever he does when he’s away is one thing, but my mother is a proud woman. She won’t tolerate being made a fool of here in Dublin.
‘Teagan is troubled, that’s all. She comes from a fantastic family. I know her parents would love to see you back together. To see her settling down. In fact, her parents are here somewhere …’ She trails off.
Of course they are. Our parents move in the same exclusive circles. Circles where marriage is a glorified business transaction between affluent families.
I slump back in my chair, nowhere near as shocked by my mother’s suggestion as I should be. She’s hinted at it several times before, and I did mention she has some outdated views on relationships.
Lillian Callaghan might be happy to spend her days with a philanderer, but it won’t work for me. Not in a million years. In fact, I don’t plan on spending my days with anyone apart from Phoebe.
