Up in the Wicklow Mountains, Gary was in his element. He and Sean zoomed along the rough terrain on their bikes, bouncing the tires along the granite trails and landing heavily on the surrounding bog. Hard on the old ribs, but Gary didn’t mind. He’d had enough of sitting around on his backside for the last two weeks and was itching to get back in the saddle.
It was bad enough having to delay the gang’s usual New Year’s ride until he was 100 percent recovered, so a little bit of soft scrambling was just the tonic. Anyway, there was also a side of him that was anxious to get away and out in the open by himself for a while. Since this whole engagement thing, Rachel had been coming on hot and heavy with the wedding talk, and it was making him uncomfortable.
Gary couldn’t understand the big deal about how many different layers of cake they should have or what color the bridesmaid dresses should be. While all this engagement stuff had sounded fine from the outset, already he was getting the distinct impression that he was in way over his head.
Just then, Sean pulled up alongside him. “Bloody fantastic, but I’m feeling thirsty,” his mate said. “Fancy a pint?”
By rights, Gary didn’t like drinking when riding the bike, but one would be okay as it was under the limit. And although he didn’t like to admit any weakness to Sean, he could do with a bit of a breather too. He followed his mate across the bog trail and through the fields out onto the main road, which led to a small village not far from picturesque Glendalough. It was a bit of a touristy spot, but the pints were good, and there was always a roaring fire going in the lounge.
“So how’s yer missus these days?” Sean asked as they both hunkered down at the bar. “Wrecking your head with all the wedding talk still?”
Gary grimaced. “Ah, you know yourself.” He felt a small bit guilty for moaning to Sean about that actually and figured he should start showing a bit more loyalty to Rachel, since they were supposed to be together for good now. “I suppose she’s just excited.”
“Ah, they all get like that,” Sean replied knowledgeably, and Gary wasn’t sure how his friend would know when he’d never gone out with a woman longer than a couple of weeks. “She give you any grief about going out on the bike today?”
“Not too much.” Actually, Rachel had been okay about that, considering. Gary had expected her to nag him about his injuries, but instead, she’d just urged him to try and take things easy.
“For your own sake,” she’d said. “You don’t want to miss out on the big ride when it does happen, do you?” Which was a good point in fairness.
“So have you thought any more about suing that tool who knocked you down in New York?” Sean asked, referring to the taxi driver.
Gary had done a lot more than that. First thing after the New Year’s break, he’d phoned his solicitor to ask him about it, and like Sean, Frank Donnelly was confident he had a very good case. “Yep, it’s all in hand. My solicitor’s setting the wheels in motion.”
“Proper order. I’d say you could be looking forward to a nice little payout from that.”
“Hopefully there’s nothing little about it,” Gary joked. “Would be nice to get some new wheels out of it at least.”
“Assuming the missus doesn’t get her hands on it first, of course. You know how demented they can get with all this wedding business.” Sean laughed. “Good party last week though. Herself sure knows how to put on a proper spread.”
Gary nodded and sipped his Guinness. “Yeah, all things considered, she’s not a bad catch, is she?”
Sean looked at him curiously. “Sounds like you’re still weighing it up. Bit late to be doing that now, isn’t it?”
“Nah. Was just saying is all.”
Although the decision had been more or less foisted upon him, Gary found he was increasingly okay with the idea of settling down with Rachel.
What was bothering him, though, was that call she’d gotten recently from that English fella Greene, the one who’d helped him in New York. The notion that the guy was inquiring after his health didn’t sit right with him for some reason, and the fact that he’d supposedly phoned a couple of times since seemed a bit too suspect for Gary’s liking. He looked at Sean, wondering if he should just throw the idea out there and get his take on it.
“Remember I told you about that do-gooder in New York?”
Sean looked at him. “The fella that called the ambulance for you?”
“Yeah.”
“What about him?”
“Well, it’s a bit weird, but he followed me to the hospital afterward and has been sort of sniffing around ever since.”
“What do you mean ‘sniffing around’?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m wondering. He met Rachel at the hospital when I was out of it, and I don’t know if maybe he took a fancy to her or something.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Just a notion. He rang her a couple of times since we came back, and the other day, he said something about calling in to the bistro next time he’s in Dublin.”
Sean raised an eyebrow. “I get you. You’re wondering why he’s been ringing your missus, not you.”
