“I was going to say something about fathers and thieves and stars,” he droned, “but something tells me you’re not the kind of girl who falls for lines like that.”
“You’d be right. But isn’tthata line all the same?”
He held his hands up. “OK, should I quit while I’m ahead or… ?”
Nope, she didn’t want this guy to back off, not at all.
“So, are you here with friends?” Karen asked, eyeing him flirtatiously through her dark eyelashes.
“Yeah, would you three like to join us?” He indicateda small group behind him, who had somehow managed to secure a precious table.
Karen looked at Tessa and Jenny, who both shrugged.
“Lead the way,” she enthused, winking at the others as she followed him over. They were all introduced, and she discovered that the guy was called Charlie. He and his mates were in town for a birthday night out and were staying at the Conrad Hotel across town.
“We could head back to the residents’ bar if you like,” Charlie suggested to the others, unable to take his eyes off Karen. “It’s nearly closing time and we can get a few late ones there.”
After waiting forty minutes at a taxi rank, the group eventually decided to walk to the hotel. Jenny tottered along on the cobbled path, clutching an equally wobbly Tessa for support. “I’ll never be able to make it in these heels,” she moaned.
One of Charlie’s mates knelt in front of her. “Here, I’ll give you a piggyback.”
“Are you sure you can handle it? I’m no Kate Moss, you know,” Jenny giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I’m a big strong Wicklow farmer – the likes of me could carry twenty Kate Mosses,” he said, feigning a thick country accent as he lifted her off the ground and she laughed as Brian began to carry her down Grafton St.
Charlie took Karen’s hand but she flinched and pulled away.
“Ah sorry,” he said. “That was a bit forward. But I thought that you…”
Karen exhaled. He was nice, he was gorgeous and he was funny.
But he wasn’t Shane.
“I’msorry, I thought I did too. But I’ve just come out of a relationship and … ” she shrugged.
He gave a woeful smile. “I knew it was too good to be true. Never mind,” he added then, quickening his step to catch up with the others, “let’s go and have a bit of a laugh anyway – no strings attached?”
She must be crazy. Any girl would be nuts to knock back a lovely guy like this. But it was too soon.
No matter what he had done, and no matter how much he had hurt her, Karen was realistic enough to know that it would be a long time before she got over Shane.
But in the meantime, and to help her along the way, maybe a bit of fun would be the next best thing.
16
“What’s this?”
“I’m not sure. It was on the floor when I got back from work earlier. Someone must have put it under the door.”
Jenny didn’t like lying to her, but she couldn’t tell Karen that Shane had dropped in on his way to the airport. She would go ballistic. As it was, she insisted that she never wanted to see him again. She still refused to take any of his phone calls and wouldn’t talk about him under any circumstances. So Jenny knew better than to risk her friend’s wrath.
“If I could just tell her that nothing happened, Jen,” he’d said sorrowfully, “but she won’t listen to me, she won’t let me explain –”
“She’s still hurting is all. Maybe nothing happened but it didn’t look like that to her.”
“I know … I’ve been such a fool. I just wish she’d talk tome. Will I take a chance and call back later, do you think?”
“Not the best idea,” Jenny said softly. That was putting it mildly. She couldn’t be certain what Karen might do or say.
