But the visit had shaken her a little. The Quinns all seemed so involved in one another’s lives, whereas her parents had always left it up to Karen to decide how she wanted to live hers. She was used to her independence and wouldn’t tolerate her parents’ intrusion. Her folks had been thrilled with the news of her engagement but had no intention of rushing away from their real estate business in Tenerife to celebrate.
And Karen didn’t expect them to. She and Shanewould go out and visit them sometime and they could celebrate then.
No pressure.
But she sensed that things were somewhat different in the Quinn family.
“Was Jack upset with you for not taking the job in Germany?” she asked Shane now.
He shrugged. “I suppose he was a bit miffed. After all, he had pulled a lot of strings to get me the job in the first place.”
Shane’s dad died when he was ten, and Karen deduced from Jack’s haughty demeanour and his siblings’ reverential manner that the older brother was considered something of a father figure in the household.
“Anyway, about the house,” Shane continued, “I’ll have a chat with a lad I know from college – he works for an estate agency. I’ll ask him to put a few feelers out around here – what do you think?”
“Here? Do you think we could afford to buy in this area? Prices are manic.”
“Well, I know you don’t want to commute. With the new job, I’ll have to travel regardless, so that doesn’t matter to me.” Since his return, Shane had secured a job with an older, more established engineering firm and was currently on the design team for the construction of a second toll bridge on Dublin’s main thoroughfare. “Be brilliant to settle around here if we can stretch to it.” He shrugged easily. “We’re happy here, all our friends are here – what could go wrong?”
22
“How about a video game?” Jenny suggested a potential birthday present for Shane, as she and Karen sat over a coffee in St Stephen’s Green.
“Won’t be any of that juvenile nonsense in our house – I can tell you,” Karen replied, spooning sugar into her cup.
“What house?”
It took her a second to realise her slip and she reddened a little. “Oh, crikey. I wasn’t going to tell you until we had something concrete, but … Shane and I are thinking of buying a place together.”
“Oh.”
“It won’t be for a while yet,” Karen added quickly, seeing her friend’s crestfallen look. “I’m not going to leave you in the lurch or anything. We’ve just thought we might as well start looking. Sorry, I didn’t mean to break the news so casually.”
Jenny waved her away. “Don’t be silly. Of course you’ll be moving in together. Makes sense.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Karen still felt like an absolute heel. “As I said, it won’t be for a while yet.”
“Where are you planning to buy?”
“Somewhere close by if we can stretch to it. Maybe just an apartment or a duplex. Whatever comes up.”
Karen took another mouthful of tea. She didn’t yet want to tell Jen that something had already come up. A block of newly renovated apartments in Terenure Village had just come on the market, and she and Shane were going to take a look this week.
It would probably come to nothing, but she didn’t want her friend to think that she had everything planned without saying anything first. After all, when Karen moved out, Jenny would need to find someone else to share their place.
Though maybe she was thinking of keeping it on by herself? The rent was expensive for one person though and it would be crazy to let the extra bedroom go to waste.
Enough, Karen scolded herself. There was no point in wondering about what Jenny might do in her absence. It was good though that she knew a move was in the offing.
Regardless she and Shane were only starting to view properties now. They mightn’t end up moving for ages, and there she was running away with herself already.
A few days later,she and Shane looked around the apartment in dismay.
“It’s a bit… small,” he remarked.
Thatwas an understatement. The place wasn’t much bigger than a shoebox. How could anyone be expected to live there?
“It’s cosy but the developer has made exceptional use of space,” said the estate agent, an uppity so-and-so to whom Karen had taken an instant dislike. Though hardly even a man, she thought wickedly; the guy looked as though he was barely out of secondary school. A colleague of Shane’s college buddy, he’d been downright rude when they’d enquired about any wiggle room on the asking price.
