“Oh Karen,” Tessa said elated, “you wouldn’t believe it. The hotel was fabulous and the weather! Unreal.”
“Well, you got plenty of sunshine anyway. I thought honeymooners weren’t supposed to be out long enough to tan like that.”
“Don’t worry – there was plenty of that too,” Tessa chuckled, heading for the kitchen. “We have to make the most of it at the moment, don’t we, Gerry?” she added, with a wink. Her husband blushed a deep shade of red and hunkered down at the kitchen table. “Tell you later,” she mouthed when Karen looked at her questioningly.
“So – any news? What did we miss while we were away?”
“Well, you already know about Jenny and the delicious Mr Kennedy.”
“Yes – but you didn’t tell me any of the nitty-gritty. I only met him for a second at the wedding. Rachel’s brother. What’s he like?”
Shane groaned at Gerry. “Come on,” he took a couple of beers from the fridge. “We’ll go in and nab the comfortable seats and let these two natter in peace.”
“Sounds good to me.” Gerry duly followed him out of the kitchen, while Karen opened a bottle of chardonnay and took out a pair of wine glasses. “From what I can tell he’s an absolute dote. Seems mad about her, too.”
“Is that a good or a bad thing?” Tessa said, with a frown. “I know it’s been a while, but is Jen ready?”
“I thought the same myself at first. But your wedding was exactly what she needed.”
“So what’s Mike’s story? He’s a little older, isn’t he?”
“Yep, divorced and the wife left him, apparently. I’d like to see the guy she’s with now if she ditched a hunk like that.”
Tessa giggled. “Maybe he’s not great in the sack.”
“Well, compared to that lump Williams, I’d say he’s a demon,” Karen remarked bitterly. “With the way he carried on, you’d swear he was God’s gift. To everyone but Jenny it seems.”
Tessa shook her head. “I felt so bad for her that night at the club. How did she stick with him for so long?”
“Must admit, I couldn’t picture her with anyone for a long time after Roan but having met Mike, I can see why she likes him. He’s a pet – the complete opposite.”
Tessa chuckled. “You really hated Roan, didn’t you?Wouldn’t give him an inch. And you were right as it turns out.”
“Hate to say it Sullivan, but I told you so.”
“It’sMrsBurke now, thank you.” Her friend wiggled her left hand.
“That sounds so weird. Hard to get used to.”
“Not as weird as Karen Quinn is going to sound – whenever that comes about.” Then Tessa stopped when she saw Karen’s expression turn serious. “Hey, is everything OK?” she asked, touching her arm softly.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Karen looked into her glass. “All this stuff with Shane’s family seems to be going from bad to worse.”
“You mean the kids? Are they still driving you mad?”
“It’s not just that, though believe me that’s bad enough,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Marie was here with the brood last weekend, and kept saying how great it was to be young enough to enjoy your kids when they’re young, and how Shane and I would want to ‘get a move on’.”
“I can’t imagine you being afraid to tell her where to go,” Tessa remarked. “That’d be a first since I’ve known you.”
“Yes, but they’re Shane’s family, aren’t they? I can’t very well tell them to feck off. And it’s not just that,” she sighed again, “Jack’s around a lot too these days.”
“The brother from England? You’re not keen.”
“I think he’s a pompous prat to put it mildly,” Karen growled. “Whenever he’s in town he expects to stay here whether it suits us or not.”
“And you’re not over the moon about that arrangement.”
“That’s the problem. It’s neverarranged. He just turns up whenever the mood takes him. Never calls beforehand and just takes it for granted that we’ll be happy to put him up.”
