“You lying madam,” Tessa gasped. “I’ve seen the looks the two of you are giving one another. Don’t give me that ‘just friends’ rubbish.”
“Honestly – that’s all it is. He’s good fun, and I enjoy spending time with him, but I’m not interested in Mike that way.”
“Not interested … are you half-cracked, girl. What’s not to like, for goodness’ sake?”
“It’s not like that. It’s just a friendship thing.”
“Are you sure he feels the same way?” Karen asked. “Because it seems to me as though he’s interested in alotmore than friendship.”
“Nope. We get on great, but that’s it. He’s still in love with Rebecca – that’s his wife – well, ex now. I think that could be why we get on so well, there’s no expectation, no pressure, nothing like that.”
“And how do you feel about Roan now?”
“To be honest, I’ve hardly even thought about him – don’t look at me like that, Karen – I mean it,” she said with a grin. “Thinking back over it now, he was completely wrong for me and I’m finally beginning to realise that.”
Karen raised her wine glass. “Girls, I think a toast is in order.”
“To what?”
“To us,” she declared, “The new Mrs Burke, obviously.”The three girls clinked glasses.“Then Jenny and her new Mr Wonderful.”
Jenny smiled as they clinked again, then paused, a little surprised that she and Tessa’s glasses were still in mid-air, while Karen had already started on hers. “What about you?”
“Yep,” Karen replied, decidedly glum as she set her glass down firmly on the countertop, “what about me.”
34
Jenny studied the list of names on the report on top of her desk. Great, a stack of overdrawn letters to be dictated on top of everything else she had to do today. Her extension buzzed but she finished what she was doing before picking up.
“About time.” She knew that Mike was smiling when he spoke. “I thought you were going to keep me on hold forever.”
She grinned too. “Just ringing for a chat, or does the high-and-mighty director of InTech have a cash-flow problem?”
“Very funny. But that may well be the case after today. Can’t talk long, but I need to ask you a favour.”
“Fire away.” As she listened, Jenny began to doodle on a pad of Post-it notes.
“I’m going to view some houses this evening and wondered if you’d be interested in acting as a second pair of eyes.”
Since moving back for the UK after the divorce, Mike was living in what he called his ‘bachelor pad’ – a rented house in Wicklow. He was keen to move closer to the city and the office, and with Dublin house prices rising at an alarming rate, plus the ongoing success of InTech, the time felt right for him to buy a place of his own.
“Definitely – I’d only love the chance to see how the other half lives,” Jenny teased. “I’m finished here around five – what time will I meet you?”
“Why don’t I pick you up? We can go for a bite somewhere after.”
A little after five, Jenny exited the branch and smiled as she caught sight of his car across the road.
It never failed to amuse her that Mike drove one of those tiny Smart motors when he could easily afford a Merc or Jaguar.
But that was him in a nutshell. Unpretentious and practical, he’d pointed out that he only needed ‘enough room for himself and his laptop’. Jenny idly wondered whether he would apply the same criteria to buying a house. She opened the car door, the scent of his aftershave assaulting her nostrils.
“Phew. Do you have a date tonight or something?” she teased, settling herself in the passenger seat. “What’s with the barrel of Brut?”
“You don’t like it?” He feigned a hurt look. “Your woman in Arnotts told me that I’d have ‘em falling at my feet. And it’s not Brut – I can’t remember the name, Packie something.”
“Keelingover maybe,” she chuckled, “and I think youmean Paco Rabanne.”
“Hmmm, never trust a woman pointing a tester bottle at you,” he said, pulling out into the traffic.
