Page 43 of Coming Home to Inishbeg Cove

Chapter 28

Penny

‘Penny for them?’ Ruairí said over the din of the coffee machine as it spurted out frothed milk.

‘What?’ I asked, turning around. Apart from the racket that the coffee machine was making, the café was unusually quiet. Autumn was starting to push in now and the leaves were showing the first hints of amber among the green, hinting that the end of summer was here.

Over the last few days I had noticed a big drop in customers now that the warm days of summer were coming to an end and holidaying families were beginning to head home in preparation for sending their children back to school. There had been a considerable drop in temperature too. Bare arms were now covered by sweaters and jackets, and shorts had been packed away for another year. The end of the summer was a watershed moment in Inishbeg Cove. It always felt as though the village was being handed back to the locals to tend for the winter months. It was a chance for its people to catch their breath after a hectic summer. And with Joe’s arrival in the village, I too felt like I had arrived at a watershed moment in my life.

‘Your thoughts – you know, penny for them?’ he repeated.

‘Oh, sorry,’ I said. ‘I was miles away.’

‘Clearly.’ He swung the tea towel he was carrying over his shoulder. ‘What’s the matter? You’ve been away with the fairies all day.’

I put down the steel milk jug and turned to face him, resting my back against the cool marble of the countertop. ‘You’ll never guess who turned up at Mam and Dad’s yesterday.’

His eyes widened with disbelief. ‘Not Joe?’ he said, shaking his head.

I nodded.

‘Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah...’

‘But?’

‘Well...’ I hesitated.

‘What? I thought that was what you wanted.’

I sighed. ‘It was. I mean, it is, but ... I don’t know. I just thought I’d feel different. For so long, what I wanted most in the world was for him to follow us here, but now that he has ... I feel ... well ... a bit deflated, to be honest.’

‘Well, that’s only natural. You’ve spent a long time apart. It’ll take a while to get things back on track between you, but at least he wants to try again. You were so worried that your marriage was over.’

‘I guess I’ve realised that in the time we’ve been apart, so much has changed. I’ve changed!’

‘And has he changed?’

I paused to consider Ruairí’s words. ‘He says so, and I think he has.’

‘So can’t you both forgive and forget?’

‘It’s not that simple.’

‘It can be if you want it to be, Penny.’

I shook my head. ‘I wasn’t expecting to feel quite so angry with him. I think he expects we’ll just take up where we left off now that he’s here, but I don’t know if things can ever be the same between us again.’ I exhaled heavily. ‘I’m so confused, Ruairí.’

Ruairí folded his arms across his chest and gave me a sideways smile. ‘Would this be something to do with a certain person by the name of Tadgh?’

‘Of course not!’

‘Come on, Penny, you can be honest with me.’

‘Well, maybe just a bit...’ I admitted, feeling my face flush at the mention of his name.

‘Aha! I knew it!’ he exclaimed triumphantly. ‘And what about you? What do you want, Penny?’