Page 49 of Family Secrets in Inishbeg Cove

‘There isn’t much we can do about Mum either,’ Faith went on. ‘We have to accept that she’s never going to change, but there is something you could do that might help you feel a little better about everything.’

‘What is it?’ Lucy asked, sniffing.

‘Why don’t you call Kyle and tell him that you’re pregnant? You might be surprised at how he reacts. There’s no point sitting here fearing the worst when it might never happen.’

‘Do you want the honest answer?’ Lucy blinked as she traced the embroidery on one of Elizabeth’s cushions with her finger.

‘Yes.’

‘Because I’m scared, Faith. I’m terrified that I’ll tell him I’m pregnant and he’ll still reject me. Being pregnant is everything I ever wanted, but I always imagined that Kyle would be by my side. If I tell him and he still wants to end our marriage, then all my dreams will be shattered … and I don’t know if I’m strong enough to face that right now.’

‘Oh, sweetheart.’ Faith flung her arms around her sister.

‘Or what if he says he wants to try again, but it’s for the wrong reasons? What if he only wants to give our marriage another go out of a sense of obligation, not because he loves me?’

‘Or there is another scenario,’ Faith said gently. ‘What if this is the best news he’s ever heard and he’s overjoyed and excited about giving your marriage another go?’ She took Lucy’s hand and stroked it to comfort her. ‘Kyle loves you; I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. He’s one of the good ones. He didn’t want to break up with you. I think he felt pushed to his limits by the stress of trying for a baby, but I don’t think it was because his feelings for you had changed. Sometimes in love you have to take a risk. If you wrap your heart up to keep it protected, how can the love get in? Tell him, sis. I promise you that, no matter what happens, I’ll be here for you – good or bad, we’ll get through it. Us Brennan sisters have gone through a lot together: even if the worst happens, you’ll get through this as well. You’re strong.’

Lucy wiped her nose with the back of her hand. ‘Okay.’ She took out her phone and dialled Kyle’s number.

Her heart stalled as the phone rang. She waited and waited, too fearful to take a breath, but Kyle didn’t pick up. Eventually she heard his familiar voice as the call went to voicemail. Her heart ached at the familiarity of his husky tones.

‘Hi, this is Kyle. Sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message…’

Lucy ended the call and tossed the phone onto the sofa beside her in despair. ‘Do you think he’s ignoring me?’ she asked Faith, her eyes full of fear. ‘He could be screening my calls.’

‘Come on, Lucy, don’t catastrophise. Maybe he didn’t hear his phone. He could be out for a run, he could be in the shower. There are a million reasons he might have missed your call. Give him time. I’m sure he’ll call back soon,’ Faith replied.

‘Or he could be avoiding me,’ Lucy said dejectedly.

‘Stop being negative. Kyle wouldn’t do that. I’m sure he’ll be happy you called him and he’ll want to talk to you.’

Lucy nodded, but it was so hard not to let her head go to a dark place and imagine the worst.

37

Later that day, Faith looked over at her sister’s forlorn face. Lucy hadn’t let her phone out of her sight all day, but Kyle hadn’t phoned back. Faith knew it wasn’t a good sign; if Kyle wanted to talk to her, he would have called her by now. No matter how busy his day was, he would have found the time. Faith couldn’t bear to look at her sister’s miserable face for a moment longer. She needed to get Lucy out of the house and distract her for a while.

‘Come on,’ Faith coaxed. ‘Watching your phone isn’t going to make him call. We need to go down to the village to collect our meat and get all the other bits for Christmas dinner.’ She produced a handwritten shopping list and brandished it in front of her sister. ‘Tomorrow will be crazy with all the last-minute Christmas Eve shoppers, so let’s get it out of the way today.’

‘Okay,’ Lucy agreed sombrely. ‘I have nothing better to do.’

A little while later, Faith and Lucy got into Faith’s car and set off for the village.

They parked on the main street and headed into O’Herlihy’s. It was busy inside the store: it seemed a lot of the villagers had had the same idea to come today instead of tomorrow, wishing to avoid the rush on Christmas Eve.

Lucy took a trolley and steered it down the narrow aisle while Faith walked ahead of her, picking up items, throwing them into the trolley, then crossing them off her list. Although O’Herlihy’s was a small store, it was always well stocked. The shelves were crammed from floor to ceiling with odds and ends, from everyday essentials such as milk and bread to useful household items like clothes pegs and birthday candles. If you needed something, chances were, you would find it in O’Herlihy’s – and if they didn’t have it, they’d order it for you. The sisters headed up to the butcher’s counter, and Faith handed in the docket to collect the turkey and ham they had ordered.

The butcher handed her the joints.

‘We’re going to be eating this for weeks,’ she said, turning back to Lucy.

‘Well, I am eating for two,’ her sister said, rubbing her still flat abdomen.

Faith laughed. ‘You’d need to be eating for ten for the three of us to get through all this.’

They continued around the store, ticking everything off their shopping list as they went. They added some treats, such as a tin of Roses, After Eights and a bottle of Baileys in honour of their grandmother who, although rarely drank alcohol, had a tradition of curling up by the fire on Christmas night with a well-earned glass of the creamy liqueur after spending the day in the kitchen. Lucy had walked on to get the ingredients for the trifle and Faith was just steering the trolley around the corner into the next aisle when she collided with someone coming in the opposite direction. She was mortified when she realised it was Jack. He bent double, clutching his stomach where the trolley had hit him.

‘I’m so sorry!’ She released her grip on the trolley and rushed over to him. ‘Are you okay?’