Chapter 5

5

In the end, Katie had lied to her mother and told her she was meeting friends at Danny's. She'd gone to Fallon's instead and sat on her own at the bar while her sister dished out words of wisdom in between serving customers.

‘Join a dating site. I'll set up a profile for you.' Chloe smiled. ‘I have one, and that's how I get my dates.'

‘You haven't been on one in ages.'

‘Hadn't time recently. I worked every hour over Christmas, and before that I was minding Gran. Go on, be a devil, Katie, for once in your life.'

‘I was a devil once and look where it got me.' She swirled the remnants of her gin and tonic as if by Louis' sense of magic the glass would become full again.

‘Whatever, but you need to get a life. I'm serious. Before you know it you'll be thirty, and then what?'

‘I'll still be a mother, still have a little boy and my family around me. Isn't that what's important?'

‘Some of it is, but Mam will go off with Boyd to set up a new life for herself. I saw him looking at houses on a real-estate website the other evening. If she moves, what about us?'

‘She wouldn't move without us.'

‘Maybe not without Sean because he's still at school, but Katie, we're adults. We need to fend for ourselves. To live our own lives.'

‘When did you become the wise one in our family?'

A voice rang out from the end of the bar. ‘Hey, two pints of Guinness when you're ready there.'

Katie watched her sister pull the pints while still talking.

‘It's not wisdom. It's common sense,' Chloe said over her shoulder as she turned to another customer while the pints rested.

Katie mulled over her words. Chloe was right. She had to start living. Holding her phone in one hand, she tapped with her thumb and brought up the app she'd added a profile to earlier that evening. Her finger hovered over the icon as she bit her lip and prayed for some activity. Before she could tap, though, someone crashed into her back. She dropped her drink but saved the phone.

‘Oh, I'm so sorry. This place is mental tonight. What are you drinking? I'll get you another.'

‘No, it's fine. I was leaving anyhow.' She went to slide off the stool, but his body was blocking her. She could feel the harshness of his denim jeans against her leg. She hoped her tights wouldn't run.

‘Can't move,' he said. ‘A stag party just arrived. I'm jammed in. Give me a minute.'

Glancing side-eyed at him, she noticed he was a good deal older than her. Not bad-looking, though. Short dark hair and a touch of stubble on his chin that seemed to be by design. His eyes, with tiny lashes, were the tired sort, black-ringed and dilated. Maybe he was on drugs. Maybe he worked long hours. Maybe he was married. Maybe she should go home.

‘One minute,' she said.

‘If I can catch the eye of that cute barmaid, I'll buy you a drink. And don't say you're leaving. Please? One drink to apologise, okay?' A hand was thrust in front of her. ‘Jackson,' he said. ‘My mother calls me son, but everyone else calls me Jack.'

‘I don't think I'll be calling you son,' she laughed, and it felt good to have a smile on her face. Normally her smiles were reserved for Louis. ‘I'm Katie.'

‘And what did Katie do next?'

‘Huh?'

‘Like the book.'

‘You've lost me now.' She was having to shout over the din, and the smell of alcohol mixed with perfume and sweat was giving her a headache. Maybe she should leave.

‘I know you're thinking of escaping, but I want to buy you that drink.'

‘Okay, so. Hey, Chloe?'

He widened his eyes and ordered her a gin and a pint for himself. When Chloe put the drinks on the counter, she gave Katie a less-than-subtle thumbs-up.

He appeared to ignore the gesture and leaned on the counter, having inched his way into a narrow gap. Now that she could see him properly, she thought he could be well in his thirties. Way too old for her twenty-three years. All the same, a free drink was not to be sneezed at.

‘You must come here often if you know the names of the bar staff,' he said.

‘Is that your usual chat-up line? Or…' She paused. Maybe it would be good if he didn't know Chloe was her sister.

‘Ha, you got me there. Is it always this mental?'

‘Nah, just leading up to the weekend. Thursday night is the new Friday night as far as I can see.'

‘What about we drink up and get out of here? Wallace's is quieter. We can get to know each other.'

‘What if I don't want to get to know you?'

‘Then we can talk about books. I'd love to tell you what Katie did next.'

She wasn't letting him win that easily. ‘Instead, let me tell you what Katie did. She said thanks for the drink, went outside, got in a taxi and hurried home to her three-year-old son.'

‘Okay. But can I tell you what Jack did next?'

She was surprised he didn't flinch at the mention of Louis. Or maybe he hadn't heard. ‘Went up a hill with Jill to fetch a pail of water?'

‘You're funny. No. He gave Katie his number, phoned a taxi for her, let her go home to her son, then called her the next day to arrange a night out. Somewhere quieter with good food and wine.'

Gobsmacked, Katie felt like crying. Was she unbelievably lucky to have met a genuinely nice guy? Or was he too good to be true?

Someone else nudged her in the back, and once again she failed to rescue her drink. She watched it drip onto her lap and seep over the counter until Chloe appeared with a cloth, eyeing her intently.

Leaning over, her sister whispered into her ear, ‘Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.'