Page 44 of Plot Twist

I couldn’t picture Riley as part of the rat race, standing in the queue with a coffee waiting for the lift. It just didn’t seem to fit him. He certainly didn’t seem like a typical finance kind of guy.

‘I thought finance folk with swanky jobs were all minted and a bit arsey,’ I said.

‘Not in the public sector,’ he mused. ‘Although I worked in a private firm for a few years before that. Gave that up so I could be home more for Ivy. The money was great but the hours were long. I barely saw her.’

‘Wow,’ I said. ‘I can’t imagine you all “buy buy”, “sell sell” at a desk all day.’

‘You better believe it. I took a voluntary redundancy package when it came up around the time I got my advance for my novel. That wasn’t exactly huge so the money was to help get me set up as a writer. Problem is, if I don’t finish this book then it’s not enough to keep me going forever. I’ll need to get a job, especially if I want to keep Bellinder Cottage.’

I gasped. ‘You can’t lose Bellinder Cottage!’

Riley smiled wistfully. ‘I know, I love it too. But I can’t afford its upkeep as a single parent, unless I really hit the big time as an author. I’ve probably got ’til the end of this year. After that, it’s hi ho, hi ho, back to the big smoke I go.’

I watched his broad shoulders slump in defeat as he exhaled, turning the radio station over. I folded my arms across my chest. We had to get Riley back on track with his writing. Bellinder Cottage meant so much to him, and to Ivy. And I loved it too, even though I hardly factored into the equation. But his writing was part of who he was now, too.

‘That won’t happen,’ I said, feeling determined. ‘We’re going to get that next bestseller ready to go in no time. I promise.’

‘I hope you’re right,’ he sighed.

When we arrived in Dublin, Riley took me for a walk along the wide pavements of O’Connell Street, which runs through the centre of the city. I made him stop every time we passed a street sign that said O’Connell to take his picture alongside his surname. He rolled his eyes but grinned every time or gave me a thumbs up. He pointed out various statues, the River Liffey, the General Post Office, offering up parts of his historical knowledge along the way.

I got Riley to take some pictures of me to send to Dad. He replied that he wished he was with me, but I was too excited to be homesick. We stopped at a small café. Instead of eating inside, I insisted we took our sandwiches out and we found a bench next to a tall grey statue.

We could hear someone playing the drums in the distance and the noise floated up the street, serving as a backdrop for lunch. Riley opened his chicken club while I stuffed my tuna mayo sandwich into my mouth.

‘I’m starving,’ I mumbled. ‘This is brilliant. I love Dublin. It’s so vibrant.’

‘We should’ve come for longer, made it a proper trip,’ he said. ‘Maybe next time.’

Next time. I grinned into my sandwich as I thought of Riley and his ‘next time’ promises. Plans. I loved the thought of making plans with him. As friends, obviously.

‘Definitely,’ I nodded, taking a sip of water. ‘So how far away is the event from here? It starts soon.’

‘Just around the corner, that’s why I stopped here. We can head round once we’ve finished.’

Riley led the way as we walked down the street and turned a corner, locating the bookshop easily. I hung back as he walked in front and opened the door.

‘After you,’ he said, holding the door.

‘You go first,’ I urged. ‘You’re the author.’

I followed behind him as he walked through the busy store and made his way to the cash desk.

‘Ahhh, Riley O’Connell!’ a voice boomed from the middle of the busy bookstore. ‘The man, the myth, the legend! Here he comes.’

The lady was tall with a mass of wild, dark curly hair, a pair of narrow glasses and wore a long leopard-print maxi dress, teamed with a pair of sandals and a chunky beaded necklace.

‘Katrine, great to see you. Becca, this is my agent.’

‘Nice to meet you, Becca. Riley has told me all about you!’ Katrine exclaimed, enveloping me into a hug. ‘He said you’re helping him with his second novel. I can’twaitto read it. Didn’t you just loveThe Fall Out? It was one of our bestsellers last year. I’m sure the second book will be a-ma-zing. Are you ready to share anything with me yet?’

Riley looked to the floor. ‘Well, um. . .’

‘It’ll be winging its way to you in no time.’ I grinned. ‘The opening chapters just need a little polishing. He thinks so, anyway. I think they’re amazing. I thought nothing could compare to Alice and Leroy but it’s another special one. Set to really tug on the heart strings.’

Riley met my eyes and I gave him a curt nod of the head, urging him to play along.

‘Sure is,’ he agreed.