Page 61 of The Secret Bookshop in Ireland

‘Sarah?’ Ronan asked. ‘You mean she has been filling you in on the situation?’

Angela nodded. ‘Yes. I know you’ve been stuck looking after your mother ever since—’ She stopped. ‘Well, we won’t go there.’

‘Ever since I made the mistake of looking at a text you sent,’ Ronan filled in. ‘Which caused the accident. I never blamed you, though, you know that,’ he added.

‘I couldn’t have known you were driving,’ Angela remarked sourly. ‘But as I said, we won’t go there. I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you when you were in hospital. I did send a card, though.’

‘Thanks,’ Ronan said. ‘Would have been nice to have seen you, but maybe it was best as we broke up after that.’

‘Well, I’m not good around sick people,’ Angela said, looking defensive. ‘It’s not really my thing.’ She studied him for amoment. ‘You look well,’ she said. ‘And not much different from when we were together.’

‘You haven’t changed much either,’ he said, looking at her face that seemed strangely frozen. Botox or some other kind of beauty treatment?

‘Thank you.’ Angela drank a little wine. ‘So,’ she continued, ‘I heard your mother has set you free. What does that mean?’

Ronan picked up his glass and took a sip. ‘She never forced me to look after her. It was my own fault for thinking I owed her something. But she’s now pushing me to have my own life and move out. She wants to hire a full-time carer. Someone who’ll live in. She’s been feeling guilty about having me look after her. So there’ll be a huge change in both our lives. I’m still trying to get used to the idea.’

‘Well, she can afford to do whatever she wants,’ Angela said. ‘Great news for you, though. Are you going to move out or stay in that lovely house?’

‘I haven’t decided yet,’ Ronan replied. ‘I’ll stay until the carer has settled in. And then I’ll look around for a flat somewhere nice.’

‘Like where?’ Angela asked. ‘I’d go for something in Dalkey if I were you. I can help you look if you like. After all, I’m working at one of the top estate agencies in Dublin.’

‘Thanks,’ Ronan said. ‘That’s very kind of you.’What’s wrong with me?he asked himself.Here I am with this beautiful, perfectly turned-out woman, with whom I was so in love when I was younger. And she seems keen to hook up with me again. We could try to get back what we had eight years ago. But is that really what I want?The question echoed through his mind as he looked at his former girlfriend. Even if Angela hadn’t changed, he knew that he had. He had thought back then that beauty was all about perfection but now he knew better.

Perfection is boring, he thought as the image of another woman floated into his mind. Ciara with her haphazard way of dressing, her bright blue eyes, her black hair and her wide grin seemed infinitely more endearing than Angela with her polished appearance.

‘What’s wrong?’ Angela asked, touching her face. ‘You’re staring at me in an odd way. Do I have lipstick on my teeth or something?’

‘No, there’s nothing wrong with you at all,’ Ronan replied.And that’s the problem, he secretly thought. Ciara would have spilled wine on her shirt, her cheeks would have been red and her hair messed up by the wind before she came in. ‘You look absolutely perfect.’

‘Why does that sound like something negative?’ Angela asked, looking suddenly confused.

‘I have no idea,’ Ronan lied. He was relieved when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Maureen. ‘Sorry, I have to take this,’ he said, getting up. ‘Back in a moment.’ He stepped into the lobby of the pub, away from the noise. ‘Maureen? What’s up?’

‘It’s Brian,’ Maureen said in a near sob. ‘He’s gone missing and Ciara is in such a state. We’re out in the woods near the tower looking for him, but I’m not sure we’re going to find him. You know how much Ciara loves that animal.’

‘Yes, I do,’ Ronan said. ‘She must be devastated. Do you want me to drive over to you? I’m with a friend right now, but I could come up later.’

‘Would you?’ Maureen asked, sounding relieved. ‘That would be a huge help. Can you leave Elaine, though?’

‘Yes, she’s with Aino, our part-time carer who’s staying the night, so I’m free. I’ll be in Cherrywood as soon as I can.’

‘I’m up the road near the tower,’ Maureen said. ‘I can drop a pin when you’re on your way.’

‘Perfect. Then I’ll know where you are.’

‘But it sounds as if you’re in a restaurant,’ Maureen protested. ‘I don’t want to ruin your evening.’

‘I’m in a pub having a drink with a… friend. But I don’t think it’s going to last that long. See you later, Maureen,’ Ronan said and hung up. It had startled him to hear that Ciara’s dog was missing and how upset she was. It made him want to rush to her side and try to help, even if it was only to comfort her. That kiss in the dark corridor at Powerscourt was still on his mind. Suddenly overwhelmed with how cute she was, he had acted on impulse and pulled her close and kissed her. She had responded with a fervour that had both surprised and delighted him and now all he wanted to do was to be with her. But he had to deal with Angela before he could leave.

‘Sorry about that,’ he said when he got back to the table, where Angela was fuming. ‘A friend who needs a bit of help.’

‘A girl called Maureen, I seem to have heard.’

‘She’s not a girl, but a woman in her seventies,’ Ronan replied. ‘And a kind of friend to Elaine.’

‘Oh, I see. But you look as if you wished you were somewhere else,’ Angela remarked sourly. ‘Somewhere far away from me.’ She drained her glass and started to gather up her handbag and blazer. ‘I thought we would have a happy reunion,’ she said, looking disappointed. ‘I was hoping we could…’ She stopped. ‘But I think you’ve changed. Being cooped up for such a long time with an invalid must have affected you and now that she has set you free, you want to go out there and date other women.’