When Clara’s schoolbooks were finally put away, and her jelly was set in preparation for being served with ice cream later, Jo helped Clara change out of her school uniform and into one of her favourite dress-up costumes. Tonight, it seemed, Clara would appear for dinner like Merida from the Disney movie Brave.
She couldn’t help but notice her little sister seemed more fidgety than normal. ‘Are you okay there, dote?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Clara said. ‘New friends make me feel wobbly in my tummy.’
Jo gave a soft smile. ‘Can I tell you a secret? They can make me feel wobbly in my tummy too.’
‘Is Lorcan a new friend to you too?’ Clara’s eyes were wide, as if she couldn’t quite believe that grown-ups would have new friends.
‘He is,’ Jo told her.
‘Is he a kind friend?’ Clara asked.
‘Well, how do you know if someone is a kind friend?’ Jo asked her little sister, who then screwed up her face and pulled a very exaggerated ‘I’m thinking’ expression.
‘Well, I know my friends in school are kind if they smile when they say hello. And when they lend me a pencil to use if mine gets lost or broken. And I think a good friend is also someone who gives you a hug if you fall down and then goes to get the teacher to make sure you’re okay.’
It was a very simplistic take on friendship, as things went, but it was also perfect. At the heart of any friendship should be the ability to know when your friend needs a hug or when they need to borrow a pencil.
Jo smiled and hugged Clara. ‘Well, you know, I think Lorcan would definitely give me a hug if I fell over, and he does smile when he sees me.’
‘Then he’s a kind friend,’ Clara said authoritatively.
‘And I’ve heard he loves jelly and is very excited about dessert,’ Jo stage-whispered.
‘I really think he likes you, Jojo. Like how Westley likes Buttercup in The Princess Bride.’
Jo didn’t try and convince her otherwise. For a while, at least, it was a nice fantasy to entertain for a moment or two until the ring of the doorbell made them both jump.
‘Will we bring our wobbly tummies to the door to say hello to Lorcan?’ Jo asked.
‘Yes. Will you hold my hand?’ Clara asked, looking up at her solemnly.
‘Always, sweetheart.’
‘I’ll watch to see if he smiles,’ Clara said with an attempt at a wink which turned out to be just a very exaggerated blink.
Together they walked to the door, and as they opened it, they were greeted by Lorcan carrying a tub of ice cream and a bunch of flowers. He greeted Clara first of all, crouching down and handing her the flowers with a smile. ‘Miss Clara, these are for you to thank you for your very kind invitation.’
Clara beamed like the cat who got the cream, before Lorcan stood back up and handed the ice cream to Jo.
‘And I thought this might just go very well with jelly,’ he said, grinning. ‘Which just happens to be the best dessert ever.’
He winked at Jo, before he glanced down to Clara, who dropped her hand from Jo’s and reached out to Lorcan instead, before leading him through to the kitchen.
‘Thank you,’ Jo mouthed as he walked past her and she realised that being a kind friend also involved making a child your friend loved with all her heart feel like a proper princess, whether or not she was wearing a Merida dress.
This was Lorcan. Caring. Protective. Willing to make a complete eejit of himself just to make a child smile. He had turned all of her expectations of him entirely on their head, and she was struck by a feeling that this man – the man currently helping Clara fill a vase with water – was real and genuine.
Her heart contracted, not only that he would be going back to England in a couple of weeks, but also that their timing was so bad.
After dinner, they all watched Toy Story together, during which Lorcan maintained a respectful silence, much to Clara’s approval, and then he’d read her two bedtime stories and would have read a third if Jo hadn’t rescued him.
‘You have a fan,’ she told him with a smile.
‘Only the one?’ he replied before he issued an invitation to Jo to join him for a drink at The Ivy Inn.
With her tummy still feeling wobbly, and certainly not just because of the jelly, she slipped on her denim jacket and caught her reflection in the mirror in the hallway. In that moment, she thought about how brave she had been in this last week. How she had experienced highs and lows, and everything in between, but had ultimately come out on top.
She wondered what would happen if she just took one more chance and revealed to him just exactly how she felt.
She straightened herself, lifted her bag and followed Lorcan out of the door.
They fell into their usual pattern of laughing and chatting as they walked. He punched the air in triumph when she told him about her call with Ewan, then asked her when she would allow him to read her work.
Despite blushing at the thought, she decided to be brave and tell him she would send him some in the morning. To her surprise, it didn’t feel as scary as before to share her work. Maybe she had something to thank Ewan McLachlan for anyway – because thanks to him, and the wonderful Graham Westbury, she was finally feeling like a proper writer. Or maybe it was just that she knew, without doubt, that Lorcan would be kind and supportive.
As they sat opposite each other in the snug at The Ivy Inn, a sleepy but determined-not-to-be-ignored Paddy at their feet, they made plans for some more touristy days together before Lorcan went back to England. Jo was even able to laugh as she told him that Ewan McLachlan had clearly found her to be a good tourist guide.
As the evening progressed, and they talked more – about Sophie, and about Colm – about how much Lorcan had loved spending time with Clara and thought kids were the best people in the people, Jo felt herself grow even braver.
After last orders, as he offered to walk her home, she felt the need to reach out to him – to feel his hand in hers. Just as she was trying to talk herself into just going for it, she felt the tips of his fingers brush against hers. The touch sent waves of longing through her – a longing for something more than just physical contact. He took her hand and she gave his a squeeze.
Lorcan stopped walking, and she noticed they were back at the same spot they had shared that first little fizz of something more between them, a week before. What a whirlwind it had been, and yet at the same time, it all felt as if it was unfolding in perfect time.
‘Jo,’ he said, his voice low and soft. She turned, still holding his hand, and looked up at him. She saw so much in him – his strength, his need to be loved, his kindness and his sincerity. ‘I don’t want to be a person who hurts you,’ he said and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.
‘Then don’t be that person,’ she said, her heart thumping.
‘Yeah, that’s… what I’m saying in the worst, most awkward way possible,’ he said.
‘I’m not sure I totally understand,’ she replied, as she wished his hand was close to her face again, just so she could feel the warmth of it.
He took a deep breath. ‘I think you’re incredible,’ he said. ‘I think you’re funny, and talented and caring. I think you can make a horrible day seem infinitely brighter. I think…’ he paused, and looked downwards, unable to hold her gaze. ‘I think,’ he repeated, ‘you are incredibly beautiful and sexy and comfortable in your own skin.’