Dilly asked, ‘Mum, can Auntie Nell come out to play?’
Jessie shooed them away. ‘Bridey, show her how to ring Liam and Nell’s room.’ She sat in uncharacteristic stillness, clearly mulling something over. ‘Someone will have to collect that pair of eejits from the station tomorrow,’ she said. ‘Which might interfere with –’
‘I thought tomorrow was “day at leisure”!’
‘Yeah, but …’ She flashed him a guilty grin. ‘I was thinking … We’ve never done the jaunting car thing. At the Gap of Dunloe?’
‘No, babes, no. Only American tourists do that.’
‘It would be fun.’
‘Jessie.’ He abandoned his unpacking. ‘The shame would end me.’
‘We’re making memories.’
‘Seriously. I’ll need therapy to recover from a memory like that.’
‘Auntie Nell’s here!’ Dilly squealed from the hallway. ‘And her hair is pink!’
Dilly dragged in her newest aunt. Nell’s long thick hair was indeed pink, a pastel wash rather than a fluorescent eyesore.
‘Oh, my God, you look amazing!’ Jessie jumped to her feet. ‘Not just the hair, but all of you!’
Nell wore loose navy overalls, Dr Martens and a scarf tied in a big bow on her head – she looked as if she’d been painting a shed. And perhaps she had. Her job involved building theatre sets, so Johnny found it difficult to distinguish between her work-wear and her normal get-up. Jessie, Johnny knew, approved strongly of Nell’s look. She thought, as a family, it gave them ‘texture’.
‘Thank you for this …’ Nell gestured awkwardly. ‘Our room, this hotel. Liam and I could never stay somewhere so beautiful.’
‘Oh, honey,’ Jessie said. ‘You’re so welcome. We’re all so happy you’re here.’
‘Thanks.’ Her face flooded with colour.
‘Can my hair be made pink?’ Dilly asked.
‘Probably not, bunny,’ Jessie said. ‘You’re too dark.’
Seventeen-year-old Saoirse, twelve-year-old Bridey and nine-year-old TJ were Jessie mini-mes: tall and blonde. Dilly, the youngest, a solid little unit with tangled brown hair, was undeniably a Casey.
‘Ooh! But what about you, Mum? Your hair is light. Get yours made pink!’
‘I’d kill to look even a tenth as cool as Nell, but there are more chemicals in my hair than in the whole of North Korea. If I add anything else, it’ll fall off in my hands.’
‘Not to mention causing uproar at work,’ Johnny said.
‘Yeah.’ She sighed. ‘Oh, Nell! Listen, have you booked a spa treatment for this weekend?’
‘Um, no …’ Nell squirmed. ‘I’ve never had a massage.’
‘What? No! That’s not right.’
Nell smiled. ‘I dunno if it’s my sort of thing.’
‘Please, you must have one. Just charge it to the room. Oh, God.’ Anxiety seized Jessie. ‘They might all be booked out. We’ll do it now. Johnny, ring down to the spa.’
‘Don’t,’ Nell said. ‘Please.’
Halfway to the phone, Johnny froze. Which woman was he more scared of?
He was saved by TJ. ‘Are we going, or what?’
‘Going,’ Nell said. She, Bridey, TJ and Dilly hurried from the suite.
‘Oh, Johnny.’ Jessie was aghast. ‘She’s never had a massage.’
‘She’s thirty, a millennial. They’ve no money.’
‘I know. Like, I know. But –’
‘Get a hold of yourself! You’re talking like she’s never seen a banana. Carry on telling me the schedule for this “relaxed”, “relaxing” weekend.’
‘It will be relaxing!’ She giggled. ‘God, the state of me – the beatings will continue until morale improves, right?’
THREE
At about one o’clock, a man and a woman, stiff with self-consciousness, advanced reluctantly into the Ardglass reception area. Cara hurried from behind the counter, wearing her biggest smile. ‘Mr and Mrs Roberts?’
‘Um. That’s us.’
This was definitely not a penthouse situation. These poor people were terrified. Dave’s suit had been cut for a younger, slimmer man and Paula’s too-formal dress had probably been bought specially. The Ardglass’s regular guests tended to breeze in dressed down in trainers and unstructured athleisure wear, the muted tones and casual air belying hefty price tags.
Gently she guided the Robertses to a cluster of armchairs. ‘Can I offer you coffee? Tea? A glass of champagne?’
‘We don’t want to be any trouble,’ Dave said.
‘It’s no trouble at all. But we can have it sent to your room as soon as we’ve checked you in. We’ll do that, will we?’ She smiled again, desperately keen for them to enjoy this. The Honeymoon Suite was also a no-go, she decided. They’d likely be embarrassed by its sexy implications. But she wanted more for them than a regular room. Click, click, click, went her head, mentally scanning all the bookings over the next few days. ‘Let me just get your check-in details.’ She went to the reception counter and threw, out of the side of her mouth, ‘Corrib Suite’, at Madelyn.
‘Perfect,’ Madelyn breathed, and picked up the phone, straight into action.
Cara kept the Robertses talking while the Corrib Suite was quickly kitted out with champagne, flowers, handmade chocolates and a welcome card from Patience, the deputy manager.
High in the eaves, it was smaller than the other suites. The cream and pale gold décor of the sweet little sitting room was attractively cosy. The bedroom was bright, simple and straightforward – no four-poster complications to scare them.
Paula looked around. ‘This is nice.’ She seemed marginally less terrified.
‘How about that cup of tea now?’
Paula scanned the room. ‘Kettle?’ she asked.
‘The rooms don’t have kettles,’ Cara said. ‘But anything you’d like, anything at all, just ring down.’
‘Okay,’ Paula said quickly.
Cara suspected she wouldn’t. Paula and Dave were humble people who were more likely to try to sleep with every light in the room blazing than to bother someone to explain how to turn them off.
Cara rang for the tea, then said, ‘Seriously. Those lads downstairs in room service need to be kept busy or else they’ll be out of a job.’
Dave’s attempt at a smile was more of a grimace.
‘You won’t be putting anyone out.’ She directed this next bit at Paula. ‘Let someone else wait on you for a change. I don’t know about you, but I’ve two boys and I seem to spend my entire life standing at the hob, frying fish fingers.’
Was Paula starting to understand that there was a real person behind Cara’s uniform and name badge?
‘I feel as soon as they finish one meal,’ Cara said, ‘it’s time for me to start cooking another.’
Now Paula smiled.
‘I’ve been lucky enough to stay here a couple of times,’ Cara said. ‘It took me a while to relax. Then I got the hang of it. They really know how to take care of you – they want to do it. Now, let me show you the features of the room.’