Page 32 of The Widow’s Irish Secret (Magnolia Manor #4)

Tricia had been right. When Ted heard that her granddaughters were coming to stay, he not only put the bunk bed together in double-quick time, but he also produced a doll’s house he had made for his daughter who was now grown up.

‘It’s a little worn,’ he said. ‘And the furniture has seen better days but I think the girls will have fun with it. The dolls are also old and some of the clothes are threadbare but…’

‘Oh, that doesn’t matter,’ Tricia assured him, touched by this lovely gift. ‘They will adore it.’

‘There is another thing I meant to ask you,’ Ted said when he had made sure the bunk bed was secure and the ladder fastened.

Tricia put a mattress on the bottom bunk. ‘What’s that?’

‘Well, maybe now is not the right time, but I was wondering if you’d like a kitten? My cat gave birth to four of them and I found a home for all except the last one. He’s still with me and I have made sure he’s house trained, so he won’t cause any trouble.’ Ted drew breath and looked at Tricia.

‘A kitten?’ Tricia asked. ‘Oh, well, I hadn’t planned to have a cat but now that you mention it, I think it would be nice. Great company and it will keep mice away.’

‘But maybe we’ll wait until after your granddaughters have gone back home,’ he suggested.

‘No, bring him over today,’ Tricia said. ‘Then we’ll get to know each other and he can settle in. The girls will love playing with a kitten. It’ll be fun for them.’

‘Or it might cause mayhem,’ Ted said, looking doubtful. ‘It’s a lively little thing.’

‘Mayhem?’ Tricia smirked. ‘Bring it on. Couldn’t be worse than two little girls running around the house. They’re Fleury girls, you know.’

Ted laughed. ‘I see. Well, in that case, the cat might be the least of your challenges.’

‘Could be.’ Tricia unfolded the other mattress. ‘Please give me a hand with this one.’

‘Of course.’ Ted took the mattress and heaved it onto the top bunk. ‘There. Anything else before I go to get the kitten?’

‘No, I can manage. But it would be great if you could bring me the bed the kitten has been sleeping in to help him feel at home. And some food?’

‘No problem,’ Ted said. ‘See you in about an hour, then.’

While she waited for Ted to come back, Tricia made up the beds and hung the curtains with a Barbie motif on the small window.

Then she stepped back and looked at the room, happy with her labours.

The room was tiny but the bunk bed fitted perfectly and the wall lights the electrician had put up would give the room a cosy glow and could be left on if either of the girls were afraid of the dark.

Tricia heard a car pull up outside and wondered who it could be. Was Ted here already? But he couldn’t have come back from his house in Anascaul so quickly. When she opened the front door she found not Ted, but Cillian grinning at her from the driver’s seat of a huge white campervan.

‘Hi, Trish,’ he called. ‘Want to come for a spin? I have a few days off so I thought we could go for a little holiday together up the coast. I have a list of B&Bs that you can stay in if the campervan experience should be too much for you. What do you say?’

Tricia stared at him, unable to speak. She hadn’t expected him to arrive like that unannounced, especially in his campervan.

He had said he’d be in touch soon, but she had thought they’d have dinner together or maybe a walk on the beach and a picnic.

But here he was, looking happy and hopeful, inviting her to go on some kind of holiday.

She knew that in usual circumstances she’d jump at the chance to be alone with him, especially if they were to go away from here.

It would be the most wonderful adventure that would kickstart a possible romance.

Oh, I wish I could , she thought. How perfect it would be to go away and get to know each other properly, and maybe take it a step further…

She knew by the way he looked at her that he was waiting for her to say yes, to pack a bag and hop into the campervan and take off.

‘Oh, Cillian,’ she said, walking closer. ‘I’d love to but I can’t. Not right now.’

His face fell. ‘Why?’ he asked. ‘What’s stopping you?’

‘My granddaughters,’ she said. ‘I promised to have them for a few days and they’re coming tomorrow.’

‘Can’t you cancel that?’ he asked in a gruff voice. ‘Maybe have them later on?’

‘I can’t disappoint them. They have been excited about it since Sunday.’

‘Of course you can’t,’ he said, looking mollified. ‘I understand that. I just felt we needed to talk. We finished on a bit of a bad note the last time I was here.’

‘Yes we did,’ Tricia agreed, feeling a slight chill as she thought about it.

‘But if you’re prepared to tell me about what you’ve been keeping secret, I think we could start off again and get to know each other properly.

Trusting each other, for a start.’ She studied him for a moment to see his reaction but was disappointed to see him frowning.

‘I can’t,’ he said. ‘And your lack of understanding is making me feel bad.’

‘Your lack of trust is doing the same for me,’ she countered. ‘So it wouldn’t be a good time to go off together anyway.’

‘Yes, but I only have these few days,’ Cillian said.

‘Then I have to come back to finish up before the big reveal. When the news hits the media, we’ll have to do interviews and explain what’s going on before the press arrives here to take a look at what we’ve found.

I had hoped we could be alone for a bit and talk before all that happens.

The calm before the storm, so to speak.’

Tricia sighed. ‘I understand all that, Cillian. But this situation between us is not improving things. Can we leave it at that for the moment?’

‘I suppose,’ he mumbled.

‘Good.’ She walked closer to the campervan. ‘But hey, can I see inside? It looks like a hell of a van.’ She wanted to cheer him up and make him understand that the impasse between them was temporary, even if it felt bad right now.

‘It’s not just a van, it’s my home,’ he said, looking slightly happier. He got out and opened the door at the side. ‘I’ll give you the grand tour. I bet you won’t be able to resist coming with me when you see how comfortable it is.’

‘Well, I…’ Tricia started but stopped. ‘Maybe I will, one day,’ she said.

Just to make him feel better, she climbed into the van and looked around, impressed with the interior that was like a mini-home with a sofa and table at one end and a little galley kitchen at the side and a tiny shower room at the far end.

It was all very plush and well designed in blues and greens, with a few red cushions and a throw on the sofa that folded out into a bed, Cillian explained.

The driver’s and passenger seats were upholstered in what looked like dark blue velvet and the large windscreen was like a picture window.

‘The interior is gorgeous,’ Tricia said as she looked around. ‘Very inviting, I have to say.’

‘I knew you’d love it. Wait till you see the views as we drive along,’ Cillian said. ‘It’s like being in a movie with special effects.’

‘I’m sure it is,’ Tricia said as she was about to get out.

‘And I know I’ll love it when we do that trip.

But right now it’s impossible.’ She climbed back down just as her phone pinged and she fished it out of her pocket.

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at the text message. It was from Terence.