Des had not aged as well as his wife, she observed, noticing the hint of floridity, the bags under his eyes, and the thickening waistline. But the boastful patronizing bombast was as pronounced as ever and she had caught Niall’s glazed-eyed look of utter boredom after a twenty-minute dissertation on the American educational system, and all because Hilary had asked if Jasmine liked her boarding school.
‘I suppose entertaining is part and parcel of your job, Des. Thankfully most of Niall’s is done abroad and doesn’t impact on me or our home life too much.’ Hilary poured a small amount of pepper sauce onto the last piece of her steak.
‘I’m used to it at this stage,’ Colette pouted. ‘We’ve always had to do it, even when we were living in London. We hired a jet and took some guests down to Turks and Caicos in the spring. Of course it’s high season there then. The hurricane season hits around August, September even though technically in the Caribbean it’s June to November. Don’t make the mistake one of Mum’s friends made and go down there in the summer and have a washout for a holiday,’ Colette said brightly.
‘Private jet, wow!’ Hilary exclaimed, knowing that Colette was clearly expecting a response.
‘We’re certainly not in that league, are we, Hil?’ Niall grinned. ‘Although I did once bring a client on a flight simulator.’
Hilary laughed, she couldn’t help it.
‘Funeee,’ Colette drawled, miffed that he was mocking her.
‘How’s the shop?’ She changed the subject and switched her attention back to Hilary.
‘Booming, we’ve more work than we can handle, working flat out actually.’
‘And how’s the decorating going?’
The way she said it, Hilary had an image of herself and Jonathan out with their wallpaper stripper and paintbrushes. ‘Well I’ve taken a step back and employed an assistant but we’re busy, busy, busy. We’re up to our eyes lighting and decorating beauty spas, and revamping hotels, which is how the business has taken off, but we do private clients too. We did a spa for the Grants recently—’
‘Gina Grant?’ Colette’s eyes widened.
‘As in Shaun Grant?’ Des was all ears.
‘Yep.’ Hilary speared a baby carrot and covered it with mash before forking it into her mouth, secretly pleased with the other couple’s reaction. Decorating indeed! Put that in you pipe and smoke it, you pair of posers.
‘So you’re really going places?’ Colette raised an eyebrow.
‘Indeed,’ Hilary said a touch drily.
‘Do you have live-in help?
Niall raised his hand. ‘Me,’ he supplied laconically. ‘Hilary spends more time with Jonathan than she does with me.’
‘Why doesn’t that surprise me? Jonathan likes to have Hilary’s undivided attention,’ Colette remarked acidly. ‘I remember that from the very first time I met him.’
‘You should have warned me, Colette. I wouldn’t have let him get his feet as far under the table as he has.’ Niall flashed a grin at her and she was reminded again of how dishy he was still.
‘Hmm, he’s a pushy boy all right.’ Colette slanted a flirty glance at Niall. ‘Just as well he plays for the other side or you might have something to worry about.’
‘Would the pair of you give over. I could say that your secretary sees more of you than I do, Niall, if it comes to that.’ Hilary suppressed a surge of irritation at them. What did Niall have to go and say a thing like that for, and to Colette of all people who had never liked Jonathan?
‘Listen, Hilary, any chance you could set up a game of golf with Shaun Grant for me?’ Des interjected. ‘I could put him in touch with some of the best in Wall Street and make a fine fat profit for myself. He’d be a five-star client to have. I’d make it worth your while, Hilary,’ he added condescendingly.
‘Thanks, Des, I really appreciate that.’ Hilary tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice but her friend’s husband was so keen on snaring another billionaire for his portfolio he didn’t even notice. ‘However, you more than anyone will understand how important it is to respect a client’s privacy and that’s a boundary I couldn’t possibly cross. Gina’s already put several new private clients our way.’
‘Oh! Well if the opportunity ever arises see what you can do,’ he said, peeved.
‘Sure,’ she said airily.
‘Did you ever think we’d have billionaires in Ireland?’ Colette remarked. ‘The Celtic Tiger’s something else, isn’t it? All the new development. The quays and docklands are really getting a makeover.’
‘The economy’s expanded at an average rate of 9.4 per cent since 1995.’ Niall topped up their glasses.
‘Where are you stashing your loot?’ Des asked bluntly. ‘Property? Stocks and shares?’
‘We’ve a fairly wide spread,’ Niall said non-committally. ‘Eggs in a few baskets.’
‘This Anglo Irish Bank seems to be the leader of the pack. Grant is fairly deep in there.’
‘Everyone’s in Anglo!’ Colette yawned. ‘It’s all Mum and Dad’s crowd talk about. Seánie this, and Tiernan that. Quite the men to play golf with, it seems.’
‘And how are your parents?’ Hilary asked, not because she was particularly interested in Jacqueline and Frank’s welfare, but because she wanted to change the topic of conversation. The cheek of Des asking where their ‘loot’ was stashed. He was as brash and nosy as ever. She’d forgotten how insufferable he could be sometimes.
Hilary was disgusted with Jacqueline and Frank. Hilary and Dee had organized a surprise birthday party for their mother. Jacqueline had accepted the invitation but, on the night, had dropped in for half an hour saying that Frank was tied up because of tribunal work and she was heading off to another event. Jacqueline hadn’t invited Sally and Mick to her big birthday bash two months later, and Sally had been hurt.
‘They’re working
