‘Are you sure you’ll be OK to go? It might all be too much for you when you get there,’ Hilary said dubiously.
‘No. I won’t let it overwhelm me. I will not be that bastard’s victim any longer. He’s had enough of my energy. I choose to go. I choose not be a victim.’ He looked at Hilary and threw his eyes up to heaven and smiled sheepishly. ‘God, I sound like a self-help book!’
‘No! You sound like a very brave man who is taking control of his own life. You should be proud of yourself, Jonathan. Your mother couldn’t have a kinder, more loving son.’
‘Isn’t it amazing?’ We’ve only known each other two days and I feel as if I’ve known you forever.’ He smiled at her.
‘I know.’ Hilary laughed. ‘I was telling Niall about meeting you on the course yesterday and about you coming back here last night and he was wondering should he fly home and duke it out with you, until I reassured him and said there was more chance of you fancying him than me.’
‘And what did he say?’ Jonathan asked warily.
‘Ahh that was grand. He was relieved I hadn’t fallen for someone,’ she joked. ‘Niall takes people as he finds them. You’ll like him and he’ll like you,’ Hilary assured him, refilling his mug of coffee. ‘Oh and I have something for you,’ she exclaimed. ‘I’ll be back in a sec.’ She went into what was once the small kitchen in the original cottage but which now housed two desks and two computers, hers and Niall’s. She rooted in her desk drawer and located two lighting catalogues.
‘Here you go,’ she said, brandishing them in front of Jonathan. ‘I thought these might give you some ideas for your latest project.’
‘Brilliant!’ he exclaimed, flicking through them eagerly. ‘Ohhhh I love these,’ he said, pointing to a waterfall pendant light. ‘And those sconces would be perfect for what I’m doing now!’ Hilary watched as he poured over the catalogues and was so relieved that the grey look had gone from his face and some colour had come back. He had looked so miserable and forlorn when he’d arrived; she’d been worried about him.
‘Hil, you’re a dote!’ He jumped off the stool and enveloped her in a hug. ‘First for letting me come over and unload on you, and second for this. I was supposed to be going into town to have a look at furniture and fittings but after getting Mam’s call I just fell to pieces and couldn’t hack it. But hell, I’m going to go to town and my client’s rooms are going to get the best damn makeover any designer ever came up with. Thanks so much for these. And thanks for reminding me that there’s much more to my life than what Gus Higgins did to me all those years ago.’ He hugged her again, tightly, and she returned the hug with equal warmth.
‘Why don’t I go with you?’ she suggested on the spur of the moment. ‘The kids won’t be home until this evening. I’m a free woman! To hell with housework, and the massive pile of ironing I was going to do. You can give me some pointers on the design side of things. I need to up my game a bit.’
‘Are you sure?’ Jonathan’s eyes lit up.
‘Yep, when do I ever get the chance to go to town, child-free, on a Saturday?’ she grinned. ‘Just let me get my bag.’
‘The Mary Poppins one?’
‘No, smarty, I have a smaller one with only two side pockets,’ she retorted as he began to clear their dishes. ‘Put them in the sink. I have to empty the dishwasher – I’ll do it later. Let’s go,’ she instructed gaily.
Hilary loved the idea of expanding her interests to include interior design projects and she knew, from their conversations the previous day, that Jonathan would be able to teach her a lot. And it would be fun!
Hilary felt privileged that Jonathan had trusted her, and felt comfortable enough with her, to divulge his appalling secret. She knew without the shadow of a doubt that, if she ever needed him, his would be a shoulder she could cry on. Different indeed from the friendship she shared with Colette, who hadn’t even had the manners to phone and thank her for supper, or apologize for arriving without a by your leave and imposing on her evening with Jonathan, Hilary thought acidly. Intuitively she knew that she would get far more support from her friendship with Jonathan than she ever would from her friendship with Colette, as old as it was.
She remembered a quote of Aristotle’s that she had written in her notebook of quotes, a notebook she had kept since her schooldays. Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies. That would be her and Jonathan, Hilary reflected, transferring her keys and wallet into her smaller bag while he rinsed the dishes under the tap. A friendship had been born between them and she was very grateful for that gift. She would value it and so would he. Colette took Hilary’s friendship for granted and didn’t value it at all, and she was getting a bit fed up with it. One of these days, Colette might find out that Hilary was no longer available to be at her beck and call when it suited her. Hilary had new fish to fry and fry them she would, she thought in amusement, spraying some perfume on her wrists and slicking some lipstick across her lips, looking forward to her unexpected jaunt to town with Jonathan.
C
HAPTER
T
EN
Jonathan pushed away his half-eaten breakfast and gave a deep sigh. All around him the hum of chat and laughter, the clatter of cutlery against china and the smell of Bewley’s coffee could not
