AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Everyone chuckled at that, and some of the tension eased as we all tucked into our food, but I was still pissed at my friend for making Maggie uncomfortable. I wanted her to come to dinner again, not just this once. But after how Nigel had behaved, I wasn’t sure it’d be easy to convince her. She was already skittish enough.
“Where’s Stephanie today?” Dawn asked Rhys. I stiffened slightly at the mention of my cousin’s fiancée. She never came with him on Sundays, and a part of me had always been relieved about that. It was my time to spend around the people I was most at ease with. Stephanie was awkward with me at the best of times. If she started coming on Sundays, I’d just find myself going out of my way not to make her feel uncomfortable, which was never fun.
“She goes to see her parents on Sundays. I told you this already,” Rhys replied around a bite of roast potato.
“Well, I don’t see why she can’t take a Sunday off and come here,” Dawn continued. “And of course, we’d be happy to give you up every couple of weeks, so you can go with her to see her family.”
“We’re fine with the arrangement as it is,” Rhys told her, his voice a little gruff now. “Besides, you know her mother rubs me the wrong way.”
Dad chuckled. “I’ve met the woman a few times over the years. That Kerry Moran would grate on the patience of a saint.”
“So, you get why I’m content to continue as things are,” Rhys responded.
“Yes, but what about when you finally tie the knot? Will you just keep going on with two different Sunday routines even then?”
Rhys shrugged. “I don’t see any reason why our routine should change just because we’re married.”
“Leave him be, love,” my brother said, giving his wife a meaningful glance. I wasn’t quite sure what the glance meant, but I guessed it was their married couple silent communication.
“Well, did any of you see that film on the telly last night?” Dad asked, changing the subject in that easy way of his. “I can’t remember the title, but the main actor had his full wedding tackle out during the first five minutes. I said to myself, that’s not something you expect to see after innocently watching the nine o’clock news.”
Almost everyone burst out laughing. I glanced at Maggie and found her smiling around a forkful of carrots.
“Are you sure you can’t remember the title, Eugene?” Dawn asked with a grin as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “So, I can put it on my watch list.”
“It still escapes me,” Dad replied, his lips curving at the edges. “But I’ll text it to you if it comes back to me.”
The rest of the meal went better, with easy conversation and a much more relaxed atmosphere. Maggie sat next to me the whole time, and I savoured having her close.
What was it about her I liked so much? Sure, it wasn’t like I had packs of women knocking down my door, but if I wanted a girlfriend, I was certain I could find one. So, why was I so interested in the mysterious woman from the bus?
Nigel left earlier than usual, citing he had some work to catch up on before tomorrow. He said goodbye to everyone, including Maggie; though, I still noted a strain between the two of them. It irritated me he’d chosen that day of all days to be in a bad mood when I wanted him to make a good impression. I wanted Maggie to enjoy the company of my family and best friend.
We all chipped in with the cleaning up, as usual. Maggie tried to help, but I made sure she didn’t lift a finger because she was my guest. Soon enough, Rhys left, too, as well as Ross, Dawn and the kids. Dawn gave Maggie a quick hug, telling her it was great to meet her.
Well, at least someone knew how to be nice.
She’d just gone upstairs to use the bathroom, and I found myself alone with Dad as we put away the final few dishes. “That went well, I thought,” Dad said, and I arched an eyebrow at him.
“What? Are you still mad about how Nigel behaved?”
I nodded and frowned, then glanced out the window where Daniel was having a rip-roaring time with an old rugby ball he’d torn to shreds. It always amazed me how my dog could get so excited about the simplest of things.
“You know Nigel’s always been a little bit jealous when it comes to you,” Dad said. “You’ve been best friends since you were five years old, and he always hated if anyone else tried to befriend you.”
That’s not true. He was nice to Emer, I signed.
