Page 149 of London, Can You Wait?

“Thanks, Niamh. How are you?”

“I’m good, love. You look well.”

Alex’s foot jittered. What to say next? Ugh. “Yeah…I guess New York City agrees with me.”

“Oh, you’re not in London?”

Hmm.So, maybe Freddie didn’t tell Mark she was in New York? Or maybe he did, and Mark just didn’t tell his mum? Wait…Why do I care? Mark’s absolution didn’t change why she had left him. Nothing has changed, Alex! Remember that!

“No. I’m working here for a few months.”

“Are you staying in a safe area?”

“I am. The neighbourhood’s nice, lots of cafés, dogs…trees.”

“Good. Can’t be too careful.”

“That’s true.” Alex nodded, the crumbs of this conversation feeding the butterflies in her stomach. Niamh and Alex may have only known each other for four months before ‘the shag that didn’t happen’, but they had always talked about things that mattered. They didn’t ‘do’ stilted casual chat. It certainly didn’t help that two massive questions hung over every word—was Mark listening in? And why was she calling? Best to play it safe. “How has your summer been, Niamh?”

“It’s been pouring, love, but the sun finally found us five days ago. It’s been lovely for Mark.”

Alex took a deep breath as her eyebrows tensed along with her shoulders. What to say to that? A soft smile spoke for her while she searched for words. The cars on the street below were the only sounds passing through her tablet’s microphone.

Niamh grinned warmly, but her eyes bore through the screen as if she was trying to get a sense of how Alex was really feeling.

“Mark’s not here, love. Sorry, I should’ve said straight away—my tablet broke, so he gave me his.” Niamh pulled her cardigan over her shoulders. “He doesn’t know I’m calling.”

Her words didn’t bring relief. They actually made the tumbling in Alex’s stomach turn into a full-on gymnastics routine.

“There have been so many times I wanted to reach out to you…” Niamh’s smile slipped away. “…but Mark made me swear not to tell you everything that’s gone on.”

Everything?Alex’s brows creased. “Sorry?”

“Mark experienced loss at a young age, and there were times when I feared that I had lost my sweet, happy-go-lucky little boy. He would go to a dark place, sometimes…become sullen, angry with everyone. I think part of him to this day blames himself for what happened…” Niamh took a deep breath. “Oh, I’ve probably said too much.”

Huh?“Sorry, Niamh, but…I don’t understand.”

His mum bowed her head, remaining silent. Awkward times a thousand. Alex threw out the first thing that popped into her mind. “I’m sorry I didn’t call to say good-bye.”

Niamh looked up, kindness in her eyes. “Oh, love, us Keegans hold on to the hellos, not the good-byes…”

Alex would never forget their first hello… The emotions of that day were imprinted on her heart: the panic over losing Niamh’s house key, the relief of finding it, the fear of meeting Mark’s family and the joy of discovering that—like Mark—his loved ones were friendly, kind, and hospitable.

Despite it being her birthday, Niamh had made Alex a chocolate biscuit cake and asked questions about her playwriting, her family in Manchester, and the flat she shared with Mark. She listened intently and praised Alex for her triumphs, both personal and professional, and she wasn’t territorial like Devin’s mother. When Alex held Mark’s hand or met his eyes with a loving smile, Niamh beamed, nodding her approval. During that three-day weekend, Mark’s mum showed more interest in Alex than her own mother had done during her three years in London.

But the warmth of Mark’s sister did more than put Alex at ease that visit: it changed everything. Grace shared emotional stories about her engagement and wedding, and while Mark and their mum were in the kitchen, Rhys was in the bathroom, she leaned in with a cheeky, conspiratorial smile. “When your time comes, Fappy will propose with Mum’s ring,” she whispered.

Your time?

Unlike the rest of the sentence leaving Grace’s mouth, those two words lit up Alex’s brain like a blinding camera flash, refusing to fade. A gentle nudge of Grace’s elbow diffused their brightness, dropping Alex back into the conversation, but she had missed most of the ring’s description, her ears only picking up “…Beatles lyrics engraved inside the white gold band.”The ring I just saw in Mark’s backpack—MUST be it!

Back then it had all matched up—or so Alex had thought. Now, almost a year later, sat here talking through the tablet screen with Niamh, the memory made her feel silly and embarrassed: the ring Grace gushed about wasn’t the ring she had found in the backpack after all.

“Since the day we met, you’ve always felt like part of our family.” Niamh’s eyes didn’t waver. “You know it’s not my way to interfere but—”

“Niamh—”

“Mark hasn’t been completely honest with you. You two need to talk…if there’s any hope of moving on and being friends again. I know my boy owes you that much, love.”