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‘You paid too much attention to those nuns at your school,’ said Ronan, adding three rashers and a fried egg to his plate.
‘We have to make space for the crêpes,’ she reasoned.
‘Hollow legs,’ he said, tapping his thigh.
Later, she stood on the arm of the sofa and pulled down her old green Michelin guide to Paris. She re-read the whole thing and attached sticky tabs to the sections headed ‘Montmartre’, ‘The Quays’, ‘The Luxembourg Quarter’ and ‘The Orsay Museum’.
At lunchtime on Wednesday, she sprinted to Marks and Spencer. She walked around the lingerie department for ten minutes carrying a black balcony bra and matching knickers but swapped them at the last minute for a pinkish-nude, cotton-rich duo that promised comfort all day long. Wednesday night, she sat up late reading Anaïs Nin’sHenry and June.
At lunchtime on Thursday, she sprinted to Marks and Spencer and bought the black balcony bra, the matching knickers, a skimpy pink nightdress and a five-pack of boxers for Ronan. After work, she drove straight to the hairdresser.
‘We could brighten it up a bit for you?’ said the stylist, talking to the mirror. ‘Add a few layers, take the weight out of it?’
‘Yeah, great,’ said Claire, wondering if she could ask for a couple more chocolate digestives with her lukewarm Nespresso. She was starving.
* * *
Ronan nudged her elbow.
‘Hey, do you want a coffee?’
Claire focused on the approaching blonde chignon, which was, presumably, followed closely by Imelda’s face and a trolley.Make it good, she told herself, again.
‘We could go mad and have champagne?’
Ronan’s eyes shone.
‘An excellent notion, madame. Start as we mean to go on. Would that pair well with an Aer Lingus cheese toastie, do you think?’ He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and cheerfully ordered two toasties and two mini bottles of champagne.
‘Celebrating?’ enquired Imelda as she passed them two paper cups.
‘Yes,’ said Ronan brightly.
‘Ah no,’ said Claire at the exact same moment.
Imelda held Claire’s eye for a full second, gave an almost imperceptible nod. ‘Well sure, enjoy it anyway,’ she said, pulling her trolley away with her.
‘Cheers!’ said Claire too brightly. She raised her cup. ‘Happy Anniversary.’
‘Cheers, love,’ answered Ronan.
They ate the sandwiches.
‘I meant to ask you,’ she said, ‘how’d you get the time off work?’
‘I didn’t. I just said I had to leave early today and on Monday I’ll pull a sickie.’ He made a mock-guilty face that had a hint of real guilt about the eyes. ‘How else would a Leaving Cert maths teacher get a day off when we’re only three weeks back in school?’
‘You didn’t tell them?’
‘Nope.’
‘You mean the reliable Mr MacNamara’s gone AWOL?’
Ronan rolled his eyes. ‘Rocky’s not as reliable as he used to be.’
‘But we needn’t have gone this weekend, Ro. It’s only a few weeks ’til mid-term.’
‘Look’ – he assumed his cheekiest grin – ‘it is for the greater good that you and I go to Paris this weekend.’
