The Heart of Winter Page 3

  ‘I need a new challenge,’ she said now to Zach. The gin was relaxing her and her thoughts were starting to bubble up of their own accord.

  ‘But you have the website,’ Zach said. ‘That must be great fun to do.’

  ‘Nah, I’m bored of it now. I’m thinking of selling it, in fact. It’s making great waves, but I’m worked to the bone with Brianna. It’s all too much for me. I need more spare time. Before I know it, I’ll be old and cruddy with nothing but a wardrobe of ball-busting suits and a stray cat to show for myself.’

  ‘How much are you selling it for?’ Zach asked immediately. ‘I’d love to own something like that. I’d expand it to include men’s wear too. I’ve had enough of dealing with the public face-to-face. I’ve been thinking of moving on for a while now. I think your site could be just the thing.’

  Pippa sat up a little straighter. She’d only said she wanted to sell as a throw-away comment. She was actually thinking of shutting it down fullstop.

  ‘I’d have to get an evaluation done and work out the potential profits going forward,’ she said feeling like she was on Dragon’s Den all of a sudden.

  ‘How long do you reckon it would take to get that information?’ Zach asked eagerly.

  ‘Eh . . . I could ask my brother Joey to do some number-crunching for me. Or my brother-in-law Matt is an accountant, too . . . Tell you what, Zach, leave it with me and I’ll try and get you a ballpark figure by Monday, yeah?’

  ‘Deadly,’ said Zach. ‘I have a few quid stashed away and I’d love to have my own business. I was thinking of my own boutique, but I don’t have the funds for anything that big and as I said, I’m just about done with Jo Public.’

  ‘The website is amazing actually because I don’t buy any stock, I just put stuff together from regular stores. I have some pretty decent deals with some labels now. Especially the ones I sell a lot of. The discounts mean I make a healthy profit on some lines.’

  ‘Wow, I feel shivers down my spine,’ said Zach dramatically. ‘I’d love it.’

  Pippa thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the evening. As soon as the sun went down and the darkness engulfed them, she began to feel chilly. She would have gone home but as it turned out, Zach was so eager to stay on the right side of her that he plied her with drinks before dragging her to a club, where he introduced her to his friends.

  ‘This is Pippa, AKA the queen of fashion.’

  Pippa adored being adored. Whether the men were gay or straight, after enough gin, she wasn’t choosy. Attention made her purr and once she was the centre of everything, she was happy.

  As Zach appeared with a tray of Martinis complete with sparklers, Pippa snatched her phone.

  ‘Photo op!’ she shouted, holding up her mobile. ‘Scootch in beside me, Zach! Selfie time!’

  Pippa smiled drunkenly as she posted the picture on Facebook with the caption: Friday night tipples – shaken and stirred!!!

  Lainey

  LAINEY KNEW SHE WOULD NEVER TAKE THIS VIEW for granted. Even though she’d grown up right next-door at Huntersbrook House, a ten-year stint of city living had made her realise just how special her childhood surroundings really were. From her bedroom window in the old farmhouse, she could see the starboard side of Huntersbrook in all its glory as the low early morning sunshine warmed the glittering granite walls. Her childhood bedroom was literally a stone’s throw (if she were an Olympic discus specialist) from her marital one.

  ‘Ready to go?’ Matt asked as he walked into their bedroom with baby Ely in his arms.

  ‘Nearly,’ she said, ‘I need to grab Ely’s change bag.’

  ‘I’m sure everything he needs is already next-door. We won’t be too long and besides, Sadie can pop over here if she’s stuck for anything.’

  ‘I know, but I’d prefer to make babysitting as easy as possible for her. She’s not young and a quick trip across the field is easy for us, but Sadie’s arthritis has been acting up lately. I know we think of her as invincible, Matt, but she is in her eighties.’

  Matt grinned as he jiggled baby Ely, tickling him. ‘I think you’re underestimating Sadie. You know she’d wring your neck if she heard you insinuating she’s past it.’

  ‘I am not,’ Lainey protested as they shut the door of the farmhouse and headed across the well-worn path to Huntersbrook. ‘I wouldn’t dare!’

  ‘I’m sure Holly would be delighted to look after him if we’re stuck again,’ Matt ventured.

  ‘Mum has enough on without us dumping Ely on her,’ Lainey said quickly. ‘Besides, we’re only going for a short while. Getting supplies for the fencing won’t take long. No point in asking Mum to trek all the way down the drive when Sadie will be there already. She’s been off blackberry picking and is making her world famous jam for the larder.’

  Ely waved his arms in delight as they approached the side door of Huntersbrook, which led to the main kitchen.

  ‘Can you believe he’s fourteen months old already?’ Lainey said.

  ‘Time flies when you’re having fun eh?’ Matt grinned.

  ‘I know we’ve been doing plenty of practising,’ Lainey said with a smile, ‘but I have a good feeling that we’re going to get pregnant this month.’

  ‘There’s no hurry, love,’ Matt said. ‘Ely’s only a baby still.’

  ‘True, but I want at least three, if not four babies. I don’t want to be an older mother. I’m thirty-two, so the clock is ticking.’

  ‘Better have a set of twins by lunchtime in that case,’ he said dryly. She swatted his arm and pushed the door open to greet Sadie.

  Ely threw his arms out to Sadie, and she motioned for them to go quickly. Lainey and Matt seized the opportunity to bundle straight back out the door.

  ‘It’s getting really exciting now,’ Matt said as they walked quickly to the car. ‘We’ve so much to look forward to and it’s going to breathe new life into this place.’

  Lainey smiled. She was just as excited as Matt. Huntersbrook had teetered on the edge for a while. Three years ago things had come to a head and her parents had sat them all down and broken the news that they couldn’t afford to run it any longer, now that Paddy was retired and they were living on their pensions. For a while it looked like it would have to be sold, but then they had held a sumptuous wedding ceremony there for Lainey and Matt just two years ago. The day had prompted so many compliments from the guests that they’d come to the conclusion the house should be used for lots more weddings parties and functions. The idea of Huntersbrook, the venue, was born and they’d been throwing money and energy at it ever since.

  It was exciting, but Lainey couldn’t help gazing at the flip side, too.

  ‘What if we pour all our combined savings into this project, and it all flops?’ she suddenly said to Matt.

  ‘That’s the chance we’ve got to take,’ he said easily as he turned the car and headed down the laneway to the main road. ‘There are no guarantees in business, love, but I’d be astonished if it doesn’t take off. Besides, having Joey and me number-crunching means there isn’t a euro being wasted.’

  ‘True,’ she grinned. ‘Most businesses use one accountant, we have two perfectionists at the helm.’

  As Matt drove towards Wicklow town, Lainey’s mind wandered to her mother. They’d had yet another spat the day before. Lainey had gone to pains to match up the paint colours and accessories for each of the bedrooms. Holly had shown little or no interest, until there was something she didn’t approve of.

  ‘Why would you put three pictures the same on a wall?’

  ‘It’s sold that way,’ Lainey said. ‘It’s supposed to be like that.’

  ‘I think it’s ridiculous. Why would a person want to look at the same badly painted flower three times in a row?’

  ‘It’s a simple image that picks up the colours in the curtains and bedspread without being too in-your-face,’ Lainey reasoned, curling her fingers into the palm of her hand to keep her cool.

  ‘No, sorry, I don’t get it,’ Holly sa
id, shaking her head. ‘I’d prefer one decent picture to three dreadful ones. I hate that mass-produced tat as well. Get Ely to draw something with brightly coloured crayons and frame that. At least it’d be original.’

  Lainey felt her composure slipping. ‘Mum, the only thing Ely does with crayons is eat them. The whole point of my efforts here is to make over the house to appeal to a wide market. It has to be fresh and coordinated, and you’re being really rude about it.’

  ‘Do whatever you think is right,’ Holly conceded. ‘I was only voicing my opinion, Lainey. Please don’t go off in a huff.’

  ‘I’m not in a huff,’ she snarled through her teeth.

  ‘That’s a matter of opinion . . .’

  Lainey was going to retort, but she stopped herself. What was the point? She and Holly had been here so many times: Lainey trying to do something right; Holly telling her it was all wrong. With Joey and Pippa, their mother was encouraging and warm. Lainey seemed to get all her negative traits directed at her. She was the eldest, and it had always been like this. She’d be given out to, ridiculed, told she was doing it all wrong, then she’d have to stand by and watch as her brother and sister were coddled and fussed over. Her mother just treated her differently, that was all there was to it. And now she felt tired fighting to be treated the same as the others. Her mother made her feel too weary for words.

  As Matt pulled up in Wicklow town, Lainey forced all cross thoughts from her mind. She wasn’t going to allow her mother to spoil this new venture. From here on in, she resolved to make a concerted effort to avoid conflict with Holly. Besides, she had too much good stuff going on to bother with negativity.

  As they walked toward the DIY store Lainey linked arms with Matt.

  ‘Ooh they have a fabulous double buggy in the window of the baby shop,’ she said. ‘Let’s have a quick look. I want to price it.’ She steered him through the shop’s door.

  ‘Why?’ Matt looked alarmed. ‘Is there something you need to tell me?’

  ‘Not yet,’ she smirked. ‘But soon I hope.’ She spotted the buggy and dragged him over to it.

  ‘It’s eight hundred euros,’ Matt said in shock. ‘Does it come with a motor and a full-time nanny?’

  ‘That’s what decent double buggies cost,’ Lainey said knowingly. ‘There’s no point in buying a cheap one, either. It’d only break and then we’d be shelling out twice.’

  ‘I’d rather not shell out at all. Let’s just keep practising and not have another child until Ely can walk. What do you say?’

  Lainey giggled and followed him out of the shop. She knew Matt didn’t share her overwhelming desire to have another baby. But he idolised little Ely and she knew he’d be the same way with the next one . . . Or two . . . Or three . . .

  Joey

  ON SATURDAY MORNING, AT THE UNGODLY HOUR of five am, Joey stooped to kiss Skye, but she was dead to the world. They were meant to travel down together today, but he’d see her later at Huntersbrook. First, he had to sort everything with his boss, Clive, who needed a brainstorm with him regarding a potentially lucrative new client, then he’d be free to join his family. He was eager to help his father and Matt. There was a host of jobs they could do themselves and make necessary savings. Once the house was running as a venue and they had some kind of income, he’d relax. So far the house was absorbing money like a sponge, with nothing to show in return.

  Grinning, he cleared a woolly strand of curls from Skye’s face and gazed at her for a moment. Desire raced through him as he touched her. She was all woman and best of all, she was happy in her own skin. After almost two miserable years with domineering Sophia, he was finding his time with Skye blissful. He was finished with women who were obsessed with how they looked. Trophy girlfriends were a thing of the past for Joey. Sure, they looked good at business events, draped across your arm, but he couldn’t get enough of Skye’s realness and kindness and her unselfconscious way of moving and dancing and being, real. He’d made the right decision, leaving Sophia and following his heart into Skye’s arms. Reluctantly, he grabbed his keys and headed for the office.

  Clive was already elbow-deep in paperwork when Joey arrived almost an hour before the agreed time.

  ‘Did you actually go home last night?’ he joked to Clive.

  ‘Yeah, just about,’ he said. ‘Although I’d probably have been wiser to stay here. Janet is like a woman possessed. She’s taken on the role of coordinator for the black-tie ball at the end of the month and she’s living and breathing it at the moment.’

  ‘I thought you had a PR firm handling the weekend?’

  ‘Yeah, we did. But Janet blew a gasket and said all their ideas were passé and boring. I stupidly told her if she didn’t like what they were doing, she could do it herself . . .’

  ‘. . . and she took the baton and ran with it?’

  ‘Precisely,’ Clive said rubbing his face vigorously. ‘She’s using it as a way of saying “told you so”. I’m fine with that, but Christ, she’s a perfectionist. Every detail is being micro-managed. Did you know there are fifteen shades of pink napkin? And we’re not having pink after all, just for the record.’

  Joey laughed. ‘I thought my mother was bad. She’s got this obsession with Christmas and believe me, once Hallowe’en is over, it’s all hands on deck in our house, whether you like it or not.’

  The men settled down to work. The others arrived for the session and they made great headway over the next three hours. Clive motioned to Joey to stay behind once the others began to make a move for the door.

  ‘It won’t take long,’ he said.

  Joey glanced at his watch. It was lunchtime already. He really needed to get to Huntersbrook. He didn’t want the others thinking he wasn’t pulling his weight. It was enough to have one silent partner in Pippa. But then, nobody expected much else from her.

  Once the office had emptied, Clive asked Joey to sit next to him.

  ‘You’ve had a fantastic financial year, Joey,’ Clive began. ‘I’ve had several long sessions with the other partners and we all agree that it’s time we drafted in some young blood.’

  Joey’s heart was racing. This was what he’d been praying for. There’d been whispers around the office that he was in line for a promotion but as far as he was concerned nothing was solid until he signed on the dotted line.

  ‘So, we would like you to consider becoming an official partner.’ Clive held his hand up to prevent Joey answering immediately. ‘I do have to warn you, though. It’s going to involve even longer hours than you currently serve. It’ll mean many more meetings with other employees and quite a bit of evening and weekend time.’

  ‘Yes, I understand,’ Joey said evenly. ‘I really appreciate the firm’s belief in me. I’ll give it my careful consideration and let you know.’

  ‘Excellent!’ Clive pumped his hand. ‘I know you’ve put in for next week off,’ Clive said, ‘but I think I’m going to have to ask you to come in on Tuesday. Is that a problem?’

  ‘No, of course not. I’ll be stationed in Wicklow, so I can run up.’

  ‘I could do the negotiation without you, but I’d prefer if you’re in on any of the large projects going forward.’

  ‘I appreciate that,’ Joey said. ‘I’d better hit the road now, though. We’re flying along with the project I mentioned to you. You know my family estate in Wicklow . . . we’ve just been given the green light to use the old pile commercially.’

  ‘Ah, super! We’ll have to keep it in mind for some events in the future,’ Clive said. ‘Although, how the hell have you held on to it through the recession and all that? I mean, it’s a big place, isn’t it? Has to be a money-pit.’

  Joey smiled, ‘It is that. But we’ve poured everything into saving it. A while ago we’d thought we’d have to sell, but it’s been in my mother’s family for three generations, and we couldn’t let that happen on our watch.’

  ‘Are there other families involved or is it just your immediate family?’ Clive asked, curious.r />
  ‘My grandma actually ran the place after she was widowed at a young age. She was born there as an only child and kept it all going when her folks died. I guess there’s a lot of pride attached to the fact that those women held on to it in spite of such difficult circumstances. So each generation wants to keep it afloat.’

  ‘Of course. It’s a heart-warming story, Joey. I like that sense of tradition mixed with tragedy. It’s healthy that there’s no awful feud going on in the background. That’s the kind of thing that sets the rot. Good for you keeping it going. Let me know if we can help. Would it suit for one of our events, do you think? Would it pass the Janet test?’

  ‘Definitely,’ Joey said, nodding his head. ‘The house was built in 1772 in the Georgian style and it retains all of its original features. It’s really beautiful and classical and it sits on fifty acres, so there are views all round. It’s really special.’

  ‘Well then, maybe we could pencil it in as the venue for one of our bigger parties early next year. The Spring ball is always an awkward one to host as the weather can be dodgy. What’s the capacity?’

  ‘Well, we’re looking at seating for up to two hundred. I’m negotiating a price on a second-hand luxury marquee at the moment. I’ll keep you posted. We’d certainly appreciate the business.’

  As he drove out of Dublin and onto the N11 motorway, Joey was elated. He’d been hoping for a long time that the offer of a partnership would come and now here it was.

  He was happy in love, work and family life. Things couldn’t be better!

  When he pulled up outside Huntersbrook an hour later, the view of the cherry red door against the two majestic pillars of the family home made him smile. So many memories and good times, and now they’d get the chance to add a whole lot more. He was so pleased he and Skye were getting to stay here for the whole week. He knew she’d fall in love with the place, too.