A Taste for Love (35 page)

‘Lucky you,’ said Lucy enviously.

‘Moyle House is a wonderful house,’ enthused Emmet, ‘perfect for a wedding.’

‘It’s kind of a last hurrah for the house,’ Kerrie admitted. ‘My parents-in-law-to-be have to sell it, and it looks like a family from Germany are the buyers. Emmet was down giving Matt and his dad some advice about converting some of their stables into a mews with a courtyard garden, so that’s how he came to see it!’

‘A proper wedding! So much better than a handful of guests in France,’ said Kitty, making everyone laugh.

‘Kitty, we’re still going to France for our honeymoon,’ insisted Kerrie.

‘Here’s to Alice!’ toasted the class, as everyone stood up. ‘And to her cookery school!’

Alice blinked away the tears in her eyes. Funny, but she would really miss them. This year might have begun with some doom and gloom and trepidation, but it had brought so much change for all of them gathered here around the table. There had been so many new beginnings!

So much had happened in her own life over these past few months, too. She had learnt to let go of Liam and the hurt of it, and to stand on her own two feet, which had been much harder than she had ever imagined. She took the risk of opening a cookery school, worrying about getting it off the ground! Then there had been Sean’s accident and the awful reality of almost losing her youngest son. The wonderful support of her friends and family – even these people, her students – had helped her get through those dark days. And then there was the milestone of Sean’s twenty-first party last week. It was so good to see Sean well again. And to have the opportunity to introduce Alex, the new man in her life, to the people she loved.

She still sometimes couldn’t believe it!

The Martello Cookery School’s reputation was growing, and next year she hoped to run classes three nights a week and was even considering holding a class one morning a week, too. Her business was taking off in a way she had never imagined, and even Patsy, her sister-in-law, and Nina had signed up for the autumn.

Then there was Alex! Lovely Alex!

The two of them were off to Lake Como for ten days in three weeks’ time. He had booked them into a magnificent-looking five-star hotel overlooking the lake. Alex Ronan was such a lovely man – generous and big-hearted and romantic – and when they were together he made her feel special, young and happy again!

She was so lucky to have been given this second chance – to have somehow found the courage to open her heart to happiness and to finding love again with Alex when she least expected it.

Marita Conlon-McKenna
is one of Ireland’s favourite authors and her books are enjoyed by readers around the world. Her previous novels include
The Matchmaker
and the number one bestsellers
The Magdalen
and
Mother of the Bride
. She is the winner of the prestigious International Reading Association award and is a regular contributor on radio and TV. She lives in Dublin with her husband James and their family.