Mad About You (6 page)

I could see Yuri and Lara in the corner, digging a hole that didn’t look like it belonged. I jumped up. ‘Thanks so much for the lovely juice and the strawberries. I’d better get the children home and start setting up interviews for nannies.’

‘Give me your number and I’ll call you as soon as Maggie lets me know about her daughter.’

I reeled it off and Poppy typed it into her phone.

Later that evening, when the children were asleep, James and I sat on the couch chatting. I filled him in on my new job offer and the search for a nanny.

James was clearly relieved. ‘That’s wonderful, darling. I was worried that you’d seemed a bit lost since we moved here. Now you’ll be busy and ready to give London a go.’

I bristled. ‘Well, it hasn’t been easy.’

James raised his hand. ‘I know, and you’ve been great. I just think a job will get you out and about and you’ll have fun.’

‘Well, I don’t know how much fun I’m going to have working with Babs, but it’ll be a distraction and maybe I’ll meet nice people. It’ll be good to earn some extra money too. Now I just need to find someone to look after the children.’

‘I like the sound of the Irish girl. It’s always good to have a personal recommendation,’ James said.

‘I agree. I’m nervous about going back to work so soon. The kids won’t have me around to settle them properly into school.’

James put his arm around me and I snuggled against his chest. ‘Don’t worry, darling. They’ll be fine. Kids are very adaptable. They’ll have new friends in no time. We just need to find a nice girl to look after them, and you’ll be home to put them to bed and read them stories. They’ll still see plenty of you.’

‘I know. Lara will be fine, but Yuri …’

James sipped his wine. ‘Henry and I went to boarding school when we were seven and it did us no harm. Yuri will be fine. You mustn’t fuss about him so much. He needs to learn to stand on his own two feet and fight his own battles.’

‘I don’t fuss.’

James looked at me, arching an eyebrow. ‘Emma, you worry about him all the time. Constantly. There’s no need. He’s a great little fellow who is perfectly well able to make new friends and get on at school.’

Grudgingly I admitted to myself that he had a point. I did worry too much about Yuri, but he was different from Lara. He was shyer and quieter, and I could see he was out of sorts with the new house, and now there was a new school to get used to as well.

James put his glass down and stretched. ‘God, I’m stiff.’

‘How come?’ I asked.

‘I probably overdid it a bit today, trying to show them all that I’m as fit as they are. I think I’ll just watch the training session tomorrow.’ He rubbed his shoulder. ‘I really need to get this right. I have to make an impression with the first few games.’

‘Any gorgeous physios?’ I asked lightly.

James shot me a look, then shook his head.

‘So, no bouncy Mandy-types for you to ogle?’ I kept the tone light, but I wanted him to know that I hadn’t forgotten and that it was not OK for him to flirt with people at work.

James took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes, then he kissed me. ‘No, Emma, and you know that you’re the only woman I want to ogle.’

‘I’m very glad to hear it.’ I smiled, relaxing. ‘Speaking of ogling, check this out.’ I flashed the strap of my lacy underwear. James’s eyes lit up. ‘I think it’s about time we christened this house.’

James grabbed my hand and pulled me up. ‘I thought you’d never ask!’

‘Emma? It’s me, Lucy. Guess what?’

‘Uhm, you’ve won the lottery and are going to give me lots of money so I can live in Dublin again?’

Lucy laughed. ‘No! Donal and I are coming to London, but if I did win the lotto, I’d sweep you away to a tropical island full of gorgeous Ryan Gosling lookalikes.’

‘Now that’s the way to spend your winnings.’ I giggled. ‘Oh, Lucy, I can’t tell you how happy I am you’re coming over! We really miss you guys.’

‘I’m dying to see you, too. I’ve a meeting on Friday afternoon, but I should be finished by six. Will we call over then? We can go out for dinner or stay in, whatever suits. Although it might be easier to stay in with all the kids.’

‘I’ll throw something in the oven. We can plonk the kids in front of a movie until they fall asleep, then really tuck into the wine.’

‘Brilliant. Can’t wait.’

‘Me neither.’ I hung up, beaming.

On Friday, I dragged Yuri and Lara to the supermarket and stocked up on food, flowers, wine and beer. Then we went home and they helped me clean the house – bribed with the promise of sweets when we’d finished. By the time James came home at six o’clock, the place looked pretty good – like a home.

Shortly after James arrived, Lucy and Donal turned up, with Serge in tow. He was a very cute little boy. At two he was
still small and a very quiet child. I constantly had to tell Lara and Yuri to be gentle with him as he often found them a bit boisterous and ended up in tears.

Lucy was wearing a gorgeous pale pink dress and jacket, with perfect hair and manicure. She always looked groomed, even when she was in a tracksuit. She just didn’t do slobby or messy. Donal was, as usual, wearing a rugby T-shirt and jeans, and Serge, who was in his daddy’s arms, was dressed from head to toe in mini-Leinster rugby gear.

After we’d greeted each other, Lara and Yuri took Serge off to show him their new toys and we gave Lucy and Donal a quick tour of the house. They made all the right noises. Lucy was positive about everything.

‘Come on!’ I laughed when she admired the olive green bathroom. ‘You can’t say this is nice – it’s so kitsch.’

She smiled. ‘Yes, but you’ve put nice touches – scented candles and lovely towels – so it looks as good as it can.’

I hugged her. ‘Only a true friend would say that.’

‘It looks grand to me,’ Donal said.

Lucy snorted. ‘Donal wouldn’t notice the difference between Italian marble and plastic tiles.’

‘Who cares?’ He shrugged. ‘These things don’t matter. A bathroom is a bathroom – am I right?’ he asked James.

‘Having spent years in boarding school showering in icy bathrooms with cold tiles, I’m really not that fussy.’

‘The only thing a house needs is kids to fill it.’ Donal stared at Lucy, who froze.

‘Don’t start,’ she hissed at him.

‘Well, the bedrooms are over here,’ I said, trying to cut the tension.

James cleared his throat. ‘Much as I’m sure Donal is enjoying the tour, we might cut it short and go down to catch the rugby match.’

‘Good man, James, lead on.’ Donal turned on his heels and followed James downstairs.

Lucy and I finished the tour and she made some really good suggestions as to how I could make the place look better. She had a great eye for detail and was the most stylish person I knew. Her house was incredible. Donal had left her to do everything so she had gutted the place and redesigned the interior completely. It had even featured in an interiors magazine.

We went back downstairs and filled up the paddling pool to keep the children happy while James and Donal watched the match. Lucy and I sat down in the sun to catch up over a bottle of chilled white wine.

‘Well? How are you? How are things?’ Lucy asked, putting on her sunglasses.

‘Not bad, actually. I’ve just got a job – on Babs’s show.’

‘Really? That was quick.’

‘She only told me a few days ago. I’ve been dying to fill you in. I have to say, Babs has been brilliant for once. She basically forced her producer to take me on.’

‘Well, she’s always been persuasive.’ Lucy’s voice had an edge to it.

Lucy was the only person in the world who intimidated Babs. She was four inches taller than my sister and, because of her success in the tough, male-dominated world of business, she was very forthright and didn’t take attitude from anyone. There was serious history there, too. At my brother’s wedding five years ago, Lucy found out that Babs had slept with Donal while Lucy and Donal had separated briefly. Lucy had gone crazy and threatened Babs. Ever since, I had tried to keep them apart.

Now, as usual, I sidestepped the comment. ‘I’m really pleased because it’ll get me out of the house and keep me busy.’

‘That’s good. Staying at home full-time would do your head in. I honestly don’t know how anyone can stand the boredom.’ Lucy knocked back her wine.

I watched my children, squealing with delight as they sprayed each other with water. I did find full-time motherhood dull at times, but I’d miss them so much when I went back to work.

‘How are things going for James? Has he started at London Irish yet?’ Lucy asked.

I poured her some more wine. ‘He’s really nervous about making a good impression. My God, Lucy, I hope this job works out. Did you know the previous coach only lasted nine months?’

She waved her hand. ‘Forget about the previous guy. James is brilliant at what he does. He was a great coach at Leinster. He’ll be fine. He just needs to get to know the place and find his feet, and I bet London Irish will start winning all their games.’

‘I hope so. If they don’t, God knows where we’ll end up.’

‘Speaking of jobs, I’ve got some news.’

‘Another massive promotion?’ I smiled. Lucy had a high-flying job as a management consultant and seemed to be promoted every year and given huge bonuses. She was the only person I knew who seemed to be recession-proof. Another friend, Tony, had had his salary slashed. He and Jess were renting out two of their bedrooms to four Korean students to make ends meet.

Lucy shook her head. ‘Much more dramatic than that. I’m actually leaving Wright Hodder.’

I was shocked. Wright Hodder was Lucy’s life. ‘Wow, are you taking time out to spend with Serge?’

Lucy frowned. ‘Hello, Emma, it’s me, Lucy! Can you honestly imagine me staying at home, not working?’

She had a point. Lucy was never going to be an apron-wearing stay-at-home mother. Not even in a designer apron in her magnificent kitchen.

‘OK – so what’s the plan?’

‘I’m going out on my own with two guys I did some consultancy for. Oh, Emma, I’m so excited. I’ve wanted to do my own thing for a while now, and when this came along, I jumped at it.’

‘That’s brilliant. What is it?’

‘It’s an aircraft leasing company and it’s based out of City airport in London, which means …’ she paused for effect ‘… I’ll be over in London every week. Most weeks I’ll probably be based here Monday to Thursday. I’ll be travelling a lot in Europe, but we’ll still get to see each other.’

‘Oh, my God! Cheers to that!’ We clinked glasses. I was thrilled – my best friend was going to be close by. London was becoming more attractive by the minute.

Lucy smiled a smile that was pure happiness. ‘I’m really excited about it. I was chuffed when the guys asked me to join the management buyout team. If it works out, and I think it will, I stand to make a lot of money. The people involved are incredibly dynamic. I’m really impressed with their ambition and drive.’

Lucy sounded so excited. I was genuinely happy for her. She had been very up and down since Serge was born (another name my mother constantly gave out about, but Donal had insisted on naming him after the famous French rugby player), and this was the first time I’d heard her sound so upbeat in ages. On the downside, though, I knew Donal wasn’t going to like his wife travelling so much.

‘How are you going to work it all out? Will Donal and Serge move here too? Oh, my God, you could rent a house in Putney. We could be neighbours! What does Donal think?’

Silence. She looked away.

‘Lucy?’

‘I haven’t told him the extent of my travelling yet.’

Christ, was she crazy? How could she tell me and hold out on her own husband? ‘Because you know he’ll go mad?’

‘Yes.’ She threw back more wine and looked uncomfortable. I wanted to say something helpful and sympathetic, but I couldn’t think of a positive spin to put on being away from Donal and Serge four days out of seven.

‘It’ll be tricky trying to juggle everything,’ I said gently, not wanting to rile her. Lucy had a pretty sharp temper when she was annoyed.

She shrugged. ‘I’ll fly out first thing Monday mornings and fly back on Thursday or Friday evenings – it’s only three or four nights a week. Men do it all the time. It’s really not a big deal.’

The thought of being away from Yuri and Lara four nights a week made me feel ill. I could never do it. But Lucy was different. She was quite masculine in the way she was able to separate work from parenthood. She loved her work and Serge, and she didn’t see why one had to negate the other. When it came to balancing work and spending time with him, her stock response was: ‘If I was a man, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.’

She was right, but it was different for most women because they didn’t want to be away from their child all day. Lucy rarely put Serge to bed during the week because she always worked late. To be honest, I think she was struggling with motherhood. It hadn’t come naturally to her. She often complained about how boring it was. But Serge was only two and, like Lara, he had been slow to speak. I knew that when he began to talk properly, and became more of a little companion, Lucy would really fall in love with him. In the meantime,
her new job meant that Donal would be left holding the baby. ‘It’s still kind of tough on Donal, being on his own all week. You’d have to see that from his point of view.’

‘He’s got the nanny to help out,’ Lucy snapped. ‘Emma, I know it’s not ideal, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make some real money. I could retire in a few years if it goes well. I can spend lots of time with Serge then. I’m not giving this up. No way.’

I reached out and patted her arm. ‘Hey, I’m on your side and I’m happy for you. I’m just pointing out that you taking the job makes Donal’s life more … complicated. So when you’re breaking the news to him, you should probably acknowledge that.’

Lucy turned to me, her mouth set in a determined line. ‘Donal has a great life, Emma. I pay the mortgage and I organize all the childcare, leaving him free to write his sports column and do his rugby commentating at the weekends. During the week he plays golf and does some volunteer work, teaching inner-city kids to play rugby. Not a lot of men have that kind of luxury. My career is the reason he has the freedom to pick and choose the jobs he wants.’

Again, she had a point, but it wasn’t the whole picture. Donal was lucky in some ways. James certainly didn’t have the freedom his friend enjoyed. Makeup artists didn’t earn much money. I barely made enough to cover childcare, transport and groceries. It was hard for men to have that pressure on their shoulders. Even with all the talk of equality and increasing numbers of women going back to work, the majority of households still relied on the father to bring home the bacon. Most mothers worked part-time because of the horrendous cost of childcare. The onus was generally still very much on the male to be the family provider, but Donal was spared that. Still, though, while Lucy was
out working, Donal was putting their son to bed every night on his own. Looking at her defensive stance, I worried about their relationship. It had always been fiery, but what I’d seen of them so far today – the almost palpable tension – made me wonder if there were deep divides between them now.

I tried to put Donal’s side across. ‘I know he has those freedoms, Lucy, but he’s still going to be looking after Serge a lot, so I’m just saying, tread carefully when you’re announcing the new travel details to him.’

Lucy sighed. ‘I will. I keep putting it off because I’m dreading it. I know he’ll go mad. To be honest, Emma, all we seem to do is fight at the moment anyway. Maybe the break will do us good.’ She looked so forlorn that my heart ached for her.

‘Oh, Lucy, I’m sorry. Look, all marriages run into problems now and again. No one is immune.’

‘How are you and James?’

I frowned. ‘I don’t know. We’ve been so busy with the move that we haven’t really talked in months. I’m trying to be positive and so is he, but he’s sick with nerves and I am too. If this job doesn’t work out, I’m worried he won’t get another, and if he does, it’ll be training some crappy team in the arse end of Wales for little or no money. I’m scared.’

Lucy sighed. ‘Life is so much more complicated now, isn’t it? Donal is still at me to have another kid. He keeps telling me to come off the pill. He doesn’t seem to understand how difficult I find having one child. He keeps going on and on about not wanting Serge to grow up on his own.’

‘I see his point. It would be nice for Serge to have a sibling, but a baby is a joint decision.’

Lucy threw her hands into the air. ‘Exactly! That’s what I keep saying, but he just won’t listen. He thinks I’m being selfish, but, Emma,’ Lucy’s voice shook, ‘I know that another
baby will push me, and our marriage, over the edge. I mean, you remember how unhappy I was when I was pregnant? It was horrendous. I hated it.’

I remembered all right – it had been the longest nine months I’d ever experienced. Lucy had been irritable and overwhelmed from the moment she’d done the pregnancy test. The problem was, she was so used to managing things impeccably that she’d presumed she could manage a child in the same way she did a business deal. In reality, she hated the lack of control over her body that came with pregnancy, and when Serge was born, he had been a huge baby and she had ended up with internal and external stitches. She’d had to sit on a doughnut cushion for four weeks afterwards because the pain was so severe. I’d never seen her so miserable.

I nodded sympathetically. I knew there was nothing I could say that would convince her another pregnancy, another childbirth, another baby was right for her. Deep down I knew she was right: another child would send her over the edge.