Someone Like You (63 page)

in the stratosphere to figure out that Jane could do no wrong. Which, conversely, meant that if Jane didn’t take an immediate shine to Leonie, it was curtains for Daddy’s new friend.

The meeting was a quick one on a Saturday afternoon in the National Gallery. A suitably innocent venue.

Thinking of how Fliss would have played it, Leonie dressed in her usual clothes - Prussian-blue silk shirt, black velvet trousers and an embroidered violet angora shawl she’d picked up in a charity shop in Dun Laoghaire - and did her best to feel nonchalantly confident. Not trying too hard, because that would be a mistake both for her personally and for Hugh. She dearly wanted his children to like and approve of her, but it had to be approval on real terms.

She didn’t want to transform herself into something she wasn’t just so she passed muster with a teenage boy and his twenty-something sister. Well, that was the theory, anyway.

It was only ‘a quick drink to meet the kids’, as Hugh had put it. Not a grilling in the High Court. But her theory wasn’t working very well and she still felt worried. I mean, she thought, desperate to bolster herself with courage, she had kids and she knew how to handle them. If she knew how to deal with the dizzying combination of Mel and Abby, surely Jane would be a doddle. Older and more mature, obviously … ?

Hugh was waiting in the National Gallery restaurant when she arrived, hot from rushing from the car park and mentally berating herself for never going to the gallery normally except when she was meeting people in the restaurant. She must try harder to fit some culture into her life. Hugh was sitting at a small table at the back and there was someone with him, Leonie realized: a young woman in denims.

Her first thoughts were that he’d met someone he knew while waiting for all of them. It couldn’t be the fabled Jane.

Jane was, in her father’s words, ‘beautiful, stunning,’

and Leonie had had a mental picture of a girl with her father’s confident, laughing gaze and the bone structure of a gazelle.

This dumpy young woman with a denim jacket welded unflatteringly on to her could not be Jane. Short dark hair, not even washed, plump features and small eyes under over-plucked brows. This was not gazelle material, unless gazelles were blessed with suspicious eyes and a scowl.

‘Leonie!’ Hugh got to his feet and greeted her as though he’d just spotted a distant acquaintance and, after racking his brains for ages, had finally remembered her name.

He patted her back energetically. Normally, he kissed her.

‘Meet Jane, my pride and joy. Jane, this is a friend of mine, Leonie.’

Leonie had been struck dumb on very few occasions in her life. Such a thing was unheard of in a woman who so hated gaps in the conversation that she would babble ceaselessly in company when there was an awkward silence just to fill in the blanks. Now, she smiled gormlessly at her boyfriend and his daughter, wondering how in the hell even a besotted father would describe Jane as ‘stunning’.

But then, how awful of her to judge the poor girl on looks alone. Perhaps Jane lit up with some inner flame when she spoke and laughed.

‘I’ve heard so much about you, it’s lovely to meet you,’

she said, finally finding her voice and shaking Jane’s hand warmly.

‘I’ve heard almost nothing about you,’ Jane replied primly, shooting a look at Hugh.

She shouldn’t purse her mouth like that, Leonie thought absently. She’d have terrible lines when she was older.

‘Oh dear,’ Leonie said jokily. ‘Am I your father’s big secret?’

She intercepted a glare from the girl to her father. ‘I think so,’ Jane said sharply.

Hugh smiled helplessly at Leonie. ‘It’s no big secret at all,’ he said with the false bonhomie of a man facing the firing squad and turning down the use of a blindfold.

‘Leonie is my new friend and I wanted you and Stephen to meet her. It’s simple. We’ve only been out three times but you know I wouldn’t want you to feel left out, Jane, sweetie.’ He shot an imploring look at Jane.

Leonie felt that now wasn’t the time to point out that they’d been on ten dates and one heavy petting session where only the presence of her period and a pair of horrible big knickers had stopped them getting naked on the couch in Hugh’s apartment. She had long-range plans for a romantic scene that included bikini waxing, nice, non-grey underwear and fake tan to camouflage the flabby bits with a nice golden glow. These plans seemed very long range at this present moment. She’d thought she was his girlfriend, but he hadn’t made that clear to anyone else.

On the phone, he’d been murmuring sweet nothings and saying things like, ‘You’re incredible, Leonie.’ Now, in the presence of the Inquisitor General, he was a squirming mass of manhood who’d deny his romance with a ‘Makin’

Whoopee’-singing Michelle Pfeiffer herself if it would keep him in his daughter’s good books. Leonie felt betrayed.

What was more, she felt like getting up and leaving them to it. But she didn’t. It would be unfair. As a mother, she knew how hard it was to draw the line between living your life for your children and giving them the ultimate power over your life. There was a balance, and poor Hugh needed help finding that balance.

She would help. If it was the last thing she did.

‘Don’t be silly, Daddy,’ Jane said. ‘I don’t feel left out at all. It’s just that I know all your friends. If I’d known you were meeting work people, I wouldn’t have bothered to come. Which branch are you working in?’ she asked Leonie.

Those last two sentences clarified matters for Leonie. It was obvious that Hugh hadn’t told his kids who she was or that they were going to meet her today. Either that, or Jane was determined not to acknowledge the existence of any woman in her father’s life and was therefore casting Leonie in the role of an unattractive colleague her father took pity on and brought out occasionally. And calling him ‘Daddy’! Most kids got over the Daddy stage when they went to big school and moved on to a bored-sounding Dad.

Leonie smiled at Hugh.

He was gazing at her hopefully, hope-you’ll-lie-fully she reckoned.

‘I’m a veterinary nurse. And I’m not one of your father’s colleagues,’ she said pleasantly, ‘I’m a friend.’

‘Oh.’ Jane’s mouth pursed into a little moue of disapproval.

‘Your

father has been telling me all about you,’ Leonie went on gamely. ‘He says you’re getting on brilliantly in work and are up for promotion. Well done.’

‘Daddy!’ hissed Jane furiously. ‘That’s private.’

‘Oh, look,’ said Hugh in desperation. ‘Here’s Stephen.’

Tall and solid like his father, Stephen had a smiling face, wore clothes that looked as if he’d dressed in a hurry, and seemed to know who Leonie was.

‘Nice to meet you at last,’ he said, throwing himself into a chair. ‘About time the old lad found himself someone.

Has anyone ordered? They do great cakes here.’

Jane glared at him instead of her father. ‘You might have told me,’ she said fiercely. ‘I feel as if I’ve been hijacked.’

It was Hugh and Stephen’s turn to exchange meaningful looks. What a family! Leonie wished they’d talk instead of staring intensely at each other. People said what they thought in the Delaney house, especially Mel, who’d be the person most likely to feel put out by Hugh’s existence.

At least with Mel, you’d hear how she felt, normally at eighty decibels. She wouldn’t have just sat there simmering in silence and glaring at people.

‘Don’t be daft, Sis,’ said Stephen. ‘What’s the fuss? I told you. You’re here to meet Leonie. What’s the big deal?’

He turned to Leonie. ‘Will I go up and order us something?

I’m ravenous. Would you like coffee or cakes?’

He was sweet, she decided. Aware that his sister was furious, he was doing his best to defuse the situation.

Td love some,’ she said. ‘I’ll come up with you and carry a tray. Coffee, Hugh?’ she asked pleasantly, determined not to let her expression betray the fact that she thought Hugh was acting foolishly by kowtowing to the awful Jane.

‘Yes,’ he said, looking her straight in the face for the first time in ages.

Leonie and Stephen examined the cake counter with interest. Normally, Leonie wouldn’t have allowed herself anything. But today, she wasn’t in the mood to deny herself.

‘I could murder some of that carrot cake,’ she said to Stephen, pointing out some fabulously succulent cake that probably contained the exact amount of calories a marathon runner needed in an entire week.

The too,’ he agreed. ‘I bet Jane would love it too. She’s on this no-fat diet, but I can usually persuade her to give it up when she’s with me.’

Leonie wasn’t sure she could imagine anyone persuading Jane to do anything she didn’t want to.

‘She’ll be fine,’ Stephen said as if he could read her thoughts. ‘She’s a bit possessive about Dad. She’s his favourite and she doesn’t really get it that he needs someone in his life.’

‘I understand,’ Leonie lied. ‘But your mum has a new partner, doesn’t she? Isn’t that hard on Jane too?’

Stephen put three fat slices of cake on his tray. ‘Yeah, but Jane isn’t the same with Mum. They are, like, exactly the same. That’s why Jane doesn’t live at home any more.

They kill each other. She’s cool about Kevin - he’s Mum’s boyfriend.’ They moved slowly along the queue towards the coffee machines. Stephen put a chocolate bar on his plate as well.

‘I worry about the old boy. He gets lonely. He’s happier since meeting you.’

‘Thank you,’ Leonie said sincerely. ‘It’s lovely of you to say that. I’m so very fond of your father and I wanted you both to know that. It’s hard that Jane seems set against me.’

‘It’s ‘cos you’ve got kids,’ Stephen said sagely. ‘She’s terrified Dad’ll end up liking them more than us, or end up leaving them something in his will if you two get married.’

‘How do you know this? Jane didn’t seem to have heard anything about me before today.’

‘I know Jane,’ he said simply. ‘And she does know about you. I knew Dad would bottle out of telling her about you, so I did it for him. She’s pretending not to know just to get at him. Don’t be hard on her,’ he said suddenly. ‘She’s a bit…’

Spoilt, Leonie wanted to say.

‘… insecure,’ Stephen finished. ‘She adores Dad and he adores her back. If you were on the scene, it’d be a different ball game.’

‘Well, thanks for being so honest with me,’ she said.

‘Should I simply go home now?’

Stephen laughed. ‘Don’t be daft. Jane will be fine, eventually.’

They arrived back at the table with trays laden down with goodies. Jane and Hugh had been talking animatedly until they arrived, whereupon all conversation ceased. They all drank their coffee in stony silence. Leonie could hear her own jaw clicking as she ate her carrot cake.

Finally, she couldn’t take the silence any more.

‘I was thinking we could go to the cinema later,’ Leonie said brightly. ‘Why don’t you two come?’ Did I say that?

she asked herself in horror. Please say no.

‘Why not? I’ve nothing else on tonight,’ Jane said ungraciously.

Leonie, Hugh and Stephen all wanted to see the new Bond movie but Jane wanted to see the latest art-house sensation, a grim, black-and-white production about youngsters getting involved in the murky world of international drug-smuggling. Leonie would rather have cut her front lawn with nail scissors than watch that type of film.

However, it was Jane’s choice and, as Leonie was discovering, Jane liked to get her own way.

At least they had something to talk about afterwards, when they shared a pizza in Temple Bar. Stephen chatted happily about the film while Jane, who’d forced them to sit through it, decided she hadn’t liked it much at all.

Leonie’s palm itched with the desire to slap Jane’s sulky little face.

After an hour, when it became plain that Jane had no intention of leaving before Leonie did, Leonie gave in and announced that she had to go home.

‘I’ll walk you back to your car,’ Hugh said. She shot him a grateful look. Free from the horrid Jane at last.

‘Dad,’ Jane said in a childish voice, ‘can I ask you a favour?’

‘Yes, darling,’ he said fondly.

‘Could I use your credit card to book my holiday? Mine is maxed out and if I don’t book on Monday, I’ll lose my place. I’ll pay you back, of course,’ she added, giving him a beseeching, big-eyed look.

Leonie’s right hand clenched up into a fist.

Hugh ruffled Jane’s hair. ‘You don’t have to ask, pet, you know that.’

For the first five minutes, Leonie and Hugh walked in silence.

As they reached Nassau Street, Hugh took her hand in his.

‘Well,’ he said tentatively, ‘how do you think it went?’

‘It might have gone better if you’d told Jane about me,’

Leonie suggested. ‘It’s not easy meeting someone who’s under the impression that you’re nothing more than a colleague.

I thought we were going out, Hugh, but listening to you earlier, you’d swear we were old, platonic friends on the verge of getting our bus passes.’

‘Sorry. It’s difficult, you know. Jane is … well, she’s sensitive.’

About as sensitive as a rhino, Leonie thought grimly.

‘I should have told her, Leonie. Please forgive me.’ He squeezed her fingers. ‘I’m afraid I’m one of those indulgent fathers who can’t deny my children anything. Jane expects nothing short of adoration.’

‘And the use of your credit card,’ Leonie remarked. ‘Jane mustn’t be very good with money if she’s got this wonderful job and still has to beg from you.’ As soon as she’d said it, Leonie regretted it. Criticizing your beloved’s children was a dating no-no, on a par with saying you’d got a letter from the clinic and the warts were practically all gone. She could have kicked herself. ‘Sorry,’ she said quickly. ‘That was rotten of me.’

‘I thought you of all people would understand,’ Hugh said tightly. ‘Children are there to be nurtured and taken care of.’

Leonie nodded. She agreed with him. But Jane wasn’t a child. She was a manipulative grownup and Hugh wasn’t doing her any favours by not seeing this. Treating her like an adored child was a recipe for disaster.

‘I know you love them to bits and I shouldn’t have said that,’ Leonie apologized. ‘I guess I’m a bit upset because Jane obviously didn’t approve of me.’