Unfaithful (59 page)

“Absolutely not, you
can have one drink to steady your nerves and that's it. You know you're tipsy after two glasses of wine, especially when you haven't eaten much. We don't want you dozing off on your first date now do we?”

“I suppose not, that would be rather embarrassing.”

“Where's he taking you?”

“I don't know. He wouldn't say. He wants to surprise me.”

“How are you going to know what to wear? Men, they have no clue.”

“Exactly, no wonder I'm nervous. I don't have any idea what to wear. All he said was that he's taking me somewhere fancy.”

“Ooh, sounds very mysterious and exciting. You can borrow my silver dress if you like.”

“Don't you think that's a little over the top?”

“If you want to make an impression you should wear the silver dress.”

“I'll try it on and see how it looks.”

Shona slipped the silver dress over her toned shoulders and turned to study her reflection in the mirror. The dress was sensational there was no doubt about it. It shimmered slightly in the light, emphasising her golden skin and blonde curls. Penelope was much taller than her so it would have skimmed her thighs but it was a perfect length for Shona, falling just above her knees.

“Give us a twirl,” Penelope said, wandering into her bedroom.

“What do you think?” Shona asked for her friend's expert opinion.

“Sexy but sophisticated. I like it. It suits you.”

“Thanks, Pen.”

“Follow me,” Penelope ordered. “It's time for hair and makeup.”

“But I've already done it.”

“Trust me.”

Penelope got to work on her friend. She sprayed a fine mist of some exotic-smelling concoction through her hair then set to work straightening her wild curls until her hair hung poker-straight around her shoulders.

“I never wear my hair straight,” she tried to protest.

“Time for a change,” Penelope retorted dismissively. She brushed some bronzing powder across her cheeks and a final spray of Coco Mademoiselle. “You’re finished!”

Shona tentatively glanced in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised by the change in her appearance.

“Straight hair looks good on you. We get to see your face and pretty eyes which are usually half-hidden by your crazy curls,” Penelope said approvingly.

“Thanks Pen. I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure, any time.”

“Oh, that must be Adrian,” Shona flew into the living room to answer her phone. “Hi, okay I'll be there in a minute.” She hung up the phone. “It's Adrian. He's
outside in a taxi.” She grabbed her purse and jacket.

“Have a wonderful evening,” Penelope waved her friend goodbye.

“Don't wait up,” Shona grinned, closing the door behind her.

“Wow! You look beautiful,” Adrian greeted her with a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks,” Shona replied shyly, blushing slightly. She was hopeless at accepting compliments. “You look very handsome yourself.”

“I suppose I don't scrub up too badly,” he grinned, letting his gaze linger over her long blonde hair and toned body. He was amazed how di
fferent she seemed; lighter and less strait-laced.

“Where to next?” the taxi driver asked gruffly, interrupting their pleasantries.

“Shanahan's on the Green, please.”

“Ooh, very posh,” Shona smiled. “They have the best steak in town.”

“So I've been told.”

Shona glanced
out the window as they drove the short distance to Stephen's Green where Shanahan's was located. She felt uncomfortable about making small talk with the taxi driver as an audience. It was a beautiful night and she sent up a silent prayer that it wouldn't rain. The last thing she needed was her fake tan streaking or her hair exploding. Penelope had worked miracles on her curls but she knew it wouldn't take much for them to return to their former wayward glory! 

“Full moon,” Adrian said, cutting across her thoughts.

“Yes, the crazies should be out tonight.”

“Really?” he glanced at her in amusement.

“It’s a silly old saying. I love a full moon. It's romantic.” She cringed, instantly regretting her words. She didn't want him to know how much the date meant to her. Too much pressure would probably be a complete turn-off. She’d told herself over and over to be cool, calm and collected.

“It is very romantic,” he agreed, taking her hand in his and squeezing gently.  Tingles shot through
her at his touch. He was very handsome. It was strange to see him wearing something other than suits. He wore a black leather jacket, dark tailored trousers and a crisp blue shirt. His blonde hair was expertly gelled and he smelled divine. He'd clearly made an effort to impress her.

They'd been getting along very well at work, often grabbing lunch and coffee together, but nearly always with either Rebecca or Penelope in tow. Eventually, she'd had enough of waiting, patience wasn't exactly her strong point, and she’d decided to ask him out. After all, it was the twenty first century. He'd hesitated and she’d actually thought for a heart-stopping moment that he was going to say no but he'd agreed and had insisted on organising the date. It wa
s good to finally have some time alone.

The taxi pulled up outside the restaurant and Adrian jumped out. He rushed around to her side and opened the door for her. She was a little taken aback by the old school gesture, but nonetheless she was charmed. They walked arm in arm into the bright lights of Shanahan's on the Green which was buzzing with people. The restaurant was renowned for its atmosphere and mouth-watering food.

“Why don't we start with an aperitif in The Oval Bar?” Adrian suggested.

“Good idea,” Shon
a agreed promptly. “I can’t believe the amount of American and Irish memorabilia they have.” The bar tender regaled them with tales about the history of the place. They restaurant still had a chair where John F. Kennedy sat when he visited Ireland. He told them about the antics of the Notre Dame versus Navy football team when they played in Dublin. The game brought the whole city to a standstill.

“Your table is ready, Mr. Rowan,” a waiter interrupted
them.

“Oh! We have a
table by the window!” Shona exclaimed. “You must have pulled some strings to get that reservation! I've heard they're booked out weeks in advance.”

“I have my ways,” he smiled mysteriously.

“Would you like to see the wine list?” the waiter asked them as he handed them some menus.

“Yes, please,” Shona said, a little too enthusiastically. She was still a bundle of nerves.

“There's nothing like a glass of red wine with streak,” Adrian agreed. “We'll have a bottle of Chateau Neuf du Pape please, if that's okay with you, Shona?”

“Good choice,” she smiled.

The waiter quickly reappeared with a bottle of wine and poured some for Adrian to sample. He tasted it and savoured it slowly. She liked a man who knew his wine. “Perfect.” The waiter promptly filled their glasses and scurried away to organise their order.

She sipped her wine, glad of the chatter of the other clients which broke the si
lence between them. Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed by shyness and couldn't think of anything to say. Adrian seemed perfectly at ease as he glanced around the room taking in his surroundings. “I've read some great reviews about this restaurant,” he said eventually. “The city has changed a lot since I last lived here.”

“It's had quite the transformation from culinary b
ackwater to gourmet metropolis,” Shona agreed.

“It's a far cry from the days when the joke was that Irish food tasted great until it was cooked!”

“That's terrible,” Shona laughed, beginning to unwind.

They chatted amicably throughout their meal, savouring the delicious food and wine. Adrian made sure to keep her glass topped up and he could see the wine was having the desired effect. They shared a smoked salmon starter which was amazing, followed by mains of fillet steak, and cookies and cream cheesecake for dessert.

“I’ve had enough of the polite chit chat,” he said. “Tell me more about you.”

“Well, what would you like to know?”

“Tell me everything.”

She laughed nervously. “No pressure then, whenever someone says that to me, my mind goes completely blank.”

“Okay, tell me why an attractive woman like you is single? I would have thought you would have been snapped up years ago.”

She winced imperceptibly. He immediately regretted his question. Clearly, he’d touched a nerve. He felt himself softening towards her despite his best intentions to keep their relationship strictly platonic, but he had a job to do and he needed some answers.

“I suppose you could say I haven't exactly chosen the right men,” she shrugged, managing a weak smile. “I always seem to fall in love with the complicated type.”

“Join the club. I've been out with some real characters in my life.” He figured the best way to get her to open up and start talking was to reveal a few details about his own life.

“Really?” she was all ears, happy to have momentarily deflected attention away from herself. “Do tell.”

“My la
st girlfriend was constantly trying to change me. Nothing I ever said or did was good enough. She seemed to expect more and more; a bigger apartment, a flashier car and more holidays. It was never-ending. Luckily, she didn't want to move to Ireland with me so it was a fairly amicable break-up.”

“Have you ever been in love?” She blurted out. The wine had gone straight to her head.

“Once, but that was years ago. I was young and foolish and didn't appreciate what I had until it was too late. What about you?”

“I was in love once too
. At least, I thought it was love, but it wasn't mutual. Maybe it was infatuation, not love. Who knows?”

“Who was the lucky man?”

“He was Rebecca's husband.” She took a quick gulp of wine, bracing herself for his reaction.

“What?” He made a very convincing pretence of being suitably shocked.

“You were bound to find out, in fact, I'm surprised you haven't already heard about it on the grapevine.”

“You and Rebecca seem quite close.”

“Now, we are, but it wasn't always that way.”

“She must be a very forgiving woman.”

“Rebecca is a lovely person, very decent. I regret what I did and having hurt her like that, but in my defence, her husband insisted that his marriage was over and he was biding his time to leave her for me.”

“He sounds like quite a catch. It seems to me that you had a narrow escape there.”

“In more ways than one,” she was really getting into her story. “He tried to have me killed, and Penelope and Rebecca too.” She paused for dramatic effect, giving her words time to sink in.

“If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were making it up,” he replied after a careful pause.

“Believe me, it's true, unfortunately. It made front page news in Ireland. He hired an assassin to kill us but she double-crossed him and came to us to buy out the contract.”

“Bloody hell, truth is definitely stranger than fiction sometimes. Where is he now?”

“Last I heard he was living somewhere in Dublin city. He's out of jail on early release for good behaviour, supposedly.”

“How do you feel about him being out? Aren't you scared he'll come after you again?”

“No,” she leaned in conspiratorially. “I don't think he was behind it. There's no doubt about it, Mark definitely has his flaws, and plenty of them, but he's not a murderer. He's always protested his innocence, saying he was set up, and I believe him.”

“What do Rebecca and Penelope think?”

“I wouldn't dare mention my thoughts to them. They can't stand him and have no doubt he's guilty. Rebecca almost ate me alive when I said he should be allowed to see his son, and Penelope hates his guts.”

“Have you spoken to him since his release?”

“God, no, it's well and truly over. I don't want to have anything more to do with him, but I still can't help wondering what really happened. I’d love to know who was really behind the plot.”

“Your love life hasn't been dull, that's for sure.”

“Drama is over-rated, trust me. I’d give anything for a quiet, stable relationship with someone who loves me as much as I love them.”

“As Tina Turner says, that was simply the best,” Shona grinned. “I'm well and truly stuffed. I only wish I'd worn my stretch pants.”

“Sexy,” Penelope said. “I hope you didn't say that to Adrian.”

“Of course not, what do you take me for?”

“I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“To be honest with you I expected pomposity at Shanahan’s, but I was wrong. The staff couldn't have been nicer; they had no pretensions whatsoever and oozed competence. We didn't have to pour our own wine all night. They must have someone on standby, watching hawk-eyed to see when the glasses are almost empty.” She giggled.