30
Lou felt pleasantly mellow by the time they were in a taxi on the way to the party. Annie’s house was a sprawling contemporary structure on the outskirts of Dingle, set high on a hill overlooking the bay, its windows spilling welcoming golden light into the darkness. The party was already in full swing when they arrived, a steady hum of voices punctuated by the tinkle of glass greeting them as Annie opened the door.
‘Your house is lovely,’ Lou said as she took their coats.
‘Thanks. And thank you all for my gorgeous present. I love it.’
Lou had been relieved that the staff had chipped in to get Annie a leaving gift from all of them, so she didn’t have to spend too much or come up with something for a woman she didn’t know well. They’d bought her a beautiful painting from a local artist who worked in oils.
‘It will be lovely to have something that reminds me of Dingle and my time here.’
Lou left Ingrid, Maria and Teresa chatting to Annie and a couple of mutual friends, while she went through to join the party.
The large open-plan living room was alive with the buzz of overlapping conversations while music played softly in the background. A couple of local teenagers who Lou guessed had been roped in to help for the night were weaving through the crowd with trays of drinks and canapés. Lou accepted a glass of champagne from one and took a sip as she surveyed the room. There were a lot of people here she didn’t know, and she was glad when she spotted Shane waving her over.
‘Hi, Lou. You look great.’
‘Thanks. So do you.’
‘We scrub up well.’ Shane grinned.
Lou’s eyes scanned the room, but she didn’t see any of the rest of the restaurant staff.
‘Aidan’s not here yet,’ Shane said, a sly edge to his tone, and once again Lou wondered if she was making it obvious she fancied him.
‘This house is amazing!’ Lou widened her eyes. ‘Is Annie, like… rich?’
Shane laughed. ‘Don’t get too excited about your prospects at Coast. Her husband’s an architect.’ He nodded to a tall, lean, bespectacled man across the room. ‘He designed and built it.’
‘Ah, that explains it. I was beginning to wonder if she was embezzling funds from the restaurant and skipping town before she got caught.’
Shane laughed. His gaze shifted to behind Lou and he tipped his chin at someone. Even though she had her back to him, Lou felt the hairs on the back of her neck prick up and somehow knew it was Aidan. She turned and sure enough, he was standing in the doorway with Annie. His eyes scanned the room and she felt a little glow of pleasure as they landed on her, his lips curving in a smile. After chatting briefly to Annie, he made a beeline for her and Shane.
‘We were just saying this house is something else,’ Shane said to Aidan as he joined them.
‘Yeah. I don’t know what Annie’s been doing slumming it at Coast with me when she could have been living it up here as one of the Real Housewives of Dingle.’
‘She’s got the restaurant bug, like the rest of us,’ Shane said with a shrug.
‘Yeah, she’s ambitious.’ Aidan turned to Lou. ‘You look great,’ he said, his gaze sweeping over her.
‘Thanks.’ She smiled, enjoying the appreciation in his gaze. ‘You don’t look so bad yourself.’ He looked good enough to eat, but that wasn’t the sort of thing you should say to your boss.
Aidan gave a lopsided grin. ‘I let Bo dress me. She picked out this shirt.’
‘She’s got good taste.’
Aidan was pulled away by someone and Lou and Shane mingled. He introduced her to some new people and they hung out with the rest of the restaurant staff when they caught up with them.
‘Enjoying yourself?’ Annie asked when she bumped into her later.
‘Yes. Great party!’ The champagne was flowing, the canapés were delicious, and caterers were setting up a hot buffet to one side of the room.
‘Thanks. It’s fun, isn’t it?’
‘So have you got a new job lined up in Dublin?’ Lou asked her.
‘No. We’re moving back because Conor got offered a job there. It’s a great opportunity for him. I’ll be sad to leave Dingle, but the timing seems right. I’m planning to take a break – possibly a long one, if things work out.’ She smiled. ‘We’re trying for a baby,’ she said, lowering her voice.
