‘Um…’ Just the most important thing, like what she was going to get paid.
‘Oh, sorry!’ Aidan said. ‘The pay and conditions and so on are all there.’ He nodded to the sheaf of papers in her hand. ‘You can start on Tuesday week and Annie will show you the ropes. She’s the front of house manager.’
‘Great. Well, thank you.’ She held out her hand to Aidan as she stood and they shook.
‘Welcome to the team. And welcome to Dingle.’
‘I got a job!’ she told Jack once they were outside.
‘Yay!’
‘Come on, let’s celebrate. You hungry?’
‘Starving!’
They got crab rolls and chips from a food truck and ate at one of the covered picnic tables by the harbour, then went to visit Ocean World Aquarium, where Jack was delighted to discover they did indeed have sharks.
Lou was in high spirits as they made their way back to the cottage later that afternoon, Jack babbling away happily about the penguins, turtles and otters they’d seen. She was alarmed as they neared the cottage to see that a guard appeared to be calling to the cottage, their yellow high-vis vest visible from a distance. As she drew closer, she saw that it was a woman, her dark hair tied in a neat bun beneath her cap, and that she was going to the house next door.
‘Hello.’ She turned to them with a friendly smile as they reached the cottage. She was a tall woman who Lou judged to be about her own age.
‘Hi. Is everything okay?’
‘Oh!’ She glanced down at her uniform. ‘Sorry, yes. I’m just coming home from work. I’m Orla – I live here.’ She tilted her head to the door.
‘Oh, hi!’ Lou smiled. ‘Nice to meet you. I’m Lou, and this is Jack.’
‘Hi, Jack. I saw you moving in. Actually, I have something for you.’ She held up a finger. ‘If you just hang on a minute, I’ll pop in and get it.’
She opened the door and disappeared into the house, returning moments later with a gift bag. ‘Just a little house-warming present to welcome you to the neighbourhood,’ she said, holding it out to Lou.
‘Oh, thank you so much! That’s really kind of you.’ She glanced down at the bag to see it contained two bottles of wine and a card.
‘Would you like to come in for a cup of tea or something?’
‘Oh, that’d be lovely. If it’s not inconvenient?’
‘No, not at all.’ Lou would welcome the opportunity to get to know her neighbour.
‘Just let me get changed then and I’ll be with you in a jiffy. We’re not supposed to hang around in the uniform any longer than necessary once we’re off duty.’
‘Take your time – just knock whenever you’re ready.’
In the kitchen, Lou unloaded the wine, one red and one white, from the gift bag and opened the card. The message inside was short and sweet, wishing them happiness in their new home.
‘That was really nice of her, wasn’t it?’ she said to Jack, putting the card on the mantelpiece.
Jack nodded.
Lou flicked on the kettle and it had just come to the boil when the doorbell rang.
Orla was a less imposing figure out of uniform, with her long, straight hair loose around her shoulders. Lou ushered her inside.
‘Tea or coffee?’ She waved Orla to a seat at the table beside Jack. ‘Or would you like a glass of wine? There’s some white in the fridge. Or I could open a bottle of red.’
‘White would be great, but only if you’re having one.’
‘I fancy one myself. And I’m celebrating. I got a job today.’
