10
‘We should go and say hi to Nana before we head back,’ Aidan said to Bo as they packed up their stuff. ‘Do you mind?’ he asked Lou. ‘My parents live up there.’ He nodded to a big house on the hill overlooking the beach. ‘We’ll just call in quickly.’
‘Of course not. That’s fine. But I don’t want to intrude.’
‘You won’t be. She’ll be delighted. Nana loves intruders, doesn’t she?’ he said to Bo, grinning.
They packed up the car, then drove up the steep hill to the house.
Once they’d parked, Lou followed Aidan into a big kitchen where they found his mother rolling out pastry on the table. She looked up as they came in.
‘Hi, Mum,’ Aidan said. ‘We were just down at the beach.’
‘Hi.’ A warm smile suffused the woman’s face as Bo ran over to her and hugged her legs. ‘Bo! Hang on a sec, love,’ she said, holding her arms out to the sides. ‘My hands are all floury.’ She extricated Bo gently and went over to the sink to wash her hands. ‘Now,’ she said, when she’d dried them on a towel, ‘let me give you a proper hug.’ She picked Bo up and gave her a squeeze.
Aidan introduced Lou and Jack.
‘It’s lovely to meet the pair of you,’ she said, putting Bo down. ‘I’m Sheena.’ She was a pretty woman, her strawberry-blonde hair tied up in a messy bun, with loose strands framing her friendly face. There was a warmth and attentiveness in her clear blue eyes that felt instantly welcoming.
‘She’s my granny,’ Bo told Jack, and Lou felt a pang of sadness for her son, who had never known any of his grandparents. It must be lovely for Bo having Sheena in her life, living by the beach and baking cakes like a grandmother from a storybook made flesh. It must be nice for Aidan too, being able to give her that.
‘We thought we’d just pop in and say hello,’ Aidan said.
‘I should hope so! I was going to go down to you myself once I was finished this pie, if you didn’t come up.’
Aidan frowned. ‘How did you know we were at the beach?’
‘I have my ways,’ Sheena said with a sly smile. ‘Actually, Carmel was out for a walk and she said she thought she saw you.’
‘Huh! The bush telegraph works fast around here.’
‘Well, sit down, sit down.’ She motioned them all to seats around the table. ‘I’ll make tea. What’ll you have? A scone? Or there are some brownies I made yesterday.’
‘Brownies!’ Bo squealed, grinning.
Sheena smiled. ‘What about you, Jack? Will you have a brownie?’
‘Yes, please.’
Aidan sat and pulled Bo into his lap. ‘Don’t go to any bother. We won’t stay long. We just called in to say hi on our way home.’
‘It’s no bother. Lou, what would you like?’
‘Well, I’ve heard great things about your brownies.’ She smiled.
‘You have? Who’s been talking?’
‘Who do you think?’ Aidan laughed, nodding to Bo. ‘The bush telegraph works both ways.’
‘Bo says they’re the best in… Ireland, was it?’ she asked Bo teasingly.
‘No, in the whole world!’
Sheena laughed. ‘I don’t know about that. But they’re not bad, if I do say so myself.’
‘I’ll make the tea,’ Aidan said, getting up. ‘Where’s Dad?’ he asked Sheena as he pulled mugs and a teapot from a cupboard.
‘He’s gone into Tralee to his Men’s Shed. It’s a pity you can’t stay for dinner.’ She opened a tin of brownies and arranged them on a plate.
