21
When she walked into the kitchen at the start of her shift later that morning, she found Shane, Ian and Ingrid huddled around reading something on Shane’s phone. They all looked at her as she came in, casting her wary glances that alarmed her.
‘What?’ she asked when no one said anything.
‘Oh, Lou.’ Ingrid shook her head.
‘What is it?’
‘Senan Walsh has written up about his visit here,’ Shane told her, his sombre expression striking fear in her.
Oh God, was the cooking job going to be snatched away from her before she’d even begun? ‘And?’ she asked when no one said anything, dreading asking but wanting to know the worst.
Shane grimaced, sucking air in through his teeth. Then his face broke into a grin. ‘It’s bloody brilliant!’
The three of them collapsed in laughter then and Lou couldn’t help grinning, though at the same time wanting to slap them.
‘Let me see.’ She joined them to read over Shane’s shoulder. It was indeed a glowing review. The writer lavished praise on the fish soup, which had exceeded his expectations, and declaredthat Aidan McBride was doing wonderful things at Coast and the restaurant’s reputation was well deserved.
‘You’ve seen the review?’ Aidan nodded to the phone as he came into the kitchen.
‘Yeah.’
‘Well done, Lou. Sorry that I get all the credit,’ he added with a cheeky smile.
The other three clapped her on the shoulder and murmured their congratulations before they broke up and got down to work.
Lou was leaving Coast that afternoon after her shift when her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket, surprised to see Abbie’s name flashing on the screen. She swiped to answer, putting the phone to her ear as she walked.
‘Hi, Abbie.’
‘Hi. I was just wondering if you’re free this afternoon to check out that car my friend’s selling.’
‘Yeah. I’m on my way home now. But I can call over to your shop instead,’ she said, stopping in the street. ‘I’d just need to pick up Jack, or maybe I could ask Fiona to stay with him a little longer.’
‘No need for that. John’s going to drive it to your place and I’ll come over with him to kick the tyres for you – just so you can feel you’ve done your due diligence. I know John wouldn’t sell you a dud. Then, if you decide you want it, he can leave it with you and you’ll be ready to go as soon as you sort out insurance.’
‘Oh, that would be brilliant. If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble?’
‘Not at all, it’s no bother. And I’ll drop him home if you want to keep the car.’
‘Thanks so much, Abbie. I really appreciate it.’
‘So we’ll be over later, probably around four?’
‘That’s great. I’ll be in all afternoon anyway, so whenever suits you both is fine.’
‘Great. See you later.’
Lou recommenced walking as she ended the call with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. She was looking forward to having a car and not being dependent on other people for lifts all the time. She could take her turn ferrying Jack and his friends around to activities and play dates. But money was tight already and she’d be pretty much cleaned out after paying for the car and insurance, and then mid-term was looming on the horizon. She couldn’t believe how fast time was going and felt a little panicked that they were already hurtling towards the school holiday.
Aidan was closing the restaurant for the whole week of mid-term, which apparently he did every year. Lou was looking forward to the break and to spending more time with Jack, but she was stressed out about the extra expense and wished she could press pause on it for a while and give herself some breathing room.
She didn’t want Jack to miss out, especially as he was new to the area and just making friends, so she’d signed him up for a sports day camp on Monday in Dunquin that a lot of the kids from his class were going to, and there were several other activities mooted. Then on Friday there was Halloween, with costumes and treats to buy.
When work resumed after mid-term, she’d be starting her new job as a cook. It was exciting, but it also meant that as back of house staff, she’d be making a lot less in tips, and she didn’t know if the increase in pay would make up for them. All in all, it was going to be a lean couple of months.
That afternoon, Abbie called as promised with her friend John, and Lou joined them to inspect the car, which he’d parked in front of the cottage. She felt a little thrill at the sight of the blue Toyota sitting there. She’d driven other people’s cars or hired rentals occasionally, but she’d never owned her own car before. John talked her through the details and showed her the various features, while Abbie looked it over and asked the questions that wouldn’t have occurred to Lou.
