‘See you soon, Maria del Carmen,’ Lorcan called. Walking back to join the others, he realised he was sporting an enormous erection.
* * *
Back at his house, Will looked around the table with satisfaction as everyone tucked into an enormous fried breakfast that he had cooked. Even though he no longer drank, he was an expert at managing hangovers, thanks to the hell-raising antics of Walking Wounded, the band he had managed since leaving college. He could draw on years of experience of coping with the morning-after fallout from its members’ nights of debauchery. It was one of the reasons he was such a popular choice for best man. After all, compared to getting those four hooligans on to a stage on time and sober night after night – especially a loose cannon like Owen Cassidy – having a groom at the altar rail on time and in reasonable shape was a piece of piss.
‘Where are you from, Carmen?’ Will asked.
‘Galicia. And you? You’re not Irish, I think?’
‘Well, no, not really. I grew up in England. My mother was Irish, though, and I’ve lived here since I was fifteen.’
‘An adopted son of Ireland, eh?’ Carmen’s eyes twinkled.
‘An adopted son of my mother, actually.’ Lorcan laughed.
‘She seems nice.’ Will said to Lorcan when Carmen left to go to the bathroom. ‘Are you bringing her to the wedding?’
‘Yes, I am,’ Lorcan said, looking ridiculously pleased with himself.
‘Might take a bit of the heat off me and my hair,’ Tom said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, she’s not on the seating plan, is she?’ he pointed out. ‘And I don’t think Rachel’s going to be too impressed that you’re bringing someone you found this morning in the Irish Sea.’
‘Sarah was on the seating plan,’ Lorcan reminded him, ‘so I’m sure there’ll be room for Carmen. If not, she can sit on my knee.’
‘Sit on your nob, you mean.’
‘Is Tina coming to the wedding?’ Lorcan asked Will.
‘Yeah, I’m meeting her there. She’s been staying with friends.’
Tina hadn’t been at all happy to be banished from his house for the duration of the stag party – but, then, she wasn’t happy about much these days, Will thought wearily, unless it involved having her photo in a magazine. They hadn’t been getting on lately and he had felt guiltily relieved of an excuse not to see her for a few days. Part of the problem was that Tina, seeing her modelling career coming to an end, wanted to branch out into other things and was on a mission to raise her public profile. Will had found himself sucked into her vortex. When she was in town she filled his house with a constant parade of hangers-on and wannabes. She made sure that paparazzi followed them wherever they went, and, to his intense mortification, they were becoming quite a celebrity couple. She had even tried to persuade him to throw open his doors toMTV Cribs, so theycould find her lurking decorously in one of the rooms, no doubt.
‘What’s all this about the two of you getting engaged?’ Tom asked.
‘It’s just a vicious rumour,’ Will said, ‘started by that bloody gossip-columnist friend of Tina’s. I’m sure Tina put her up to it.’
‘Crikey! I’ll get Rachel to fire the bouquet well away from her then.’
‘Thanks.’ Will grinned. ‘Much appreciated.’
The conversation stopped as Carmen drifted back into the kitchen. ‘This house is amazing,’ she said, sitting down at the table. ‘I got lost on my way back from the loo. Do you all live here?’
‘No, just Will,’ Lorcan told her.
‘Is it your parents’ house?’ she asked Will.
‘No, it’s mine.’
‘And you live here alone? But it’s so huge!’
Will shrugged apologetically.
‘And you own it?’ Carmen persisted, as Lorcan and Tom shifted uncomfortably, darting surreptitious glances at Will.
‘Yes.’
