Page 43 of To Hell With It
‘Una is taking me.’
He nodded.
‘You’ll have to serve Maggie Ryan while I’m away,’ I laughed.
‘We’ll be hiring someone else to cover you,’ Niall said bluntly.
‘You can’t do that, they might take my job,’ I said jokingly, but I meant it really.
‘You might not come back,’ Niall said just as cryptically.
‘Of course I’ll come back,’ I said defensively.
‘You might decide to stay out there if things go well.’
‘It’s only a couple of weeks, Niall.’
‘You never know.’
‘It’s just a holiday.’ I said it casually, like it was no big deal, but it was the biggest deal of my life.
‘A lot can change in a couple of weeks.’
‘Like these windows?’ I looked up at the peeling green. ‘You really need to paint them.’
‘I like them green.’
‘They’re so dull and dark.’
‘Like me, you mean?’
‘Paint them ocean blue and I might change my mind,’ I said as I turned to walk away.
‘Pearl?’ Niall called me back.
I turned to face him.
‘Yep?’
‘Do you ever think about when we were younger?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Our childhood, walking home together, stuff like that…’
‘I guess, why?’ I said confused.
‘Do you remember when we’d sneak downstairs to the shop and steal biscuits?’
‘Hah, I’d forgotten about that.’ I laughed.
‘Really?’ Niall sounded surprised and slightly taken aback.
‘It was a long time ago. Besides, I don’t tend to dwell too much on the past and what biscuits we stole.’
‘But what if it helps you move forward?’ Niall looked at me intensely.
‘What do you mean?’ I studied him back.
