Emmy was shaking her head now, and Minnie spotted that the edges of her mouth were twitching. ‘Lies. Deceit. Minnie Ryan, I don’t think I even recognise you any more,’ Emmy said, milking it now, but she didn’t get any further, because the next thing, her friend, Yvie, had appeared beside her. ‘Emmy! What are you doing here? I thought you said you were going home for an early night?’
Minnie was now the one with the raised eyebrows. ‘Like Granny, like granddaughter it would seem.’
Even Emmy saw the funny side. ‘I’ll deal with you later, Minnie Ryan,’ she said, before taking her friend’s hand and leading her away.
When Minnie’s gaze returned to Gino, she could see that he was eyeing her questioningly, intrigued, perhaps, about what she’d come to talk to him about.
Right. Now was the time to get back to the purpose of tonight and come clean with Gino. If Henry was watching her now, he’d be rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He was always saying she could never get to the point.
But yet again, her plan was foiled, when Gino checked his watch, and said, ‘Minnie, there is so much more I want to say, but I have to leave you for a moment or two.’ He made a sweeping gesture to the rest of the room. ‘It’s time to sing, to dance. All of these people, they have come to celebrate, and I have to deliver the party. Even if it’s for the last time.’
That threw her. ‘Why would it be for the last time?’ she asked.
She had a grip of fear that maybe he’d been having dark thoughts. When Henry had visited him that day shortly after Alicia died, he’d come home and told her that he was having those concerns too, because Gino had repeatedly said he didn’t want to live without his wife. Thank goodness they’d been unfounded, but now?
Gino began to explain, and she felt weak with relief when she realised that she’d got the wrong end of the stick. Although, the other end of the stick wasn’t a great place to be either. He told her about the troubles at the restaurant, about the offer they’d received to buy them out, about Dario’s wish to accept it.
‘And you?’ she asked, knowing what the answer would be.
His angst was almost palpable. ‘It’s all I have left. What else would I have to wake up for?’
Okay, this was it. Her chance to tell him. She heard Henry’s voice.Right, Minnie, go.
‘Well, Gino…’ she began, finally ready to lay it all out.
But before she could say anything else, Dario interrupted them and asked to speak to his father in private for a moment.
Gino stood up, lifted her hand, kissed the back of it, the way he’d done since she was a twenty-four-year-old mother of young kids, living in the third-floor tenement flat next door.
‘I’ll be back shortly, my friend,’ he said, before heading off in the direction of the back office.
Minnie realised with a sigh how the next couple of hours would go. The restaurant was so busy, that from now until midnight Gino would be distracted by interruptions from his family and staff, his duties as the host, and his inherent need to make sure everyone had a great time.
‘Minnie! I thought that was you. Och, lovely, I’m so sorry about Henry. I was just saying to my Ollie what a great man he was…’ Sonya slipped into the seat Gino had just vacated, and Minnie felt so touched that she’d come over. Sonya had always been one of her favourite people to catch up with here every year. As they began to chat, she decided that she’d just have to accept that the conversation she’d come to have with Gino would need to wait a little bit longer.
She couldn’t help but glance heavenwards again.I know what you’re thinking, Henry Ryan, but you’ll just have to be patient because I’ll get to it, don’t worry.
10P.M. – ALMOST MIDNIGHT
29
AILISH
Ailish couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much in one night. Probably the last time she was here with this same crowd – although the caveat to that was that it all went tits up later on that particular night after her husband was caught out the back door with his mistress and her whole life had been shredded. Tonight, she had no such fears, because it was just delicious food, great cocktails, wonderful friends and absolutely, definitely no impending heart-wrenching betrayal.
Now, as the minutes ticked down towards midnight, their table was more alive than ever with conversation and laughter. To the right of her banquet seat in the huge round booth, Gwen and Rhonda were deliberating the best movies of the nineties (Titanic,Independence Day,Armageddon– they were leaning slightly towards doom and disaster) with Brodie, who’d been coming here for as long as they had. He’d been at the bar earlier and Rhonda had dragged him over here in what could only be described as a kidnap attempt. Not that Ailish minded, because Brodie had always been one of those men who added great chat to any table. Ailish remembered when he used to come here with his wife, Crystal, who ran off with his business partner afew years back, but he seemed to be over that, because he was currently locked in heated debate with Rhonda and there were gales of laughter coming from their direction.
‘I think we might be witnessing the sweet bud of a new romance,’ came the whispered comment from the right of her. ‘Or, at least, a mad, potentially kinky one-night stand, because it is Auntie Rhonda.’
A giggle escaped, before Ailish could stop it. ‘Emmy Minette Ryan, that’s a scandalous thing to say about my lifelong friend.’
Emmy picked the cherry off the top of Ailish’s cocktail and popped it into her mouth, but she still managed to murmur, ‘True, though.’
There was an edge to Emmy’s tone that made Ailish give her daughter a sideways glance. ‘Are you sure you’re okay, darling?’
Emmy’s arrival had been the absolute cherry on top of tonight’s celebration cake, but Ailish couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Emmy seemed too… flat. That was the best way to describe it. And a couple of times, she’d spotted her daughter biting her lip, the way she’d always done when she was worried or upset. When she was six and lost her cabbage patch doll, she’d chewed it for days.
‘I’m fine, Mum, really,’ Emmy assured her.
