Chapter 13
After showering and retrieving her suitcase from her car, Annie discovered she only had one clean shirt, one clean pair of knickers left and no socks at all. She borrowed a pair of socks from Tadhg’s drawer; they practically reached her knees when she pulled them up.
Having a look around the flat Annie found the washing machine in the kitchen and some washing up powder under the sink.
‘He won’t mind if I put a wash on,’ she thought as hit the start button on the machine.
‘Although, he might prefer it if i had to go commando,’ she thought, feeling naughty.
Grabbing her phone from the charger in the bedroom, Annie switched it back on and was greeted by another notification; ‘Six mixed calls from Mum’.
‘Leave it out and leave me alone,’ she thought, wearily, before sending a quick text off to her.
‘Sorry Mum, phone died. Talk later xx,’ she typed, hitting send quickly and turning it off before there was any chance of her calling again.
There was no intention in Annie’s mind that she would call her later, but it would put her off the scent for a while, if nothing else.
It was almost 2pm now and she was feeling peckish again, as filling as Tadhg’s breakfast had been. She put her boots on and finished her makeup in the bathroom mirror before heading downstairs to the bar.
Tadhg was lying with his back on the ground under the bar, angrily wielding a screwdriver and muttering to himself.
“Are you OK down there?’ Annie asked carefully, trying not to startle him.
Tadhg gave a start and jumped slightly.
“Ah, sorry Annie, I didn’t hear you coming,” he said, propping himself up on his elbow and admiring her, “you look really beautiful.”
Annie felt her heart in her throat again. He was just so gorgeous, she thought to herself, admiring his bicep that had popped out of his short sleeved shirt.
“What are you doing,” she asked, regaining her composure.
“Just making sure the drain from the beer taps is secured OK, I thought I heard it leaking last night.”
“Well I’m going to nip for that lunch and maybe a walk. Sure you don’t need anything?” Annie asked, hoping he would ditch the pub and come for the walk with her.
“It’s fine, you go ahead. I’ve a list of jobs the length of my arm left to do,” Tadhg replied standing up and wiping his hands on his shirt.
Annie laughed as he did it, ‘you’re dirtying your shirt!”, she teased.
“It’s a bit late now,” he chuckled in response, “I’ve just been rolling around down there and Sadie hasn’t been here to clean it...”
“Kiss me before I go,” Annie murmured, demurely.
“At once!” Tadhg said, jumping over the bar and taking her into his arms.
“Like this?” he asked as he embraced her, his hands on the small of her back drawing her close to his torso; his lips and hers joined as one. His tongue strong and sensual.
“Oh wow,” Annie breathed as he continued to hold her tight.
“See you at dinner,” Tadhg whispered in her ear before giving her one peck on the lips.
Annie stroked the side of his face with the side of her palm and looked deeply into his eyes, as deep as the wild Atlantic Ocean.
…
There was no point in wandering all the way into the town centre, Annie thought. She had passed quite a few cafes on the side streets she had walked down yesterday on the way back to the pub. There would be enough choice without going too far.
Picking a smaller cafe with some delicious looking pastries in the window, Annie grabbed a table by the window to people watch again and ordered a chicken salad sandwich and a diet lemonade to wash it down with.
She was tempted to buy a pastry now but she decided that it would be better to buy one each for her and Tadhg and that would be dessert sorted for tonight. She picked out two scrumptious looking apple turnovers and left with a full stomach for a little walk.
Taking a wander she found the river and tracked alongside it on a path of wood chippings that led away from the main road and the shops and houses.
Coming to a shaded area of trees Annie found a old wooden bench facing the bend in the river, so that the river surrounded the bench in a semicircle, with the river on both sides. It bore a bronze plaque that Annie read aloud; ‘For Simon Fitzpatrick, who loved this place.’
‘That’s sweet,’ she thought to herself, ‘I wonder who put it there?’
‘I’ll take a seat with you Simon, if you don’t mind,’ she said aloud.
A heron was standing in a pile of rushes on the bend of the river, admiring nothing in particular. Annie admired the view too, not thinking of anything just watching the river as it moved slowly around the bench.
She fished her phone out of her handbag to take a photo of the heron before he flew off but by the time she had switched it on and it had loaded the camera up the heron took one last look around before stretching his long neck and taking flight, up and up into the air and further down the river.
‘Oh, well,’ Annie thought.
Her phone buzzed with notifications.
There was one text message from Mum, ‘OK xxxxxx.’
Annie hit dismiss.
‘11 missed calls from unknown’ flashed on the screen.
Annie hovered over dismiss for a second before pressing the button.
‘If Mum has given up for now then who is calling?’ she thought anxiously.
Her phone buzzed again.
‘I’m sorry. Please call me - Greg.’
It was from a number she didn’t recognize.
‘So that was who’s been calling me then,’ Annie thought, slightly relieved that it wasn’t anything serious - just that womaniser trying to crawl his way back into her life again.
‘You know what,’ she thought to herself, ‘I’ll call this ass and tell him what I think once and for call.’
Annie pressed dial and held her breath as the phone rang.
“Annie?” came the sound of Greg’s voice from the other end of the line.