Cathy Kelly 6-Book Collection: Someone Like You, What She Wants, Just Between Us, Best of Friends, Always and Forever, Past Secrets

That was why she was getting a taxi to an anonymous hotel room tonight instead of spending it with her dear friends, because she was so mortally embarrassed.

As soon as the plane landed, Claudia cheered up. ‘It’s because she’s happy to be home,’ smiled the old man beside them.

‘She was born in London,’ Hannah said, relieved that Claudia had stopped crying. ‘She’s never been to Ireland before.’

‘The mother country,’ said the man fondly.

Hannah nodded, thinking that Claudia’s sudden silence was probably a combination of getting wind up and exhaustion.

After another wearying twenty minutes where at least Claudia slept, Hannah collected the luggage, piled it on to a trolley and staggered like a drunk out into the arrivals hall. Pushing the pushchair with one hand and pulling the trolley behind her with the other, she was so preoccupied with not hitting anyone, that she almost missed the tall man watching out for her anxiously.

‘Hannah! And this must be baby Claudia.’

In her astonishment, Hannah took a step backwards and crashed into another trolley.

‘Sorry,’ she muttered. David smiled at her. Wearing an ochre-coloured jacket over jeans, he looked at once both comfortingly familiar and foreign. Used to Felix’s lean sinewy body, David looked very big and solid. His salt-and-pepper hair was sleeked back and the narrow eyes were a little unsure, as if he wasn’t sure she’d be happy to see him. How wrong could you be.

‘Your mother phoned me and said you could do with being picked up from the airport,’ he said.

Hannah smiled for what felt like the first time that day.

‘Forceful lady, your mother,’ he said.

‘Incredible,’ Hannah agreed.

‘Let me.’ David took control of the trolley and steered it to the car park. They didn’t speak. Hannah, because she was too tired for conversation. At David’s car, he quickly loaded all the luggage. Hannah sat in the back with Claudia on her lap because there wasn’t a car seat. Claudia woke up and yawned. Seeing David, she smiled gummily at him.

‘Aren’t you a lovely girl,’ he said, chucking her under the chin. Claudia rewarded him with one of her beaming smiles.

‘She’s adorable,’ David said. ‘Now, are we all set?’

‘Yes,’ Hannah said. ‘I’ve booked into Jury’s Hotel.’

‘Actually, you’re booked into your friend Leonie’s,’ David said apologetically.

Hannah was dumbstruck again. ‘My mother?’ she asked.

‘If she ever needs a job, I could do with a woman with her organizational skills,’ he said.

Hannah had to laugh. ‘I suppose she’s already rung Jury’s and cancelled my booking.’

‘I wouldn’t be at all surprised,’ he agreed.

Claudia was happy. She gurgled along to the radio as they sped in the direction of Wicklow. David didn’t ask about Felix or about why Hannah had suddenly returned to Ireland without him. Her mother must have said something about her marriage breaking up, but David wouldn’t pry. He was too kind. Hannah stole a glance sideways. David’s profile wasn’t the thing of aesthetic beauty that Felix’s was. Where Felix was all long, perfect lines, like a statue of Italian marble, David was solid and unyielding, as if hewn directly from granite. There was something terribly masculine about him compared to Felix’s almost feminine beauty. And sexy; he was definitely sexy in that fiercely male way. Hannah found herself wishing she’d made more of an effort in her travelling clothes. Jeans on their third day and her scarlet woollen coat weren’t exactly exciting garments.

‘Have you spoken to Leonie?’ Hannah asked.

‘Yes. She hopes you haven’t eaten, because she’s making a huge dinner for us all.’

‘I’m sorry you got roped into all this,’ Hannah said. ‘You’ve wasted half a day already.’

‘It’s not a waste,’ David replied. He turned to smile at her and the corners of his eyes crinkled up with warmth. Hannah felt herself relax. She remembered all the wonderful times they’d laughed and joked in his office, sharing coffee and forbidden chocolate biscuits. She felt safe with David, that was it. In Felix’s company, she’d always felt as if she was standing on the edge of a glacier, ready to ski down into its vast, dangerous depths. With David, she felt protected, sheltered. Like sitting by the fire in a log cabin listening to the snow outside.

He switched the radio to a classical channel and the gentle music soon sent both Claudia and Hannah to sleep.

They awoke to the sound of Penny barking maniacally. The entire Delaney clan appeared to be waiting for them outside Leonie’s cottage, Mel looking like minxy jail bait in her school uniform, Abby slender in paint-splattered dungarees. Danny, Doug, Leonie and two other dogs, which had to be Doug’s famous Alfie and Jasper, gathered around David’s car.

‘Hannah, darling, how lovely to see you,’ cried Leonie. Hannah found herself enfolded into her friend’s welcoming arms. She breathed in the scent of Opium perfume and felt instantly at home.

‘Don’t let the dogs bark, Danny,’ ordered Leonie. ‘They’ll scare Claudia.’

But Claudia, who was being cuddled by Abby, showed no sign of nerves at the barking. Instead, she was staring wide-eyed at the three hounds, pointing her chubby fingers excitedly and then stuffing them into her mouth. When Penny attempted to sniff her dangling feet, she went into a spasm of delighted giggling.

‘She loves them, don’t you, sweetie?’ Abby crooned.

Hannah was hugged by everyone and Claudia had to be admired and told she was the most beautiful baby in the world before the procession could reach the house. A glorious aroma of cooking filled the air.

‘Doug has been making dinner,’ Leonie said proudly. ‘He does the most incredible lamb with rosemary.’

‘An artist in the kitchen as well as in the studio,’ Doug dead-panned, grabbing Leonie’s waist from behind. She laughed and leaned back in his embrace. He nuzzled her cheek and Leonie closed her eyes at the caress, utterly at peace.

Hannah felt her heart lift just looking at them. They were so happy together. Leonie’s face literally filled with joy every time she touched Doug, and he was the same. They were forever touching, small intimate gestures that telegraphed their love to the world. Happiness had taken years off Leonie too: she looked ten years younger.

Leonie had borrowed a cot for Claudia, so while she and Hannah sorted out the baby’s things, the rest of the family waited hungrily in the kitchen, clamouring for food.

‘Is it really over with Felix or is this a cooling-off period?’ Leonie asked, sitting down on the bed while Hannah changed Claudia’s nappy.

‘It’s over,’ Hannah said. ‘It probably never should have started. We were so different, I don’t know why I fell in love with him at all.’ She burst into tears again. It was so final being here. She’d left Felix. She was at home again. It was all over. She felt shocked now, like a disaster survivor when all the screaming and shouting is done.

Leonie cradled her and muttered soothing words in her ear. Eventually, Hannah stopped crying.

‘Dinner’s ready,’ called Doug.

‘About time too,’ yelled Danny.

‘I shouldn’t have organized a big dinner with everyone here,’ Leonie fretted. ‘You’re not ready for it.’

Hannah shook her head. ‘It’s just what I need, actually. I’ve got out of the habit of meeting people. Felix was always dashing off to parties and receptions. He used to bring Bill with him most of the time. I didn’t fit in. His friends weren’t my friends, it wasn’t my type of life. I miss talking to the people I love.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Leonie said. ‘I feel as if I’ve let you down. I should have visited, I should have known what you were going through…’

Claudia howled, irate at being ignored for so long. Hannah picked her up. ‘You couldn’t have done anything then, Leonie,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t happy, but I’d have stayed with Felix no matter what. It took finding him in bed with the au pair to make me wake up. What a wake-up call that was.’

Leonie was horrified.

Hannah grinned at her expression. ‘If you read about it in the paper, you wouldn’t believe it,’ she said. ‘Come on, Doug’s wonderful dinner will be cold. I’m suddenly starving. I’ll tell you the sordid details later.’

The lamb was incredible. Hannah sat beside David and ate with gusto. Claudia was passed around the table like a doll, cuddled and kissed, before being moved on to the next person. She adored all the attention, giggling coyly one minute and waving her fat little hands imperiously the next. Doug kept everyone’s glasses filled up with wine or mineral water, while Danny heaped great mounds of mashed potato on to their plates.