The Birthday Girls Read online

  They linked arms as they weaved through the airport, the balloons fluttering above their heads. People turned to smile at them but they were too busy talking nineteen-to-the-dozen to take much notice.

  “How was the trip? Are you tired? Was Bob okay about your coming here? How are the kids? Has Alex settled down in Sudan? I do hope she’s not working too hard.”

  Brenda laughed at this barrage which gave her no time to answer. “I had a fantastic trip and I’m feeling exhilarated,” she replied. “The kids are all fine and Alex is doing great. Hopefully, I’ll be able to Skype her when I’m here and you’ll be able to see her too.”

  “Skype?” Lexi asked, looking mystified.

  “Just wait and you’ll see.”

  The warm air caressed her face as they exited the airport. Thinking of how icy cold it had been in Dublin that morning, Brenda sighed with pleasure. “Feel that heat,” she cried. “It’s pure bliss.”

  Lexi laughed. “I’m so used to the heat that I’m always surprised when someone comments on it. In fact it’s a little cool today, for November.”

  “You call this cool? You should be in Dublin,” Brenda cried, envying her this gorgeous climate.

  Lexi had a problem getting the balloons to stay down in the back of her Escalade so she released them to the sky. They laughed as they watched them fly away over the car park.

  “I’m so happy you were able to come,” Lexi told her as they exited the airport.

  “Not half as happy as I am to be here,” Brenda answered, meaning every word of it.

  She was amazed at how relaxed and casual Lexi was about driving in the manic traffic. There were flyovers and flyunders and a six-lane motorway – highway Lexi called it – and Brenda closed her eyes as the huge trucks and the biggest cars she’d ever seen zigzagged from lane to lane in front of them. It didn’t seem to faze Lexi who zigzagged with the best of them. Twenty minutes later they passed through a cute little town called Dunedin where Lexi pulled in to a bakery to pick up some stuff she’d ordered earlier.

  Brenda sank back into the luxurious leather seat, determined to embrace everything about this country which already had her under its spell.

  They drove over the causeway bridge, admiring the wonderful view of the Gulf of Mexico as Lexi pointed out the luxurious yachts in the marina at Clearwater Beach. Suddenly they were entering the large gates of Lexi’s home and Brenda caught her breath at the palm trees lining the driveway and the beautiful white house that rose up before her.

  “Oh my God, Lexi, it’s a mansion!” she cried, awestruck at the opulence before her.

  “Oh, it’s very modest by Floridian standards,” Lexi replied laughingly. She parked the car and as they got out a small dark young woman came out to greet them.

  “This is Maria, my housekeeper.” Lexi introduced the smiling woman who gave a little bow.

  “Welcome, Miss Brenda,” she said with a Latino accent.

  A housekeeper? Brenda thought. Lexi had never mentioned anything about having a housekeeper. A dark-skinned attractive man appeared from around the corner of the house.

  “And this is Pablo.” Lexi grinned, seeing her surprise, “Maria’s husband. He takes care of the garden and the car and just about everything else around here.”

  He smiled and bowed also and took Brenda’s case which, as per Lexi’s instructions, was practically empty. They moved into the large high-ceilinged foyer and Brenda looked around in awe.

  “You never told me you lived in a house as grand as this,” she said to Lexi accusingly, noting the elegant columns and marble floors.

  “Come on, I’ll show you round.” Lexi was amused at her friend’s obvious amazement. She led her up a winding staircase and into an enormous living-room with French windows and a balcony which overlooked the sea. It was stunning and decorated in beautiful pastel shades.

  “It really is too big for one person but I love it here.” Her father had bought it for his retirement but her parents didn’t get to enjoy it for long because her mother got Alzheimer’s and then her father passed away. She stayed on after his death to nurse her. There was nothing to keep her in Europe after she lost her husband and new-born baby. Then when her mother died two years before she decided to stay on. “I’m happy here and the light is wonderful and don’t forget I was born here and have American citizenship so it somehow seemed like a good place to settle.”

  Brenda squeezed her hand, remembering how death had robbed Lexi of Gianni and Alessandro and then both her parents in quick succession.

  “It’s beautiful here. I don’t blame you,” Brenda exclaimed as she was led out through the French doors to the terrace, below which was a large infinity pool. It was truly magical.

  “I’ve asked Maria to make us margaritas so that you can unwind before I show you to your room,” Lexi said as they plonked down in the luxuriously cushioned sun-chairs. “I can pull the awning out if you wish to stay out of the sun?”

  “Are you kidding?” Brenda cried, lifting her face up to the sun. “I’m starved of sunshine. I want to catch every last ray of it.”

  From the terrace she could see the white sand of what Lexi told her was Clearwater Beach and beyond that the blue water of the Gulf of Mexico.

  As Maria placed the drinks in front of them, Brenda sighed. “This is heavenly. I feel like I’m in a movie. It’s surreal.”

  “It’s real and I’m going to make sure that you have the best holiday of your life,” Lexi assured her, patting her hand. “Now tell me all your news.”

  Brenda didn’t know where to begin. She gave her news of Alex as they sipped the delicious drink and Lexi beamed with pride at her goddaughter’s achievements.

  “And Megan? Tell me about her travels.”

  “Well, she and Sheena have been in India and plan to hit Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia – on their way to Australia and New Zealand, or so they say.”

  “She always was an adventurous little thing,” Lexi said laughing. “You must be very proud of her.”

  “Oh, I am. I admire her very much. She’s incredibly brave – she has no fear whatsoever of the unknown. My biggest concern is that she will want to stay in Australia and that I’ll only see her every few years when she returns home for a holiday.”

  “Don’t think about that until it happens. It may never come to pass.”

  “I hope not. I couldn’t bear it!”

  Brenda could feel herself relaxing, whether from the cocktail or the warm sun she couldn’t say.

  “And the twins?” Lexi asked as Maria placed two more drinks in front of them.

  “The twins . . . what can I say? Well, boys are easier, aren’t they? You don’t worry about them as much as you do girls. Ryan is the business and computer brain in the family and is studying International Business in Derry. He has another year to do. I know he’s having a great social life but he’s passed all his exams so far so we can’t complain. Bob and Ryan don’t get on very well.” Brenda eyes clouded and she shook her head sadly. “Ryan is far too ambitious for Bob’s liking. Good as Bob is, no one could ever accuse him of being ambitious!”

  Lexi secretly agreed with her but kept mum.

  “Bob gets on much better with Dylan who is the opposite of his twin. He’s a dreamer and without Ryan always pushing him that extra step, I guess he’d be happy to just drift through life.”

  “He hasn’t changed much then,” Lexi interjected. “He was always a gentle little boy. What’s he doing?”

  “He’s studying Psychology at Queen’s in Belfast. He could have done it in Dublin but chose Belfast to be closer to Ryan. They’re joined at the hip that pair – even though they’re fraternal twins of course, not identical.”

  “You’re so lucky to have them. You must be very proud of them,” Lexi said wistfully and Brenda knew she was thinking of the baby she’d lost.

  “I’m sorry, rabbiting on about them like this. It’s very insensitive of me.”

  “No, no, I love to h
ear about them. It’s fine. Nothing will bring Gianni or Alessandro back. I’ve accepted that. It’s my lot in life,” she said resignedly but her eyes were clouded with pain.

  Brenda remembered how devastated Lexi had been at that time. She and Gianni had been so much in love and thrilled to be expecting their first baby when they were involved in a horrific accident which left Gianni dead and Lexi unconscious. Eight hours later her little son Alessandro was born prematurely but he only lived for twenty-four hours. She had watched as he’d fought for his little life, willing him to live, but his little body couldn’t survive and he went to join his father. Lexi was inconsolable and poured her grief into her painting. Brenda and Mel had supported her as best they could but nothing would bring her loved ones back.

  “They say time heals everything but it doesn’t, not much. I used to wish I’d died in the car with Gianni but then I’d never have got to hold my Alessandro. I must be grateful for small mercies.”

  Brenda reached out and squeezed Lexi’s hand.

  “Enough sad talk,” said Lexi. “Tonight is a night to be happy. Isn’t that a beautiful sunset?”

  Brenda sighed. “It’s magnificent.”

  They watched in silence as the big ball of fire sank into the ocean, both of them happy and relaxed.

  “Now tell me about Carly. She left school this year, didn’t she?”

  “Yes, can you believe it? My baby – already at university! Carly has such a sweet nature that everyone loves her. She’s the sporty one of the family, excelling at everything from athletics to gymnastics and everything in between. She’s in her first year studying PE in Limerick. She’s completely focused and it looks like she might make the next Irish Olympic athletics team. She’s Bob’s pet and he is more proud of her athletic prowess than of any academic achievements but I always made sure that they all studied hard to become the best they could be. I didn’t want them making the mistakes I made.”

  Brenda grimaced and Lexi reached over and took her hand. “You’ve done a fantastic job. I’m so proud of you!”

  “It means a lot to me to hear you say that. But, you know, it’s weird The kids have always been my priority, been my whole life really, and now all of a sudden they’re gone. It’s very disconcerting. I hardly know what to do with myself. Empty-nest-syndrome, I guess.” She grimaced again.

  “I can imagine. Maybe you could get a job?”

  “In Ireland? These days? You’ve got to be kidding. They say people with law degrees are clamouring for jobs in McDonald’s. But I’ve done all the stages of Computer Studies and I’ve been studying French so you never know. Maybe things will improve and then . . . who knows?”

  Lexi beamed at her. “You always were the brightest one of the four of us. What does Bob think of all this?”

  Brenda smiled ruefully. “Not a lot, I’m afraid. He thinks study is a waste of time at my age. We’ve had quite a few rows about it.” She tried to avoid Lexi’s eyes.

  “How are things between you? You don’t seem as happy as I remember. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Not right now, maybe later,” Brenda answered, her eyes clouding over. She looked at her watch. “I promised I’d call him to let him know I arrived safely. Is that okay?”

  “Of course. There’s a telephone in your room, you can call him from there. I’m being selfish. You must be dying to freshen up,” Lexi jumped up. “I was so anxious to hear all your news that I couldn’t wait. Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”

  Brenda followed her to her bedroom which was huge – four times the size of their bedroom at home. It was decorated in white and yellow and there were French doors opening onto a balcony which overlooked the sea. It was beautiful. There were two walk-in closets and an enormous marble bathroom with a big Jacuzzi bath.

  “Oh how wonderful!” Brenda cried. “I can’t wait to sink into that gorgeous bath!”

  “It’s so refreshing to have someone who takes a bath here. Americans only take showers,” Lexi laughed. “Have a nice long soak. There are lots of lotions and oils in the cabinet so enjoy it and when you’re ready, come down. We’ll have aperitifs by the pool then – a nice respectable hour! Most Americans are already at dinner now. They invite you for five o’clock aperitifs, dinner at six thirty and home in bed by nine. Can you believe it? I do sometimes miss the civilised European habit of eating late. There’s the phone,” she said, pointing to the bedside table. “The prefix for Ireland is 011 353. See you later, sweetie, enjoy your bath!”

  Brenda sat down on the edge of the bed and dialled home. It seemed strange to hear the phone ringing in her living-room back in Dublin while she sat in these luxurious surroundings.

  Bob answered eventually and his voice sounded gruff.

  “Hello, it’s me. I’m here safe and sound in Lexi’s. Is everything okay there with you?”

  “You do know it’s almost midnight here, Brenda?” His voice was sullen and she could tell that he’d been drinking.

  “I’m sorry, but by the time I got here and then had a chat with Lexi and gave her all our news . . . well, you know how it is.”

  “No, I don’t know how it is. I’m not swanning around in Florida.”

  She could hear the resentment in his voice and knew there was no point in continuing the conversation. “Well, I just wanted to let you know I’d arrived safely and say goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” Bob replied gruffly and then he hung up.

  Brenda felt the tears come to her eyes. Why could he not be happy for her? Sighing, she replaced the receiver. She was determined she would not let Bob spoil this holiday for her. She put him out of her mind as she ran the water and poured luxurious oil and bubbles into it.

  Chapter 6

  After a delicious bath Brenda went downstairs, glowing and relaxed looking.

  “That was fantastic. I never have time to soak in a bath at home. It’s usually a quick shower for me. I could have stayed in it forever.”

  “Well, you have all the time in the world here. Make the most of it.”

  “I will. The house is just gorgeous. It’s so spacious and full of light. You must love waking up every morning in this beautiful home.”

  Lexi realised guiltily that she never thought about it much. She took it very much for granted. Seeing it through Brenda’s eyes made her appreciate how beautiful it was. Brenda gave her the sausages and black pudding that she’d asked her to bring with her from Ireland.

  “I also bought some Irish bacon and potato cakes as well as some Lyons teabags and Tayto,” Brenda said, handing them over.

  “Oh my God, Tayto!” Lexi cried as she put the other stuff into the fridge. “I miss them most of all.” She opened a packet on the spot and started crunching on them. “Nobody makes crisps like Tayto,” she sighed happily.

  They moved down to the pool terrace where the garden looked magical with the fairy-lights and lanterns reflecting off the green water of the swimming pool.

  “This is so beautiful,” Brenda cried, looking around appreciatively.

  “My favourite sound,” Lexi said, as she popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and poured the lovely pale gold liquid bubbles into long-stemmed glasses. “Fáilte romhat! See, I haven’t forgotten all my Irish,” she laughed. She raised her glass to Brenda. “Here’s to a wonderful holiday and birthday and to old friends!”

  “To the best friend any girl could ever have!” Brenda replied and raised her glass to Lexi who thought that the sparkle in her friend’s eyes matched that in the glass.

  They sipped the champagne and chatted quietly, catching up on all that had happened since last they’d met.

  “I will have to paint for a couple of hours in the morning, I’m afraid, as I need to put the finishing touches to my latest canvas,” Lexi said. “I hope you don’t mind. I thought perhaps you’d like to chill out at the pool and rest after the long flight.”

  “That sounds perfect to me. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do and I can work on my tan at th
e same time. I’m so pale in comparison to you.” Brenda held out her arm which was indeed milky white. “You go ahead and paint. I’ll be fine. I have a really good book to read and it will be bliss to be able to read uninterrupted.”

  Lexi understood. She was like that too when she got into a good book. She just wanted to be left alone.

  “Then tomorrow afternoon we’ll go shopping in Clearwater Mall. It will be an eye-opener for you to see how cheap everything is here in comparison to Ireland.”

  “So I’ve heard. I can’t wait to go shopping here.”

  “Then tomorrow evening I thought we’d go to the Beachcomber restaurant, which is great. You’ll like it. We go there a lot.”

  “We? Is that Marvin and you?” Brenda asked.

  Lexi found herself blushing. To cover it up she reached for the champagne bottle and refilled their glasses. Brenda wasn’t fooled.

  “Is this getting serious?”

  “Well, he does want to take it up a notch but I’m not sure that I want to. I’m pretty set in my ways.”

  “What’s he like?”

  “Well, I was thinking of inviting him and his brother, Troy, who’s staying with him at the moment, for drinks tomorrow evening to meet you. What do you think?”

  “I’d like that very much.”

  “Fine. I’ll give him a call after dinner.”

  Maria announced that dinner was ready and they climbed up to the upper terrace where she served the Lobster Thermidor that she had prepared.

  “Wow! This looks delicious! I’ve never had lobster before,” Brenda admitted.

  “I hope you like it,” Lexi said as she poured the chilled Chablis. “This lobster comes from Maine which has the best lobster in the world and Maria is a great cook. If it wasn’t for her I’d forget to eat half the time. I get so wrapped up in a painting that nothing else matters. I go into a world of my own.”

  “Mmmm . . . it is delicious,” Brenda said as she tasted it. “Maria certainly has done it justice.”