written. He laughed.
‘Spell glass, Siobhán,’ he said flatly.
‘G.L.A.A.S,’ she said.
They all laughed.
‘G.L.A.S.S.,’ he said. ‘As in ass.’
‘That’s just ’cos I was writing too quickly,’ she said, blushing. She went back to the counter.
‘As in big fat ass,’ the boy whispered, loud enough for everyone.
The waitress stopped when she saw Duke. ‘Hiya,’ she said, awkward and eager. ‘I’ll be with you in a minute.’
She poured juice for the boy, then squeezed back behind the counter.
‘Now. What can I get you?’ she said.
‘Could I get a beef taco and Coke?’ Duke said, smiling as he looked into her eyes. He squinted at her name tag: Siobhán. ‘Sy-o-ban? Is that your name?’ he asked.
She laughed. ‘It’s pronounced Shiv-awn,’ she said. ‘It’s Irish.’
He smiled again. ‘Savawn? That’s not easy to say.’
She disappeared into the back room and Duke sat listening to the anxious conversation behind him.
‘That’s not your mum,’ said one of the boys.
‘It is ,’ said one of the girls, ducking her head under the table.
‘Even if it was, she wouldn’t be able to see in,’ he said. ‘I’m waving at her right now.’
‘Stop it! She’ll see!’ she pleaded.
‘For fuck’s sake,’ he said, ‘you’re totally paranoid. There’s no point in going on the hop if you’re going to be freaking out.’
‘Is she gone?’
‘Yes, seeing that she was never there in the first place.’
‘It’s all right for you. I’m on report,’ she said, sitting back up. ‘Which means,’ she continueddramatically, ‘I get expelled if I’m caught missing school one more time.’
‘Well, I’m missing a major biology exam,’ said the boy, ‘and unless I have a pretty good story, I’m fucked too. I’ll be sent down to the lowest class. With the dopes.’
‘I’m only missing double music and a double free class,’ smiled the second girl. ‘And Mr Nolan can be worked on,’ she said. They all laughed.
Siobhán arrived with some fries, desperately trying to involve herself in their conversation. She was quickly back with Duke, her eyes down, rejected again by a cruel, casual remark.
‘People are idiots,’ said Duke.
She smiled. ‘Ah, they’re OK,’ she said, glancing back over at them.
‘You know? You’ve a really beautiful smile,’ he said.
She blushed. ‘Yeah, right.’
‘You do,’ he said. ‘Just thought I’d tell you. No big deal.’
She was called away again, but Duke stayed at the counter, talking to her every time she was free. He was the only person there when she closed up the restaurant two hours later, standing with her on the pavement as she snapped the lock on the shutters. When she was finished, she waited anxiously.
‘Come with me,’ said Duke, holding out his hand. She took it and smiled.
Anna stood outside the lighthouse with Ray, Hugh and Mark, the landscape gardener.
‘Here’s what we’re dealing with, guys,’ she said, handing them white masks. ‘There are layers of paint on these walls with rust underneath. We need to strip it all back to the bare metal, so we can preserve it and then paint over it properly.’
Mark started to speak.
‘Before you say anything, Mark, no, we couldn’t just scrape it off.’
He smiled and ran his hand through his wild blond hair.
‘I don’t even know why I bother,’ he said. ‘I’ve absolutely no idea what I’m doing. You should have left me on the lawn.’
‘Well, I appreciate this,’ she said. ‘You’ve no idea.’
‘Many hands and all the rest of it,’ he said.
She went on, ‘So what you need to do is put this stuff on with a trowel and cover it with this paper. Once we get that done, we can leave it for a few days. It should sweat the old paint off. Then we can see the real damage, see if any of the panels have to be replaced. So that’s it. Oh, and cover the floor with newspaper before you start.’
The wind whipped around Mountcannon harbour, rocking
‘Spell glass, Siobhán,’ he said flatly.
‘G.L.A.A.S,’ she said.
They all laughed.
‘G.L.A.S.S.,’ he said. ‘As in ass.’
‘That’s just ’cos I was writing too quickly,’ she said, blushing. She went back to the counter.
‘As in big fat ass,’ the boy whispered, loud enough for everyone.
The waitress stopped when she saw Duke. ‘Hiya,’ she said, awkward and eager. ‘I’ll be with you in a minute.’
She poured juice for the boy, then squeezed back behind the counter.
‘Now. What can I get you?’ she said.
‘Could I get a beef taco and Coke?’ Duke said, smiling as he looked into her eyes. He squinted at her name tag: Siobhán. ‘Sy-o-ban? Is that your name?’ he asked.
She laughed. ‘It’s pronounced Shiv-awn,’ she said. ‘It’s Irish.’
He smiled again. ‘Savawn? That’s not easy to say.’
She disappeared into the back room and Duke sat listening to the anxious conversation behind him.
‘That’s not your mum,’ said one of the boys.
‘It is ,’ said one of the girls, ducking her head under the table.
‘Even if it was, she wouldn’t be able to see in,’ he said. ‘I’m waving at her right now.’
‘Stop it! She’ll see!’ she pleaded.
‘For fuck’s sake,’ he said, ‘you’re totally paranoid. There’s no point in going on the hop if you’re going to be freaking out.’
‘Is she gone?’
‘Yes, seeing that she was never there in the first place.’
‘It’s all right for you. I’m on report,’ she said, sitting back up. ‘Which means,’ she continueddramatically, ‘I get expelled if I’m caught missing school one more time.’
‘Well, I’m missing a major biology exam,’ said the boy, ‘and unless I have a pretty good story, I’m fucked too. I’ll be sent down to the lowest class. With the dopes.’
‘I’m only missing double music and a double free class,’ smiled the second girl. ‘And Mr Nolan can be worked on,’ she said. They all laughed.
Siobhán arrived with some fries, desperately trying to involve herself in their conversation. She was quickly back with Duke, her eyes down, rejected again by a cruel, casual remark.
‘People are idiots,’ said Duke.
She smiled. ‘Ah, they’re OK,’ she said, glancing back over at them.
‘You know? You’ve a really beautiful smile,’ he said.
She blushed. ‘Yeah, right.’
‘You do,’ he said. ‘Just thought I’d tell you. No big deal.’
She was called away again, but Duke stayed at the counter, talking to her every time she was free. He was the only person there when she closed up the restaurant two hours later, standing with her on the pavement as she snapped the lock on the shutters. When she was finished, she waited anxiously.
‘Come with me,’ said Duke, holding out his hand. She took it and smiled.
Anna stood outside the lighthouse with Ray, Hugh and Mark, the landscape gardener.
‘Here’s what we’re dealing with, guys,’ she said, handing them white masks. ‘There are layers of paint on these walls with rust underneath. We need to strip it all back to the bare metal, so we can preserve it and then paint over it properly.’
Mark started to speak.
‘Before you say anything, Mark, no, we couldn’t just scrape it off.’
He smiled and ran his hand through his wild blond hair.
‘I don’t even know why I bother,’ he said. ‘I’ve absolutely no idea what I’m doing. You should have left me on the lawn.’
‘Well, I appreciate this,’ she said. ‘You’ve no idea.’
‘Many hands and all the rest of it,’ he said.
She went on, ‘So what you need to do is put this stuff on with a trowel and cover it with this paper. Once we get that done, we can leave it for a few days. It should sweat the old paint off. Then we can see the real damage, see if any of the panels have to be replaced. So that’s it. Oh, and cover the floor with newspaper before you start.’
The wind whipped around Mountcannon harbour, rocking
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