Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village (The Little Irish Village #5)

Chapter 8

8

‘Breathe, would you? In, out, slowly does it. That’s it,’ Shannon instructed her mam, who’d backed up against the wall.

Those still seated at the table swivelled from James and the unidentified bundle back to Nora, huffing and puffing like she would blow the house down.

‘James, you’d better explain,’ Shannon said as the colour returned to their mam’s cheeks.

‘OK, I’m sorry, Nora; we didn’t mean to frighten you. It’s not a rat we’ve brought round to meet you but rather a chihuahua.’

Fanning her face with her hand, Nora clarified, ‘Definitely not a rat, or even distantly related to the rodent race then?’

‘No, very much part of the canine community,’ James confirmed.

‘You heard the man, Nora. She’s the Thumbelina of the doggy world, and there’s you making a song and dance.’ Liam smirked.

‘Don’t you dare be laughing at me, Liam Kelly, or it will be the nut roast for you on Christmas Day.’

Hannah sneaked a peek at Tom, who was grinning as he listened to the banter, and smiled herself. Too late, she realised Shannon had tracked her gaze, and her eyes were gleaming as she registered that Hannah was home and a strange man was sitting at the table, too. From the knowing grin spreading across her face, Hannah guessed her sister was putting two and two together and coming up with five. Before she could explain that Tom was a paying guest, not her guest, Shannon introduced herself and James.

‘I’m Shannon Kelly, Hannah’s big sister, and this is my partner, James. He’s not long moved to Ireland from Massachusetts. We live in one of the cottages at the edge of the village.’

‘Why don’t you give him your personal public service number while you’re at it, Shan?’ Hannah muttered.

‘Pleased to meet you both. I’m Tom Flynn. I’m down from Dublin for work.’ His smile from one to the other was warm.

Shannon’s face fell upon hearing this, and James covered what would have been an awkward moment by saying, ‘And while we’re on introductions – everybody, I’d like you to meet Princess Leia. She sees me regularly at the practice to monitor her low blood sugar. It’s pretty common in toy breeds.’

Hannah was amused to see Shannon swiftly move on from her disappointment that Hannah and Tom weren’t an item. Her sister looked up at James, giving his professional patter about caring for Princess Leia, as though he were walking on water.

‘Her owner, Mrs Tansey, telephoned me on my mobile first thing this morning, in a state.’

‘What was it had your poor woman blathering?’ Nora asked.

‘A fall. She’s been admitted into hospital with a suspected broken hip.’

‘Oh dear! How on earth did that happen?’

‘What does it matter how it happened, Nora? She fell,’ Liam stated.

Nora shot him a look that suggested he’d just taken a step closer to that nut roast.

‘She slipped on the icy pavement,’ Shannon informed her mam.

Kitty was making tutting noises about being surprised it didn’t happen more often and how you took your life in your hands stepping out the door in Emerald Bay in December.

‘She’s asked me to take Princess Leia while she’s in hospital,’ James explained.

Liam asked the obvious. ‘Why you and not family?’

‘There is no one nearby. Mrs Tansey is a widow, and her daughters both live in England. Princess Leia’s her baby, and worrying over what’s happening with her won’t help while she’s in hospital,’ James said.

‘We can’t have her at home, not with Napoleon and Harry. She bit both of them within seconds of us bringing her back to the cottage earlier.’ Shannon looked imploringly at her dad, then her mam and finally her nan. ‘The poor dote just needs somewhere to stay for a few days.’

Harry, James’s placid beagle who’d not long arrived from America, was having a tough time. Hannah recalled Shannon telling her Napoleon had soon made it clear who was boss.

Liam got up from his chair and began backing toward the wall where his wife had taken refuge. Both hands were held up to ward Shannon, James and Princess Leia off.

‘Ah, no, you don’t. Sure, we’ve only just got rid of a kleptomaniac knicker-thieving cat. We don’t want a nippy little ankle-biter about the place. Do we, Nora? Mam?’

Nora, however, had joined Kitty for a closer look at the little dog. Both women were cooing.

‘You’re rather sweet, aren’t you?’ Kitty said, tickling behind Princess Leia’s ears.

‘Yip-yap.’

Nora looked back over her shoulder at her husband. ‘The poor little love needs fostering, Liam, and you know yourself, we never turn anyone away who needs help.’

‘We do dogs, especially chihuahuas,’ Liam stated.

‘How long roughly do you think she’d be with us?’ Kitty was asking James.

‘Hopefully no more than a week, but I can’t say for sure until I hear from Mrs Tansey what the doctors say.’

‘Mam. No,’ Liam implored.

‘Hush up now, son. You two will be the best of friends before the day’s out, mark my words.’

Hannah caught Tom’s eye. His hand covered his mouth, but his creased eyes and shaking shoulders gave the game away. It was pretty funny. The odds weren’t on Liam’s side as the little dog peered over the blankets, and with one look at the glossy, soulful, black eyes looking out, the Kelly women melted.

Liam wasn’t giving in without a fight, and he beseeched Tom. ‘As our guest, it’s only fair that you cast the deciding vote.’

The tips of Tom’s ears reddened as he found himself the focus of attention.

‘Don’t be putting Hannah’s poor fella on the spot like so, Dad,’ Shannon admonished.

Hannah’s face ignited like a gas hob, and both she and Tom spoke simultaneously. ‘We’re not together!’

‘I was just double-checking,’ Shannon replied.

‘Tom’s already said he’s in Emerald Bay for business.’ Nora said. ‘You’re an architectural— What’s your official title again, Tom?’

If Hannah could have got away with rolling her eyes, she would have – Mam was a sucker for long job titles.

Tom smiled at Nora as he got up from the table, ‘An architectural project manager. It’s a bit of a mouthful.’

‘Did you hear that, Hannah?’ Nora looked at her daughter.

What was she supposed to do, give him three cheers? The gift of being subtle wasn’t something her mam or any of her family had been blessed with. ‘I sure did, Mam. An architectural project manager.’ Hannah rolled it off her tongue, not liking its implications. ‘What exactly are you architecturally project managing in Emerald Bay then, Tom?’

Tom didn’t pick up on the drop in temperature where Hannah was concerned or hear Kitty’s muttered, ‘Here we go,’ as he pushed his chair in and picked up his plate. ‘It’s a large-scale project for these parts. A garden centre with a cafe, gift shop and Christmas tree farm. It’ll be called the Greenhouse and will be a drawcard for Emerald Bay.’

His smile suggested he 100 per cent believed what he’d just said, Hannah thought incredulously, unable to believe she’d been fraternising, bordering on flirting, with the enemy. And he wasn’t finished either.

‘The proposed site is on a plot of disused land near here, and I’m down to scope it out.’ He set his plate on the worktop and advanced on Princess Leia. Then, shooting Liam an apologetic grin, said, ‘Sorry, Liam, but she’s pretty cute.’

Liam slumped in his chair, a man defeated.

Hannah hadn’t moved past Tom’s remark that his eyesore project would bring people to the area, and she voiced her thoughts on what he’d said, ice mingling with steel in her tone. ‘I would have thought the Atlantic Ocean, castle ruins, blanket bog, picturesque village and general natural beauty of the area would have been all the drawcard necessary for our little corner of the world.’

Liam, Nora, Kitty, Shannon and even James watched Hannah with a wary eye, knowing a storm was brewing, but Tom was oblivious.

‘Well, I’ve got a Zoom meeting in a few minutes. Thanks for a delicious lunch, Nora. Nice to meet you, Shannon, James, and you too, Princess Leia.’ After a final scratch behind the chihuahua’s ears, Tom excused himself.

‘What’s up with you, Ms Frosty Knickers?’ Shannon asked her sister once Tom was out of earshot.

‘This Greenhouse your man’s here to project manager.’ Hannah jabbed at the ceiling as Tom creaked about overhead. ‘It can’t go ahead.’

‘I don’t know what you think you can do about it,’ Liam said, eyeing Princess Leia, whose pointy little face was the only thing visible from her swaddles. ‘James, lad, sit down. You’re making me nervous.’

James passed his doggy bundle to Shannon instead. ‘Now we know she’s staying, I’ll fetch her basket and toys from the car.’

‘I’m with Hannah.’ Kitty surprised everyone as she emerged from the press, clutching the shortbread tin. ‘Not only will it kill our local businesses, but that land’s part of our heritage, as is the famine cottage.’

‘Well said, Nan.’

‘I hadn’t thought about it, to be honest. But you make a solid case against it, Nan. What do you think, Mam, Dad?’ Shannon asked.

Liam was gazing hopefully at the shortbread tin now being offered to Shannon. ‘To be frank with you, Shannon, it’s hard to think when you have a hankering for your dear mammy’s shortbread. One little piece, g’won. Sure, what harm can it do?’

But with lightning speed, the lid was snapped down.

‘Jaysus, Mam, with that reaction time, it’s no wonder you’re always after winning the bingo. I could have lost my fingers!’

Kitty made a tut-tutting noise. ‘It’s not your day, is it, son?’

‘I don’t know why you’re both so fired up. Sure, there’s not even planning permission for the project,’ Nora said. ‘And Tom’s a lovely lad. He’s single, too. I checked. You could do a lot worse for yourself, Hannah.’

‘You can nip that idea right in the bud, Mam. It’s not happening. He’s the enemy as far as I’m concerned.’

‘Nora, it’s all well and good to say this Greenhouse business isn’t even permitted yet, but there’s no smoke without fire. The abandoned farm and famine cottage sit on government land, so mark my words, all it will take for the project to get the green light is the greasing of a few palms in the right departments.’

‘Nan’s right,’ Hannah said, knowing that no matter what her mam had to say about Tom being a lovely lad, the next time she saw him, she’d tell him exactly what she thought about his project. Guest of the Shamrock or not, she’d make sure he hightailed it back to Dublin.