Falling in Love in New York (10 page)

“Well, I don’t know–maybe it wasn’t the new one after all, maybe it’s the same one you have. I’m really not sure.”

“No, I don’t suppose you would know. Honestly, I really would be very surprised if she’s got her hands on a the newest design.” She lowered her voice. “If she has, she’d really want to make sure it isn’t a fake.You have to be careful with these things you know.”

Don’t I just
, Finn thought wryly. By now, he was beginning to feel sorry for Karina. What kind of a life was this, spending a fortune trying to keep up with the latest fashion must-haves, only to find that there will always be someone who is one step ahead of you, and that you’ll be forever chasing your tale. Were all women like that these days? Looking around the room, you’d certainly think so. Each and every one of them seemed to be glancing around the room and had their eye on everything and everyone but their dinner partners. And thinking back on it now, it had been the same with the last few ‘available’ women Chris and Co had set him up with. While they all seemed on the outside intelligent, mature, succesful women, they also possessed an ultra-competitive edge (particularly towards other women) that to him translated as plain and simple insecurity.

Finn sighed inwardly. He just wasn’t able for this anymore and he sorely wished he could go home to the one female who didn’t care anything about designer handbags or fancy food and was perfectly happy with a tin of Pedigree Chum!

Good old Lucy rarely troubled him, even when he abandoned her to go abroad on training conventions and had to leave her in the care of his dad. And speaking of which, Pat had a consulation with the specialist early the following morning, which was a good excuse as any for Finn to go home early.

Still, seeing as the food in this place cost a small fortune and he was now absolutely starving, it would be almost criminal
not
to stay on and enjoy it, wouldn’t it?

But no sooner had the thought of the cost of the food entered his head, than the waiter arrived with Finn and Karina’s main course. And when he saw on his plate a piece of sirloin steak that was no bigger than a golf ball–and covered in that blasted grass– Finn knew for certain that this was turning into the date from hell.

“You’re an auntie!” Caroline cried down the phone.

“What? Claire had the baby?” Abby sat up in bed and checked the time on her bedside alarm clock. It was six am but Caroline sounded as though she’d been awake for some time. “But she’s not due for another few weeks!”

“I know, but she went early. Zach just phoned Mum, and he’s over the moon. It’s a girl, and I think they’re calling her Caitlyn. And Claire’s fine–not a bother on her, apparently. But then again, Zach
would
say that, wouldn’t he? He’s a man!”

“Caitlyn,” Abby repeated softly. “That’s a really beautiful name. I can’t wait to see her.”

“Well you won’t have to wait too long,” Caroline trilled. “Better get packing ‘cos we’re leaving on the nineteenth!”

“What?” Abby blinked, unsure if she’d heard right.

“We’re all going to New York to see the newest member of the Ryan family!”

When there was no immediate reply, her sister’s tone changed. “What, you don’t want to see your one and only niece? And don’t you
dare
say a word to me about this afraid of flying nonsense–I told you before, it’s all in your head.”

Abby gulped. The thought of getting on a plane again was terrifying, particularly when it was such a long flight, but on the other hand, she’d absolutely
love
to see Claire and the new baby. And to think, New York of all places…

“I promise you–you’ll love it,” Caroline insisted. “Especially this time of year.”

Then it hit Abby what time of year it actually was. “But … but that’ll be Christmas week!” she blurted. “Even if I did decide to go, it’ll be so busy–there’s no
way
we’d get flights and–”

“Already taken care of,” her sister said blithely. “Consider it your Christmas present.”

“What? But I couldn’t …”

“Of course you could. And quite frankly Abby, I think after everything that’s happened lately, you could do with a little break. So could Mum, and Claire would be over the
moon
to see us–and you in particular seeing as you’ve never been to her and Zach’s. And after all, when’s the last time all of us girls got together?”

It
had
been ages, as Caroline and Tom had been away on a jaunt to the Caribbean the last time Claire had been home to Ireland. And as Caroline travelled to New York on shopping trips on a regular basis, she and Claire saw one another often, but it had been years since the family had been together all at once.

“Well it would be brilliant to see her, but are you sure Claire will be able for us all so soon?” Abby was sure the new parents would want some quiet time alone with their new baby daughter, and the last thing they’d need was the entire Ryan (and Morgan) clan arriving in on top of them in their New York home.

“I’ve already okayed it with Zach and he thinks it’s a brilliant idea, especially having Mum around to give Claire a hand.” She sniffed. “He obviously doesn’t think I’d be much help.” At this, Abby raised a smile. “But imagine, all the family together for Christmas in New York? Well, apart from Dermot,” she added quickly, who Abby knew already had plans to go away elsewhere with friends. “Abby, it’ll be fantastic!”

Her sister’s enthusiasm was certainly infectious and Abby couldn’t wait to see her baby niece, but at the same time she couldn’t help but be concerned about the last minuteness of it all–not to mention the prospect of flying. Then again, what else would she be doing only moping around the apartment, worrying and obsessing about things? The change of scenery might do her some good, mightn’t it?

No, Caroline was right, she decided then. It would be wonderful to have the family all together again, especially for a celebration. And God knew she’d had little to celebrate lately…

“I’ll pay you back for the tickets–” she began.

“Don’t be silly, I told you–it’s your Christmas present. Anyway, I put them on Tom’s visa, so he’s paying for them really.”

Whether he likes it or not
, Abby thought smiling. “Well, I owe you both one anyway.”

“Honey, you owe me nothing. So, I wonder what Caitlyn’s like?” her sister went on, chattering a mile a minute. “I do hope she hasn’t inherited the Ryan temperament. Otherwise our poor sis will seriously have her work cut out for her!”

“Christmas in New York, how lovely!” Hannah enthused.

Abby wasn’t sure if the psychologist would have reservations about her travelling so far, (and in truth she half-hoped Hannah did–it would certainly get her off the hook in terms of flying at least!) but it seemed not. “Yes,” she replied with a watery smile.

“You don’t sound too enthusiastic about it,” the other woman said, a question in her voice.

“Well, it’s really the flying part I’m not enthusiastic about,” Abby said, going on to explain all about her previous flying experience. “Kieran really hated it,” she shrugged in conclusion.

Hannah was silent for a moment. “Kieran is your ex-boyfriend?”

Abby squirmed, annoyed with herself for being stupid enough to even raise the subject. “Yes, we broke up just over a year ago.”

“That’s a shame.” It was obvious from Hannah’s sympathetic expression and tone that she knew Abby wasn’t the one who had initiated the split. “Were you two together long?”

“Almost five years, but it’s fine–I mean, I’m fine.”

“I see.” But again she could sense that Hannah knew well she was the furthest thing from fine about all of that, but in fairness to the other woman, she didn’t push it. “So what do you think he would make of all this–your injury, I mean?”

Abby brow furrowed. She wasn’t entirely sure what Kieran would think about it all. For one thing, he
hated
hospitals and had always been hugely uncomfortable around illness in general. Even if Abby was sick with a heavy flu or a tummy bug, and had to spend a few days in bed, she always got the feeling she was letting him down somehow, that all this lying around was in his eyes overdramatic and unneccessary. But then of course if
he
happened to get sick… well that was a different story altogether!

No, Kieran probably wouldn’t be the best person to have around just now, Abby admitted. It wasn’t that he was unsympathetic or anything, he just found these things difficult to handle. But of course, she wasn’t going to admit this to Hannah. And wasn’t it a pointless question in any case?

“Well, not that it matters, but I think he’d be a great support,” she lied. In truth, if Kieran was still around now, she thought sadly, her injury would probably have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“Yes, from what you’ve told me about your holiday, it seems he had quite a …strong personality.”

Despite herself, Abby chuckled. That was an understatement! “Yes, I suppose you could say that.”

Hannah looked to be on the verge of saying something else, but apparently, decided against it. Abby suspected that the psychologist couldn’t help but want to dig deeper into her state of mind after the break up, but had to remind herself that this wasn’t the reason she was here. Abby was relieved, the last thing she wanted was an interrogation about Kieran, particularly when she was now trying her utmost to put all of that behind her.

“So, the Big Apple then,” Hannah said, evidently deciding to move on. “I’m quite jealous actually. But no, I’d have no problem at all with you travelling. In fact, I think it might do you the world of good.”

Abby stared out of the window of the car, trying to take it all in. New York was incredible–like something from a dream, completely out of this world! And as she, her mother, Caroline and Tom made their way from JFK in the town car in which Zach had collected them, she couldn’t help thinking how everything looked like it was straight out of a movie set.

As they neared Manhattan and the world famous cityscape suddenly came into view, Caroline pointed out the yawning gap left where the twin towers used to be, and Abby couldn’t help but recall her conversation with Hannah about her own memories of that sad day.

But if
this
was anything to go by, Abby was unlikely to forget her first experience of New York in a hurry. It was magnificent, awe-inspiring and totally
un
forgettable. But boy was it cold too!

Caroline, who thanks to her regular shopping trips was now a veteran of New York winters, had warned Abby and Teresa to bring warm clothes but in truth Abby had been expecting temperatures similar to those back home. But this was something else! As their car navigated the city streets, she could see steam rising from the subway air vents on the pavement, and then almost immediately fall to the ground as ice-crystals. She shivered.

“I told you it would be cold!” a fur-encased Caroline grinned from alongside her. Back at Dublin airport, Abby had to laugh at the sight of her sister and Tom who she thought looked like a couple of grizzly bears, what with Caroline’s full length faux fur and Tom’s heavily lined fleece jacket. Now who was laughing?

“I hope to God you have the heating on full blast at home, Zach,” Teresa said through chattering teeth. “This place is like Siberia!”

But despite the cold, Manhattan really looked like something out of a fairytale–its streets were ablaze with sparkling trees and fairy lights, and as they made their way along in the car, Abby marvelled at the way the white fairy lights from the trees glittered in the evening light and cast a magical glow onto the pavements below.

Their route towards Claire and Zach’s apartment took them past the giant snowflake at the corner of Fifty-seventh and Fifth Avenue, which Abby had seen a million times on TV and in magazines, but in reality she couldn’t get over it’s immense size. And as she craned her neck upwards for her first proper look at the Empire State building, and saw its lights change from green to red, she realised that the famous landmark–like the rest of the city–was all dressed up and ready for the Holiday season. She’d never seen anything like it.

“Wow, it’s absolutely breathtaking, isn’t it?” she gasped, completely overwhelmed by the beauty of it all.

“You think this is something, wait till you see the Rockefeller tree,” Zach commented from the front seat. “And Park Avenue looks kinda hot this time of year too, maybe we should swing by there on the way?”

Teresa looked at her son-in law in horror. “Zach, to be honest, the only ‘hot’ I’m interested in at the moment is a nice cup of tea,” she said her tone brooking no nonsense. “So forget about showing us the bloody Christmas lights and get on with showing me my only grandchild!”

Some thirty minutes later, they reached the apartment on the Upper East Side where a beaming Claire greeted their arrival, a sleeping baby in her arms.

Little Caitlyn was beautiful, as indeed, Abby thought, was Claire. Her sister, although obviously tired after her pregnancy, glowed with health and her eyes shone with pride as she presented her sleeping baby daughter to her family.

“She’s so like you,” Abby said, stroking the baby’s soft skin through her gloves, “and there’s a bit of Dad in her too, I think.”

“I thought so too!” Claire was pleased. “What do you think Mum?”

“She’s a little stunner, that’s what she is,” said the proud grandmother, her eyes glistening with delighted tears. “And yes, she has your father’s stubborn-looking chin, I suppose.”

The girls laughed.

“I just can’t believe how quickly all of this has happened,” Abby gasped when they’d removed their coats and were settled inside Claire’s warm and cosy living room. “It seems no time at all since we first found out you were pregnant and then all of sudden, she’s here!”

Claire reddened. “Well, I didn’t want to jinx anything, you know.”

“I do.” Clearly she’d embarrassed her sister, so Abby tried to make up for it by praising the apartment. “Wow, this place is great–so huge! And I’m sorry this is my first time coming to see it, but you know yourself,” she shrugged, referring to her fear of flying.

But to Abby’s huge relief and despite her nerves, the flight hadn’t been that bad at all, which may have had something to do with the fact that (unlike the last time) her companions didn’t seem the slightest bit stressed or worried about it; in fact there had been a bit of celebratory aspect about the journey, helped no end by Caroline’s insistence on ordering a snipe of champagne for everyone once airborne. Abby had read somewhere that you shouldn’t drink alcohol while on a flight (or was it Kieran who’d told her?) so at first she was a little unsure about accepting, but at the same time she didn’t want to appear the party pooper, particularly when the rest of the family–even Teresa–were happily swigging it back. The doctors had since lifted their no alcohol ban and Abby had to admit that the few sips she’d taken had really relaxed her.

By the time they landed at JFK, she couldn’t quite understand why she’d been so nervous about it all before, when–as Caroline had insisted repeatedly on the way to the airport–there really was nothing to it. But perhaps the pilots on the long distance flights were better qualified, and the bigger planes safer? Either way, Abby was glad they’d made it to New York in one piece!