The place cleared out a little and Juliet, her cousins and Kyle scarpered off, leaving Marjorie and Davey to themselves. He took her in; she looked beautiful, glowing – a radiant being beamed down from the heavens. She was both sad and happy at the same time. He realised he was touching her before he fully decided to, cupping her face and rubbing his thumb along her cheek. She reacted by reaching up and holding his hand in place. He leaned in and kissed her, then and there in a room full of friends and family. He didn’t think about it, mull it over, plan or bargain with himself; he just did it and she responded.

‘Let’s go,’ he said, and he took her by the hand and they walked together towards the door.

*

‘Are you going to say hello to your mother?’ his ma said from behind him. He turned to face her. ‘Hiya, Ma.’

‘Great gig.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Rabbit would be proud,’ she said.

‘Will you take Juliet home?’ he asked.

‘You both off somewhere?’

‘A hotel,’ he said, and he looked to Marjorie, who nodded her agreement.

‘Ah, Marjorie, what are you thinking?’ Molly shouted after them as they sprinted through the door.

‘You deserve better than a roll in the hay with that gobshite – sorry, son.’

‘No problem, Ma.’

Davey didn’t care, he just wanted to feel something other than failure, pressure and pain, and he wanted to feel it with Marjorie.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Jack

Chapter Fifty-Three

Jack

JACK STOPPED THE CAR outside Grace’s house. The curtains were drawn and the place was in darkness. Lenny’s car wasn’t there. He was either still with Grace or in the pub, one or the other. Stephen’s was parked on a verge across the road, so even if he was in bed sleeping at least there was an adult in the house. Bernard fished out his key from his pocket.

‘You’ll be OK, boys?’ Jack asked.

‘We’ll be fine, Granda,’ Jeff said as he bailed out of the back.

He watched the boys walk past the small rust bucket of a caravan that Grace and Stephen panic-bought when Rabbit was dying. Grace didn’t have room for Juliet so she made room; it was crude but it was a solution, and had Davey not stepped in she would have made it work. He knew she kept it just in case. There was no other reason, and his Grace always prepared for worst-case scenarios.