and I have a new calf that I'm sure he'd love to meet. And yes, of course I'll lock up the dog,' he said as she opened her mouth to protest.
'Sorry. I think he'd love that, but are you sure you don't mind?'
'I wouldn't have offered if I did.'
And Dee knew that was true. With Conor what you saw was what you got. He was an uncomplicated man who said what he thought, not always showing the greatest tact. But Dee preferred it that way; at least she knew where she stood.
'Nice place,' Lisa murmured as they were led to their tables in the restaurant.
'It's a bit quiet,' Lauren complained.
Sheila rolled her eyes. 'Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to go mad after we've eaten. We need to line our stomach's first.'
'Could have done that with a burger,' Dee murmured, running her eye down the prices on the menu.
Lauren rolled her eyes. 'Oh, shut up, it's not often we go out. Anyway, the good news is, Phil is going to pick us up so we don't have a taxi fare to worry about.'
'Excellent.' Sheila put down the menu and opened the wine list. 'Let's have a little bubbly to get us in the mood.'
Dee groaned inwardly; so much for trying to keep a tight rein on her purse strings. Still, like Lauren said, they didn't go out often and she could always be careful in her selections. Soup and the pasta vegetarian dish, she decided, shutting the menu before turning her attention to trying to persuade Sheila that the Spanish sparkling wine was much nicer than champagne.
They ordered and then settled down for a chat. Lauren produced photos of the twins and they all cooed over the baby girls.
'They're so cute,' Sheila said. 'I can hardly remember my three at that age.'
'That's 'cos you were in a haze of exhaustion,' Lauren reminded her.
'True,' Sheila agreed with a grin. 'Still, at least you have Phil to help you; my Matthew was worse than useless. Any time they woke, he'd pretend not to hear them.'
'Phil knows he has to pull his weight,' Lauren assured her. 'If I have them for the day, he has to do his share at night.'
'But if he's out driving he needs to get some sleep too,' Dee pointed out, wondering if she really did want Phil to take them home tonight.
'He gets lots of time to snooze between fares, believe me.
'They're beautiful children,' Lisa said, wistfully. 'Who do you think they look like?'
The champagne had arrived and Lauren took a gulp before replying. 'I'm not sure, it's probably too soon to tell.'
Sheila laughed. 'Well, they have your beautiful eyes. They're such a strange shade of blue, almost like a stormy sea.'
'Very poetic,' Dee said with a grin.
'That comes from my dad's side. His mother was Scottish, they all had eyes like that.'
'I didn't know that.' Dee took a sip of her champagne and licked her lips. It might be horrendously expensive but it was gorgeous.
'My family are all from Dublin,' Lisa said, 'generations of them. Isn't that boring?'
'I don't think so,' Sheila said. 'They were all obviously happy here or they would have left.'
'I always wanted to leave.' Lauren drained her glass and held it out to Sheila for a refill. 'I wanted to move to London when I left school but my dad went ballistic and said no bloody way.'
'I didn't know that. What were you going to do?' Dee asked.
Lauren shrugged. 'Be a model or become an actress, something glamorous.'
'But if you'd done that, you wouldn't have your wonderful career in marketing, you wouldn't have married Phil and you wouldn't have the girls,' Dee pointed out.
'True,' Lauren acknowledged. 'Speaking of marriage, Dee, when are you and Conor going to take the plunge?'
'Yeah, I wish you'd hurry up,' Sheila added. 'It's ages since I've been to a wedding.'
'And I'm sure Sam would love a little brother or sister,' Lauren said with a wink.
'We're fine as we are,' Dee murmured, wishing they'd change the subject. Still, she'd known it was only a matter of time before it came up; it always did. Everyone always asked her. She wondered if Conor got the same
'Sorry. I think he'd love that, but are you sure you don't mind?'
'I wouldn't have offered if I did.'
And Dee knew that was true. With Conor what you saw was what you got. He was an uncomplicated man who said what he thought, not always showing the greatest tact. But Dee preferred it that way; at least she knew where she stood.
'Nice place,' Lisa murmured as they were led to their tables in the restaurant.
'It's a bit quiet,' Lauren complained.
Sheila rolled her eyes. 'Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to go mad after we've eaten. We need to line our stomach's first.'
'Could have done that with a burger,' Dee murmured, running her eye down the prices on the menu.
Lauren rolled her eyes. 'Oh, shut up, it's not often we go out. Anyway, the good news is, Phil is going to pick us up so we don't have a taxi fare to worry about.'
'Excellent.' Sheila put down the menu and opened the wine list. 'Let's have a little bubbly to get us in the mood.'
Dee groaned inwardly; so much for trying to keep a tight rein on her purse strings. Still, like Lauren said, they didn't go out often and she could always be careful in her selections. Soup and the pasta vegetarian dish, she decided, shutting the menu before turning her attention to trying to persuade Sheila that the Spanish sparkling wine was much nicer than champagne.
They ordered and then settled down for a chat. Lauren produced photos of the twins and they all cooed over the baby girls.
'They're so cute,' Sheila said. 'I can hardly remember my three at that age.'
'That's 'cos you were in a haze of exhaustion,' Lauren reminded her.
'True,' Sheila agreed with a grin. 'Still, at least you have Phil to help you; my Matthew was worse than useless. Any time they woke, he'd pretend not to hear them.'
'Phil knows he has to pull his weight,' Lauren assured her. 'If I have them for the day, he has to do his share at night.'
'But if he's out driving he needs to get some sleep too,' Dee pointed out, wondering if she really did want Phil to take them home tonight.
'He gets lots of time to snooze between fares, believe me.
'They're beautiful children,' Lisa said, wistfully. 'Who do you think they look like?'
The champagne had arrived and Lauren took a gulp before replying. 'I'm not sure, it's probably too soon to tell.'
Sheila laughed. 'Well, they have your beautiful eyes. They're such a strange shade of blue, almost like a stormy sea.'
'Very poetic,' Dee said with a grin.
'That comes from my dad's side. His mother was Scottish, they all had eyes like that.'
'I didn't know that.' Dee took a sip of her champagne and licked her lips. It might be horrendously expensive but it was gorgeous.
'My family are all from Dublin,' Lisa said, 'generations of them. Isn't that boring?'
'I don't think so,' Sheila said. 'They were all obviously happy here or they would have left.'
'I always wanted to leave.' Lauren drained her glass and held it out to Sheila for a refill. 'I wanted to move to London when I left school but my dad went ballistic and said no bloody way.'
'I didn't know that. What were you going to do?' Dee asked.
Lauren shrugged. 'Be a model or become an actress, something glamorous.'
'But if you'd done that, you wouldn't have your wonderful career in marketing, you wouldn't have married Phil and you wouldn't have the girls,' Dee pointed out.
'True,' Lauren acknowledged. 'Speaking of marriage, Dee, when are you and Conor going to take the plunge?'
'Yeah, I wish you'd hurry up,' Sheila added. 'It's ages since I've been to a wedding.'
'And I'm sure Sam would love a little brother or sister,' Lauren said with a wink.
'We're fine as we are,' Dee murmured, wishing they'd change the subject. Still, she'd known it was only a matter of time before it came up; it always did. Everyone always asked her. She wondered if Conor got the same
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