Breakfast at Darcy's by Ali McNamara

Author:Ali McNamara
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Tags: General, Fiction
ISBN: 9780748128327
Publisher: Sphere
Published: 2011-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty

It’s amazing what can change in a few weeks.

We’ve been on Tara nearly a month now, and in that time we’ve almost finished renovating five new cottages. These, added to the seven empty ones vacated by our departing TV wannabes, has left us with a dozen holiday homes waiting to be filled. We’ve been blessed with some of the mildest spring weather I can remember for a long time in the UK, let alone on a remote Irish island in the Atlantic Ocean. And most importantly of all, everyone is now beginning to pull together like a team, instead of fighting about who is doing what job.

The only thing that hasn’t changed in a month is my puppies’ ability to listen to anything I tell them, and Dermot’s annoying attitude.

I’m on my way over to Caitlin’s small shop right now – small only in size, that is. Caitlin has managed to turn her tiny extra cottage into an Aladdin’s Cave of treasures. She stocks things that we just can’t manage without until Conor takes the boat over to the mainland for our regular orders of supplies – treasures like milk, toilet rolls and chocolate.

As I enter, a tiny bell rings above my head. ‘Morning, Darcy,’ Caitlin says, appearing from the back room. Dermot has cleverly knocked a doorway through from her adjoining cottage. ‘How are you today?’

I adore Caitlin’s dress sense. She insists she doesn’t buy anything from the high street, and that everything she wears – incredibly – comes from charity shops or jumble sales. But somehow she always manages to look fabulously stylish in a boho-chic Sienna Miller meets Kate Moss way. Today she’s wearing jeans, as all of us seem to wear most days on the island now (except Roxi, who still insists on her tight skirts, skinny jeans or leggings – always with heels, of course), but as usual Caitlin’s teamed it inventively with a long colourful denim waistcoat, a white cotton smock top and a large pendant with a purple gemstone in the centre.

‘I’m good thanks, Caitlin! I was wondering if you had any chocolate left?’

Caitlin looks at me in surprise. ‘Again, Darcy?’ she asks. ‘That must be the third bar this week. And they were the large size.’

I blush awkwardly. ‘I’m just a bit stressed, that’s all. Chocolate’s my thing, helps me cope.’

Caitlin smiles. ‘I’ll just check out back for you. I think there might still be an odd bar in one of the boxes, if you’re lucky.’

While Caitlin disappears back through the door again I glance around the little shop. It really is amazing what she manages to pack in here. Dermot has completely lined three walls of the largest front room of the cottage from ceiling to floor with shelves, and on these shelves is packed everything, from tins of beans to deodorants, and jars of honey to boxes of matches. As I stare at the brightly coloured packaging, a brief memory comes flitting back to me of watching TV with my aunt Molly in her sitting room in the house in Kerry.

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