Free Two For Joy by Patricia Scanlan Page A

He’s all talk and no action.’
    Now that she’d got it off her chest and confided in Heather she was feeling a bit better. ‘Look, I just need to go back to a room, I left my pashmina there. Why don’t we go home? I can stay the night and we can have a good moan. Better than sitting in this place.’
    â€˜OK,’ agreed Heather. Even Lorna’s company was preferable to being on her own tonight. ‘What room were you in?’
    â€˜After I fixed myself up after Derek I went into 601, it was empty and I’d borrowed one of the maid’s pass keys earlier. I didn’t feel like rejoining the party I can tell you, so I just lay on the bed and I must have fallen asleep. Probably shock,’ she said self-pityingly. ‘Derek’s in 302. I’ve a good mind to log him in on the computer as a guest and then he’ll have to pay the room rate,’ she added viciously. Her eyes brightened. ‘Come on, we could raid the mini-bar, take everything and he’d have to pay for all that too, the dumb bastard.’
    For a moment Heather was tempted. She felt like getting skulled, but visions of Lorna puking all night – she not being able to hold her drink – put a halt to her gallop. She didn’t fancy cleaning up after her cousin tonight, she had a broken heart to nurse.
    â€˜No, come on, he’s not worth the hassle. Let’s get a chippie on the way home instead,’ she suggested hastily.
    â€˜Oh! OK then,’ Lorna said sulkily. She wanted to cause Derek as much grief as she possibly could. She stubbed out her cigarette, put the light out and followed Heather into the corridor. This time they took the lift to the top floor to retrieve Lorna’s pale lemon pashmina. Minutes later they were in the foyer, passing the large reception room where the wedding reception was still going strong. Out of curiosity, Heather peered in to see if she could see Neil. He was at another table, chatting to a couple, not missing her in the slightest.
    â€˜Fuck you,’ muttered Heather and followed Lorna through the big swing doors. The breeze was sharp as they walked down the gravel driveway, the pebbles biting into the thin soles of their evening shoes.
    â€˜I’m sick of this place. I’m really and truly sick of it,’ Lorna said vehemently. ‘There’s not one decent man in the place. Well, apart from Oliver Flynn. He’s a fine thing even if he is a culchie,’ she said grudgingly.
    â€˜Yeah, Oliver’s nice. We’re his accountants. He’s doing well too … for a culchie,’ Heather said tartly.
    â€˜I wonder what he sees in her. That Noreen one. She’s a bit of a battleaxe. You should have heard her giving out last night because she wasn’t happy with the table linen. She told them that she wanted peach table napkins to match the trimmings on the cake. We only have cream of course, but she gave out stinko about it and said she’d requested peach napkins the day she booked the wedding. There was a right royal rumpus.’
    â€˜I bet Oliver Flynn wouldn’t ignore his date all night,’ Heather said bitterly.
    â€˜I wonder what he’s like in bed?’ mused Lorna.
    â€˜Noreen will find out tonight,’ grinned Heather as they passed through the pillared entrance to the hotel and headed towards Fred’s Fast Food Emporium.
    â€˜Come on, I bet she’s done it before now, she’s in her thirties. She’s ancient,’ scoffed Lorna.
    â€˜If I get to do it before my thirties I’ll be lucky,’ said Heather mournfully, feeling extremely sorry for herself.
    Lorna stopped dead. ‘Look here, Heather. This kip of a town is a dead loss for men. I’m always telling you that. Let’s cut our losses and head for Dublin. Let’s get a life for once and for all.’ She stared at her cousin, willing her to say yes, her blue eyes bright and determined under the