Free A Taste for Love by Marita Conlon-Mckenna

that eighty-three-year-old Betty, who had been a regular visitor to their home, would have preferred the money to be invested in number 23 Martello Avenue. So nearly all Betty’s money had gone into their home, and Alice had absolutely no intention of selling it or moving away, no matter what Liam and Elaine did!
    She flicked on the CD player as she began to make a salad and popped her dinner in the oven to heat. She’d made a creamy cheese and ham pasta bake and it smelled delicious. She slipped off her trainers and curled up on the leather couch in the kitchen. Sean had told her this morning he’d be late home so she’d save him some. Nothing unusual in that, as like most students he practically lived on UCD’s campus! His life revolved around the student bar, restaurant and the gym; although she supposed he did attend a few lectures in arts, his chosen subject, as he had passed his first-year exams with flying colours. Sean was flinging himself into the college social scene and the smell in his room some mornings would rival the Guinness brewery. With his sandy-coloured hair and lean build he was a lot like Liam, but he had Alice’s manner and sense of humour and blue eyes. She liked having her youngest still living at home, even if he did drive her crazy with his constant computer games and hours on Facebook. When he was in the house there was music and noise, the phone ringing, friends calling, but once he left she was conscious of the silence and loneliness that sometimes gripped her. Tonight he was going to see some new indie band playing in town.
    She glanced at the newspaper. She read a few pages andthen turned to the back – sudoku or crossword? She would do one before she ate and one after. It was one of the luxuries of being on her own: being able to read the paper in her own fashion without Liam monopolizing it. She was engrossed in the puzzle when the doorbell went.
    ‘Hey, Alice, thought I’d just call in and see what happened about the job.’ Joy had been delayed at work and was only on her way home to Shankill now.
    ‘I’m finishing up in Ronan, Ryan & Lewis’s next Friday.’ Alice grinned. ‘And it’s such a relief.’
    ‘There’s nothing worse than being unhappy in work and trying to hide it,’ her friend said seriously.
    ‘I was worried about letting them down. But Hugh says they’ve got someone else lined up to take over till Maria, the full-time person, comes back … so it all worked out fine.’
    ‘There, I told you it would be all right.’
    ‘Have you eaten yet?’ Alice offered.
    ‘Alice, I’m not landing myself on you for another meal. We had a meeting with the third-year parents and you know these things. They always overrun and seem to go on for ever. I just dropped in to make sure you were OK.’
    ‘You haven’t eaten yet, so stay and have some dinner with me!’ offered Alice. ‘You know I hate eating by myself. Sean’s out, so there’s plenty.’
    ‘Smells good,’ admitted Joy, taking a seat at the kitchen table.
    Alice set an extra place and served up the pasta bake with salad and a helping of tomatoes and vinaigrette.
    ‘Tastes gorgeous,’ said Joy. ‘Sure beats my usual baked beans and toast or a fried egg.’
    Alice laughed. Joy lived in a nice two-bedroomedbungalow near Shankill. She had absolutely zero interest in cooking and her small galley-style kitchen was barely used except for the sturdy microwave.
    ‘So what next?’ quizzed Joy, as she helped herself to some more salad.
    ‘I haven’t a clue,’ admitted Alice. ‘I’ll have to do something to make a bit of money, but I don’t have any ideas yet.’
    ‘Well, we’ll all have to get our thinking caps on and see what kind of opportunities are out there for a talented woman like you.’
    Alice had to laugh. Joy believed everyone had an innate talent or gift, and it was just a question of discovering it. No wonder she did so well as a career guidance counsellor in the big secondary school she