Free A Taste for Love by Marita Conlon-Mckenna Page B

shop assistant in a new baby and children’s wear shop in Dundrum shopping centre and, taking down the code, she went to enquire about it. Maybe it was the kind of job that might suit her. She could get the bus over to Dundrum, and she liked kids and babies.
    ‘We filled that position two days ago,’ the girl at enquiries informed her rudely when she gave the code.
    ‘Then why is it still up?’
    ‘A mistake, someone forgot to take it down.’
    Annoyed, Lucy moved away.
    She was heading towards the employment office’s fancy glass doors when she spotted Finn McEvoy. He’d been in college with her and played drums in a rock band that had broken up.
    ‘Hey, Lucy, I thought it was you,’ called the tall guy in the navy jacket and frayed jeans.
    She coloured, then remembered that by virtue of being in the same place they were likely both in the same situation: unemployed and broke.
    ‘Finn,’ she said, giving him a quick hug. ‘How are things?’
    ‘Could be better!’ he said. ‘Nothing doing today, by the look of it.’
    Lucy felt sympathy for him. He’d been a bit of a swot in college, from what she remembered, very focused on his studies and work.
    ‘I’ve been working for Browne & Dunne, the big engineering company, for the past three years. But I was put on a three-day week last year, and now with no new jobs or projects coming into the firm I’ve had to sign on. They say when things pick up I can try for my old job back, but to be honest there’s no sign of anything like that happening.’
    ‘You were in that big glass building down near the docks?’ Lucy asked, impressed.
    ‘Aidan Brown helped to design it himself. Solar power, the lot. Unfortunately there are two floors of it empty now.’
    ‘I’m sorry,’ said Lucy.
    ‘I’m just one of many,’ he said, shaking his wavy black hair. ‘What about you?’
    ‘I worked for Phoenix Records, remember.’
    ‘That was such a shame they had to shut down,’ he said angrily. ‘I remember they sold about two hundred copies of a CD the band and I made when we were younger. Made us feel like we were a proper band, even though we were only about eighteen.’
    ‘Jeremy was great at that.’
    They began walking through the door, and standing outside realized that despite the winter sunshine it was actually chilly.
    ‘Do you fancy a coffee?’ he asked. ‘Or are you rushing off somewhere?’
    ‘Sure, that would be nice.’ She smiled. She had time to kill and it would be better than just hanging around back home.
    ‘There’s a nice place about two streets away,’ he said, asthey fell into step together. ‘And they do a great toasted bacon sandwich. I haven’t even had breakfast yet.’
    Lucy watched from the corner of her eyes as Finn tucked into the sandwich, with its layers of bacon, brown sauce, cheese, sausage and tomato. It was a meal in itself, and he wolfed it down.
    ‘So what do you do with yourself?’ she asked, curious, stirring her mug of tea. ‘Do you still play drums?’
    ‘Big time!’ He munched. ‘The only good thing to come out of this bloody downturn is that we all have plenty of time to practise and jam and write music, I guess.’
    ‘Is the band still called STIX?’
    ‘Hey, you remember!’
    ‘I saw you guys play a few times.’
    ‘We’ve put a few new tracks up on Myspace and YouTube and set up our Facebook page. We’ve had lots of downloads already.’
    ‘That’s great!’ she said admiringly.
    ‘What about you?’
    ‘I’m just doing stuff trying to get a job. I used to share a house with some friends, but now I’ve had to move back home.’
    ‘Bummer.’
    ‘I’m thinking of doing some kind of course, just to have something to do. Get me out at night!’
    ‘I can’t imagine that’s a problem for you, Lucy.’
    She thought of Josh. There had been no one since him. No dates or nights out! No one special! No one to talk to or care about! She felt suddenly awkward.
    ‘Hey, I’d better get going,’ she