Holly rolled her eyes. "Oh no, I'm sorry, I'll wander around town for a bit and come back later so," she said, hopping off her stool.

"Hey, don't be silly." He flashed his pearly whites. "The shops are all closed by now and you can keep me company, that's if you don't mind..."

"Well, I don't mind if you don't mind..."

"I don't mind," he said firmly.

"Well then, I'll stay so," she said, happily hopping back onto her stool again. Daniel leaned his hands against the taps in a typical barman's pose. "So now that that's settled, what can I get you?" he said, smiling.

"Well, this is great, no queuing or shouting my order across the bar or anything," she joked. "I'll have a sparkling water, please."

"Nothing stronger?" He raised his eyebrows. His smile was infectious; it seemed to reach from ear to ear.

"No, I better not or I'll be drunk by the time everyone gets here."

"Good thinking," he agreed and reached behind him to the fridge to retrieve the bottled water. Holly realized what it was that made him look so different; he wasn't wearing his trademark black. He was wearing faded blue jeans and an open light blue shirt with a white T-shirt underneath that made his blue eyes twinkle even more than usual. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to just below his elbows. Holly could see his muscles through the light fabric. She quickly averted her eyes as he slid the gla.s.s toward her.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked him.

"No thanks, I'll take care of this one."

"No, please," Holly insisted. "You've bought me plenty of drinks, it's my turn."

"OK, I'll have a Budweiser then, thanks." He leaned against the bar and continued to stare at her.

"What? Do you want me to get it?" Holly laughed, jumping off her stool and walking around the bar. Daniel stood back and watched her with amus.e.m.e.nt.

"I always wanted to work behind a bar when I was a kid," she said, grabbing a pint gla.s.s and pulling down on the tap. She was enjoying herself.

"Well, there's a spare job if you're looking for one," Daniel said, watching her work closely.

"No thanks, I think I do a better job on the other side of the bar," she laughed, filling the pint gla.s.s.

"Mmm...well, if you're ever looking for a job, you know where to come," Daniel said after taking a gulp of his pint. "You did a good job."

"Well, it's not exactly brain surgery," she smiled, bouncing across to the other side of the bar. She took out her purse and handed him money. "Keep the change," she laughed.

"Thanks," he smiled, turning to open the cash register, and she scorned herself for checking out his b.u.m. It was nice, though, firm but not as nice as Gerry's, she decided.

"Has your husband deserted you again tonight?" he teased, walking around the bar to join her. Holly bit her lip and wondered how to answer him. Now wasn't really the time to talk about something so depressing to someone who was only making chitchat, but she didn't want the poor man to keep asking her every time he saw her. He would soon realize the truth, which would cause him even more embarra.s.sment.

"Daniel," she said softly, "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, but my husband pa.s.sed away."

Daniel stopped in his tracks and his cheeks blushed slightly. "Oh Holly, I'm sorry, I didn't know," he said sincerely.

"It's OK, I know you didn't." She smiled to show him it was all right.

"Well, I didn't meet him the other night, but if someone had told me, I would have gone to the funeral to pay my respects." He sat beside her at the bar.

"Oh no, Gerry died in February, Daniel, he wasn't here the other night."

Daniel looked confused. "But I thought you told me he was here..." He trailed off, thinking he had misheard.

"Oh yeah." Holly looked down at her feet with embarra.s.sment. "Well, he wasn't here," she said, looking around the club, "but he was here," she put her hand on her heart.

"Ah, I see," he said, finally understanding. "Well then, you were even braver the other night than I thought, considering the circ.u.mstances," he said gently. Holly was surprised by how at ease he seemed. Usually people stuttered and stammered their way through a sentence and either wandered off or changed the subject. She felt relaxed in his presence, though, as if she could talk openly without fear of crying. Holly smiled, shaking her head, and briefly explained the story of the list.

"So that's why I ran off after Declan's gig that time," Holly laughed.

"It wasn't because they were so terrible by any chance?" Daniel joked, then he looked lost in thought. "Ah yes, that's right, that was the thirtieth of April."

"Yeah, I couldn't wait any longer to open it," Holly explained.

"Hmmm...when's the next one?"

"July," she said excitedly.

"So I won't be seeing you on the thirtieth of June then," he said dryly.

"Now you're getting the gist," she laughed.

"I have arrived!" announced Denise to the empty room as she swanned in, dolled up to the nines in the dress she had worn to the ball last year. Tom strolled in behind her, laughing and refusing to take his eyes off her.

"G.o.d, you're dressed up," Holly remarked, staring her friend up and down. In the end Holly had decided to just wear a pair of jeans, black boots and a very simple black top. She hadn't been in the mood to get all dressed up after all, especially as they were only sitting in an empty club, but Denise hadn't quite grasped that concept.

"Well, it's not every day I get to go to my own premiere, is it?" she joked.

Tom and Daniel greeted each other with hugs. "Baby, this is Daniel, my best friend," Tom said, introducing Denise to Daniel. Daniel and Holly raised their eyebrows at each other and smiled, both registering the use of the word 'baby&rsquo.

"Hi, Tom." Holly shook his hand after Denise had introduced her and he kissed her on the cheek. "I'm sorry about the last time I met you, I wasn't feeling very sane that night." Holly blushed at the memory of the karaoke.

"Oh, that's no problem," Tom smiled kindly. "If you hadn't entered then I wouldn't have met Denise, so I'm glad you did," he added, turning to face Denise. Daniel and Holly shared a mutually pleased look for their friends, and Holly settled down on her stool feeling very comfortable with these two new men.

After a while Holly discovered she was enjoying herself; she wasn't just pretending to laugh or finding things mildly amusing, she was genuinely happy. The thought of that made her even happier, as did the knowledge that Denise had finally found someone she really loved.

Minutes later the rest of the Kennedy family arrived, along with Sharon and John. Holly ran down to greet her friends. "Hiya, hun," Sharon said, giving her a hug. "You here long?"

Holly started laughing. "I thought it was on at eight o'clock so I came at half seven."

"Oh no." Sharon looked worried.

"Oh, don't worry, it was fine. Daniel kept me company," she said, pointing over to him.

"Him?" John said angrily, "Watch yourself with him, Holly, he's a bit of an oddball. You should have heard the stuff he was saying to Sharon the other night."

Holly giggled to herself and quickly excused herself from their company to join her family. "Meredith not with you tonight?" she boldly asked Richard.

"No, she's not," he snapped back rudely and headed over to the bar.

"Why does he bother coming to these things at all?" she moaned to Jack while he held her head to his chest and rubbed her hair, playfully consoling her.

"OK, everyone!" Declan stood on a stool and announced to the group, "Because Ciara couldn't decide what to wear tonight, we're all late and my doc.u.mentary is about to start any minute. So if you can just all shut up and sit down that would be great."

"Oh, Declan." Holly's mother admonished him for his rudeness.

Holly searched around the room for Ciara and spotted her glued to Daniel's side at the bar. She laughed to herself and settled down to watch the doc.u.mentary. As soon as the announcer introduced it, everybody cheered, but they were quickly hushed by an angry Declan, who didn't want them to miss a thing.

The words 'Girls and the City' appeared over a beautiful nighttime shot of Dublin city, and Holly became nervous. The words 'The Girls' appeared over a black screen and was followed by a shot of Sharon, Denise, Abbey and Ciara all squashed beside each other in the back of a taxi. Sharon was speaking: h.e.l.lo! I'm Sharon and this is Abbey, Denise and Ciara Each of the girls posed for their close-up as they were introduced.

And we're heading to our best friend Holly's house because it's her birthday today...

The scene changed to the girls surprising Holly with shouts of 'Happy Birthday' at her front door. It returned to Sharon in the taxi.

Tonight it's gonna be just us girls and NO men...

The scene switched to Holly opening the presents and holding the vibrator up to the camera and saying, "Well, I'll definitely need this!" Then it returned to Sharon in the taxi saying: We are gonna do lots andof drinking...

Now Holly was popping open the champagne, then the girls were knocking back shots in Boudoir, and eventually it showed Holly with the crooked tiara on her head, drinking out of a champagne bottle with a straw.

We are gonna go clubbing...

There was then a shot of the girls in Boudoir doing some very embarra.s.sing moves on the dance floor. Sharon was shown next, speaking sincerely.

But nothing too mad! We're gonna be good girls tonight!

The next scene showed the girls protesting wildly as they were escorted out of the club by three bouncers.

Holly's jaw dropped open and she stared in shock over at Sharon, who was equally surprised. The men just laughed their hearts out and slapped Declan on the back, congratulating him for exposing their partners. Holly, Sharon, Denise, Abbey and even Ciara slithered down in their seats with humiliation.

What on earth had Declan done?

EIGHTEEN.

THERE WAS COMPLETE SILENCE IN the club as everyone stared at the screen in antic.i.p.ation. Holly held her breath; she was nervous now about what was going to appear. Perhaps the girls would be reminded of what exactly they had all conveniently succeeded in forgetting about that night. The truth terrified her. After all, how drunk must they all have been to completely forget the events of that night? Unless somebody was lying, in which case they should be even more nervous right now. Holly looked around at the girls. They were all chewing on their fingernails. Holly crossed her fingers.

A new t.i.tle appeared on the screen, "The Gifts." "Open mine first," shrieked Ciara from the television, thrusting her present toward Holly and shoving Sharon off the couch and onto the ground. Everyone in the club laughed while they watched Abbey dragging a horrified Sharon to her feet. Ciara left Daniel's side and tiptoed over to the rest of the girls for security. Everyone oohed and aahed, as one by one Holly's birthday presents were unveiled. A lump formed in Holly's throat as Declan zoomed in on the two photographs on the mantelpiece while Sharon's toast was made.

Once again a new t.i.tle took over the screen, "Journey to the City," and showed the girls scrambling over one another to get into the seven-seater taxi. It was obvious they were pretty p.i.s.sed by now. Holly was shocked; she had actually thought she was quite sober at that stage. "Oh, John," Holly moaned drunkenly to the taxi driver from the pa.s.senger seat, "I'm thirty today, can you believe it?"

John the taxi driver, who couldn't give a flying flute what age she was, glanced over at her and laughed, "Sure you're only a young one still, Holly." His voice was low and gravelly. The camera zoomed in on Holly's face and she cringed at the sight of herself. She looked so drunk, so sad.

"But what am I gonna do, John?" she whinged. "I'm thirty! I have no job, no husband, no children and I'm thirty! Did I tell you that?" she asked, leaning toward him. Behind her Sharon giggled. Holly thumped her.

In the background you could hear the girls all chattering excitedly to one another. Actually it sounded like they were talking over one another; it was hard to see how any type of conversation was going on.

"Ah, enjoy yourself tonight, Holly, don't get caught up in silly emotions on your birthday. Worry about all that s.h.i.te tomorrow, love." John sounded so caring, Holly made a note to call him and thank him.

The camera stayed with Holly as she leaned her head against the window and remained silent, lost in thought for the rest of the journey. Holly couldn't get over how lonely she looked. She didn't like it. She looked around the room in embarra.s.sment and caught Daniel's eye. He winked at her in encouragement. Well, if she needed winks for encouragement, she thought, then everybody must have been thinking the same thing. She smiled weakly and turned back around to face the screen in time to see herself screaming to the girls on O'Connell Street.

"OK, girls. We are going to Boudoir tonight and no one is going to stop us from getting in, especially not any silly bouncers who think they own the place," and she marched off in what she thought at the time was a straight line. All the girls cheered and followed after her.

The scene immediately jumped to the two bouncers outside Boudoir shaking their heads. "Not tonight, girls, sorry."

Holly's family howled with laughter.

"But you don't understand," Denise said calmly to the bouncers. "Do you not know who we are?"

"No," they both said and stared over their heads, ignoring them.

"Huh!" Denise put her hands on her hips and pointed to Holly. "But this is the very, very extremely famous...em...Princess Holly from the royal family of...Finland." On camera Holly frowned at Denise.

Her family once again howled with laughter. "You couldn't write a script better than this," Declan laughed.

"Oh, she's royalty, is she?" the bouncer with a mustache smirked.

"Indeed she is," Denise said seriously.

"Finland got a royal family, Paul?" Mustache Man turned to Paul.

"Don't think so, boss," was the reply.

Holly fixed the crooked tiara on her head and gave them both a royal wave. "You see?" Denise said, satisfied. "You men will be very embarra.s.sed if you don't let her in."

"Supposing we let her in then, you'll have to stay outside," Mustache Man said and motioned for the people behind them in the queue to pa.s.s by and enter the club. Holly gave them a royal wave as they pa.s.sed.

"Oh, no no no no," Denise laughed. "You don't understand. I am her...lady-in-waiting, so I need to be with her at all times."

"Well then, you won't mind waiting till she comes out at closing time then," Paul smirked.

Tom, Jack and John all started laughing and Denise slithered down even further in her seat.

Finally Holly spoke. "Oh, one must have a drink. One is dreadfully thirsty."

Paul and Mustache Man snorted and tried to keep a straight face while still staring over their heads.

"No, honestly, girls, not tonight, you need to be a member."

"But I am a member of the royal family!" Holly said sternly. "Off with your heads!" she commanded, pointing at the both of them.

Denise quickly forced Holly's arm down. "Honestly, the princess and I will be no trouble at all, just let us in for a few drinks," she pleaded.

Mustache Man stared down at the two of them then raised his eyes to the sky. "All right then, go on in," he said, stepping aside.