kind of hung around for
a bit, to catch up with the past, you know?’ He looks with meaning at me.
I find myself nodding involuntarily.
Appearing unmoved by Conor’s heartfelt explanation, Dermot continues with his questions. ‘What exactly could you bring to
us in terms of your skills – aside from your extensive knowledge of the island, of course?’
I stare at him incredulously. Does he not have an ounce of compassion?
Conor doesn’t seem particularly bothered by Dermot’s lack of empathy. ‘Let me see … ’ His brow furrows as he thinks about
the question. ‘When I lived in Australia I worked on a sheep farm for a few months, and then there was the time I was on the
fishing boats just off the coast of Alaska. Then I lived on a farm in Africa for a while, and I also worked at one of the
Sea Life Centres in Florida when I was over in the States. I learned to scuba-dive that year, too.’
Turning towards Niall, I grin while Conor continues to reel off a list of the very suitable jobs he’s had around the globe.
Niall gives me a thumbs-up under the table.
‘Thank you, Conor,’ Dermot holds up his hand. ‘It seems you’ve had some quite varied experience in many fields.’
‘I’ve done my fair share, you could say that.’ Conor seems to be back to his usual self again now. ‘So when will you bedeciding on the lucky candidates?’ he asks, those eyes looking directly into mine again.
‘We’ll be letting the successful applicants know over the next couple of days,’ I reply in my formal interview voice, desperately
wanting to tell him there and then that if he wants to come and live on Tara with us then I’m certainly not going to stop
him. ‘Is there anything you’d like to ask
us
, Conor?’
Conor thinks for a moment, then he grins. ‘Nope, I think I’m quite happy with everything. If you are, that is?’
I just manage to prevent myself looking like a lovesick nodding dog.
‘I think that’s all we need to know for now, Conor, thank you,’ Dermot says, standing up. He reaches out over the table to
shake Conor’s hand. ‘We’ll be in touch.’
Conor shakes Dermot’s hand, and then Niall’s and then mine. I notice his hand lingers a bit longer in mine than the others,
and how smooth it seems in comparisons to Dermot’s, which have always struck me as being quite rough when we’ve shaken hands
before.
‘Be seeing you soon then, I hope,’ he says as a parting comment.
If I’ve got anything to do with it, you definitely will
, I think to myself as he disappears through the door. There’s no ‘hope’ about it. Suddenly a year spent on Tara is looking
like a much more interesting prospect.
‘I just don’t trust him,’ Dermot had said that same evening as he knocked back the last of the whiskey that we’d moved on
to as the evening progressed, and dropped his glass back downon the hotel coffee table. ‘There something about him that doesn’t add up.’
I find myself sighing heavily, and not for the first time that evening, as I massage the back of my neck. ‘That’s not a good
enough reason. Conor has lots of talents in so many areas that would make him perfect for the island, as far as I can see.’
‘Yep, that’d be right,’ Dermot raises his eyebrows and mutters so quietly I can hardly hear him. ‘I bet that’s not all you
see, either.’
‘What did you say?’
Dermot ignores me. ‘Look, Darcy, at the end of the day it’s your island. You’re the boss, you make the final decisions. I’m
only here to advise – that’s what you’re paying me for.’
‘Yes. Yes, you’re right, I am in charge, aren’t I?’ Dermot can be so overpowering at times that I’ve almost forgotten I’m
paying him to do a job for me. ‘Well I say Conor is in, so that’s one for definite.’
I look down at the other application forms we’ve got strewn across the table. We’d had so many applicants we’d decided to
accept far more
a bit, to catch up with the past, you know?’ He looks with meaning at me.
I find myself nodding involuntarily.
Appearing unmoved by Conor’s heartfelt explanation, Dermot continues with his questions. ‘What exactly could you bring to
us in terms of your skills – aside from your extensive knowledge of the island, of course?’
I stare at him incredulously. Does he not have an ounce of compassion?
Conor doesn’t seem particularly bothered by Dermot’s lack of empathy. ‘Let me see … ’ His brow furrows as he thinks about
the question. ‘When I lived in Australia I worked on a sheep farm for a few months, and then there was the time I was on the
fishing boats just off the coast of Alaska. Then I lived on a farm in Africa for a while, and I also worked at one of the
Sea Life Centres in Florida when I was over in the States. I learned to scuba-dive that year, too.’
Turning towards Niall, I grin while Conor continues to reel off a list of the very suitable jobs he’s had around the globe.
Niall gives me a thumbs-up under the table.
‘Thank you, Conor,’ Dermot holds up his hand. ‘It seems you’ve had some quite varied experience in many fields.’
‘I’ve done my fair share, you could say that.’ Conor seems to be back to his usual self again now. ‘So when will you bedeciding on the lucky candidates?’ he asks, those eyes looking directly into mine again.
‘We’ll be letting the successful applicants know over the next couple of days,’ I reply in my formal interview voice, desperately
wanting to tell him there and then that if he wants to come and live on Tara with us then I’m certainly not going to stop
him. ‘Is there anything you’d like to ask
us
, Conor?’
Conor thinks for a moment, then he grins. ‘Nope, I think I’m quite happy with everything. If you are, that is?’
I just manage to prevent myself looking like a lovesick nodding dog.
‘I think that’s all we need to know for now, Conor, thank you,’ Dermot says, standing up. He reaches out over the table to
shake Conor’s hand. ‘We’ll be in touch.’
Conor shakes Dermot’s hand, and then Niall’s and then mine. I notice his hand lingers a bit longer in mine than the others,
and how smooth it seems in comparisons to Dermot’s, which have always struck me as being quite rough when we’ve shaken hands
before.
‘Be seeing you soon then, I hope,’ he says as a parting comment.
If I’ve got anything to do with it, you definitely will
, I think to myself as he disappears through the door. There’s no ‘hope’ about it. Suddenly a year spent on Tara is looking
like a much more interesting prospect.
‘I just don’t trust him,’ Dermot had said that same evening as he knocked back the last of the whiskey that we’d moved on
to as the evening progressed, and dropped his glass back downon the hotel coffee table. ‘There something about him that doesn’t add up.’
I find myself sighing heavily, and not for the first time that evening, as I massage the back of my neck. ‘That’s not a good
enough reason. Conor has lots of talents in so many areas that would make him perfect for the island, as far as I can see.’
‘Yep, that’d be right,’ Dermot raises his eyebrows and mutters so quietly I can hardly hear him. ‘I bet that’s not all you
see, either.’
‘What did you say?’
Dermot ignores me. ‘Look, Darcy, at the end of the day it’s your island. You’re the boss, you make the final decisions. I’m
only here to advise – that’s what you’re paying me for.’
‘Yes. Yes, you’re right, I am in charge, aren’t I?’ Dermot can be so overpowering at times that I’ve almost forgotten I’m
paying him to do a job for me. ‘Well I say Conor is in, so that’s one for definite.’
I look down at the other application forms we’ve got strewn across the table. We’d had so many applicants we’d decided to
accept far more
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