"Oh Christ! You two again!" Kieran grumbled when he walked out of his house and almost tripped over the two girls sitting on his door step.
"Sorry Kieran." They apologised and moved aside to let him pass.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" He asked, looking at them curiously.
"Emily came home early." Sadie explained. "Thought we should give them some privacy since they weren't really caring about the fact that we were in the room anyway."
"Yeah that sounds about right." He chuckled. "Have you seen your brother?"
"Yeah, Diarmuid had to go back to bed." She said trying to hide a smile.
"Poor lad." He shook his head. "I was hoping for some help." He sighed.
"Where are you going anyway?" Sadie asked her uncle.
"I have slave...I mean husband to be messages to do." He rolled his eyes. If he didn't love Gina so much he probably would have told her where to go.
"Lucky you."
"What are you two up to?" He asked. "I mean besides causing a hazard on my front step."
"Nothing." They replied in unison.
"Well I should probably head home. I think I've imposed myself on you for too long already." Effy said half-joking.
"Nonsense. From what I can see you're keeping Sadie company while Naomi's busy with Emily." He smiled at her. "But if you want I'll give you a lift, I'm heading that way anyway." He offered.
"And what about you, pink ranger?" He asked his niece.
"Well I can't really go back in there now can I?" She pointed to the living room window. "Give me 5 minutes to change and I'll come into town with you."
"Pink ranger?" Effy mouthed at Sadie with a smirk.
"It's a nickname from when I was younger." Her jaw tightened as she felt her face flush. "Long story, you don't really want to hear it." She tried to brush it off.
"Ah nonsense! I'll tell her the story while you hurry off to get changed." Kieran grinned, knowing very well he was mortifying his niece. That's what uncles were for.
"Thanks." She muttered spitefully and went inside to change.
"Go on then." Effy encouraged. She had to hear this story.
"Ok right well, when Sadie was little I think she was about 7 or 8 she loved the power rangers. I mean she was obsessed with the power rangers but especially with the pink ranger, what was it you called her...Kimberly, I think."
"Yeah." Effy remembered watched power rangers with Tony when they were kids. She laughed to herself; she had always pretended to be the pink ranger.
"Well she was always running around pretending to be a power ranger she would dress up in her pink ranger costume and do cartwheels in the back garden. She almost broke her arm once trying to do a back flip off a patio table." He laughed. Effy could just imagine a young Sadie running around doing gymnastics in a pink ranger suit.
"She used to get really upset anytime Kimberly was in trouble and for no reason she hated that other power ranger guy when they hinted that he and Kimberly were...together." He laughed. "That whole phase really should have tipped us to her sexual orientation."
"Are you done talking about me?" Sadie asked dryly. She was now wearing black skinny jeans and a purple t-shirt with a waistcoat style cardigan over it. She had also quickly applied some eye makeup. It was an impressive transformation in five minutes.
"Pretty much." Effy grinned at her with that knowing look in her eyes.
"Thanks for that Kieran." Sadie said sarcastically, glaring at him.
"Well there'll be worse stories told when your mother arrives so I'd say I'm the least of your worries pink ranger." He shrugged.
"I suppose you're right."
"I get to meet your mum?" Effy asked.
"Yeah my mum, dad, another uncle, aunt and 2 cousins." Sadie said. "And that's not even the half of it. We're a big family."
"Wow." Effy thought. She had one aunt and uncle and 3 cousins; and she didn't get on with them very well.
"So did he tell you about the time I got him to play power rangers with me and he ended up with 5 stitches?" Sadie asked biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing. Effy laughed and shook her head.
"I still have a scar from that you wee madam!" Kieran chimed in un-amused. He rolled up his sleeve and showed Effy a thin, white scar on his elbow, she laughed even more and looked to Sadie for an explanation.
"You can tell it in the car I'm in a hurry." Kieran said looking at his watch. They piled into his small car; Sadie sat in the back with Effy.
"I was 7! My fabulous uncle Kieran had agreed to play power rangers with me and I told him to count to 10 then follow me into the garden. I climbed up onto the roof of our shed and waited for him to come out of the house. So he comes out looking for me expecting me to be hiding in the hedges or something and I jump off the shed screaming at him. He turns around but it's too late, by this point I'd landed square in his chest and knocked him on his arse."
"No one even knew she could climb onto the roof of the shed. For weeks we couldn't figure out how." Kieran grumbled in the driver's seat.
"Yeah well you would have been fine if it wasn't for that rock buried in the grass." She argued.
"He gets up, clutching his elbow and there's blood pissing out of it. I panic and call my mum. He had sliced it open on a rock in the grass and was bleeding everywhere. My mum came out and nearly fainted. My dad was standing swearing and I start crying because I think I'm going to get in trouble. We eventually got him to hospital and he had 5 stitches. I got grounded for a week but I argued my way out of it." She chuckled.
"And you mother still hasn't forgiven me for getting blood all over her favourite dish cloth!" Kieran said indignantly. The girls laughed.
"Only Irish women have favourite dish clothes." Sadie laughed as the car slowed to a stop.
"Here we are then." Kieran announced before making a very obvious gesture of looking out his window, suddenly finding something outside incredibly interesting. Effy looked out the window. Yeah, she was home. She would have to get out of the car now; she couldn't make any more excuses.
"Alright then, this is my stop." She said glumly. "Thanks for the great party Sadie. It was really nice meeting you." Her eyes twinkled slyly and she emphasised the word really.
"You too." Sadie smiled. She wanted to kiss her but she knew she shouldn't. For a second she could have sworn she saw Kieran spying in the wing mirror. Effy opened the door and stepped out. She turned around and looked back at Sadie.
"I'll see you later then." She said glumly. She felt this over whelming urge to kiss her goodbye.
"Yeah, you will." Sadie replied in a sultry tone. Effy bit her lips as though she was considering saying something else but she just smiled and shut the door. Sadie watched her walk up the path and disappear inside her house. Kieran started the car again and Sadie climbed into the front seat. He gave her a knowing uncle look, like he was about to have the same conversation with her that Diarmuid had this morning.
"Don't." Sadie pre-empted him.
"What? I wasn't going to say anything." He dismissed her. He knew better than to patronise his niece.
"Listen though I do want to thank you for the party last night. It was just what Gina needed to loosen her up before the wedding. She's so stressed." He exclaimed.
"Women." Sadie rolled down her window and took out a cigarette. She smoked it slowly as her thoughts were consumed by the brunette she knew was too young and too unobtainable for her to be thinking about.
-
Knock, knock.
Naomi broke away from Emily and looked at the door, wondering who it could be. She had thought they were alone.
"Naomi?" A thick Northern Irish accent called from the other side of the door. She shot Emily an apologetic look.
"Yeah, come in." She called back, fixing her hair and clothing.
"Oh sorry." He grimaced when he walked into the room. "Hiya Emily." He gave a small wave. He blushed slightly when he realised what he'd interrupted, he hadn't meant to, but if he didn't talk to Naomi soon he might explode.
"Hello." She sounded pleasant enough maybe she wasn't too pissed off about the interruption.
"So I talked to Sadie." He started trying not to sound too excited.
"And?" Naomi replied expectantly.
"And I couldn't get much out of her, but, I think she likes her." He smiled broadly.
"Really?" Naomi asked in a shocked tone. "Did she say that?"
"Well no. Not in so many words but I'm her brother I know these things." He said assuredly.
"I'm sorry but who are you talking about?" Emily interrupted.
"Sadie."
"Effy." They answered in unison.
"What?" Emily was more confused now than before.
"We think there's something going on between Sadie and Effy." Naomi filled her in quickly.
"I thought they looked a bit close this morning." She thought out loud. "And what, you two are gossiping about it?" She wrinkled her nose.
"No...we're...comparing notes." Diarmuid justified himself.
"I don't gossip." Naomi said indignantly. "I'm just...curious."
"And by the looks of things so is Effy." He jibed. Emily giggled.
"Anyway." Diarmuid said, his initial excitement fading he suddenly feeling like a third wheel. "I've said what I came to say so I'll leave you alone." He shuffled off out the door.
Almost 2 hours later Sadie and Kieran headed back to the house. Two hours of confirming bookings, paying deposits and running general errands. Sadie lay back in the car on the way home.
"Jesus Bristol has a lot of hills." She groaned. "I feel like I've exercised."
"God forbid." Kieran laughed at his niece. "Do you think your brother is feeling any better?"
"Probably. What time is it?"
"Quarter past 5. Jesus I didn't think it was that late." He frowned.
"Quarter past 5...I bet you a fiver when we arrive home he'll be sitting on the couch or in the kitchen in a pair of tracksuit bottoms eating a bowl of tuna." She held out her hand.
"You're on." He said shaking her hand. It was a foolish bet; she was far too specific for it all to be right. Sadie laughed to herself. 'Easy money!' She thought.
"Honey I'm home." Kieran called when they entered the house. There was no response.
"Told you!" Sadie smirked and pointed at her brother who was in fact sitting in the living room, wearing tracksuit bottoms with a bowl of tuna and a fork. "You owe me a fiver." She smirked at her uncle.
"How could you even know that?" He was shocked.
"I live with him. And my dear brother with a hangover is nothing if not predictable. You could set your watch by him." She chuckled and threw her legs over the side of the armchair.
"I've been swindled." He huffed, putting his hand in his pocket to retrieve her winnings.
"Jesus Kieran I was joking." She laughed. She wasn't actually going to con her uncle.
"No, you won the bet." He wasn't going to back out on a bet.
"Tell you what just buy me a drink sometime." She offered.
"Alright." He agreed.
"Hey Naomi, have you seen your mother?" He asked the blonde as she and Emily appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Eh...I think she's in the shower." Naomi shrugged. "We have that final dress fitting later."
"Alright then. I best be making dinner then." He sighed. "Emily are you staying for dinner?"
"No Kieran I have to go now thanks though." She smiled at him as he nodded and headed to the kitchen.
"It was really nice meeting you guys." She said to Sadie and Diarmuid.
"Yeah you too." Sadie smiled at the red head, trying to stifle a yawn.
"Hopefully next time I won't be quite so close to death." Diarmuid grimaced. Naomi walked her to the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, good luck at the dress fitting...try not to complain too much." Emily hugged her girlfriend.
"I'm not promising anything." Naomi said childishly.
"Naomi." Emily said in a warning tone.
"Alright." She groaned. "I'll text you later then."
"Bye." Emily said giving her girlfriend a peck on the cheek.
"Bye." Naomi called after her. She went back into the living room and sat down beside Diarmuid. Kieran returned from the kitchen and sat down with a satisfied sigh.
"What's for dinner then?" Naomi asked him.
"Pizza!" He grinned and held up the phone. They all laughed.
-
"But I told you to make dinner." Gina argued with Kieran when the pizza arrived.
"I made a phone call to the pizza place." He smiled innocently.
"You're lucky we're in a hurry to get to this dress fitting." She scolded him, she wasn't really mad, just stressed. She smiled and helped herself to a slice of pizza.
"You almost ready to go?" She asked Naomi who had her mouth full of pizza. She nodded, un-amused. Gina checked her watch for the twentieth time and nodded.
"Let's get going." She went into the kitchen to get the car keys.
"Oh Sadie, do you want to come with us? It's the final dress fitting, might be a bit boring but it'll be better than sitting here with these two." She offered.
"And miss the chance to see Naomi in a dress, no way." Sadie laughed. She felt kind of special being included in such an important pre-wedding event.
"You two going to be alright here by yourselves?" Gina asked before they headed out.
"I'm sure we'll manage." Kieran replied dryly.
Alone in the house with no women present the men were in their element. They sprawled out on the couches with their leftover pizza watching crap TV that they would never been allowed to watch if the girls were home.
"So how are things at home?" Kieran asked his nephew, this was the first chance he'd had to have a proper conversation with the boy since he arrived.
"Ah grand, you know." He shrugged. "Dad's still working away. Mum volunteers the odd time, when she feels like it. She's in her element with Aiden in the house though." He smiled. "She has also taking up recreational decorating." He informed his uncle.
"What the fuck is recreational decorating?" Kieran asked utterly confused.
"It's decorating as a hobby." Diarmuid informed him. "She's taken to randomly redecorate different rooms in the house. She's doing Da's head in with it. She's never done asking him to go to B&Q with her." He laughed.
"I see." Kieran rolled his eyes. That definitely sounded like something his sister would do.
"What about you? How's work?" He asked.
"It's the same." Diarmuid informed him somewhat bleakly.
"Still havin' problems with yer man then?" Kieran frowned.
"Yeah, he's still pretty much being a bastard." He half laughed.
"You know my offer still stands." Kieran reminded him. He had a sneaking suspicion the impending wedding was the only reason his nephew had declined.
"Thanks. And I have been thinking about it. I'm just...not sure yet." He smiled at his uncle.
"What about your sister then? How's she been coping with...everything?" He asked, knowing he'd get an honest answer from Diarmuid.
"She's doing great actually." He nodded. "You know Sadie; she just gets on with things."
"And she can turn her hand to anything." Kieran added.
"Yeah. She's doing better than everyone expected I think. Though we'd never tell her that." He said with a slight look of fear in his eyes.
"Oh God no. At least not those of us who enjoy having functioning genitalia." He joked. Now all the serious talk was over they were able to sit back and enjoy the rest of their free time in the house.
It was an early night all round for the residents of the Campbell household. Everyone slept soundly all of them thoroughly exhausted from a hard day's hangover.
