Two Weeks in Toronto E-Book

Amelia Doyle

• Herausgeber: BRINKLEY Verlag
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Ciara Walsh is dreading the thought of boarding the plane from Dublin to Toronto alone to attend her sister Gabriella’s wedding. Also, successful dentist Ethan O’Leary could imagine better things to do than driving to Galway to celebrate both his brother’s engagement to his ex-girlfriend and his parents' ruby wedding anniversary. When the two singles are confronted with similar family celebration dilemmas, they quickly realise that there is only one way for them to both not lose face: they must pretend to be a couple. Can they learn enough about each other before attending their family reunions so that their game is not exposed?

Leseprobe

AmeliaDoyle

Two Weeks in Toronto

Two Weeks in Toronto

Copyright © 2024 by Amelia Doyle

E-BOOK Published © 2023 by BRINKLEY Verlag

This book is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, incidents and places are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally.

Names and similarities with persons or actual actions are coincidental and unintentional.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For more information address

www.brinkley-verlag.at

Typesetting: Sussman Marketing

Editing: Kelly McErlean

©Cover design: Steph Buncher

www.stephbuncherdesign.co.uk

ISBN 978-3-903392-17-5

www.brinkley-verlag.at

Two Weeks in Toronto

Thursday, December 15th

Ciara Walsh glanced at her wristwatch. It was already six o’clock in the evening. When she had left her house that morning there was no warning that the weather would take such a turn for the worse. On her journey into work, Dublin’s weather sank into chaos and the lashing rain whipped her face. All day patients arrived later and later for their appointments and now Ciara was going to be late for her dental appointment in Dublin 2. Nine months previously, Ciara and her friend Kate had opened their physiotherapy practice in Portobello. But now Kate was in Cork visiting her family. If she was still here, Ciara could have borrowed her car.

Ciara rushed through the streets of Dublin, annoyed that after all the years she had lived in Dublin she had never bought a bicycle. Countless taxis passed her by, occupied or already booked. She tried to hail several, but to no avail. One drove so fast through a puddle in the road that the water splashed her face. Ciara prayed the driver would step barefoot onto a piece of Lego that evening.

A glance at her watch told Ciara that she had already wasted too much time. Whether she wanted to or not, she would have to bite the bullet if she wanted to try to arrive on time to her appointment at the dental clinic near the National Gallery of Ireland.

In her rush to leave the office, she had forgotten her smartphone so could not call the clinic to say that she would be a few minutes late. But, she was wearing her trainers, and so she started to run.

In order to avoid the endless stream of tourists in the city centre, Ciara ran down Heytesbury Street onto Camden Street, then Montague Lane, reaching St. Stephen’s Green via a passageway at the rear of Harcourt Street. Relieved that this area of Dublin was almost empty, she got through it faster than expected.

In Merrion Street Upper she nearly tripped over the lead of a small Jack Russell Terrier but it was quickly pulled away by its owner. Out of breath, Ciara hesitated as she stood in front of the glass entrance to the dental clinic. Before she went in, she checked that she hadn’t lost anything on her city run. At this point she felt like she had just completed a marathon andneeded to sit down.

Charlotte, the receptionist of the Murphy & O’Leary clinic, was one of her closest friends in Ireland. She looked at Ciara with concern. “Ciara! What happened to you? You look horrible! I’m not going out to dinner with you looking like this. Let’s stop at your apartment first!”

“I wouldn’t want to go anywhere with me looking like this either Charlotte.” Ciara still had difficulty breathing. “My last patient arrived late and was injured. I didn’t want to send him home. I only remembered our dinner plans when he mentioned his own plans for the evening.” Ciara groaned as she closed the door behind her. “My Taxi-App also didn’t work! I was in such a rush that I left my smartphone at the practice. That’s why I couldn’t call you or send a message. I was naïve enough to think that I would be able to jump in a taxi on the way here but there was no chance in this weather” sighed Ciara. “There were barely any buses available and the ones that were running were packed. They didn’t even stop if nobody wanted to get off. Also, Kate is off for two days. She drove to Cork to surprise her family. It’s her aunt’s birthday”, she added. “I’m truly sorry that I’m late. If I had not searched for a taxi I would have been here quicker! As you can see I ran all the way! Never again. As soon as I’m back from my holiday, I’m buying a bicycle.” Ciara gratefully accepted the glass of water Charlotte handed her.

“You’re barely late at all, Ciara. Calm down! Anyway, Ethan is still busy with a patient. The best thing would be for you to go and freshen up. You don't want people seeing you like this.” Charlotte pointed towards the waiting area where the bathroom facilities were.

As she passed them, Ciara politely greeted two women who played listlessly on their smartphones and didn’t glance at her. She couldn’t blame them. She too would rather be somewhere else right now and could imagine doing infinitely better things than spending her evening at the dentist.

A glance in the mirror told Ciara that she was not just soaked and drenched in sweat, but she also looked as if she lived in a cave. Her dishevelled black hair was untameable. It could not be salvaged. It would probably be easier for her to just cut it off. Charlotte gave her a comb but it did not help. Neither of them had hair bands to potentially make her look in some way presentable. Ciara did not even have her hair clip with her – it was lying next to her smartphone on her desk.

She walked into the glass waiting room to sit with the other patients. She felt out of place in her dark jeans and long-sleeved cotton shirt bearing her physiotherapy practice logo. If she was honest, she always felt a bit uncomfortable in this place. Not just today. No matter what time of day she visited the clinic, she always had the feeling that the patients had just stepped out of a catalogue. Especially the women.

“Good evening!” Gregory Murphy entered the room and smiled warmly at the waiting patients. “Aoife? Are you ready?”

The woman sitting next to Ciara didn’t have to be asked twice and the other patient stared longingly at him as he left. What angered Ciara the most about this type of behaviour was that the woman was openly objectifying him. This sort of shameless behaviour annoyed Ciara immensely. It often happened in her own practice. Both her and Kate had thrown patients out for equally unacceptable behaviour.

What fascinated Ciara here though was that Greg and Ethan both exerted a magnetic attraction on the majority of the women who attended their dental clinic. She had to admit that both were insanely good looking and very friendly but this should not be the sole reason why a person would go to the dentist. Besides, it was strange for them to ogle someone who might be giving you root canal treatment five minutes later.

Ciara cringed every time she sat next to someone who practically undressed one of the dentists with their eyes. As incomprehensible as this behaviour was to her, it amused her time and again to watch it, and yet neither Greg nor Ethan seemed to notice. Or at least they didn’t let it show. Sometimes Ciara had the urge to turn to one of the women and ruin their dream by telling them that they were a couple. In the end, she decided that she didn’t want to go that far just to get a reaction. Charlotte was the one who every now and then mentioned, with a glass of wine in her hand, how bold some of the patients were. Especially some of the female ones. Greg had been invited many times by one female patient to a cottage in Connemara.

Ciara was the last person on earth who wanted to engage with her dentist outside of the clinic. She had always been afraid of dentists. Why? She didn’t even know herself. When her first dentist in Dublin left the city to open a clinic in his hometown of Waterford, Kate had recommended Greg. He was fully booked and referred her to his sister Deirdre, who, together with him and their cousin Ethan, had founded the clinic almost ten years ago. When Deirdre went on maternity leave three years ago, Ciara became Ethan’s patient. She could still remember their first meeting. Charlotte took a day off back then and Ciara had a toothache. She was so nervous to see Deirdre that she didn’t hear the receptionist tell her that she was not available and that Ethan would be examining her. As panicked as she was it wouldn’t surprise her to hear that she had called him Deirdre a few times.

“Ciara? Are you ready?” Ethan gave her an inviting smile. It was a mystery to her how he could still be this friendly so late in the day. Ciara nodded and jumped up and winked at the woman sitting next to her, the one who had so openly stared at Ethan earlier. It had been the same with Greg before. At the beginning Ciara had problems telling the cousins apart due to their red-blond hair and blue eyes. Deirdre told her that Ethan looked more like her and her brother than his own sibling. Apparently, they all took after their grandmother on their mothers’ side. On the other hand, Ethan’s brother Brian, according to Deirdre, was the spitting image of his father.

“I’m truly sorry that you had to wait so long, Ciara.” Ethan cleared his throat and gestured to her to make herself comfortable in the blue dentists’ chair.

“No problem. I was a little late myself.” She nervously told him about her day and what had happened. He listened to her patiently until she appeared comfortable enough for him to examine her.

“You don’t have to be afraid. It’s just a routine check-up.” Ethan bent down carefully but suddenly a sharp pain ran through his back muscles and his stomatoscope fell out of his hand.

“Sit down Ethan.” Ciara immediately jumped up to help him. Without asking for permission, she started to examine him. “Does this hurt?”

“Aaaaaaah!” Ethan whimpered in pain.

Automatically she started to massage his back. “Try to relax. I have found the problem. Even though it’s still hurting, you will feel better soon. Trust me.” She could feel how Ethan relaxed more and more under the pressure of her fingers and how his muscle loosened again. “Many dentists come to our practice with the same problem. Before I go I’m going to show you a few exercises you can do by yourself in case the problem returns. Maybe it would be good if you booked an appointment with Kate at our surgery next week.”

“You actually came for me to examine you and not to massage me!” Ethan laughed nervously.

“Only you can’t work if you cannot hold your tools. Thank God I didn’t have an appointment for a root canal with you. I don’t even want to think of the bloodbath.” Ciara was enjoying their conversation. She had returned to Ireland from Toronto some years earlier because she missed the Irish banter. People did not tease each other like this in Canada. Everything here was much more easy-going than in North America. When she visited the dental clinic for the first time, she was surprised that Deirdre had introduced herself using just her first name. Ethan did the same later on. This did not happen in North America.

After a twenty-minute massage Ethan’s pain subsided. Ciara was happy with the result.

“Thank you, Dr. Walsh! I’ve been having problems with my neck all day!” Relieved that he was able to move his head and shoulder again he smiled at his patient.

“No problem at all, Dr. O’Leary.” Ciara returned to her chair, while Ethan looked for a new stomatoscope to continue the examination. He was satisfied that all Ciara’s teeth were in good health. The x-rays also showed no cause for concern.

“The way it looks, we need only see each other again in six months.” The relief on hearing these words was written all over Ciara’s face. Even though she liked the dentists she didn’t have the inclination to see them more than once a year. The only person who worked with her that she wanted to meet regularly was Charlotte. They attended weekly yoga sessions together.

After the examination Ethan accompanied Ciara back to reception. It was unattended for the moment as Charlotte was in the back room discussing the shift roster with Greg.

“I have to see another patient but would love to invite you out to dinner as a thank you.” Nervously, Ethan looked down at the floor and ran his hand through his hair as Ciara waited to say goodbye.

“That’s not necessary. I was happy to help. Besides, I already promised Charlotte that I would try a new restaurant with her in Ballsbridge.” She didn’t completely know how to react to his offer. Ethan was nice and all but she just didn’t fancy going out with her dentist. It had taken her much too long to get used to him and to trust him. She didn’t want to risk that. If he said or did something wrong she would have to look for a new dentist. Also, with the way she looked at the moment, she did not want to be seen anywhere.

“Oh, I completely forgot to tell you that John’s in town! Feel free to go and have dinner with Ethan”, remarked Charlotte, who had just come out of the back room and sat down on her usual chair.

Irritated, Ciara looked at her friend, who hid her grin behind her computer screen. “John is in town? Since when?” Ciara raised her eyebrows in surprise which did not go unnoticed by Ethan.

“I’ll get the bill ready for you right away”, Charlotte replied breezily without answering the question.

“No! You don’t need to do that ...” Ethan gestured towards the receptionist with a hand movement. “Today’s examination is on me.”

“That’s truly not necessary!” Ciara gave her dentist a surprised look.

“If you don’t want to have dinner with me this is the least I can do for you since you treated my back.”

Ethan’s smile was so sincere and inviting that she didn’t know what to say and wondered if she should accept his invitation after all.

“Ciara's insurance covers one examination per year”, chimed Charlotte. “So you have to take her out to dinner now Ethan.” She gave her friend a knowing look, which made Ciara blush.

“There you have it Ciara! What do you say?” The smile in Ethan’s eyes reminded Ciara of a small boy who couldn’t wait to play with his friends.

Ciara turned towards Ethan. “Alright then. When and where shall we meet?”

Ethan signalled another waiting patient that he would be with him soon.

“How about I pick you up from home at half nine?”

“Great.”

“Excellent. My next patient is getting a bit impatient. I should actually …”

“But you don’t have my address?”

He grinned cheekily at her, “I’m your dentist. I even have your mobile number.”

Ciara almost facepalmed herself. She didn’t want him to think that she was one of those patients who could not think clearly in his presence.

Once Ethan was out of earshot, Charlotte started laughing out loud. “Oh, Ciara!”

Ciara's eyes widened. “So, John’s in town? Didn’t he just fly back to London yesterday?”

Charlotte handed her friend the card reader. “If you knew how many patients try to meet Ethan outside the clinic, you would be looking forward to your dinner date a bit more.”

“It’s not a date. Besides, he's my dentist!”

“He is your exceptionally attractive dentist.”

“Charlotte! Be quiet! What if he hears you?”

“Do you think he has never looked in a mirror?” Charlotte was visibly amused about her friend's behaviour and could not suppress a grin.

“You are impossible!” Ciara took her jacket from the hall stand and put it on.

“Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding.” Charlotte gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m looking forward to being the chief bridesmaid!”

“Did I miss something?” Greg stood behind his girlfriend smiling.

“I thought I would play cupid and help things along a little” she replied.

“Then let’s hope it works out this time and doesn’t go wrong like it did with your brother John!

“Don’t remind me!” Charlotte held her hands in front of her face. “He still doesn’t want to move back to Dublin because he is afraid to run into Maeve.”

“When do you plan on telling everyone about us?” asked Greg.

“At Christmas. I want to have you to myself a little longer darling!” Charlotte leaned into him and they hugged.

While Ciara was trying to decide on an outfit, she thought about how strange it was going to be meeting Ethan outside of the clinic. Even though she had already known him for a few years she had to admit that she barely knew anything about him. They would normally converse a little when they saw each other, but it was never more than small talk.

As she was blow-drying her hair she remembered Deirdre had told her that his parents had sent him to an Irish language boarding school. It was the same school that her brother had gone to and that he had enjoyed his time in Galway. With the best will in the world she was unable to remember anything else. Charlotte had told her very little about Ethan over the years. He wasn’t exactly their number one topic of conversation.

It didn’t take long for Ciara to settle on a burgundy-coloured woollen dress with a black belt and matching winter boots. As she didn’t know where Ethan was taking her, she thought this choice would be a safe combination. Both comfortable and elegant at the same time. While applying her make-up she thought of a comment her mother Giulia had made. She told her that as she had water blue eyes she couldn’t wear certain colours. Burgundy was one of them. Ciara tried to put her mother out of her thoughts. She didn’t want to dwell on Giulia San Felice before leaving the house. She truly didn’t need any additional stress this evening. The thought she was about to spend it with her dentist was more than enough for her.

Ciara had barely applied her lipstick when the doorbell rang. She suspected that it was her neighbour who had probably run out of milk. She went to let them in.

“Your neighbour let me in.” Ethan stood smiling at the door and handed her a red poinsettia.

Ciara thanked him for the beautiful gift. “That really wasn’t necessary.”

“Now that I see the mezuzah on your doorpost I should have chosen the bouquet of flowers after all.” Ethan embarrassedly ran his hand through his hair.

“That’s not what I meant.” Ciara reached for his arm and smiled. “I’m truly happy with your present. Thank you very much.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Relieved, he stepped aside so that she could lock the door.

“How did you know that this is a mezuzah?” Ciara wasn’t used to her friends noticing what she had affixed to her doorpost.

“Some of my friends live near the orthodox synagogue and have Jewish neighbours.” Ethan walked down the stairs in front of her and politely held the front door open for her.

“Do you want to tell me where we are going?” Ciara was curious. She followed him to his car which was parked on the other side of the road. She had not expected him to drive a dolphin grey Range Rover. She would have imagined that, considering his clinic’s logo, that he would have driven a small blue or black car.

“I actually wanted to take you to Howth to my favourite restaurant on the pier but a friend called earlier and asked me to help him out with something this evening. He owns a gastropub in Greystones. His chef has worked in some of the best restaurants in the country and the food is great. I hope you don’t mind.”

Ethan appeared nervous to Ciara. She had already noticed it earlier in the clinic when he had stood next to her in the reception.

“Not at all!” She smiled and climbed into the car.

Soon they were driving along the N11 towards Greystones. They talked the entire journey about the neighbourhood she lived in and how happy she was to have moved to Ireland a few years ago, and to live so centrally. She was surprised about how familiar he seemed, even though she barely knew him.

“Here you are, at last!” When Niall Talbot saw Ciara and Ethan walk in the door he looked as if he was about to jump over the counter.

“Niall, may I introduce Ciara?” Ethan pointed to his companion. “Ciara, Niall. We played rugby together at Uni.”

With all the imagination in the world she could not picture Ethan on a rugby field. Then she remembered something her father used to say and had to smile. He said that rugby was a sport for hooligans, played by gentlemen, and that football was a sport for gentlemen, played by hooligans. If she remembered correctly, her brother had told her when they were younger that Oscar Wilde had said something similar. But in Wilde’s version the hooligans were barbarians. With this thought Ciara tried not to break into a fit of laughter.

“Pleasure to meet you.” Niall quickly gave her a kiss on both cheeks, a common greeting amongst friends in Ireland. Then he brought them to their table upstairs which had the best view of the stage. Ciara liked the pub. She was particularly fond of the romantic décor which reminded her of the 1920s.

“Do you mind playing a set in five minutes?”

Perplexed, Ciara looked from Niall to Ethan who was in the middle of helping her take off her winter coat.

“No problem at all. Let me just quickly order something and I’ll follow you downstairs.”

“You’re a star!” Niall patted Ethan on the shoulder and rushed back downstairs.

“Now you have to go out to dinner again with me sometime” Ethan jokingly said as he sat down across from her, repositioning his chair. He gratefully accepted the wine list from the waiter.

“Perhaps fate doesn’t want you to invite me” she countered.

“That hurt, Ciara!” Ethan then teased his companion and clutched his heart.

“Why didn't you tell me on the way that you would be part of the evenings’ entertainment?” she enquired with interest while perusing the menu. Ciara could not have imagined this morning that she would spend the evening with her dentist in a gastropub in Greystones waiting for him to sing in front of her and the other diners.

“To be honest, I was hoping until the last second that Kevin would appear after all and that I could stay here with you.” He cleared his throat. “From time to time, he cancels for the fun of it and then appears at the last moment to save the evening.” Ethan rolled his eyes and explained to Ciara that Niall and Kevin have one of those weird friendships where they loved to prank each other. “I’m happy that Greg isn’t as exhausting as Kevin. Imagine running a business with someone like that!”

“Kevin is the co-owner of this pub?” Ciara shook her head. “I wouldn’t have the patience for it. The stress would be too much for me. I’m very lucky that I get along so well with Kate. We don’t just work together, we also live together. I don’t know if I told you that?”

“Ethan, are you coming?” shouted Niall from halfway up the stairs, gesturing for Ethan to come down.

“I’ll be right back, Ciara. I’m so sorry to leave you on your own.”

With a resigned expression she said “Just go, I’m already looking forward to your performance.” She truly was looking forward to hearing what Ethan would sing. She couldn’t wait to see how good he was. First rugby, now music. Ciara was curious to learn who exactly was hiding behind the enigmatic dentist Ethan O’Leary. It still felt a little strange to be with him outside the clinic.

From her elevated viewpoint she watched Ethan sit down on a stool on the stage. He adjusted the microphone stand to his height. “Good evening! Some of you already know me from last time.” Ethan smiled warmly towards the crowd. “I know that you are really here to see Kevin. I’m actually here to have dinner with the wonderful Ciara. Say hello to Ciara!” He grinned in her direction and waved. The crowd sent her a chorus of greetings. Ciara had to smile when she saw Niall hand him a guitar. So, he also played the guitar.

Ethan spoke to the audience, “Do you have any requests?” “Really? Let’s see if I can still remember the lyrics.”

He played the bridge, then started singing: “Here I am, this is me …”

“Why didn't you tell me that you sing?” Ciara was fascinated to discover Ethan’s hidden talent.

“The opportunity never arose. Usually, you are so afraid of me when we do meet that I’m not able to tell you much about myself.”

Ethan’s cheeky grin brought a shy smile to Ciara’s lips. She blushed slightly and was relieved when the waiter brought their wild mushroom Tagliatelle.

Niall sat down between them with his pint of Guinness. “Did I hear that correctly? You are a bit afraid of him. But are you still going out with this lad?”

“This isn’t a date, Niall. I invited Ciara to dinner as a thank you.” Ethan told him what had happened a few hours previously. Niall grimaced when he heard about the pain. He himself had suffered from back pain for years from playing rugby and had to have regular physiotherapy ever since.

“Then I won’t disturb your ‘non-date’ any longer. Enjoy dinner!” Niall winked at Ethan and went back downstairs. He had spotted Kevin hanging up his coat, grabbing the guitar and starting to play.

Ciara looked curiously down from above the glass balustrade. Kevin mesmerised her with his guitar playing. She had rarely heard such a great guitarist. Ethan followed her gaze. He had known Kevin for a few years now and didn’t understand why Niall hadn't had a serious conversation with him a long time ago. It had not been the first time this month that he had had to stand in for him. Kevin had that special something that allowed him to get away with anything, no matter what. He just had to smile at the person in front of him and look at them with his big brown doe eyes. He reminded him too much of his own brother Brian, who could also turn on the charm. Ethan tried not to think about the upcoming holidays he would be spending at his parents’ house near Galway.

Ciara gave him a questioning look. “Ethan?”

“My apologies, something just crossed my mind.” He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his companion.

Ciara teased him. “Has Kevin mesmerised you?” She tried in vain to suppress a grin.

“Definitely not. I’m the only one who seems to be immune to his charm. Next time, we’ll go elsewhere.”

His wink triggered a tingling feeling in Ciara’s stomach. She wanted to push it away and blame it on the beautiful atmosphere of the gastropub. She raised her eyebrows challengingly. “Next time?”

“I was serious earlier, when I said that we have to go out together again. How can I thank you properly if Niall invited us both to dinner?”

“That’s actually true. When you’re right, you’re right” Ciara laughed. She was surprised at how easy it was to have a conversation with him. Since he had sat down again, she didn’t even think at all about him being one of the people she usually wanted to see least in the world.

---ENDE DER LESEPROBE---