“This actually suits me fine,” she finally replied after
admiring herself. “Don’t expect me in the office this afternoon. I’ll
be out for the rest of the day. I’ʹll work on the layouts for the
January edition tomorrow.” She hung up without even waiting for
a response, checked the time, and dialled a number.
“Hello?”
“Claire?” Sam opened her car and threw her bag in the back. “How about some lunch?”
“When?”
“Now.”
“Sam, seriously, someone has to tell you one day that other people actually need to work hard for their money,” Claire replied, but added, “How about I meet you in about half an hour on George Street?”
“Grand. I look forward to it.”
Sam got in her car and drove back into the main streets of Dublin. The cars ahead of her were slow, and she took a deep breath, trying to ignore her obvious dislike of the winter season. Dublin’s streets were still wet from the rain the last few days, and  Sam cursed at the glare off the street from the afternoon sun and the heavier than usual midday traffic. Christmas wasn’t far off, and the shops were doing their best to lure the customers into the main streets for some last-­minute shopping—Ireland’s capital was packed. While searching for a parking spot, she noticed how many
Christmas lights had already gone up. The smell of candles and candies were in the air, which put a smile on Sam’s face. She remembered her family Christmases with great fondness. As she crossed the street, she came out of the protection of the building and was brought back to reality by the icy breeze on her face. Sam pulled the collar of her coat a tad higher in a weak attempt to shield herself from the cold air.
Approaching the café, Sam saw Claire was already waiting. When her friend started to shake her head in disbelief after studying Sam’s face, Sam chose to ignore her.
“Don’t tell me,” Claire said with a courteous but patronising voice.
“Okay, I won’t,” Sam said casually as she greeted Claire with a kiss on the cheek.
Claire flashed a look of frustration. “You know exactly what I mean. He did it again, didn’t he?”

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