Under New Management

by June Hopkins

Jim nods at her sulkily, as she exits from the soft interior. She returns to her own car and grabs her bags from the back seat. She has to admit to a slight feeling of regret which is tugging at her as she walks back past the Porsche. Things like this don’t happen every day but she has to put Jack straight. He needs to cut it out.

  Jim suddenly has a thought. He has a confession to make that perhaps Mollie won’t like, but he had better say something now. “Molls, hang on a minute. I’ve got something to tell you,” He calls shiftily.

  Mollie stops her stomp to the house and turns back to him.

  Lindy hisses at Jim, “What the hell have you done now?”

  “What have you done, Dad?” Mollie asks him, hands on hips and with her eyebrows raised.

  “Well it’s not really a case of done, more what I’ve said,” he tells them warily.

  “Dad..? Spit it out!” Mollie orders.

  “Well, the thing is, there might be two things.” Mollie and Lindy both let out held breaths. This is not looking good.

  “Not long before your mother got home the phone rang. Anyway, I was excited. I answered it and it was that Kieran bloke.” Mollie lifts her head to the sky and takes a deep breath. This is all she needs. “Well, he wanted to speak to you and I may have told him about the car and the flowers.” Jim blurts the last bit out quickly and braces himself for the fallout.

  Lindy hisses at him again, “You complete idiot!”

  Mollie stares at her dad in disbelief, “You told him that Jack bought me a ninety thousand pound car? You also told him that we could rival Chelsea Flower show? Oh my God, Dad. Why do you have to open your big gob all the time? He is the last person I want to know that.” Mollie lets out an angry screech and stamps her feet in frustration. Her parents stare at her warily.

  “Alright Molls, don’t go over the top. What does it matter, they’re cousins, ain’t they? I expect he already knew, Jack would have told him. I don’t see what the problem is. To be honest, that was the bit that I wasn’t that bothered about telling you.” As Jim confesses to her, he just doesn’t see there’s a problem with telling Kieran, although a small part of him understands that it could impact on the possible job offer, hence his reluctance to fess up.

  Jim is completely unaware of the whole Mollie/Kieran situation and he hasn’t been told that there is no job. Both his daughter and his wife have kept their mouths firmly zipped.

  Mollie stares at him, “What? It can’t be any worse than that!”

  “Ah well, umm maybe, and umm don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to it. In fact I am pretty damn excited but your mother doesn’t know yet.” Jim starts to build the momentum because he now realises that Mollie is going to be evil and will probably refuse point blank, what with the car and everything but he is made up. “Well, thing is, before Kieran phoned, Jack did. He wanted to know if the car had arrived and he also gave us an invitation.”

  Mollie stares at him suspiciously.

  Jim ignores her and continues, “Thing is, we’re not allowed to tell anyone because of the press and stuff but did you know that Kieran is going out with a film star?” Mollie puts her head down. She hadn’t told anyone about Serena.

  “What? Who?” Lindy shoves Jim’s shoulder roughly.

  Now, Lindy does do celebrities. She loves them. She gorges constantly on magazines, TV and online finding out the latest gossip and keeping an eye on the fashions, hair styles and make up. She loves it, can’t get enough.

  Jim smiles smugly. He knows this will get his wife onside. “You’ll never guess, and what’s more we, the whole family, have been invited by Jack to the Hall for dinner with her on Saturday night.”

  Mollie jolts her head up. No way. Dinner with Kieran and Serena? Oh no, there was absolutely no way. She wouldn’t go, the rest of them could go without her. The thought of being in the same place as Kieran while the superstar schmoozed all over him made her feel slightly faint. No, she couldn’t watch that.

  Lindy is shrieking at Jim to tell her who it is.

  He puffs his chest out importantly, “You have to promise not to tell anyone.” At Lindy’s excited nod he carries on, “It’s only Serena Bonart.” He lets out this little gem and sits back in the seat pleased with himself.

  Jim knows Mollie will be pissed right off that he accepted Jack’s invitation but Lindy won’t miss it, not for anything. They would be going.

  The only bugbear was that in return, they all had to keep quiet about it. Jim wouldn’t be able to tell anyone that they, the Browns, had had dinner with a superstar. What a bummer.

  Jack explained his reasons and obtained Jim’s promise before he let on about the reason for the invitation. Jim had puffed out his chest with self importance and assured Jack that he could rely on their discretion.

  Lindy now loses the plot totally and letting out an ear-splitting scream she begins jumping around like a Duracell bunny. She pulls open the passenger door and drags at Jim’s arm to get him out of the Porsche. Once free, she throws herself into his arms shrieking and hugging him. Jim is happy to partake and he picks her up and they dance around the drive. Mollie shakes her head at the spectacle and heads inside to make that phone call.

  Storming into the house she throws her bags onto the sofa. She burrows around in her handbag for her phone. Finding Jack’s number she phones it, pacing up and down the lounge while she waits for him to answer.

  He picks up on the fifth ring, “Mollie I knew you’d ring! What d’you think of the car? You said you wanted a Porsche, so I got you one. D’you like the colour?”

  “Jack, I want you to get them to pick up the car immediately, do you hear me? I can’t keep it,” Mollie says clearly. She’s not messing around.

  “What? No, don’t be daft Molls. Don’t you like it? I can get a different colour, if you want.” Jack’s tone is bemused.

  “Jack, you need to listen to me. I do not want the car. It has nothing to do with the colour, I want you to arrange for it to be collected. Do you understand me Jack? I want it gone.” Mollie explains slowly.

  Jack goes quiet for a while as he processes the information. “Molls, actually no I don’t understand. Why don’t you want it? It isn’t as if I can’t afford it. Please Molls, take the car.”

  Mollie sighs loudly. She tries again a little less tersely, “Jack, I’m sorry but you can’t go round buying people gifts like that, it’s ridiculous. I know you get carried away, but even you can see that, surely. It’s a lovely, beautiful car, but I cannot accept it, OK?”

  Jack is quiet again. He isn’t actually that surprised. He knows Mollie well enough. Most girls would bite his hand off, but Mollie is different, which is exactly why he wanted to buy the car for her. Now he thinks about it, the fact that she’s different from most girls is exactly the reason why she would never accept it. He kicks himself for being an idiot. He should have known better but still, all is not lost.

  “What about dinner on Saturday night? Did your dad tell you?” he suddenly pipes up, changing the subject admirably.

  “Yes, he told me and thanks, but no thanks. I’ve met Serena once and I have no wish to repeat the experience,” she tells him in no uncertain terms.

  “Jack, I made myself perfectly clear. I only want us to be friends. I am not being your date for dinner. You have already told her that we are a couple and I’m not playing make believe for your amusement.”

  “What? Don’t be daft Molls. I don’t want to play make believe, I want you to be my date. I told you I’m serious. I want us to give it another go.” Jack is serious now.

  Mollie sighs again, “Jack I’m not coming OK? Now please sort out the car. I’ll see you around.”

  “OK, I’ll get the car taken back but only if you come to dinner on Saturday night.” Jack tells her.

  “What? Don’t be daft. You’re not blackmailing me Jack, I mean it.”

  Jack says smugly, “It’s not blackmail - it’s a mutually convenient compromise. You get something you want and I get something I want
, everybody’s happy.”

  Mollie is exasperated, “For Christ’s sake Jack, hardly mutual. I don’t want either, you moron. I get nothing from the deal. Now stop arguing and get rid of the car.”

  “Nope. If you don’t want the car, I’ll change it in to your dad’s name. I bet he wouldn’t give it back.” he says seriously.

  Mollie sucks in a breath. Would her father keep it? He would probably sell it and take the money. She could hardly blame him if he did. Of course if she told Jim that she was being blackmailed, he wouldn’t. He would, however, probably smack Jack one. How did you tell someone you were being blackmailed to either go to dinner with a Hollywood star, or keep a Porsche? The whole thing was bonkers.

  Mollie wants the car gone. She doesn’t want to go to dinner because she doesn’t want to watch Kieran and Serena together. Lindy will quite possibly never speak to Mollie again if she puts the kibosh on dinner with a superstar.

  Mollie is struggling. She knows she’s being ridiculous. Jack is just trying to be kind albeit with a hint of showing-off involved. It’s not as if he’s doing any of it to hurt or upset her. Is she being slightly mean spirited? She doesn’t want to go to dinner because of Kieran, yet he has made it abundantly clear that he isn’t interested. Why shouldn’t she go to dinner and play up, just a little bit, to Jack? Would that make Kieran a little jealous? It would certainly show that she didn’t care about Kieran, which is what she wants. She doesn’t want him to know that he’s hurt her; doesn’t want him to know that she’s remotely bothered by him and his A-list celebrity girlfriend. Mollie mulls all this over while Jack waits on the other end of the line.

  Eventually she answers him, “OK Jack, take the car away. I will come to the dinner but as a friend, not as your date. You let me invite Lou and you have a deal.” Lou would be as ecstatic as Lindy to meet Serena Bonart. Mollie couldn’t leave her out. If she and Jack were negotiating, then why not get something she wanted out of it?

  Without missing a beat Jack simply says, “Done. I’ll sort the car and see you on Saturday at the Hall for seven. Don’t worry about transport, I’ll organise that and I’ll have you all picked up from yours at six forty-five. By the way, dress code is black tie. See you Saturday. Missing you already.” He gives her no opportunity to respond but hangs up, leaving Mollie staring at her phone, feeling very nervous indeed.

  Chapter 24

  Kieran is livid when he puts the phone down after his conversation with the over exuberant Jim. Kieran wouldn’t be surprised if the man spontaneously combusted, he was that excited for his daughter. He had listened with growing anger as Jim regaled him with Jack’s antics. He listened quietly as Jim described Mollie’s slow but sure surrender under the constant assault of Jack’s generosity. He balled his fists as Jim gushed about what a great guy Jack was and how he couldn’t fail to win the girl if he kept up this level of intensity. He frowned as Jim explained how excited Lindy would be when he surprised her with the dinner invitation and the opportunity to meet Serena Bonart. He seethed as Jim congratulated him on netting himself a catch of that calibre.

  Kieran was hard pushed to get a word in when Jim questioned him on where the hell he had managed to meet Serena Bonart. How had Kieran managed to get and keep a woman like that? Was she as beautiful in real life?

  Kieran had made non-committal noises but Jim didn’t notice. Jim proudly told him that he had no need to worry, the Brown’s word was their bond. None of them would breathe a word. They would keep quiet on the subject of Serena.

  Eventually Jim had to go because Lindy had arrived home from work and was outside looking at the car. Jim needed to go and tell her the fantastic news, but he told Kieran he would see him on Saturday and that he couldn’t wait. The phone had gone dead and Kieran slowly put down the receiver. He needed to find Jack, now.

  Storming out of the study he goes in search, ready to punch first and ask questions later. Of course Jack is nowhere to be found. Outside in the courtyard Jack’s car is gone and Kieran takes a few deep breaths to calm down. He doesn’t really know what he’s going to say to Jack, anyway. He carries on walking out of the courtyard and heads across the drive into the gardens. Finding a stone bench he sits down hard and puts his head in his hands.

  He sits there in the cold for a while before rubbing his face and staring out at the lawn which stretches down towards the river. What is he doing? He has no right to tell Jack to leave Mollie alone. He’s with Serena and he doesn’t know how the hell he is supposed to get out of that situation.

  He had known since the second date that she wasn’t for him. Serena’s personality flaws were endless. The fourth time they met up they had spent several days together in Bulgaria, where she enjoyed some anonymity. It had been the first time they had actually left the house together. He had been shocked and found himself cringing at her rudeness to others. Incognito or not, she had an air about her. She seemed to think that other human beings were put on the earth merely to serve her. The way she speaks to people disturbs him; she angered him yesterday with her behaviour towards Angela. Serena had apologised to her before leaving for London, but it was hardly heartfelt.

  Her temper scares him, too. He had tried to finish with her a couple of months ago and that hadn’t ended well. Accompanied by ear-splitting screeching, she had simply started lobbing random objects at him - not unlike yesterday, in fact. It appeared that that kind of behaviour was becoming a habit. She had followed up with the inevitable tears, threatening all manner of harm to herself if he left her, so eventually he had agreed to stay with her and give it more time. He hadn’t really known what else to do.

  She had promised not to work so many hours and to spend more time with him. The opposite of what he actually wanted.

  Of course it never happened; Serena was a law unto herself. As soon as she had him back on the hook she reverted to type as if nothing had happened.

  Kieran hadn’t bothered to get out of the relationship again. It wasn’t that important to him. The sex was great when they met up and he only had to see her once a month anyway.

  Serena wasn’t one for keeping in touch, though she expected him to be available when she was. It really was a one way relationship which, for the last few months, hadn’t been that much of a problem as it sort of suited his lifestyle. He could deal with her tantrums... but now there was Mollie.

  Kieran decided he wanted out of his relationship with Serena for good. He had hoped quietly that she would get bored of him and do the dumping but that hadn’t happened. In fact, she seemed more determined than ever. She had even mentioned marriage and babies, which was disturbing to say the least, especially considering that they had only actually seen each other seven or eight times in total since February. They weren’t exactly Posh and Becks.

  So now he was paying for his cowardice. He should have stuck to his guns and binned her off. He should have taken his chance yesterday - would he get another?

  He had zero chance of getting together with Mollie if he didn’t get rid of Serena, leaving the field wide open for Jack and his extravagant gifts.

  He briefly thought that Mollie would surely tell Jack to stick the presents, but she hadn’t, had she? She had kept the flowers, but would she keep the car? Kieran could only assume that she would. What girl wouldn’t want to accept a gift of that enormity and Jack was hardly a munter. Kieran liked to think that Mollie would return the car. He didn’t have her pegged as that type of girl, but how could you tell?

  Jack had also invited Mollie and her family to the dinner party on Saturday, which was just great. An entire evening watching Jack drool over Mollie, how the hell was he going to cope with that?

  He needed to speak to her about the job as well and that was the reason for his phone call today. The rest of the staff will be returning on Monday and he could do with Mollie picking up where she’d left off. He has put together a good proposal for her but maybe that isn’t enough. He thinks it may need something else.

  He’s supposed to be u
p in Leeds on Tuesday, his mother is off to Paris and Jack is useless at that sort of thing. Megan works in their main office and she has enough to do. If he can’t get Mollie to reconsider, his plans for keeping the Hall as a home would be under threat. It could take months to find a suitable replacement for her. Bloody Hell, what a mess!

  Chapter 25

  After the phone conversation with Jack, Mollie leaves the house informing her over- excited parents that they had better get a grip on themselves and that they would all need to go shopping. Lindy starts shrieking and jumping around again. Mollie decides enough is enough, as they are driving her daft. She decides to get away from them and to visit Lou, not that she is expecting any less exuberant behaviour from her. As she shoots down the drive she says over her shoulder, “I’m off to Lou’s. You had better let Dan and Julie know.”

  Lou is diving around her kitchen, Lindy style, whilst Mollie sips her tea and waits for her to calm down. Eventually she stops and, planting both hands on the breakfast bar, she gazes in wonder at Mollie. “This is unbelievable, can you believe this?” she asks breathlessly as she shakes her head in disbelief.

  “I can, yes. I’ve already met her,” Mollie says in a bored tone.

  “What?” Lou shrieks at her, causing Mollie to wince at the volume.

  “What do you mean, you’ve already met her? When? Why didn’t you tell me? Jesus Mollie, I can’t believe it.” Lou stares at her with wide eyes.

  “Sorry, I was sworn to secrecy. I met her at the Hall on Sunday. From the little I saw, she’s a bit of a bitch, to be honest..”

  Not strictly fair, she knows, as Serena had been led to believe that Mollie and Kieran were up to no good. Blimey what would she be like if she actually knew Mollie had snogged her boyfriend? Twice.

  “Don’t be daft, of course she’s a bitch. She’s a bloody superstar, isn’t she? Surely that’s a perk of the job,” Lou states matter of factly.

  Mollie shrugs, “I suppose so.”