If the Shoes Fit

by Pauline Lawless

  “You wouldn’t really like me to have breasts that huge, would you?” Niamh asked him, shocked and not a little hurt.

  “Why not? I think they’re great. Mind you, they don’t seem to be enough to keep Keith from straying. Word is that he is hanging around with an eighteen-year-old bimbo.” He turned his attention back to his television programme.

  “Oh, God! Poor Val. What will she do?” Niamh exclaimed, forgetting her own fears for the moment.

  Gavin was engrossed in his football again and didn’t hear her. Was it true what Gav had said? Had Keith really met somebody else? Poor Val! Where would she end up?

  Niamh went back up to the bedroom and, despite her concern for Val, she lifted her top and perused her breasts. They were small but nice and firm, despite the three kids. She was quite proud of them but were they not enough for Gav? Did he really want her to have massive boobs? Is that what he fancied in a woman? She would hate to change hers, as Val had. She hoped that he didn’t mean what he’d said. And she hoped it wasn’t true what Val had said about all men straying. Gav would never do that to her, would he?

  She pulled her top down and put her jacket on to go and collect the kids, worrying these things over in her head. Things were just beginning to go right for them. Six of her representatives had already got an order for her. She figured out that she’d earned about €400, in commission alone, this week. It was so exciting. She didn’t dare mention this to Gav. He’d be out spending it if he knew about it. No, she had great plans for this money.

  Firstly, she was going to clear off their debts. Once this was done, every penny would go into a savings account which she thought of as their “House Account”. She was meeting with the bank manager on Tuesday to set this up and would outline her plans to him then. She hoped he would see how determined she was to make a success of the business and realise her dream of owning their own home.

  New boobs indeed! Was Gav serious? Not a penny of this money would go on something as ridiculous as massive mammaries!

  Chapter 19

  Grace arrived at her office shortly before eight on Monday morning, feeling exhausted. Weekends were meant to be for resting but there was no rest where Massimo’s family were concerned. She loved them, each and every one, but there were just so many of them – uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, grandparents, not to mention his father, brothers, sisters and their families. They all descended on her, every weekend, and she found it utterly exhausting. The kids loved it, of course, and were spoiled rotten by everyone. Massimo was the eldest son and his father, Roberto, had moved in with them after his wife’s death so it was the natural gathering place for the family.

  The house was perfect for entertaining and they spent every weekend there. It was a beautiful villa, overlooking the sea, about twenty miles from Rome. They had a yacht moored in the harbour and Massimo loved to take all the men and children out in it after Mass on Sunday mornings. Then they would come back, ravenous for lunch, which was always a boisterous, happy, typically Italian family meal. Grace had a cook and a maid but she liked to do a lot of the preparation herself. By the time they all left on Sunday night she was ready to collapse into bed but instead had to lock up and face the drive back into the city, where they had a luxurious apartment.

  Up till now she had been able to take Mondays off but because of If the Shoes Fit, Monday looked set to become the busiest day of the week.

  She probably could have stayed home today as it was highly unlikely that any of the girls in Ireland would have an order after just one week in operation. However, this was her baby and she really wanted to prove to them all that it could be a success. Roberto had been very sceptical about it and it was only after Carlo had interceded for her and offered to run the Irish side of things, that he had given the go-ahead. Massimo didn’t really think it could be viable either but he was supportive of her, as always. She checked her emails anyway and to her delight, saw that Amber, Niamh, Rosie, Tessa and Lesley had all placed an order. And my God, they were good!

  She could hardly believe that Niamh had already signed up ten representatives and had twelve more lined up for the following week. What a star! I was right to put my faith in her. Nothing, of course, from Phoebe or Val but in fairness it was early days yet. However, if the others could manage it . . . !

  She wanted to ring them immediately and congratulate them but, realising that it was only 7 a.m. in Ireland, had to hold out for another two hours.

  When at last she rang, she could hear the pride in their voices as they told her how they had done it. She could feel their excitement and knew they were enjoying it. She was delighted with their enthusiasm and with what they had already planned for the coming week.

  She had Carlo with her and he spoke to each of the girls too.

  Grace couldn’t wait to tell Massimo and Roberto how well the first week had gone. They were both surprised but happy for her.

  “I thought I understood women,” Roberto said, shrugging his shoulders, “but I obviously underestimated you Irishwomen!” He smiled at her. He was as big a charmer as his two sons and must have broken lots of hearts in his youth. He still had an eye for the ladies and could flirt with the best of them even though he was in his late sixties.

  Amber was happier than she’d been for a long time. To her surprise, Pete had called and asked her out to dinner on Friday night.

  “I’d love to, but unfortunately I have a party that evening and I won’t be finished till nine thirty,” she’d explained.

  “Oh, that’s a pity,” he said, disappointment in his voice.

  Amber felt sorry for him. He was a sweetie. She’d been thinking about starting to date again, after Tessa’s little sermon. So why not with Pete? He was such a pet.

  “I could meet you for a quick drink then, if that’s okay with you,” she said.

  “Great,” Pete replied, his voice showing his delight. “Where’s your party?”

  “Here in Malahide. Is it too far for you to travel?”

  “Not at all,” he told her. “I’ll pick you up at nine forty-five, if you’ll give me your address.”

  She did so, thinking that a drink was better than going for dinner on a first date. If things didn’t go well, they wouldn’t have to spend hours together. She would see how things went over a couple of drinks first and she could always leave if they weren’t hitting it off.

  She was glad she’d agreed to meet him. Tessa was right. It was time to move on.

  She was busy arranging parties and had three lined up for this week and four for the next. It was unbelievably easy. Word of mouth was spreading and women she’d never met were ringing her, asking if they could have a party too. Luckily, she wasn’t restricted to her own area for parties. She was having them all over Dublin and had even had a call from a woman in Navan and one in Dundalk, for God’s sake! Ireland was her oyster.

  She realised that she was lucky she had the freedom to work every night if she chose. Her airline years had acclimatised her to unsociable hours, so it didn’t bother her. She felt sorry for poor Tessa who was getting a lot of grief from George. He was not happy with her working at night and was making her life miserable. As for Niamh, she had her own problems, with three small children and no one to support her, except her mother.

  She rang Niamh to congratulate her, after hearing from Grace that Niamh had recruited ten reps in the first week.

  “Good girl, I knew you would do it,” Amber told her.

  She could hear the happiness in Niamh’s voice. “Amber, this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me – well, after the kids and Gav, of course. You know what I mean . . .”

  “Of course I do. I feel the same way,” Amber assured her. “I’m sticking with parties. I don’t know if recruiting reps is for me.”

  “Oh, it is, Amber,” Niamh exclaimed, excitedly. “My reps are holding their own parties this week. It’s all business. Delegate – that’s my new word,” she laughed.

  “I never thoug
ht of it that way,” Amber mused, her interest piqued. “Maybe I’ll stick a few posters out. How is Val doing?”

  “Not great. Well, she had a bit of trouble with her boyfriend last week which held her up.”

  Amber could tell that Val had done nothing and Niamh was making excuses for her.

  “She came round to me yesterday and I drew up a plan for her,” Niamh continued. “I’m also going to go out with her when she starts interviewing.”

  “You’re too soft. Let her bloody well get off her arse and work, like you and I have had to!” Amber couldn’t help the outburst. Niamh was far too generous.

  “She will, I’m sure,” Niamh replied. “I really appreciate your call, Amber. It’s great to have friends to share things with.”

  “Speaking of sharing with friends,” Amber continued, “I was hoping the four of us could get together next Saturday evening. I’d like to have you all to supper. Can you make it? Tessa could pick you up on her way and you could get the DART home with Rosie. It should be fun.”

  “Gosh, Amber, I’d love to,” Niamh replied, delighted with the invitation. “Gav goes out every Saturday night so I’ll have to check and see if Mam can take the kids, but I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

  “I do hope she can,” Amber replied. “Let me know.”

  Poor kid, Amber thought. Her husband seems to do nothing to help her. You’d think her mother-in-law would be happy to baby-sit, seeing as how her selfish son won’t even give up one night to look after his own kids. Men!

  Niamh realised that Amber hadn’t mentioned Val or the others so she guessed it would be just their gang, as she thought of them. Ah, well, I’m not my sister’s keeper. I must warn Mam not to tell Val where I’m going. She’d be furious.

  Tessa was at her wits’ end. She was keen to follow up all the leads she’d received but George did not want her going out to work at night. She was feeling very frustrated because, when she did stay in, he barely said five words to her. She couldn’t see the point in suffering this fate every night when she could have been out building up her business.

  She’d done a big cook-in on Sunday, to make sure she had lots of home-cooked meals in the freezer, but still he wasn’t happy. She knew he would not be happy until she packed in this job. She decided that she’d rather pack in George and the way things were going that day wasn’t too far off.

  On Monday night she decided to make one last effort. Nervously, she sat down opposite him in the study.

  “George, I think we should sit down together and discuss our problems,” she said, her voice shaking.

  He looked up at her from above his glasses, as he lowered his newspaper. “There’s only one problem, as far as I’m concerned,” he said gruffly, “and that is you spending so much time on this silly job. Once you pack that in, I think our problem will be solved.” He went back to his newspaper and continued reading.

  She felt like grabbing the paper from his hands.

  “This attitude of yours shows me just how bad our problems are and I’m beginning to think they’re insurmountable,” Tessa retorted sharply. “I’m not willing to give up this ‘silly job’ as you call it. Why should I? You have your job and I don’t complain. I really think that we have to work this out.”

  “Well, you know my feelings,” he replied, closing his newspaper and standing up stiffly. “Now, I’ll say goodnight.” Turning on his heel, he left her.

  She looked sadly after him. She’d hoped, once, that they would be together forever but now she had her doubts. She could, of course, do just what he wanted and pack it in but she could never live with herself if she gave in to his bullying – for that was what it was – plain and simple bullying.

  She went up to bed much later, to find that he’d moved all his stuff into the guest room. Okay, George, so be it! She felt sad.

  Niamh was over the moon. Her meeting with the bank manager had gone even better than she’d expected. She’d seen the look of respect in his eyes when she told him what she was doing and her plans for the future. She’d presented him with her business plan and it had obviously impressed him. She rushed to her mother’s to tell her the good news.

  “Mam, I can’t believe it. He said that if I can prove to him, in the next six months, that I can earn enough to pay a mortgage, he’ll give me one,” she spoke rapidly, her eyes glowing. “All I have to do now is save every penny for the deposit. Imagine! Our own house!” She twirled her mother around the kitchen. “It’s like a dream. I feel like pinching myself,” she laughed excitedly.

  “You deserve every bit of it, love.” Eileen hugged her, delighted for her daughter and proud of her determination. God knows, she’d need lots of it with that waster, Gavin, contributing nothing. She knew things had got even more difficult for Niamh with that witch Bridget, since she’d started this job. Please God, she’d be able to get out of there soon.

  Chapter 20

  Pete was late for his meeting with his old friend Tim, who happened to be Grace’s brother. Tim sat waiting for him in McDaid’s, an old haunt of theirs since their student days in Trinity College. They’d been best friends since the age of seven when Tim’s family had moved in next door to Pete’s. Although they didn’t meet as often since Tim had married Lucy, they still kept in touch. Tim wished Pete would get married and settle down but he knew there were two chances of that: slim and none.

  Lucy refused to invite Pete to their dinner parties any more since the time he’d seduced a married friend of hers who, convinced she was in love, had left her husband for him. It hadn’t lasted, of course, and now the poor girl was alone and very bitter. As a result, Pete was barred whenever there would be women present although they often invited him on his own or to guys-only nights.

  From his teenage years, Tim had been envious of the way Pete could manipulate women and have them eating out of his hand. Pete’s mother and five sisters, Tim’s own mother and his sister Grace, the teachers at school, and just about every girl who’d crossed his path since, had fallen for his charm. When Tim had met Lucy he’d been terrified of introducing her to his friend, scared that she’d succumb to his charm too but, thank God, Lucy was one of the few women who resisted Pete and had remained immune to him.

  Tim had just taken a slug of his Guinness, licking the froth off his upper lip, when he saw Pete coming into the bar.

  “Hey, buddy, how are you?” Pete grinned, giving him a high-five.

  “Great altogether. And you? How has my sister been treating you?” Tim asked, signalling to the barman to bring the other Guinness.

  “Hell, Tim. If you’d told me that Grace had so many gorgeous women working for her, I’d never have hesitated for a second to take the job. I owe you, buddy.”

  “Oh no,” Tim groaned. “You’re not hitting on her girls already?”

  “You should see them! Even you would be tempted.”

  “No way, man! I’m happy with my lady,” Tim grinned, paying the barman for the pint he put in front of Pete.

  “They are simply gorgeous,” Pete told him, taking a long slug of the cool Guinness with a sigh of pleasure. “I’ve been out with one of them – Lesley – but each one is more fabulous than the next. I’m spoilt for choice!” Pete smiled his charming boyish smile, full of enthusiasm.

  Tim couldn’t fathom it. Pete was in his mid thirties now and he still had women of all ages eating out of his hand. Now it looked like Grace’s women were joining the throng. Grace herself had had a major crush on Pete as a teenager. Thank God she’d got over it fairly quickly and was now happily married in Italy. Tim wondered whether he’d done the right thing, suggesting Pete to Grace when she had asked about a good accountant.

  “So who’s this girl and what’s she like?” Tim was curious.

  “Lesley is amazing,” said Pete, grinning at his friend. “She has the face of an angel and the body of a sex goddess. What more could a man ask for?”

  “But what’s she like – as a person?” Tim wanted to know.

&
nbsp; “Strange, actually,” Pete replied, his brow puckering up as he considered her. “She looks like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth but behind it she’s as cold as steel. She knows what she wants and she goes out and takes it. A bit scary, actually, but fascinating too.”

  “Uh, oh,” Tim warned. “Remember Fatal Attraction? Be careful, Pete!”

  Pete blanched a little at the memory of the film that Tim had insisted he watch.

  “Is she married?” Tim asked, aware that Pete had the morals of a rabbit.

  “Well, yes, but not happily,” Pete replied, his blue eyes sincere.

  “God, Pete, you’re priceless,” Tim laughed. “Are you never going to grow up and settle down?”

  “Why?” Pete asked, innocently. “I’ve plenty of time.”

  “You’re thirty-six-bloody-years-old, that’s why! It’s more than time, though God help the poor girl that gets you.”

  “Well, Lesley is most definitely not wife material – more the sexy mistress type,” he laughed. “But I do have a date with another girl, Amber, for this Friday night and she is much more wife material. You’d like her.”

  Tim raised his eyes to heaven. “You’re impossible.”

  “I know,” Pete agreed with him sheepishly and Tim laughed, not able to be serious with him for very long.

  Amber had come up with a brilliant idea. She’d decided that, as it was coming up to Christmas, she would contact all her male ex-colleagues and suggest that they might surprise their wives with a beautiful pair of shoes for Christmas. All those guys who’d constantly asked her advice on buying presents for their wives. Hell, she’d often gone herself and bought the gifts for them. She could just imagine their wives’ delight on Christmas morning, to find a beautiful pair of designer shoes under the tree instead of the usual red or black frilly underwear, which was what men, everywhere, thought women wanted. Yes, what a good idea. Why, she might even target all the men of Ireland!