If the Shoes Fit

by Pauline Lawless

  “Ouch!” Niamh cried out. Laughing was painful but she’d laughed more in the past few days than ever before.

  Something had subtly changed between Niamh and Gavin since her accident. It was as if he felt he was getting a second chance. He’d almost lost her and it had brought it home to him just how much he loved her. He couldn’t do enough for her and watched over her as tenderly as if she were a china doll. He hadn’t been out with his mates since she’d come home from the hospital.

  “Gav, why don’t you take a break and go out with the guys?” she’d suggested.

  “I don’t want to go out,” he’d replied, kissing her in between each of the words, “I-prefer-to-be-with-you. I-love-you.”

  He had also cancelled the trip to Manchester to see Man. United play. Niamh urged him to go, saying that Eileen would look after things while he was away but he was adamant.

  “I’m not leaving you, and that’s that,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I can go see them another time, when you’re better.” This, to Niamh was the biggest declaration of love he could ever have made.

  The accident had changed Niamh’s perspective also. When it finally hit her just how lucky she was to have survived, she realised what really mattered most to her – Gav and the kids – that was it! She kept them close to her and suffered their hugs and kisses, despite the pain it caused. She was so lucky. Somebody up there loved her. She’d even started praying to St Jude, thanking him!

  “Cooeee, I’m home!” Amber cried as she turned her key in the lock. Tessa jumped up off the couch and ran excitedly to meet her, hair flying behind her. Amber had one foot against the door as she tried to pull her case in, a huge bouquet of flowers in her other hand. Tessa grabbed the flowers before they met an untimely death, as pealing with laughter Amber finally got herself inside the door.

  “How I missed you!” Tessa said, hugging her, then standing back to look at her friend. “Good God, girl, you look fantastic. I’d like some of whatever it is you’re on,” she exclaimed. She had never seen Amber look so radiant. Her glowing tanned skin couldn’t match the glow in her eyes. She was vibrant and exhilarated and for a moment Tessa wondered if she was high on something.

  “Whatever it is, I want the secret,” she said, leading the way into the living-room.

  “Love,” Amber replied, almost causing Tessa to drop the beautiful bouquet of roses.

  “Oh no!” Tessa cried, fearing that Amber had reunited with her ex-husband. “Not Dermot again!”

  “That pompous asshole?” Amber snorted, making a puke-like sound. “No, it’s Luke,” she announced, beaming broadly.

  This time Tessa did drop the bouquet. Nothing could have surprised her more.

  “Luke?” she asked, stupidly. “What happened to Dermot?”

  “Go open a bottle of wine – no, make that champagne – and I’ll tell you the whole story,” Amber told her dumb-founded friend.

  Tessa’s eyes opened wide as Amber told her everything and they toasted each other at every new revelation. When Amber told her how she’d walked out on Dermot, Tessa convulsed with laughter.

  “I’d love to have seen his face, at that moment,” she squeaked through her laughs. “It must have been priceless.”

  “Believe me, it was,” Amber told her. “I’ve never had so much satisfaction in my life.”

  “And Luke,” Tessa exclaimed. “I’m shocked.”

  “Not as shocked as I am, believe me,” Amber smiled, remembering the last few wonderful days that she’d spent with him. “It’s wonderful. Being with him is so easy and relaxing – just what I need!”

  “What about va-va-voom?” Tessa asked. “Is that there? Does he make your heart pound when you see him?”

  “Oh yes,” Amber replied. “He maybe hasn’t as much va-va-voom as Carlo, but he has more than enough of it for me.”

  She smiled again and Tessa thought how wonderful love was, to have this effect on someone. Amber looked radiant – lit up from within.

  “I take it that’s curtains for Carlo, then?” Tessa asked.

  “’Fraid so,” Amber grinned wickedly, “which leaves the coast clear for you to do a seduction number on him.” She poked her friend in the arm.

  “I’m afraid I’m not the seducing type,” Tessa sighed.

  She then told Amber all about her Christmas and New Year and it was after midnight when they finally crept into bed, Amber to dream of Luke and Tessa to wish she had someone special too.

  Chapter 45

  Rosie felt that her life was getting back on track also. It had been wonderful to have David home for Christmas. For the New Year he had suggested they go down to Clare to visit her family. She hadn’t been back there since Jack’s death but, with David by her side, it wasn’t too difficult and she’d had a lovely time. She’d almost forgotten how beautiful it was there and enjoyed walking the empty beaches and the Burren. And of course the Irish music, which one heard everywhere, took her back to her wonderful youth. More than anything it was the warmth of the people she met that made her feel whole again. It was quite invigorating and she left with regret, thinking that it was a much nicer place to live than Dublin. Her two sisters and two brothers were sad to see her leave but she promised she’d come back soon.

  The following day, with tears in her eyes, she saw David off at Dublin Airport but not before he’d extracted a promise from her to visit him in Australia, the following Christmas. I’ll go, Jack, I promise, she said, looking heavenward as she drove home alone.

  Val was furious with Lesley, who hadn’t returned any of her calls. When she did finally get her on the phone, Lesley was very brusque with her. Some friend she was turning out to be! She knew Lesley was living with Pete now and Val wanted to retrieve the DVDs that she’d lent her.

  Furious with Lesley, she decided to ring Lesley’s old home to see if she could get them back. Paul, Lesley’s husband, answered the phone to her.

  “Yeah sure,” he’d replied to her request. “Come and get them and you can take her whole bloody collection for all I care.” He gave her the address and directions.

  Val went out there the next evening and was pleasantly surprised by how nice Paul was. Having listened to Lesley’s description of him, she’d expected a moron. She picked out her DVDs and took a few others that she quite fancied as well.

  “Hey, do you want her CDs as well? They’re in my way and she sure as hell ain’t comin’ back for them.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Val said, greedily rummaging through the vast collection.

  He poured them both a beer and they chatted happily as she looked through the CDs. She admired his tattoos – he had quite an imposing collection of them on his body – and by the time they got around to showing all of their intimate tattoos to one another . . . well . . . one thing led to another and they ended up naked, having sex. Val thought he was really cool and it gave her an added thrill to be with Lesley’s ex. Lesley didn’t want him but she sure as hell wouldn’t have wanted Val to have him either. She chuckled at the thought of Lesley’s face when she would break the news to her.

  She stayed with him for three days and they hit it off wonderfully. Boxer had been giving her a hard time lately, pushing her back to work. She’d go back when she was good and ready. In the meantime, he was probably doing his nut, wondering where the hell she was. Serve him right!

  Val did not want to go back to work in Hot Bods. Somehow, since Niamh’s accident, she’d lost her confidence. She felt very alone so Paul’s attention was making her feel better about herself. He was very nice which surprised Val. Listening to Lesley anyone would have thought he was a complete nerd. When Val confided her predicament to him and how she dreaded going back to Boxer and Hot Bods, he’d said, “Why don’t you move in here? I could do with someone to look after me. I can’t iron a shirt or cook to save my life!”

  Val didn’t need a second invitation. She moved her stuff in the very next day. The fact that she couldn’t cook or iron a shirt either d
idn’t bother her. Paul would find out soon enough but in the meantime she had somewhere to stay again and someone who liked her, for herself.

  Amber was surprised to get a phone call from Carlo.

  “I’m sorry for calling during the holidays but it’s quite urgent that I meet with you as soon as possible,” he told her.

  “Fine,” she replied, wondering what on earth could be so urgent.

  “Is tomorrow morning too soon?” he asked.

  “No, that’s okay. What time?”

  “Ten, in the Merrion?”

  “Okay.”

  “Thanks, Amber. See you then.”

  Carlo rang Tessa two minutes later and asked the same question. She was as intrigued as Amber.

  “I’m sorry for the short notice,” he said, “but it is important. Twelve noon tomorrow okay for you?”

  “Sure. Great,” Tessa replied loving the sound of his deep Italian voice but mystified as to why he wanted to see her so urgently.

  Amber met up with Carlo the next morning and he greeted her warmly.

  “You look wonderful, my dear,” he said, kissing her hand. “Radiant, in fact,” he added, causing her to blush bright red. She felt a little guilty at the way she’d treated him. But it was all water under the bridge, she told herself. She was happy now and Luke was right for her. She just knew it in her heart.

  “Well, Amber,” he said, “Grace and I have done a lot of thinking over the Christmas break, and we’ve come to the conclusion that, as the business has grown far faster than we’d anticipated, I can’t possibly run it alone.”

  She wondered why he was telling her this.

  “And . . .” he hesitated, smiling at her, “we’ve decided that you would be the best person to take over as Regional Manager, with responsibility for the Dublin area.” He laughed at the incredulous look on her face.

  “Oh, my! I don’t know what to say,” she stammered. “I’m very honoured that you chose me . . . but what would it entail?”

  “Well, you’d be running the business here in Dublin and perhaps further afield in Leinster, as we get more established. You would be in charge of all the managers, recruiting, training, orders, and of course, liasing with us in Rome.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “We want to expand into the rest of Ireland as soon as possible. There is incredible potential here and we want to tap into it before someone else does. I’ll be very involved with that and will have no time to be here in Dublin.”

  “This sounds so exciting,” she said breathlessly, “but very challenging.”

  “Yes, indeed,” he replied, “but both Grace and I feel you’ll be more than up to that challenge.”

  He outlined the job specification for her and the hefty salary and expenses that went with it. She could hardly believe it.

  “This is quite a promotion for you,” he smiled. “Will you think about it and get back to me? As soon as possible.”

  “Wow! What can I say? Yes, of course I will.” She beamed at him. “Thank you for considering me, Carlo.”

  “It was no contest,” he smiled back at her. “I’ll be looking forward to your call.”

  Dazed, she left the room. She thought about it all the way home and by the time she got there, she had made up her mind. She rang Carlo immediately and accepted the position. She also rang Tessa who had just arrived at the Merrion for her meeting with him. Amber was so excited that the words came out in a jumble and she wasn’t making sense.

  “Hang on, hang on,” Tessa cried. “What’s all this about?”

  Amber told her what Carlo had offered her.

  “Congratulations! That’s fantastic,” Tessa said, delighted for her friend. “Does that mean I can have your area?”

  “God, you don’t let the grass grow under your feet,” Amber laughed. “I’ll have to think about that. It depends on how nice to me you are.”

  “Then I’ll have to ask him for it,” Tessa shot back. “Lord, but you’re going to be a much harder boss than Carlo,” she sighed. “I’d better run. It’s almost noon. I wonder what he wants with me?” Then she added thoughtfully, “Maybe it is to offer me your area.”

  Nothing could have prepared her for what he did offer her.

  “Contessa!” he greeted her, making her smile as he kissed her hand.

  Her heart beat a little faster as it always did when he was around. He’d obviously been somewhere sunny for Christmas as his skin was more tanned than ever and she noticed that his hair was longer too, brushing the collar of his jacket. It made him even sexier.

  “I feel like Santa Claus this week,” he smiled, and she relaxed a little.

  This couldn’t be anything bad, if he felt like Santa.

  “I want to talk to you about our advertising campaign,” he informed her. “We are growing at such a rate, not just here in Ireland, but our shoe empire worldwide and we need to step up our brochures and make them as glamorous and classy as our products.” He was looking at her intently.

  As always, she was mesmerised by his eyes and voice but she was wondering why he was telling her all this.

  “That’s where you come in,” he continued. “Grace and I think that you would be the perfect model for our shoes and bags and would like to offer you a contract for three years to model them exclusively for us.”

  Tessa was as stunned as Amber had been earlier in the day.

  “It would only mean three or four photo-shoots a year in Rome, of course, so you could keep on your business here. What do you think?”

  He looked at her with his large velvet brown eyes and there was no way she could refuse. His smile when she agreed was worth it.

  “If Amber is not going to be working her area any more, can I have some of it?” she asked.

  “You’re not wasting any time,” Carlo said, throwing back his head – in that manner that sent Tessa weak at the knees – and laughing with gusto. “How about joining me for lunch and we can discuss it? If you don’t have other plans, that is.”

  “No, no other plans,” she smiled at him.

  They had good fun over lunch, he teasing her unmercifully and she falling for it every time.

  “Actually, it will be up to Amber now to designate the areas,” he told her, as they finished their lunch. “But I imagine you’ll have no problem persuading her to give you another area.”

  “So you got me to have lunch with you under false pretences!” she cried, in mock horror.

  “Guilty,” he replied, holding his hands up in front of him. “I didn’t know how else I could have persuaded you to join me,” he said sheepishly.

  Tessa looked at his twinkling eyes, thinking – if only he knew! He only had to ask and she’d have lunch, dinner and breakfast the following morning with him, if he so wished. She cast her eyes down, knowing that she was blushing and not wanting him to know how she felt, when her phone rang.

  “Excuse me,” Tessa said, standing up to leave and take the call. “Hello?” she said into the phone. Then her eyes widened in horror as she listened. “Oh my God! Oh no!” She groped for the chair and sank down onto it and Carlo saw that she had gone deathly pale.

  “When? How bad is it?” she spoke in a whisper into the phone. “Oh God no!” she wailed. “I’m on my way.”

  She stood up but her legs wouldn’t hold her and she sank down again.

  “What is it?” Carlo asked, aware that something awful had happened.

  “It’s my father,” she whispered hoarsely. “That was the hospital. He collapsed and he’s unconscious. I have to go to him.”

  “I’ll take you,” he said. “You’re in no condition to drive.”

  “It’s in Galway,” Tessa said. “It’s too far for you to come.”

  “Nonsense,” Carlo said. “You’re shaking like a leaf, you couldn’t possibly drive.” He had his arm around her now. “Please let me help.”

  She realised that he was right. She couldn’t possibly drive in this state and she had to get to her father as quickly as possible.
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br />   “If you’re sure you don’t mind,” she said weakly, grateful for his strong presence.

  For the first part of the journey, Tessa hardly said a word. She sat wringing her hands and twisting a handkerchief till it was almost a rag. From time to time she sat crying silently and Carlo wanted to reach out and comfort her but he was driving so fast that he dare not take his hands from the wheel.

  Eventually, after they had passed Athlone, she slowly started to talk, quietly, as if to herself, blaming herself for not insisting that her father seek medical advice.

  Carlo tried to comfort her. “You couldn’t make him go if he didn’t want to,” he assured her. “You did try. If anyone is to blame it’s your stepmother.”

  “She only cares about herself,” Tessa said bitterly. She then told him about how demanding and selfish Claudia had always been, in contrast to the loving, caring person that was her father. He let her talk on, thinking that it would do her good to get it all out and take her mind off the fact that the father she obviously adored was now lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

  As they came to the outskirts of Galway city, he noticed the flashing blue light in his mirror and within minutes he was being pulled over by a police squad car.

  “Have you any idea what speed you’re doing, sir?” the burly young Garda asked him.

  Tessa leaned across Carlo, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears. “My father is unconscious in Calvary Hospital, Garda. I have to get to him as quickly as possible but we don’t know the way. Everything has changed so much since last I was here. Can you help us, please?”

  Carlo thought that there was not a man alive who would not be moved by her plea and this policeman was no exception.

  “Just follow me,” he ordered. “Stay right on my tail and I’ll take you there.” He was rewarded by a dazzling smile from Tessa.

  “Thank you so much,” she said. “I’ll never forget your kindness.”

  The young Garda blushed.

  Siren wailing, he pulled out and Carlo followed him closely, through red lights and traffic queues and in no time at all they were pulling up outside the hospital. Tessa jumped out and, waving goodbye to the Garda, ran to the main entrance, Carlo hot on her heels.