Clara Bounces Back

by Lacey London

  ‘Anyway, I didn’t come here to get drunk and dance on tables…’

  ‘Stelios does!’ Janie teases, winking cheekily and pointing to the dining table. ‘He can dance all night long.’

  Swallowing repeatedly, I suddenly feel a little uneasy about what I am about to say.

  ‘Janie, I have to ask you something and I don’t want you to respond until I have finished talking.’ Pausing for a moment, my gaze lands on the bottle of raki. ‘Could I have another one of those, please?’

  Clearly sensing that she isn’t going to like what I have to say, Janie pours me a strong measure and leans back in her bean bag. The clear liquid burns as it races down my windpipe, before crashing into my stomach like fire.

  ‘Today, we agreed to throw in the towel at Suave. We are officially walking away…’

  Janie frowns as she stares back at me, not saying a word.

  ‘As it stands, Owen will be informed tomorrow morning of our decision. At that point, there will be no going back.’ I take a deep breath and focus on a single red rose that is in the centre of the table. ‘As I’m sure you are aware, Stelios paid us a visit yesterday and declared that he could not work with us as he has entered into a relationship with you.’

  Janie’s expression freezes as she studies my face carefully. ‘I was not aware of that.’

  ‘You weren’t?’ I mumble, a little thrown by her revelation.

  She shakes her head slowly and looks down at the bottle of raki.

  ‘Well, he has. It turns out that despite Stelios admitting the deal was too good to turn down, he never has and never will mix business with pleasure.’ Pausing to assess her reaction, I lick my lips before continuing. ‘He went on to say that if his circumstances were to change, he would be willing to sign with us…’

  There’s an awkward silence that makes my stomach churn, before Janie finally speaks up.

  ‘What exactly are you asking of me?’ She says, her voice suddenly serious.

  Throwing all tact over the balcony, I remind myself of exactly what is at stake here. ‘The company needs this deal, Janie. Without it, we will have no choice but to walk away. We will lose our jobs, our investments, everything.’

  Not saying a word, she takes the bottle of raki and slowly peels off the label.

  ‘You’ve only known him for one week.’ I press, realising that I’m being incredibly bold. ‘It’s just seven days…’

  ‘Do you know what it’s like to be alone, Clara?’ Janie asks, taking the rose and holding it against her lips.

  Shaking my head in response, I look down at my wedding ring guiltily.

  ‘To be truly alone is absolutely awful and I’m not talking about the odd night here and there.’ Staring at me intently, Janie runs her fingers over the red petals. ‘To feel as though you have nothing and no one in the world is a feeling so terrible, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.’

  ‘But you’re not alone.’ I protest weakly, forcing myself to smile. ‘You have us…’

  ‘I only have you because you have to have me.’ Janie interrupts, laughing lightly. ‘If it wasn’t for me being family, neither you or Oliver would want me around. I know it and you know it.’

  I try to deny that what she’s saying isn’t true, but she brushes off my protests. The truth is, Janie is bloody hard work. I love her dearly, we all do, but she doesn’t always make it easy.

  ‘When we went walking with Pumpkin last week and you asked if I wanted to share my life with someone, I replied no, but my heart was screaming yes. I’ve built up a wall to hide the reality of who I really am. I know I’m a handful, I know I’m rude and I also know that it would take someone very special to see beyond that.’ She places the rose back onto the table and pours another glass of raki. ‘I came to terms with the fact that I would most likely live the rest of my life alone a long time ago. I didn’t believe there was a single person out there who would have me in their life, for no other reason other than they actually liked me for me.’

  Tears prick at the corners of my eyes and I discreetly brush them away. Completely lost for words, I look to the left and stare into the distance, hating myself for coming over here.

  Just as I am willing the ground to swallow me up, a pair of beautiful orange butterflies land on the balcony railing, before dancing around one another by the rose on the table. Their wings flutter delicately as they glide together in an almost magical fashion. Mesmerised by their amorous display, I tear my eyes away as Janie’s voice starts to break.

  ‘Are you really asking me to walk away from what is probably my last chance of finding love?’

  Unable to bring myself to answer, I look away and shrug my shoulders ashamedly.

  ‘And if so, what would I actually be giving it up for? Money?’

  Realising how awful it was of me to come to Janie with this request, I hang my head in shame as mortification consumes me.

  ‘Just remember that I didn’t ask for any of this. You pushed me into it and despite my initial reservations, I tried to help.’ Janie looks down at her bare ring finger and sighs. ‘This may be selfish, but I don’t want to risk spending the rest of my life alone. I’ve stumbled across a man who is perfect in every way and unbelievably, he thinks I am perfect, too.’

  A tiny ladybug lands on the back of my arm and I cup my spare hand around it to shield it from the wind.

  ‘It’s not selfish. It was selfish of me to even ask.’ Too embarrassed to look her in the eye, I keep my gaze fixed on the ladybug and watch it crawl along my arm.

  ‘I’m genuinely sorry about Suave, Clara, but I can’t walk away from Stelios. I just can’t.’ Janie announces, sticking out her chin defiantly. ‘Maybe things will work out with him, maybe they won’t. All I know is that I’ve been thrown another chance at love and no amount of Rémy Martin would make me throw that away.’

  Giving her a tiny nod in response, I look down at the ladybug as Janie pushes herself up and disappears inside the apartment, leaving me on the balcony alone.

  How could I have asked that of her? Who am I to stand in the path of a possible romance? It’s true that desperation makes us do crazy things, but asking someone to put cold hard cash over a chance of everlasting happiness is a low blow.

  The dancing butterflies make a return and land effortlessly on the railing beside me. Holding up the ladybug, I watch in silence as she raises her wings and smoothly flies away, swiftly followed by the butterflies. Watching the three of them glide into the distance, I feel my heart fill with hope. Janie is right to stand by Stelios. The day that money defeats the love between two human beings will be a very sad day for the world. We can always make more money, there will always be other jobs, but true love comes but once in a lifetime.

  Tipping back my head, I inhale deeply as a warm breeze rushes through my hair. The past six months of our lives won’t go down as a failure, they will simply be part of a chapter that we very sadly have to move on from. Just like with all the others, we take with us the good and leave behind the rest.

  Reaching for the rose, I hold it to my nose and smile happily. When the cards were down, Janie did the right thing and deep down I feel immensely proud of her. Love can bring things into your life that no amount of money could ever obtain.

  Love will always triumph over money…

  Chapter 32

  ‘Here we are…’ Lianna says sadly, trying to raise a smile as she stabs a piece of bacon with her fork. ‘The last supper!’

  Recognising that I’m on the verge of tears, I focus on eating my eggs and smile back at her.

  ‘How’s your breakfast?’ I ask Oliver, who is tucking into his toast like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

  ‘Delicious.’ He replies, between mouthfuls of food. ‘I’m gonna miss working near this place. Who knows where my next job is going to be?’

  Looking around the booth, I feel a lump form in my throat as I’m reminded of why we’re all here. Despite everyone being terribly sad about what we’re about t
o do, Marc surprised us with a breakfast fit for a king. In a very touching gesture, he had arranged for our favourite booths at The Bistro to be decorated with balloons, bunting and party poppers. Although, it did take some explaining to the waitress. I don’t think they’ve ever had a we’re folding our business party before.

  As eccentric as this breakfast might seem, Marc wanted to see Suave off in the fabulous fashion that it deserves and I couldn’t have planned anything better myself.

  ‘Alright, guys.’ Marc says suddenly, standing up at the far end of the booth and tapping his fork against his glass. ‘For one final time, please can I have your attention?’

  ‘You’re going to miss saying that, aren’t you?’ Lianna teases, resting her head on Vernon’s shoulder.

  The group erupts into laughter as Marc reluctantly agrees.

  ‘I can’t deny that I’m going to miss bossing you lot around, but I’m going to miss Suave even more…’

  Taking my napkin, I fold it into a tiny square as Marc continues with his speech.

  ‘As you all know, I was Suave’s original employee. I saw the business grow from a tiny family-owned company, to the enormous establishment it was at the height of its popularity. Suave has meant so much to me and it genuinely pains me massively to have to do this, but alas, we have been left with no choice.’

  I nod back at him as Oliver rests his hand on my knee.

  ‘So, before I lose it and cry into my Manager of the Year award, I would like to ask you all to raise your glasses to the best company that ever was. To Suave!’

  ‘To Suave!’ We all repeat in unison, raising our glasses.

  Taking a sip of my orange juice, I notice a tear slip down Lianna’s cheek. Not wanting us to erupt into hysterics before we have done the deed with Owen, I grab a party popper from the table and pull on the string. Hugh lets out a girly squeal as he is showered with confetti, before picking up his own party popper and firing it back at me.

  Within a matter of seconds, the rest of the guys take their poppers and the booth erupts into a volcano of laughter and glitter. Listening to the cheers of my best friends, I take a deep breath and smile to myself. The people around this table are connections to the past, a road to the future and a glimmer of hope in a world that can sometimes seem so unfair.

  We might not always end up where we originally thought, but with fabulous friends by your side, you can be happy wherever life takes you…

  * * *

  Waiting for Owen to shake off his coat, the six of us stand in front of him awkwardly. This is it. This is where it all ends.

  ‘So, I take it you have something to tell me?’ Owen says confidently, looking around the room with a strange expression on his face.

  ‘We do.’ Sounding strangely calm, Marc speaks on behalf of the group. ‘And I think you’re aware of what we’re about to say.’

  Owen narrows his eyes and nods slowly, not breathing a word as Marc rubs his head before speaking.

  ‘Before I go on, we want you to know that we have thought about this long and hard. Please understand that it has taken a lot of consideration to come to this decision…’ Looking around the group for support, Marc takes a few seconds to steady his nerves. ‘We are all in agreement that it is time to walk away from Suave.’

  A confused look washes over Owen’s face and he sits up straight at his desk.

  ‘We tried, Owen.’ Marc explains, taking a step towards him. ‘We poured our hearts and souls into making this work, but we failed and we couldn’t be sorrier about it.’

  Reaching for Lianna’s hand, I clutch it tightly to stop myself from crying.

  ‘We will all be eternally grateful that you trusted us with such a monumental investment and we can only hope and pray this doesn’t affect our friendship.’

  My eyes flit back to Owen and I notice he still hasn’t said a word.

  ‘We’re so sorry, Owen.’ I add, my voice squeaky with emotion. ‘I can’t tell you how much we wanted this to work.’

  The others mumble in agreement as we eagerly await his response. Seemingly deep in thought, Owen leans forward and raises his eyebrows.

  ‘Wow…’ He remarks, tapping his pen against the desk. ‘I can’t tell you how interesting I find this conversation, because I had a rather intriguing phone call this morning from a gentleman named Ralph.’

  Ralph? I repeat silently, not having a clue what he is talking about.

  ‘He was acting on behalf of a man named…’ Reaching into his briefcase, Owen pulls out a huge stack of papers and lets them fall onto the desk with a bang. ‘Stelios Christopoulos.’

  ‘Stelios?’ Marc whispers, more confused than ever.

  Owen pushes the paperwork towards Marc and watches as he squints at the text. Not wasting a second, the rest of us gather around him and try to read the script over his shoulder.

  ‘It’s… it’s the contract we proposed.’ Clearly as shocked as the rest of us, Marc holds up the documents.

  ‘It is.’ Owen confirms, a slight smile playing on his lips. ‘Mr Christopoulos signed this morning.’

  An adrenaline-fuelled energy buzzes around the office as we all turn to one another in surprise.

  ‘I don’t know how you pulled this off and I don’t think I want to.’ Owen continues, passing over yet more papers. ‘But this will go down as the biggest deal in Suave history…’

  My pulse races as I take a sheet of paper from Marc and read the tiny font. The words seem to blur into one indecipherable mess as I try to make sense of the tangled text. Not only has Stelios signed, he’s also sent an outline of his vision for the collaboration and the designs are incredible.

  Dozens of rough sketches jump out of the page, creating a dazzling display of beautiful shoes and amazing handbags. From stilettos with matching clutch bags to ankle boots with a corresponding satchel. The panache of Suave’s contemporary theme has been melted into the iconic style of Ianthe seamlessly and the result is breath-taking.

  Passing one of the sheets to Hugh, I notice an embroidered red rose in the place of Ianthe’s iconic violet flower logo. Moving my gaze to the brief, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end with excitement.

  ‘…The collaboration shall be focused around the colour red. Signalling passion, lust and love…

  …Each piece shall be emblazoned with the limited edition rose logo…

  …The range shall be offered in an exclusive presentation box…

  …The proposed collaboration shall be sold exclusively via Suave and Ianthe…’

  ‘This blasts the Giulia Romano deal out of the water.’ Owen says, snapping me back to attention. ‘So, could you please enlighten me as to why you’re all ready to walk away, when we’re about to launch one of the biggest collaborations the industry has ever seen?’

  Completely flummoxed, I look up at Oliver as he stares back at me with a silly grin plastered across his face.

  ‘He said… he said he couldn’t work with us.’ Marc stammers, looking over the papers for the second time. ‘He said that…’

  ‘Well, regardless of what he said and what you did, the deal is done. The contract is signed!’ Owen laughs and loosens his tie. ‘I should have trusted you guys. The odds were massively stacked against you, but you did it! Well done! You should be very proud of yourselves.’

  I look around my circle of friends and feel a whole range of emotions running through my veins. A laugh escapes my lips and before long, the rest of the others join in. My stomach throbs as all the stress and worry that has been building over the past six months leave my body, until all that is left is sheer joy. We’ve done it! I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but we did!

  Right on cue, the lift doors ping open and footsteps clack along the lobby. Straining my neck, my heart races as Stelios and Janie walk into the office arm in arm. Both smiling happily, they whisper into each other’s ears as they come to a stop in front of us.

  ‘Stelios!’ Marc gushes, dropping the paperwork to the groun
d and jumping over the falling sheets. ‘Thank you. Thank you so much!’

  Taking a step back as Stelios rejoices with Marc and the others, Janie flashes me a wink. Unable to contain myself, I run across the room and throw my arms around her.

  ‘How? How did you do it?’ I whisper, as she embraces me warmly. ‘Was it the promise of Rémy Martin?’

  Shaking her head, Janie looks over at Stelios as he beams back at her proudly.

  ‘It turns out that some people are worth breaking the rules for…’

  Sometimes in life, you have to break the rules to lead you to where you need to be…

  To be continued…

  Follow Lacey London on Twitter

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  Have you read the other books in the Clara Andrews series?

  The Clara Andrews Series

  Meet Clara Andrews

  Clara Meets the Parents

  Meet Clara Morgan

  Clara at Christmas

  Meet Baby Morgan

  Clara in the Caribbean

  Clara in America

  Clara in the Middle

  Clara’s Last Christmas

  DISCOVER THE CLARA SERIES UK

  DISCOVER THE CLARA SERIES US

  Meet Clara Andrews

  Book 1

  Meet Clara Andrews... Your new best friend!

  With a love of cocktails and wine, a fantastic job in the fashion industry and the world’s greatest best friends, Clara Andrews thought she had it all.

  That is until a chance meeting introduces her to Oliver, a devastatingly handsome American designer. Trying to keep the focus on her work, Clara finds her heart stolen by Michelin starred restaurants and luxury hotels.