Sonia smiled with relief when she saw her son come back into the lounge twenty minutes later, dressed in his best suit and with a look on his face that suggested he may actually be able to enjoy the night. Maybe tonight, after all that had happened to poor Kate, the boys could put their problems with each other behind them and make a fresh start.
22
Guzzling down a cold glass of chardonnay, Tanya was feeling tipsy. It was her third glass and had already had two at home while getting ready. So far, things hadn’t been bad. The food was gorgeous, as always; the fresh lobster Tanya had ordered had been cooked to perfection. It was just a shame about the company. There was no big drama, no daggers being thrown, it was all very civilized, or should she say very fake. Tanya could see by Billy’s body language every time he answered Jay that he was struggling; to everyone else around the table, Billy smiled and looked like he was enjoying himself… but Tanya knew.
Jay was off his head. Tanya could see his pupils were dilated, and the guy had a real nervous energy. Constantly babbling on about crap, he had given Tanya the once over a few times. She knew the effect she had on men, especially weak ones like Jay, and he was good-looking. She glanced around to see if anyone else had spotted his leering. No-one had reacted to it, so she doubted that anyone else on the table had even noticed, especially Billy who had shown her absolutely no attention whatsoever. Fuck him, she thought, as she looked around the restaurant at the male eye candy.
The restaurant was packed, waiters wearing white gloves running around at everyone’s beck and call, sucking up to the rich businessmen that were dining their wives or mistresses. One table near the cocktail bar had caught her eye, there were five guys having a meal; by the way they were dressed and acting, Tanya guessed that it was a business dinner. One very hot, tall blonde man kept meeting her eye. Tanya smiled at him. That’s a bit more like it, she thought, maybe someone else in this room appreciates beauty.
“Tanya.” Billy nudged her. “Wake up, Sonia’s talking to you.”
Interrupting her thoughts of the tall blonde guy ripping off her lacy knickers with his teeth, Tanya blushed.
“Oh sorry, I was miles away… what did I miss?”
Sonia put her cutlery onto her now empty plate. She had had sea bass on a bed of lentils. She felt very out of place in this restaurant, where there were too many glasses and too much cutlery, and the main meal had been so small that her stomach grumbled for more. Still, the evening so far was going quite well, although she could tell that her son was on something, and this annoyed her, for once why couldn’t he just make the effort? He was fidgety and his eyes were like saucers, she hoped he could behave himself for the rest of the meal. She could see that Billy was trying really hard with Jay, really making an effort.
“I was just saying that I like your dress, honey,” Sonia smiled at the frosty-looking Tanya, “is it designer?”
Looking flattered that her beautiful dress had finally been noticed, Tanya nodded to indicate that it was; she didn’t bother giving Sonia the designer’s name, as by the look of what she was wearing, she probably wouldn’t have heard of him, much less appreciate the amount that the dress had cost, which had been charged to Billy’s credit card: the least he could do.
“Her dress designer? Of course it is. Probably had a designer price tag, too.” Billy looked at it now and had a feeling that his credit card had been given another bashing: Tanya had expensive taste.
Tanya bristled at his disapproving look.
“Well, it’s nice to make an effort sometimes, and for someone to actually pay me a compliment,” she threw back. She added a little chuckle, but the stiffness of her mouth indicated to everyone at the table that she was gritting her teeth.
Kate was having a lovely evening; it had gone much better than she had hoped. The food had been good; she was getting her appetite back, which was just as well as since she had lost the baby, she had lost so much weight that her clothes were loose. Billy was making an effort, she couldn’t believe that she was sitting between her brother and her boyfriend having a very lovely meal. She had had the toughest few weeks of her life. She had thought that nothing could come close to the pain of losing her mother, but this had. She was heartbroken and still in shock, she was finding it hard to take in the fact that she would never properly be a mother herself.
When the baby had died, so had Kate’s dream of her and Jay’s little family. But tonight was helping, she had never thought that Billy and Jay would be able to sit at a dinner table and share polite conversation and a meal. She appreciated what her brother was doing and was so grateful to have him supporting her the way he had the last few weeks, he had been a pillar of strength to her and she would have been lost without him. Things were finally going to be okay.
“Well everyone, I’ve got some news for you all.” She smiled, looking around the table. “I’ve got a bit of good news. I’ve got a new job, starting from Monday.”
She had been saving this news for the meal. She knew that the people around the table cared for her and worried about her, and she wanted to let them know that she was okay and moving on.
“Well done, babe.” Sonia beamed; she was glad that Kate was making plans for herself.
“Where?” asked Jay, barely hiding the fact that he was a bit miffed that Kate had left him in the dark about her plans; surely he should have been the first person that she told.
“You are now looking at Paul Goldie’s personal assistant.” Kate grinned, feeling proud that she was going to be able to stand on her own two feet. Hopefully Jay would see now that she didn’t want to live off him and his money, but earn her own. She was supposed to have started her job weeks ago but what with losing the baby and everything, it hadn’t happened. Paul had been good about it. She had rung him a few days after she had been discharged from hospital and explained why she hadn’t turned up on the original Monday that she was originally supposed to start. She had been completely honest with him, and had told him everything; she was surprised at how easy it was for her to talk to him. He had told her to take all the time she needed, and that there would be a job for her when she was ready. She had felt bad about lying to him in the first place, and she was glad that they now had a clean slate; work would be just what she needed to help put all of this behind her.
Jay went very quiet at the news. He decided not to say anything, but he was not a happy man. Paul had it in for him: what the hell was he playing at offering his bird a job?
Billy was happy enough: he respected Paul, he was a decent guy, and Kate need never find out that Paul had organised Jay’s beating. Knowing that Paul felt almost the same as he did about the guy made him feel better about the whole thing. A personal assistant: the guy must be moving up in the world; he chuckled to himself and raised his glass to everyone at the table.
“To Kate. Well done, little sister; you’ll do a cracking job for him. Knowing you, you’ll be running that place alongside him before long.”
Everyone smiled and chinked glasses. Looking over at Jay, Billy smirked, although it was obvious enough for only Jay to see it, and he did.