Take a Chance on Me

by Debbie Flint

  ‘Take your time, Bill,’ Simon interjected on the speakerphone.

  ‘Well, let’s just hope Mr Tremain doesn’t part with any cash before he realises the truth,’ said Sadie.

  ‘Let’s just hope he does,’ said Simon quietly, and indicated for her to end the call.

  ‘Good luck finding Peter,’ said Sadie. And she bid Bill Galloway goodbye and turned to look at a smiling Simon.

  ‘So what now?’

  ‘Sadie, I think this little twist in the saga may turn everything on its head once more.’

  ‘Of course,’ Sadie said, twiddling her hair, wide-eyed. ‘So, back to plan A or what?’

  ‘Or indeed C,’ said Simon, raising his eyebrows and seeming in no rush to tell her more as he cut himself a piece of pineapple. Sadie stopped waiting for him to speak and took out the note he’d left her that morning. She perused it, then read from it out loud.

  ‘You didn’t get hold of Mac, right? Cos it says here … valet confirmed he had left for an important event … erm … blah blah … But I may be able to broker an unexpected deal between you and Mr Tremain – a legal one. So what’s the unexpected, then? Who’s in charge now? Bill again? Does Mac know?’

  ‘The players may be changing but the deal is indeed still on the table,’ Simon replied, dramatically popping a piece of pineapple in his mouth.

  ‘Just who are you going to broker a deal with, Simon?’

  ‘Well, it may seem a little unbelievable, but … our deal is going to be tweaked to include someone I never thought we’d be doing business with in a million years.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Sadie asked.

  Simon’s phone bleeped and he looked at it and then said, ‘I think there’s somebody else who would rather explain all that,’ and he pulled back his chair, stood up, and looked over at the doorway.

  There, across the patio, stood Mac, holding his phone. Bold as brass, smiling, and looking fantastic in a white shirt and khaki shorts.

  Sadie’s heart stopped. It just stopped.

  ‘Mac,’ she whispered.

  ‘Sadie, good morning,’ said Mac, striding over with a spring in his step. He kissed her lightly on the cheek, dwelling just a little longer than normal.

  ‘Ahh, you’re just in time, Mac,’ said Simon, shaking hands warmly. ‘I was just about to update Sadie with the news about the newest NewCo,’ he added, looking pleased with himself at the wordplay. He was ignored by Mac, who only had eyes for Sadie. Simon smiled and went back to his pineapple.

  Mac sat down heavily in a chair and signalled to a waiter.

  ‘Kona coffee, please.’ Close up, he seemed a bit tired, but strangely at peace. There were shadows under his eyes but he looked a lot less stressed than when Sadie saw him last. Then again, her eyes had been filled with tears when she saw him last. She swallowed, trying to calm herself down.

  He was back. What did it mean?

  Mac sipped the coffee, which the waiter had brought him, taking his time. Simon seemed amused. Sadie was just about bursting, willing him to speak.

  ‘In the light of recent events it seems an opportunity has opened up.’ Mac took another slow sip, savouring the strong aroma as he swallowed his Americano.

  Sadie was just about falling off her chair in anticipation. Stay cool, Sadie, stay cool.

  ‘I am about to take on a business partner,’ Mac said.

  Sadie was all ears. From the way he was looking at her expectantly she felt urged to guess. Suddenly a light bulb came on.

  ‘Not … the dark side?’

  ‘Yes. One Philip Tremain. All thanks to Simon.’

  Simon raised an eyebrow as he dabbed the corner of his mouth with the crisp white linen napkin. He shrugged one shoulder as if to say ‘naturally’.

  Sadie was speechless. Whatever next.

  Mac continued. ‘When I left you last night, I just couldn’t leave. I had to take steps I probably should have taken years ago.’ Mac glanced at Simon, who raised his eyes skywards. ‘So we went to try to speak to Tremain. He’d just finished with Peter and was … surprised, shall we say, to hear from us.’

  ‘I’ll bet he was. Especially after the row you’d had yesterday morning at the plant.’

  ‘Ah, yes. Yesterday morning at the plant.’

  ‘You never did tell me what happened,’ Sadie said, quietly. He wasn’t her boss any more, so in for a penny. ‘What did happen, Mac?’

  ‘Yes, well, everything was kicking off and I didn’t like not being in control. I wanted to wait till I’d sorted it so I could just bring you good news.’ He touched her arm lightly. ‘Anyway, after I left you at the children’s home, I got the Galloways alone, and I told them that they were about to lose me if they didn’t act professionally. I threatened to walk away from the deal.’

  ‘Well, that worked. Not.’ She smiled.

  ‘Usually that works. But there’s a first time for everything.’ Mac didn’t look up at her, just sipped some more coffee. ‘It was a gamble. I hoped they’d see sense – they were due to hear our full presentation at the afternoon meeting. We were the best offer. With you on board it should have been a formality, a done deal. Signed and sealed Heads of Terms by teatime.’

  ‘So what went wrong?’ Sadie asked.

  ‘Peter Galloway had thrown a spanner in the works. Last night, Simon discovered what he’d told Tremain – and later told Bill. Peter claimed that he’d already bought your services with a bribe and that you were ready to jump ship.’

  ‘Shit,’ said Sadie, feeling regretful about talking to Peter at all.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Mac went on. ‘That was even before you had your chat with him in the garden.’

  Sadie felt embarrassed and looked at the flower arrangement on the centre of the table, which had suddenly become very interesting.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘And when I went off with him …’ she tailed off.

  ‘You weren’t to know,’ Mac said, and squeezed her hand a little. The warmth from his fingers was filtering through her, bringing back that old familiar feeling of connection.

  She made herself look up into his eyes. They were staring straight at her. Could see right through to the heart of her. And they were as blue as the sky. And then that emotion was back – with a vengeance – like when you feel you’ve known someone all your life.

  She bit her lip, glad of her sunglasses. He took his hand away again.

  ‘I had to backtrack and pray that Bill would give me another chance to state my case,’ Mac said. ‘I arranged to meet him in private. But when I arrived at his office, he’d been rushed off to hospital. Peter Galloway was waiting. I should have filled you in last night, when I came to see you … but I was … er … distracted somewhat.’

  ‘Mmmm,’ mumbled Sadie, now examining the tiniest insect on the minutest part of the smallest bloom of the flower arrangement and feeling a flush creeping up her neck. Simon was attacking a kiwi fruit.

  ‘But after you said goodbye to me, I assumed you’d left the island, Mac. Everyone did. We thought you’d gone.’

  ‘I nearly did. I got all the way to the airport and then turned round. I had unfinished business here. And I don’t do unfinished business.’

  Hear him out, Sadie, don’t get your hopes up.

  ‘When I checked all my messages, I heard Simon’s complete update from the hospital. About the discovery you’d made, about what you’d done for Bill – and I was so glad I hadn’t got on that plane. That’s when I decided to get to the bottom of what Peter was up to. Tremain, of course, was intrigued. He agreed to meet with me first thing this the morning.’

  ‘Hoping he could gloat a little,’ chipped in Simon, stirring his coffee.

  ‘Wow,’ Sadie said. She forced herself to breathe.

  ‘Remember Kaha’i, the guy f
rom the plant?’ Mac went on.

  ‘Yes, yes, we were just talking about him,’ Sadie replied. ‘He was the one who … wait a minute. It was you who told him about Bill?’

  ‘Yes. When I opened up to him, he told me some things that had been troubling him for some time. His suspicions about Peter and his Red Frish. It was me who went with Kaha’i to the plant last night. After that, it was vital to get to Tremain urgently this morning. While I was there, Bill rescinded the affidavit, and it put me and Philip Tremain on the same side for the first time in our history.’

  ‘That must have been weird.’

  ‘Yes, completely. But you know something, for me it couldn’t have come at a better time. What I’ve agreed with Tremain and Bill will tie in with what I have to do for my future – for my sanity.’

  ‘You mean your “important event”. That’s where you were going off to last night, wasn’t it?’

  ‘I was,’ he replied. ‘I did … I am.’

  He smiled at Sadie and she blushed.

  ‘I can’t believe you met up with Tremain,’ she said.

  ‘I wasn’t sure about it at first, considering his immediate reaction when I got there. Thought he’d triumphed, with the ink still wet on his deal for Frish and Peter in the bag. Then his tune changed. He’s a businessman, what can I say.’

  ‘The rest, as they say, is history,’ Simon chimed in.

  ‘So the deal is on?’ Sadie asked.

  ‘Yes, Sadie, the deal is on. A new deal. A good deal. We did it. But I made him guarantee that the new contract would look after you. Simon and I will make sure of it.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Sadie. ‘My goodness, you so nearly walked away.’

  ‘But thanks to you, I didn’t need to. You got to Bill in time. It was fate …’

  ‘… and destiny,’ Sadie finished.

  They both looked at Simon who was peering cynically over the top of his spectacles at them. They both coughed and shifted in their chairs.

  ‘Well, anyway,’ said Mac. ‘I got my new direction. And you got your deal. All in the nick of time.’

  ‘Not quite soon enough, however, to prevent Tremain being relieved of about one hundred thousand dollars by one Peter Galloway,’ added Simon, unable to suppress his glee.

  ‘How come?’ asked Sadie.

  ‘Tremain wasn’t a happy man when he found that Peter had purposely endangered Bill’s health in order to take over the company, but the bribe money had already been handed over,’ Mac said.

  ‘The last we heard, Galloway was en route to Mexico,’ added Simon. ‘In fact, I’m off now to dot some i’s and cross some t’s on that new contract. It will be interesting to see Mr Tremain again. I’m very much overflowing with anticipation at the encounter. I will see you both later. Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone,’ he said and winked at Sadie, then he stood, kissed Sadie on the head, patted Mac’s shoulder, and left.

  ‘He’s a good guy, isn’t he, your CFO?’ Sadie said to Mac, suddenly aware of being alone with him once more. She began toying with the spoon in her half-finished coffee. Mac moved his chair a tiny bit closer to Sadie’s.

  ‘Yes, he’s one of the best. Always looking out for me. Always did, always will. More than anyone would know.’

  ‘I’m glad. It’s good to have someone to look out for you.’

  ‘Very true. Like you’ve got your mum. And Abi and Georgia. And your sister, Helen.’

  ‘Ahhh – someone’s been doing his research.’

  ‘Better late than never.’

  Mac looked at this beautiful woman in front of him. She was listening intently, and a smile lit up her face as she lifted her sunglasses on top of her head. He held her gaze, pausing only briefly and then continued speaking. ‘And you’d be proud of me. I read up on Peter’s notes at the lab. Now at least they know why Bill kept getting those funny turns. Peter must have been planning it for a while, he’s very sly. Upping the dose gradually and trying different formulas.’

  ‘Formulae,’ she said. And then laughed. Mac realised she was teasing and joined in the laughter. He pushed her elbow off the table playfully and she prodded him in the arm.

  ‘Anyway, I’m so glad Bill’s on the mend,’ Sadie said. ‘He’s a good man.’

  ‘He’s actually on the warpath, not just on the mend. And Bill’s stuck to his guns about you. He always wanted you involved, Sadie.’

  ‘And I wanted you,’ she said. He paused and looked at her intently, waiting for the next word. ‘Involved. I – I mean, your deal. I wanted to work with you. On your deal.’ She pulled her sunglasses back down over her eyes, poured some water from the Red Frish into a glass then popped a wilted flower stem into it

  Mac hesitated. He looked pensively out across the lawns.

  Sadie marvelled at the sight before her. His hair was recently showered and it fell naturally over his eyebrows, youthful, fresh. Every now and then the breeze caught it and he looked for all the world like the father from one of those ‘happy family’ holiday adverts. Then he looked at her suddenly and spoke.

  ‘Do you still?’ asked Mac. ‘Do you still want … to do business with me?’

  Sadie beamed. ‘Absolutely!’

  At that, Sadie held out her hand as if to shake Mac’s. Deal? He looked at it strangely.

  ‘It doesn’t seem right – shaking hands. Not with you,’ he said and left her hand hanging there. Sadie’s fingers began to go numb and she felt herself begin to shiver slightly, even though the sun was warm overhead.

  ‘Oh,’ she said, and tucked her hand into her lap and looked away.

  ‘No, I mean it feels too formal,’ Mac added.

  Sadie exhaled. She looked up at Mac and he looked awkward, like he was about to hug her. Then stopped, then took her hand from her lap and shook it anyway.

  ‘Doesn’t feel right, does it? Maybe we should hug.’

  ‘But we can’t, Mac. Can we?’ she stated, simply. ‘If I hear you right, we’re about to go into business together. So we … just can’t.’ Her resolve was being tested, but she stuck to her guns – stuck to what she’d told him as he left the room last night. Speak now …

  ‘Anyway, you must have a reason for not ever wanting to mix business with pleasure and I’m sure when you’re ready, you’ll tell me what it is.’

  Mac looked thoughtful and finished his coffee. ‘Come with me,’ he said, taking her hand and leaving a handful of dollars for the waiter. They left the table behind, along with the little wilted flower which had already begun to stand erect in the glass.

  Mac led Sadie back in the direction of his room. He let go of her hand as they entered the hotel, and she trotted along behind him trying to keep pace while not appear too out of breath. For someone who hadn’t slept all night, he was certainly full of beans. They didn’t speak all the way to Mac’s room.

  Entering his luxurious suite, Mac once again reached out for her hand, and led her over to the massive vertical trunk in the corner of the room. He sat her down in a chair and opened the trunk, pulling out the old wooden chest and the framed photo of the guys on the Nomad. He removed the tiny picture from inside the back of the frame and gave it to Sadie to look at.

  ‘That was Ryan,’ he said, as Sadie gazed upon a slightly younger Mac holding a small dark-haired boy. She looked up at him expectantly.

  ‘When?’

  ‘Several years ago. Ryan’s mum was a solicitor acting for the other side in a high-powered deal we were closing. Late nights, long hours, high-pressure meetings – and I … I got too close.’

  ‘To her?’

  ‘To the boy. She and I would have probably been a fling, but for Ryan. Once she let me into their lives it was hard not to become attached to the little lad.’ Mac played once again with the St Christopher around his neck. ‘You see I had a br
other once who … died. Ryan reminded me very much of him. I thought, with me in his life, he might come out of his shell. I’d get a chance to be there for him – I was determined to do it right. To be a good dad. Stepdad.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, Mac.’ Sadie reached out and touched his arm. He didn’t move it away. ‘And what happened to Ryan?’

  ‘His dad came back on the scene – a devious character. Shortly afterwards Ryan’s mother left town. But not before she’d fleeced me of as much as she could in the process of our split.’ Sadie stayed silent. ‘The father helped her – they disappeared and took Ryan with them. I never saw him again. It was my own fault – I shouldn’t have got involved.’

  ‘So from then on, you didn’t?’

  ‘It was just easier to close myself down completely and keep my two worlds apart. I began living the bachelor life with a vengeance. My life became all about me.’

  ‘You’re not really that person though, are you, Mac?’

  He shook his head slightly. ‘It’s a hollow way to live. It was just an excuse – an excuse that suited me for a long time. Until you came along.’

  ‘Yes, I understand now,’ she said, leaning closer to him.

  ‘You do?’

  She nodded.

  ‘I just thought it would be better to avoid anyone who already had kids – but not ’cos I don’t like them,’ he said.

  ‘Quite the opposite. I get it. It was in case you lost them, too?’

  He looked away, and Sadie saw again that tender persona – the glimpse of a compassionate side of him she’d only seen once before.

  ‘Well, no wonder you didn’t want to get involved with me, then. Not that you’d have found my girls so “adorable”. But I knew you weren’t a child-hater, Mac. When I saw you at the children’s home. The way you are with those little ones, so understanding.’

  He nodded, looked thoughtful and then opened the jewellery chest. At the bottom lay the crusty old photos and papers, and he pulled them out and separated them.

  ‘First time I’ve looked at some of these in years.’