by Jane Keene
Her mother attempted to make up for her dad’s shortcomings, but it was no use. From a young age, Victoria learned to count on one person in her life and that was herself.
She was educated at the local parish school; she was incredibly smart and earned herself a place in a top college in Dublin.
Liz had met Victoria when they worked together in the college bookshop. At first, Liz thought Victoria was a snobbish cow who had airs about herself, but she quickly learnt that Victoria was incredibly driven, and was not going to let anyone stop her from reaching her goals.
She remembered the first time they had gone out together to a local pub, Victoria looked so uncomfortable and out of place. Victoria so regal, held herself upright, which gave the appearance of her looking down on people.
Liz sniggered to herself as she recalled the icy reception Declan Flannery received from Victoria as he tried to chat her up. Word got around the college that Victoria was a hard target, so she was not bothered by many suitors; only the very brave or very thick skinned attempted and failed miserably.
Anybody who saw Liz and Victoria together would think that Victoria would definitely be the one to have a boyfriend, and not the other way around. Liz was by no means unattractive; she was cutesier and pretty as in the girl-next-door kind of way. They made such an odd friendship, one tall, one short from different backgrounds, but somehow it worked, and they clicked.
Liz’s thoughts were disturbed by the buzz of her phone, she picked up the receiver quickly, “Liz! What is the matter with you today? I have been calling for over two minutes! Have you finished the changes in my diary? Also, Mr. McCarthy from Steelworx is on his way, he phoned me directly. Evidently, there is some emergency with the merger, and he needs advice pronto! Could you ask Mari to organize tea?” Victoria was very much aware of not making Liz do her dogs’ body work, Liz was her assistant, and she was determined to use her in the work she was doing, not to go fetch and carry coffee, dry cleaning or lunch.
About ten minutes after, Liz accompanied a very flustered looking Mr. McCarthy into Victoria’s office.
By the look on his face, Victoria started to feel very nervous. “Bruce! How nice of you to come over personally, I was quite intrigued by our phone conversation earlier.” Victoria extended out her hand, and personally led him to a comfortable black leather chair in front of her antique oak desk.
Mr. McCarthy sat down and brushed both hands down his face in a sign of distress. “Victoria, unfortunately this is not a social visit, I have come to warn you”, he cut off suddenly, looked around to the door uncomfortably, and then at Liz. “Bruce, whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Liz, I trust her with my life. You are making me very uneasy with your behavior”.
He began again in half a whisper, “Victoria, what is your relationship like with your colleague, Dermott Freeman?”
Victoria stared at him and answered abruptly, “What the hell does that have to with anything, I demand to know what is going on, Bruce? This sounds all very cloak-and-dagger, and I don’t like it!”
“Dermott is setting you up, Victoria, and he is using the Steelworx merger to do it!” He suddenly blurted out.
Everyone in the room was quiet, Victoria stood up slowly, and Liz reached for the chair next to Mr. McCarthy.
“What, what do you mean, setting me up?”
“Well, he has made some back-end deals with Colcor, and what it means is that he is setting you up to take the fall when the merger fails. I can’t prove it, but a good source informed me of a rumour going around. Victoria, I know you. And, I know you would never lie or cheat for your own gain. That’s why I’m convinced it’s Dermott! He is the only other person who has worked on this and been in the meetings. Does he have anything to gain by dragging your name in the mud?”
Victoria was shocked to the core; could this be why her boss wanted to meet with her tomorrow?
“Bruce, before I react, can you be sure your source of information can be trusted? If it’s a just a rumour, could we not squash it and make it somehow go away?”
“Victoria, I can assure you the source comes from inside Colcor, this is serious, and somebody is seriously gunning for you, you have to react quickly”.
“Why, that slimy, little scum-sucking snake!” screamed Liz jumping from her chair. “I can honestly see him doing that, he is after the partnership, Victoria. He hates you! He can’t stand that you have risen through the company ranks faster than he has, I see the way he looks at you, and it’s him!”
“Liz, please calm down, I can’t go around accusing him without proof, and I’m not even sure what the dirty deal I am apparently involved in entails.” Victoria got up from behind the desk and started pacing the room.
“Bruce would you be prepared to help me? The merger cannot be compromised. I know my career is hanging in the balance, but my first duty is to my client.”
Victoria felt sick to her core, waves of nausea followed by a quiet rage, just when she thought she could relax a bit in her life, this has to happen.
If that dirty toad Dermott was backstabbing her, he had another thing coming. Nobody was going to take away everything she had worked so bloody hard for, nobody!
Chapter 4
“Hey, Ryan, easy on that boxing bag, what did it do te ya?” Ryan broke from his rhythm and looked up, he was absolutely soaked, completely lost in the mesmerizing dance with the punching bag he had almost forgotten where he was.
He gestured to the bag and shouted, “Hey Jimmy, aren’t you glad you not the bag?”
“Ayah, be off with ya! Ya could never take on the great Jimmy McGeary!” he punched the air and jumped around demonstrating his point.
Ryan laughed loudly, it sure felt good to just relax and enjoy his surroundings. He had been coming to Jimmy McGeary’s boxing club since his early teens. It was the only place he truly felt accepted, nobody was interested in where he came from or what he did on the weekends. The fellas from the club had one thing in common, and that was boxing, that’s what they focused on and that’s all they spoke about.
Ryan admired Jimmy. He was a former middle division champion, someone who peaked a too soon in his career. Instead of falling to pieces over his failures, he started the boxing club to help nurture young fighters’ passion for the sport.
Ryan grabbed his towel and water bottle, and headed to the showers, it was still early, but he wanted to get to the cafe’ before the others.
He had a few calls had given him his own set of keys years ago, which caused great upset to the other cafe workers.
His life had not always been this complicated. He had an extremely ordinary upbringing; in fact, his parents still lived in their family home in Swords. He had two younger brothers, they all were married, and each of them had three of their own children.
Ryan knew his parents were worried about his life of solitude. It wasn’t natural for a man his age to be on his own. Ryan looked in the mirror, with all that had happened to him, he sometimes expected an old man to stare back at him from the glass.
He had many regrets, he knew he caused many of his parent’s grey hairs; he was such a troubled teen.
School had bored him to tears; Father Joseph had always said he was too clever for his own good. He was exceptionally bright, but misguided. A rebel by nature, he went against the grain, got himself into a lot of trouble especially when he became involved with an inner-city gang. At first, the antics they got up to were harmless, just destructive boy stuff, graffiti, turning over bins. But things got serious when the gang crossed paths with Jack Mulligan, who ran a drug ring, an incredibly dangerous thug who did not hesitate to take matters into his own hands when he felt it was necessary. Jack did not have enemies because he made sure that anybody who got in his way was well and truly dealt with.
Most of the guys stuck around to join Jack, the promise of money and an easy life was too tempting, but Ryan had never gone into the drug pushing side of the gang. When he realized what was happenin
g he made the decision to turn his life around and leave the gang, but the only problem was he knew too much about the gang’s internal workings; Jack had made the lads suspicious about Ryan’s move.
Things came to a head when Jack threatened Ryan’s family. Ryan made the biggest decision in his life and he went to the Gardaí and reported his own gang. And, that’s how Ryan helped bring down one of the largest drug kingpins in Ireland.
Jack was sent away for fifteen years and a large part of his gang was sent to serve time. After this tumultuous time, Ryan was only nineteen and decided he needed to study and focus on his future. He found his passion and talent, IT.
At the age of twenty-four, Ryan sold his company for a small fortune, and be independently wealthy, he works at the café to be anonymous.
Even though Jack was in jail, he still had an eerie feeling that he had not seen the last of him.
Ryan arrived at the cafe’, he unlocked the doors and walked in. He loved being there early on a summer’s morning, the sun filtered neatly through the blinds. It was the complete sound of silence that comforted him, he knew the potential for noise and chaos, and he just stood in the middle of the room and took five deep breaths.
It was time for the dreaded monthly phone call, but he knew he had to do it; his solicitor had eyes and ears on the streets for any sign of a threat to his family.
Ryan had been blessed with good health, but he kind of felt that waiting to hear the news of an illness progressing and waiting to hear that your family is potentially in danger might be close to the same feeling. That sick dread in his stomach each time he made the call.
He made his way to Mickey’s office and sat down behind the extremely neat desk. My goodness, Mickey was particular. Ryan wondered what Mickey’s reaction would be if he switched things around on the desk?
He dialed the oh-too-familiar number and drew in a ragged breath. “Seamus, my man, talk to me. Set my mind at ease.” Ryan did not believe in pleasantries; his heart sank as he listened to Seamus.
“What do you mean I have to watch my back? Jack still has five years left on his sentence!” After a few moments on the phone to Seamus, Ryan shakily hung up the phone, and then in a fit of rage threw the phone across the room, causing all Mickey’s neatly piled papers to scatter onto the floor.
Chapter 5
“My goodness! The Café sure is busy this morn, I feel positively run off my feet.” Maisey mopped her brow with some kitchen towel, she stretched her hands over head. She preferred to be busy during the day, but this was ridiculous.
Most of the customers were new faces, it seemed like the new customers had scared the regulars away.
Breda was in a mood and didn’t care who heard her, “I swear if I have one more request for a refill coffee, there will be murder. Damn Mickey and his breakfast special! All these folk are from the conference centre down the road, typical office workers, they see a freebie and take advantage of it”.
“Calm down now, Breda, it’s not all bad, the breakfast special is just running for two more days. And, to be honest the tips have been good, the less they think they are spending on food, the more they have left to give to us” reasoned Maisey brightly.
“Ah, I suppose you are right. I better get out of the kitchen and earn some tips. I have a hot date on Friday night with the new guy who works at the gym, and that means I need the works done at the salon.” Breda licked the top of her index finger and tapped it on her hip making a hissing sound as she marched back onto the restaurant floor.
Maisey watched Breda smile and flirt with her customers, she honestly was the limit.
Breda was tall with an athletic frame, long dark hair that swished as she walked. Although Breda was extremely attractive, her beauty was tainted with a worldly hardness.
Maisey often felt a bit envious of Breda, she was young and free to do anything that she pleased.
Breda tapped her fist on the counter top, “Ryan, do you have you those two Americanos; I need them for table three?” “Hello Ryan! Are you there?” taunted Breda; she really was quite annoying when she wanted to be. Ryan handed over the coffees and glared at her. “Aren’t you sparky today?” Breda spun around and delivered the coffees to the table. She passed Maisey on her way to the kitchen.
“What do you think is up with Mr. Handsome? He nearly threw the coffee at me a moment ago. He might be gorgeous, but I know there is something off with him. I tell you he is dangerous, you will never catch me alone in a dark alley with him.”
Maisey laughed aloud, “That’s because you are just sore that he has not made a move on you.” Breda pulled a face at Maisey and stalked off toward the kitchen.
Maisey felt a bit protective over Ryan, it wasn’t because she fancied him, he was a few years younger than her, and it was more a sister-brother relationship anyway.
She walked over to the coffee bar and leaned over. “I would watch Breda today, she thinks you are dangerous.”
“Well, maybe Breda is not that wrong,” said Ryan sharply. He turned around and carried on with the coffees.
Maisey felt a bit taken back, what the hell is going on with everyone today? It’s not like her life was easy peasy breezy now, but she never let on that she spent most days barely keeping it together, planting a smile on her face all day long until late at night when Billy was sleeping, and she was all alone, she would often sit and cry quietly to herself, and let the tears stream down her face.
It was not easy being a single mom to a child with special needs, but it was her business and she refused to take it out on other people.
Billy had been particularly difficult this morning, which nearly caused her to miss her bus. The essay she had to write for her Business School application was not going well; she had been up all night working on it.
Maisey had been a fair student at school, but she felt so old, rusty, and stupid. Besides, when you were destined to be a world-famous dancer. Who needed to remember the rules of grammar for that? Maybe Mickey could help her? After all, he does own and run a business.
In the afternoon, Maisey made her way swiftly to Mickey’s office, although the crowds had thinned there were still some patrons left in the cafe.
She knocked on the door, and went in. “Mickey, do you have a moment?”
“Anything for you, Maise. How can I be of assistance?” he pushed his chair away from behind the desk and clapped his hands together.
“I need you to look at my application essay for business school. I’m not sure I’m coming across as interesting, or intelligent enough. I need an unbiased opinion. I can’t ask me Mam, because I know she will “ooh” and “ah” about it just because I’m her child.”
Mickey nodded his head and answered; “I can’t guarantee I will be able to contribute a great deal, but I can certainly give it a try.”
Mickey reached over the desk to take Maisey’s essay. “Thank you, Mick. I certainly hope it does not bore you.” She came around to the other side of the desk and leaned over to give Mickey a peck on the cheek.
Maisey left the office, but she quickly turned to look back at Mickey, was he blushing? Maisey suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, she didn’t mean anything by giving Mickey a quick kiss on the cheek, and she had done it countless times before, why would it be any different now?
Chapter 6
The next morning found Victoria poring over documents. She had been up all night without stopping.
“Victoria, take a break. You have been going over those documents for ages.” Liz walked around Victoria’s desk and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“You right, Liz, I’m going around in circles here, everything looks above board, but I know if I look close enough I will get my break-through, and finally have the evidence against Dermott. My head is throbbing”.
“Why don’t you take a break, go for a walk, and grab some coffee at the place you never take me to.”
Victoria laughed, “How do you know about the Café?”
Liz la
ughed and answered, “That my dear friend is a secret, but as your best friend and assistant, I do take it upon myself to know everything about you.” Liz bowed dramatically and flounced out of the office. Victoria picked up her coat and purse and headed for the door.
Yes, this was a good idea. She would take a walk and go to the only place in the world where she felt she could think and recharge her batteries for a few moments. The sun was trying ever so hard to peak through the tough exterior of a massive wall of clouds, but the sun too was having a tough time. It was late in May, but winter did not seem like it wanted to let go.
As Victoria walked down the road, she observed the people on the street, the vans delivering fresh produce to the trendy delis, the mothers pushing babies and toddlers in prams, people shopping.
She pushed the heavy glass doors of the Cafe open, she had to wait a few moments for an elderly couple to leave, but it gave her a chance to take in the sight that was her sanctuary, the aroma of the coffee and pastries, the sounds of conversations that she will never be a part of. Even though she had only ever been here by herself, she didn’t feel sad or lonely. She was thankful that her usual table was open, and she headed straight for it without waiting to be seated.
“Oh my, look who just waltzed in,” Breda whispered not too softly to Maisey.
“Yay for me. I guess I better put her order in before she starts snapping her fingers at me,” grumbled Maisey back to Breda.
Maisey went over to the coffee bar, “Ryan, Miss High-and-Mighty’s usual please”. “I’m on it already, Maise, I saw her when she came in.”
“Wow, you are observant today,” retorted Maisey.
“I don’t see why you and Breda have to give her such a hard time, it’s not like you actually know her. Or is it that you two are just jealous?”