Minding Frankie - Maeve Binchy [149]
“Good. Do you talk about Clara a lot?” he asked.
“With respect and awe,” Frank said.
“Good,” intervened Clara, “because she wants to tell you that her clinic needs some serious extra funding.…”
“Out of the question.”
“The blood tests take too long from the main hospital. We need our own lab.”
“I’ll get your blood tests fast-tracked,” Frank Ennis promised.
“You have six weeks for us to see a real difference; otherwise the fight is on,” Clara said. “He is amazingly generous in real life,” she whispered to Dervla. “It’s just in the hospital that his rotten-to-the-core meanness shows.”
“He’s delighted with you,” Dervla said. “He has said ‘My Clara’ thirty times during this meal alone.”
“Well, I’m keeping my name, my job, my clinic and my house, so I’m doing very well out of it,” Clara said.
“Go on out of that, playing the tough bird—you’re just as soppy as he is. You’re delighted at this playing-house thing. I’m happy for you, Clara, and I hope that you’ll be very happy together.”
“I will.” Clara had it all planned out. Minimal disturbance to their two lives. They were both people who were set in their ways.
Lisa was surprised when Kevin asked her out to lunch.
She was in a junior position in the studio. She didn’t expect her boss to single her out. In Quentins she was even more surprised that he ordered a bottle of wine. Kevin was usually a one-vodka person. This looked like something serious. She hoped he wasn’t going to sack her. But surely he wouldn’t take her out to lunch to give her the push?
“Stop frowning, Lisa. We’re going to have a long lunch,” Kevin said.
“What is it? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Two things, really. Did Anton pay you anything? Anything at all?”
“Oh, why are you dragging this up? I told you it was my fault. I went in there with my eyes open.”
“No, you didn’t. Your eyes were closed in mad, passionate love, and fair play to you, you’re not bitter, but I really need to know.”
“No, he paid me nothing, but I was part of the place, part of the dream. I was doing it for us, not for him. That’s what I thought, anyway. Don’t make me go on repeating all this. I know what I did for months … it doesn’t make it any easier having to talk about that.”
“It’s just that he’s going into receivership today and I wanted to make sure you got your claim in. You are a serious victim here. You worked for him without being paid, for God’s sake. You are a major creditor.”
“I haven’t a notion of asking him for anything. I’m sorry it didn’t work for him. I’m not going to add to his worries.”
“It’s just business, Lisa. He’ll understand. People have got to be paid. It will be automatic. They’ll sell his assets—I don’t know what he owns and what is mortgaged or leased, but people have to be paid, you amongst them.”
“No, Kevin, thanks all the same.”
“You love clothes, Lisa. You should get yourself a stunning wardrobe.”
“I’m not smart enough for your office? Is that it?” She was hurt, but she made it sound like a joke.
“No, you’re too smart. Much too smart. I can’t keep you. I have a friend in London. He’s looking for someone bright. I told him about you. He’ll pay your fare to London. Overnight in a fancy hotel, and you don’t want to know the salary he’s offering!”
“You really are getting rid of me and you’re pretending it’s a promotion,” she said bleakly.
“Never have I been so misjudged! I’d prefer you to stay and in a year or two I could promote you, but this job is too good to ignore and I thought that anyway it might be easier for you.”
“Easier?”
“Well, you know, there’ll be a lot of talk about Anton’s. Speculation, newspaper stuff.”
“Yes, I suppose there will. Poor Anton.”
“Oh, God, don’t tell me you’re going back to him.”
“No, there’s nothing to go back to. There never was.”
“Ah, now, Lisa, I’m sure he did love you in his own way.”
She shook her head. “But in ways you’re right. I couldn’t bear to be in Dublin while all the vultures were picking over the place.”
“You’ll go for the interview?” He was pleased.
“I’ll go,” Lisa promised.
Simon said it was time they talked about New