Chapter Nineteen: Part Three
She was unable to answer, staring at the box and completely off balance again. Rick looked down. Realising what the scene might have meant, he started laughing. ‘Oh shit, sorry Kate. Relax, it’s not that.’ With a mischievous wink, he opened the box and lifted up a set of two keys on a keychain. ‘This one is for the lab, and this one is for my place.’
‘Rick?’ Kate looked at him, overwhelmed. He pointed to the key fob before passing it to her. The front showed a logo that read ‘Ironwood Engineering Solutions’, and on its reverse side was engraved,
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“Catherine Jones: Director & C.O.O.”
~
Her face changed and she pounded his chest, ‘You knew about this and didn’t tell me! That’s so cruel!’
Laughing with the whole restaurant, Rick protested that he’d only found out three days ago himself.
‘Hang on, how did you organise everything if you didn’t know?’ Following his eyes, she found the trio of Juanita, Edison and Natalie, all grinning and looking very self-satisfied. ‘Thank you guys,’ Kate said, glancing over to Mason and Madison as well. Even though her mind was still catching up with events, Kate felt a surge of excitement at the thought of being an engineer with Rick and her men again. ‘Thank you, all.’
Madison said, ‘Kate, it is you who deserves thanks. You should also know that every one of your old team set your co-leadership as a precondition of their employment, every single one. I greatly suspect one or two of your old crew might have had something to do with that,’ she said looking at Tyson with an affectionate grin.
‘That’s enough of the ‘old’, Maddie, even if it is true,’ said Tyson from across the table, setting everyone chuckling again.
The joyous mood of the evening swept Alberto up, along with the whole restaurant, and as the grappa and wine flowed freely, the atmosphere became truly festive. In his enthusiasm, Alberto simply cooked anything and everything he could think of.
Dee came over to Kate just as she was about to start eating and asked, ‘You okay with this direction, love? You just need to say the word and it never happened. Mason has been extremely generous and we are more than okay, but only if you are?’
‘I am happy and sad at the same time. It really does feel right though, Dee.’
‘Exactly how we all feel, babe. Hey, was that a key to Rick’s place too?’
Kate nodded and they shared a look that held the promise of at least a few hours of giggles and bubbly wine.
‘Danielle! Here, for Nikki’s table.’ Alberto said, passing Dee a steaming platter of delicacies and delights. She laughed, taking the platter from Alberto and setting it down on the table of another family of regulars, chatting briefly before returning to her seat. Anyone could be conscripted to serving duty during Alberto’s Sunday evenings. It was a family thing, and everyone there loved it.
Kate watched with amusement as the rest of the restaurant fell under the hypnotic charm of Dominique and her friends from Alegria. She almost pitied those hit with these amazing people en masse for the first time. Towards the time for dessert, she had to smile when she noticed Giselle’s eyes consistently locked onto JC. Kate understood JC well enough to know that he would be completely oblivious to any effect he was having on her.
After everyone had finished their desserts, Dom stood and thanked Alberto’s guests for so graciously making room for them and playing along with them. A few minutes earlier, he had quietly arranged with Alberto to settle the bill for the restaurant that evening as a thank you to the regulars for their willingness to play along. Recognising Dom’s honourable demonstration of old-world respect, Alberto had to embrace him and kiss him on both cheeks.
As everyone stood to leave, Kate felt intoxicated, despite only drinking part of a single glass of wine. Rick saw the look in her eyes and said to her when Dee and Carrie had joined them, ‘Kate, you need the girls tonight, and you need a chance to discuss what’s happening. How about I call you tomorrow afternoon so we can get our heads around what needs to happen next with Ironwood.’ The gratitude in the amigas’ eyes told Rick that once again he had judged the situation perfectly.
After they had said goodbye to everyone and politely declined their friends’ offers to drive them home, it was just Kate, Dee and Carrie. A stroll in the warm air was exactly what they needed.
In bed that evening, Kate took stock of how her life had changed again. She fell asleep with tears of gratitude still damp on her cheeks, but feeling a little numb and lost at the same time.
~~~~~
The girls rose early and shared a long breakfast. Dee and Carrie filled Kate in on the financial arrangements that the Myers had made with them. They had bought out Kate’s partnership in a deal that was generous to the point of near absurdity. Next, they discussed strategies and ideas for the expansion of their business. As always, Kate identified some potential issues, and working into the mid-afternoon, they planned around them until the amigas were happy with their strategies for expanding their business without Kate’s active participation. Once their plans were finalised and their notebooks closed and put away, the reality of the situation struck them and a few tears followed, not in remorse or loss, but in simple release.
Dee’s phone chirped. Giselle’s SMS let the girls know that tonight’s small gig was well under control and that all of the preparations and setup were complete. This was the first time the amigas had left a gig completely up to their staff. The client was a friend of Dom’s, and the event was a casual birthday celebration. It was a good, low-pressure run for the new team to prove themselves on.
Kate looked at her friends, went to the refrigerator, and withdrew a bottle of sparkling wine. “We need to celebrate.”
Carrie agreed, springing away to find a bowl of strawberries and some dipping chocolate. When Rick called a little later, he quickly gauged that the girls were having an evening, and offered to bring croissants in the morning. All three melted a little at his respect and thoughtfulness. As afternoon turned to evening, the girls laughed and cried by turn as they recognised just how radically their lives had changed.
Browsing through the unopened morning papers, Carrie came across a photo from Dom’s gig the previous weekend, this time on the front page of the business section instead of the social pages. Kate and Rick filled a full third of the page, Kate beaming and Rick looking proudly at her. ‘That was just as we came in after…’
Seeing the blush on Kate’s face, Dee said, ‘Kate, you wicked girl! I love it!’
Carrie read the story aloud.
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“Meet the new faces of engineering. Announced overnight were the appointments of Ricardo Myers (34) and Catherine Jones (31) to lead Ironwood Engineering Solutions. Only weeks old, the company has already made waves after unveiling a new water-gathering technology during a function held last weekend by Dominique Savagewood. The guest list included present and past statesmen, senators, the mayor, and many of the country’s business leaders. Mason Myers credited the couple for much of the innovation that will see many people across the world gain access to clean water. All present enthusiastically received a demonstration of the new technology, and orders are already reported to exceed 15,000 units.
The company has also drawn attention to itself by aggressively rehiring many of those who lost their jobs when Ms Jones was ruined less than a year ago, the victim of a shameful and cowardly confidence swindle by her now ex-husband, Silvio Schivello.
Clearly back on her feet, Jones and Myers are set to take Ironwood…”
~
‘Wow, they called The Prick out, didn’t they?’ Dee said.
Carrie said, ‘Where ever he is, I hope he read it this morning and popped an artery! That photo is amazing, Kate.’
‘More wine!’ declared Dee. Kate broke down at one point as a profound wave of gratitude washed over her. The rest of the evening passed comfortably as the amigas basked in their friendship and listened to old albums by candle light. A late SMS told them that the evening’s gig had wrapped up without any issues. Fatigue and the effects of the sparkling wine took over shortly after that.
~~~~~