Chapter Sixteen: Part One
After saying goodbye to Harold and closing the door, Kate took a moment to work out that it was Saturday evening. She spotted a note on the table that Dee and Carrie had left, reminding her that they were at a gig. She had a shower before warming a cup of clear vegetable broth, always a faithful standby in the refrigerator of any professional chef. It was fast, light and offered better nutrition than most other sixty-second options. As soon as she had snuggled in under her covers, Kate fell into a deep dreamless sleep, barely moving until sunshine filled her room in the morning.
Awake, relaxed and comfortable in her bed, Kate let her mind sort through her thoughts. She found that her marriage and divorce felt more like a movie she’d seen too many times, rather than something that belonged to her life; a movie that no longer interested her at any level. A man named Ricardo Myers now dominated many of her thoughts. Thinking as hard and objectively as she could, she analysed her motives and reasons for finding him so compelling and attractive.
He hadn’t tried to rescue her or take over any part of her life. He hadn’t flouted his family history or wealth, swamped her in generosity, or tried to impress her in any way. He didn’t attempt to flatter her or offer her empty compliments, but demonstrated respect and appreciation in everything he did. He was generous, but not extravagant. He could have tried to wow her with exotic food, but had made her a simple and wonderful stir-fry, sharing his life without any kind of pretence.
He treated her as an equal, with complete honesty, courtesy and humour at every level. He was a proud and confident man, but he had demonstrated a consistent level of chivalrous consideration, never once showing the slightest hint of arrogance or condescension. Replaying his behaviours towards others, she recognised that his respectful chivalry was natural to him, and not a part of any front he might be presenting. Then she thought about how her friends had embraced and accepted him without reservation. Her happy conclusion was that he simply complemented everything that she held true and dear in her life.
She felt her belly clench at the very thought of him when her mind drifted to their night in Rick’s apartment. With him, she had experienced an intensity of sensations and pleasures unlike anything she’d even dreamt could be possible. She felt tingly just thinking about it.
The emotions and memories of working with Tyson, Rick and Eric rose in her thoughts. The magical satisfaction of the moment when she and Tyson had seen the answer within the puzzle was almost indescribable to those who didn’t share her passion; and at the moment, she realised that Rick understood and shared that same passion. As they often did, Carrie’s words from Alegria came back to her, and she finally felt and acknowledged their intrinsic truth. ‘Kate is an engineer.’
After examining everything as objectively as she could, her conclusions were that wonderful loving people surrounded her and that she was profoundly grateful for every part of her new life. Kate lay still and listened to the distant sounds of the neighbourhood, not wanting to break the spell. Her body was comfortable and her mind silent. Well, almost silent, aside from her recurrent desire to reach out and touch him.
‘Time!’ she said aloud to the empty room. Throwing her covers off, Kate headed for the bliss of a hot shower. Dee was typically the first of the three of them to get up, but this morning, Dee rose to a breakfast table set with three steaming cups of coffee and a platter of cut and arranged fruits, nuts, a few small pieces of cold meat.
‘Don’t you look bright and bubbly, my love,’ Dee commented as Kate put a small stack of toast on the table for them.
A groan from behind Dee announced that Carrie was also making her way to the table, lured by her curiosity and the aroma of fresh coffee. Kate’s radiant smile offered the two who knew her so well a fast summary of the last three days.
‘That good, eh?’ Carrie asked, finding Kate’s smile contagious, despite the early hour.
‘Amazing, wonderful and… wow,’ Kate said brightly. ‘How did Giselle do?’
Dee answered, ‘Everything went perfectly. Now don’t think for one moment we’re going to talk about something else, Katie-J!’
For the next hour, they grilled her mercilessly, extracting from her almost every possible detail, from the moment she’d arrived at Rick’s to saying goodbye to everyone yesterday evening before coming home. In her normal forthright fashion, Dee lost patience with her obscure references and asked, ‘Kate, how was the sex?’
Silent for a moment, Kate shook her head slightly, her eyes wide. ‘Amazing.’ To the girls’ silent urges, she added, ‘He took me places I never even knew existed. I had no idea what he was doing but oh my God! At first, he took over completely and I just let him. After that, it was a whole new world.’ Kate threw her head backwards, hands covering her face, moaning loudly. Snapping her head back, she said, ‘It was totally mind-blowing.’
‘What’s next?’ Carrie asked.
‘He’s overseas on family business for a few weeks with his folks. Mason and Madison promised to have him back by Dom’s next gig after this Saturday, so four weeks, max. I’m afraid you guys are stuck with me.’
‘We’ll manage,’ Dee quipped.
‘Just,’ Carrie teased, adding, ‘We are so happy for you, Katie. Now tell us the bit you’ve been holding back. I know you too well, and there’s something else you’re busting to tell us.’
With a wicked smile, Kate picked up Carrie’s tablet and did a Google image search. She found the same photo that was in the frame on Rick’s wall before passing the tablet to the girls, enlarging the image after a few moments so the three Myers became clearly recognisable. At first, they frowned as their minds resisted the information in front of them. Kate watched Dee and Carrie give her a replay of the astonished reaction she had given Rick. Demanding more information, they’d almost finished another cup of coffee before they were over their shock. Shortly after that, the natural rhythm of the three amigas reasserted itself, and their conversation turned to their planning for the mayor’s gig later that day.
The mayor had taken them aside before his gig on the previous Wednesday afternoon and permanently booked the amigas for his weekly mid-week events. He’d also booked permanent Sunday afternoon-evening and Monday breakfast-lunch gigs to run every three weeks on the weekends before Dom’s functions. He thanked them for offering him their old rate, but insisted on booking at their new rate to avoid any chance of negative press.
The mayor had also asked if they would be willing to overstaff his events, just as they did for Dom, and keep an eye out for anything he should be aware of. Dom had already asked Dee is he could discuss their arrangement with the mayor, adding his vote of absolute confidence in the man’s integrity. The mayor had offered them a minute alone to discuss things, but with a momentary glance between them, they made their decision and agreed without reservation.
The amigas had previously discussed the similarity with which Dominique and the mayor worked their guests. It always seemed unusual to them that he and Dom had never seemed to display any common affiliations. Kate thought back to Dom’s comments at the opera and had a sudden insight into the real power structures of the city.
~~~~~
The mayor’s Sunday afternoon and evening function was busy, but presented no significant hurdles. The next morning started with an early power breakfast for sixty, and then became an early lunch for a smaller, select group of twenty-five individuals. With their working day already over, the amigas found a café overlooking the water and sat down for a late lunch.
Dee gave Carrie a smiling glance before saying to Kate, ‘We need to bring our fab five on full-time, and find some more casuals.’
‘Won’t that make us too top-heavy?’ Kate asked.
Carrie placed her tablet on the table in front of Kate, showing her their bookings for the next month. As Kate read the numbers, her mouth fell open slightly. She paged into the following months and gasped. ‘When did this happen?’