Just Business (4 page)

With that winning line, she returned to the sink to finish off whatever she had been doing.

She didn't hear him mutter, ‘You have no idea what money I've got, you stupid cow!'

Denis knew they behaved like trailer trash but he threw himself into the arguments wholeheartedly. After a brawl of this magnitude, they wouldn't be on speaking terms for at least twenty-four hours. That alone was worth the aggravation. Life would be peaceful without her incessant nagging and he could pretty much do as he pleased.

Niamh and Jessica arrived at Lucinda's office for their 6.00 pm appointment. They were carrying several files and there was a flurry as some space was cleared on the table. The office was a mess: swamped in paperwork and folders that were begging to be filed away.

‘We need to find you an assistant,' said Niamh with a smile.

Lucinda grimaced. ‘Scott was just starting to make some progress. Now it's back to square one.'

She had been without an assistant for a few months. The fact that she didn't come across well in interviews didn't help; many of the applicants were put off by her abruptness.

Lucinda nodded, indicating that the time for chitchat was over. ‘Well, what have you got on Denis?'

Niamh got down to business and handed her a copy of the termination sheet. ‘We paid him seven months' redundancy, which is well over the statutory minimum. In effect, he's been paid past the expiry date of his business visa.'

Lucinda's eyes skimmed the calculations. ‘And what is his lawyer asking for?'

‘The lawyer isn't asking for money,' Niamh replied. ‘At least not yet. He wants us to reinstate Denis.'

Lucinda frowned. ‘That's quite an unusual request. What does Bruce say?'

‘Bruce is away for the rest of the week on holiday and I'm loathe to call him. Anyway, I think I know what he would say. There are a number of minor performance issues documented in Denis's files.'

Lucinda sat back in her seat. ‘It's a complex issue. No doubt it will be black and white to the Department of Immigration. If there's no job, then there's no valid business visa and he has to go back to where he came from. Simple! But employment law will take a broader view. Denis has lived in Australia for long enough to consider it home. We have deprived him and his family of their future in this country – and we didn't give him enough notice to make alternative plans.'

Niamh nodded. ‘I'm sympathetic to his personal situation but –'

‘We shouldn't have retrenched him until next year,' Lucinda interjected. ‘Another six months and his business visa would have expired – and we would have had no further obligation to him. Didn't any of your people vet the list before it was finalised?'

‘I did,' said Jessica, speaking for the first time. ‘I knew about the visa, I just didn't think it would be relevant.'

Lucinda had a bad recollection for names and clearly couldn't remember Jessica's. Nevertheless, she shot her a withering look. ‘Well, it
is
relevant.
Very relevant
.'

Niamh rushed to Jessica's defence. ‘Look, Lucinda, if my department has stuffed up, then
I'll
take the blame. But I think it's worth mentioning that Denis was a last-minute addition to the list and there wasn't time for any kind of thorough checking.'

Jessica still looked very guilty. ‘I don't know why he didn't say anything yesterday. I asked him
twice
if he had any issues but he gave no indication.'

‘Oh well, pointing fingers isn't going to get us anywhere,' Lucinda said, conveniently ignoring that she was the one who had started down that path.

‘What happens now?' asked Niamh.

‘Let's wait and see what his lawyer sends through. In the meantime, I'll check to see if there are any precedents.'

‘Do you know Paul Jacobsen?' Niamh knew from Chris that the law scene in Sydney was incestuous.

‘Not very well – but I do know he's got a good reputation.' Lucinda looked at her watch. It was clear she believed the meeting was over. ‘Look, I wouldn't mind going for a beer. Any takers?'

Niamh did some quick thinking. She had been working with Lucinda for almost a year now. The only two females on the executive, they should have been allies. Should have been, but they weren't. They needed to build a better working relationship.

‘Okay,' she shrugged. ‘How about you, Jessica?'

‘No, thanks. I had too much wine last night.'

Niamh went back to her office to lock up. She met Lucinda in the lift foyer and suggested the fire stairwell as the fastest way out.

‘I never think to use this,' Lucinda commented as her heels clicked on the bare concrete.

‘I call it the coffee link,' Niamh said.

When they hit the alley, Lucinda paused to ask, ‘Forbes?'

‘Okay.'

They walked up the alley, to George Street, without talking.
Rush hour had passed its peak but there were still lots of people about, striding the pavement, milling at bus stops, hailing taxis.

Forbes was belting out deafeningly loud music to cater for its young crowd. Niamh felt immediately out of place.

‘What would you like?' she asked as she nudged her shoulder through the crowd at the bar.

‘I'll have a Hahn.'

‘Draught?'

‘No, bottle.'

There was a considerable wait before Niamh caught the attention of the barman. She ordered two bottles of Hahn and handed one to Lucinda. ‘Look, why don't we stand over there?' she suggested, pointing back towards the door. ‘There seems to be a little more room.'

Lucinda didn't seem to mind the jostling crowd as she led the way through.

‘Are you a regular here?' Niamh asked when they reached the last available standing space.

‘I come here every now and then,' Lucinda answered vaguely.

Niamh realised that small talk wasn't going to get the other woman to open up and she tried a more direct personal question. ‘How's your little boy? Jack, isn't it?'

Bingo, Lucinda came to life, her chiselled features immediately softening. ‘He's great, he's a joy to us both. I can't believe my baby will be four next month!'

‘Is he in a childcare centre or do you have a nanny?'

‘My husband has been the nanny for the last few years. It's working out well for all of us.'

‘I haven't met your husband – what's his name?'

Lucinda hesitated as if she was being asked a difficult question. ‘Marcus.'

‘So you recommend motherhood?' Niamh hoped this would be her connection with Lucinda, a conversation point that would ease the tension she felt between them.

‘Best thing I ever did – you should have a word with Chris.'

‘Chris is too busy chasing after partnership to think of starting a family,' Niamh answered. Since the day they married, Chris had put the subject of children on the proverbial shelf.

‘I've seen him in here a few times.'

‘Who?'

‘Chris, who else?' Lucinda smiled. It didn't reach her eyes.

‘In here?' Niamh frowned, looking around the bar filled with twenty-somethings.

‘Yes,' Lucinda nodded slowly as if she was speaking to an idiot. ‘Doesn't he work close to here?'

‘Yeah, he's on King Street.'

Chris never spoke about going to bars after work. He worked late, all lawyers did. Niamh didn't mind him going for a drink after work but she did mind being told by Lucinda rather than him.

Scott called the childcare centre to let them know that Jenny wouldn't be coming back. It was unsettling for her, especially so if a place in the same centre wasn't available when they needed it in a few months' time. But the plain truth was that he just couldn't afford to keep her in care while he was out of work.

Jenny rebelled against the change in routine by refusing to eat. Scott tried every trick in the book as he tried to force spoonfuls of mush into her mouth. But her lips remained stubbornly shut and each time she flicked the spoon away with an angry
hand. In the end there was food everywhere: on her hair, the walls, even the phone.

They had a long crabby day together and he put her to bed early. They went through the same teddy-chucking ritual as the night before. When she finally dropped off, he rang his sister.

‘How's my gorgeous niece?' Deb asked without even returning his ‘hello'.

‘Out of sorts … just like her dad.'

‘What's wrong? Is she coming down with something?' Deb ignored Scott's negative reference to his own wellbeing.

‘No – she's fine really – the problem is me.'

‘Why? What's happened?'

‘I got retrenched yesterday.'

‘But you've only been in that place two months! How can you lose your job already?'

‘I know. Hard to believe, isn't it?'

‘Oh no – that's just your luck –' She bit off the rest of the sentence.

‘Yeah, rounds off a great year. I started with a wife and a job. Guess how many I've got left?' He let loose on the sarcasm; it made him feel marginally better.

‘I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Do you need any money? Damn, that came out wrong too. Why don't I just shut up?'

‘Hey, Deb, will you come over and watch Jenny for me?'

‘Yeah, sure. You going out?'

‘Need to drown my sorrows. Can Brett get a pass for the night?'

‘Yes, I'll allow it,' she said graciously. ‘Your drinking buddy and babysitter will be there within the hour. Is Jenny in bed?'

Deb was an adoring aunt but not very hands-on. Getting
Jenny off to sleep wasn't within the realm of her experience.

‘She's sound asleep,' he promised. ‘You won't hear a peep out of her.'

Conversation with Lucinda had dried up when Niamh felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Scott. The subdued lighting cast a shadow on his face and he looked different to the man she had seen in her office that morning.

‘Oh … hello.' She was caught totally off guard and couldn't think what to say to him. Lucinda looking on didn't help.

‘Look,' he seemed awkward too, ‘I don't want any hard feelings – can I buy you a drink?'

Niamh's bottle was empty; she had no good reason to turn him down. ‘Okay, I'll have another beer. Make it a light one, though – I have to drive home.'

Scott turned to Lucinda. ‘What about you?'

‘No, thank you.' She checked her watch. ‘I need to go.'

Lucinda said goodbye and the crowds parted to let the beautiful dark-haired woman through.

Brett stepped forward and introduced himself to Niamh. ‘I'll go to the bar, you two can talk,' he offered.

She was left alone with Scott. The crowd had swelled even more and now it pressed around them. She was close enough to smell the musky scent of his aftershave. Close enough to measure her body against his: the top of her head was level with his shoulders. She took a deliberate step back from him.

‘Is Brett a close friend?' she asked.

‘He's my brother-in-law.'

‘Oh, your wife's brother?'

‘No – my sister's husband.'

‘Oh.'

The music pounded away through the brief silence between them.

‘Niamh, I want to apologise for yesterday – for losing my temper like that.'

‘You don't need to apologise,' she told him. ‘I met a lot of angry people yesterday. It's an understandable reaction to the circumstances.'

‘Yes. But I should know better. I work in HR, I know you were only doing your job.'

‘Don't say any more.' She stopped him with a smile. ‘It's forgotten, okay?'

His eyes held hers. ‘Okay.'

The crowd chose that moment to surge and she was pushed up against him. He reached out a hand to steady her. It was just a brief innocent touch but it sent shock waves through her body.

What is wrong with me?
she thought for the second time that day and looked around to see where Brett was at with the beer. He was handing cash to the barman – he'd be back soon to act as a badly needed buffer between them.

‘I feel a bit old for this place,' Scott remarked, looking around at the twenty-something crowd.

‘Me too,' she admitted. ‘Mind you, Lucinda seems to like it … and apparently Chris, my husband, comes here sometimes.'

‘Does your husband work close by?'

‘Yes, he's with one of the law firms.'

‘Oh, a lawyer.'

‘Yes, one of those, I'm afraid!'

They had a quick laugh at the expense of all lawyers.

‘How about your wife? What does she do?' she asked, starting to relax a little.

‘My wife?' He seemed taken aback by the question. ‘We're separated, soon to be divorced.'

‘Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –'

‘Don't worry about it.'

Niamh had another look for Brett. He was edging through the crowd, one step forward and two back.

‘He's taking his time, isn't he?' Scott said, following her eyes to Brett. ‘I should have ordered two beers instead of one. I have the urge to get very drunk tonight.'

She giggled. ‘You couldn't get drunk here if you tried. It takes too long to get served.'

His lips twitched in amusement. ‘Probably just as well. My little girl wakes at dawn – not good if you have a hangover.'

Niamh couldn't resist the opportunity to find out more about his home life. ‘Does your child live with you, then?'

‘Yes – her mother isn't part of the family picture.'

Brett made it back with the beers before she could ask any more questions. He shouted over the music, ‘Hey, this is a happening place!'

Scott and Niamh shared a smile; it seemed they were the only ones who felt out of place.

‘What's so funny?' Brett asked, looking from one to the other.