Martine The Beginning (Cruising to Love, The Prequel) (15 page)

 
“I’m going to get to know the man who writes ‘
about town’
and all the other gossip and society columnists that I can.  These are the contacts that will drive people to our door.  The

reviewers will follow
…”

  Lucas clapped his hands. 
“Tina, you’ve just done for yourself what people pay me to do for them…I am so proud of you, my little love.  I’m coming shopping with you.  And I’m buying you this outfit.”

  Martine was about to object, and then changed her mind,
“Thank you, darling.  I value your opinion very much.  Now, if I call Tom, I wonder if he can come and watch the show room for a couple of hours.  He’s not bad with people.  And if I take an hour to put little

stickers on the wall beneath each picture, and tell him if anyone starts to dicker, just to shake his head sorrowfully and keep his mouth shut.
”

 
“Got the stickers?” asked Lucas.

 
“Yes.”

 
“You write, I’ll stick.  We’ll be done in no time, then we can lock up and go eat that chicken pie.  I put it in the oven, very low, before I came back…”

  Within half an hour, they had finished. 

  “We work well together, Martine, you and I,” smiled Lucas as he helped her on with her coat at ten to seven.

 
“Yes, darling, we do.”  She reached up and kissed him. He tied her emerald scarf around her neck, and picked up her bag.

  The door opened.  It was Belinda, back again with two more nudes.

  “I thought you only had five…” smiled Martine. 

 
“I’d forgotten about these.  They’re from last year…” She put them down.  “Hello, Lucas.  Martine said you weren’t coming back until

tomorrow
…”

 
“I wanted to get home as quickly as I could, and flew back,” he said.             

 
“I thought you were going to call on Thursday,” she pouted.

 
“Yes, I’ll talk to you tomorrow about that.”  He turned to Martine.  “Are we ready to close up?”

  She nodded.

  “Oh, do you have a meeting or something?” Belinda asked curiously, fluttering her lashes at Lucas.

  Lucas smiled,
“Or something, Belinda. Martine and I have something to do…something quite pressing, actually.”

  He ushered both young women out the door, bade a firm good bye to Belinda and led Martine away, Belinda stood watching for a moment.  Then she went off to get ready for her dinner with George, one of her nude models.

  “What is so pressing, darling?” Martine asked as he opened his flat door. 

 
“This,” he replied, and took her scarf and coat off.  Took his off, hung them up.  “This, Martine.  Just be home together, that’s the most pressing thing on my agenda. Being home alone with the woman I love.”

  Tears welled up in Martine
’s eyes.  “Oh, Lucas, that the best thing anyone ever said to me…”

  They kissed.  Lucas pulled away and sat her at the table. 
“What have you eaten today?  Breakfast, Lunch and anything else?”

 
“Eh, toast and a sausage roll…”

 
“I thought so!  Why didn’t you have a proper lunch?”

 
“I went shopping, some things I quite needed…”

  Lucas just shook his head. 
“This bakery job has to end, Martine. For the sake of your health.  I think you managed before because all you did for the last year was work at the bakery and then rush to the Gallery and work there for another seven or eight hours, then sleep for six.  Am I correct?”

  Martine nodded.

  “And then we met, darling.  And now you have me to fit into the equation.  And you’re getting less sleep…”

  Martine nodded.

  “So the bakery has to end, darling.  Unless you are planning to give me up?  And I sincerely hope you’re not.”

  Martine shook her head.

  “So, in the morning, you tell them that you will be finished there after Christmas.  You shouldn’t leave them in the lurch at this busy time of year for them, but two weeks should give them enough time to replace you.  Is that fine with you?”

  Martine nodded. 
“If you think I can afford it, darling?  I’d love to give the bakery job up.  Just concentrate on you and the Gallery.”

 
“What you’ve taken in this week and what is in the bank will buy a new sign, pay the expenses for the January Gala, pay the mortgage through March, pay the rates, and the electricity and

telephone.  Pay for the renovations you want to make if I do a lot of the work myself. So we
’re o.k. for January and February without the bakery.  And I’ll worry about the rest of the year if I have to.  But I don’t think I will…I think these galas will do it.  That and your beauty.  The paparazzi will love you, and you’re right.  We’re going to every function we can.  Free publicity is the best advertising of all…”

  While he was talking, Lucas had been filling two plates with chicken pie, broccoli and mashed potatoes.  All with a nice gravy.  He poured two glasses of wine and put a plate and a glass in

front of her, and in his own place. Lucas sat down and lifted his glass,

 
“To you, darling. To success.  You’ve built a good base. Now I’m going to help you grow it.”

  They clinked glasses and ate heartily.

  “This is the second week that Gloria will miss seeing you, Lucas,” teased Martine.

 
“Oh, dear.  How will she survive?” he sighed. “Poor girl.”  He laughed. “I think Gloria does all right for men, Martine.”

 
“She and Tom were certainly flirting madly last night when he took me there,” Martine giggled.  “So, maybe she’s replaced you already?”

 
“As long as you haven’t replaced me, darling.  That’s all I care about.”

 
“Lucas, I have no plans to replace you.  None at all.”

 
“Good.  Now, let’s go cuddle on the sofa for ten minutes and then I’m taking you to bed, to sleep.  Sleep, Martine. Only sleep.  I’ve already set the alarm for three…”

  They sat on the sofa and watched television for a short time.  Martine yawned.  Lucas immediately turned the program off. 

  “Bed.” he said.  “Let’s go to bed, darling. 

  Martine smiled up at him. 
“I brought my nightie, Lucas.  I’ll just go into the bathroom and put it on…”

  Lucas was in bed when she came into the bedroom in her new flannel nightie.  Buttoned to the neck, sweeping the floor.  Lucas laughed and laughed. 
“Removing all temptation are you, darling?”

  Martine smiled. 
“For tonight, Lucas.  Because three o’clock isn’t that far away…it’s nearly nine now…”

  She climbed in beside him.  Snuggled up to him, and lifted her face for a good night kiss.  He kissed her gently.  They lay on their backs, holding hands, her head was on his shoulder.  They were both fast asleep within minutes.

  Lucas’s alarm went off at three.  Martine reached over his sleeping form and turned it off.  She smiled down at him and eased out of bed, took her bag and went into the bathroom.  Dressed in her clothes for the bakery, packed her black mini and tights in her bag, washed, brushed her teeth and all that.  Lucas still slept.  She wanted to kiss him, but was afraid to wake him. She crept out.

  She stopped at the Gallery on her way and dropped off her bag, reset the alarm and hurried off to work.

  She grabbed a takeout coffee and toast from the all night café along the street and got to the bakery on the dot of four.

  Her boss was in a terrible mood.  Oh, dear.  Better wait a bit to quit.  Finally, he settled down and by nine was his usual cheerful self. 

  “George,” she said.  “Can I see you a minute, please?”

 
“Uh, sure, Martha.” Martine had stayed ’Martha’ at the bakery.  She saw no reason to let them know about the other part of her life.

“I’
m afraid that I have to turn my notice in.  I won’t leave you in the lurch before Christmas.  Do you think you could find someone to replace me by January 1
st
?”

 
“Why, have we upset you?  Do you want a raise?”

 
“No, George.  I’ve, eh, got a young man now, and he has marriage on his mind…doesn’t fancy a wife getting out of his bed at three every morning.  And I started a little art gallery a while ago, so I’ve been here four till noon, and there one till eight.  He says it’s too much for me.  The gallery is picking up and he feels we can manage without this money coming in…”

  George smiled. 
“If I were a young man with marriage on my mind, Martha, I wouldn’t want you leaving my warm bed at three in the morning either…I think my niece is looking for a job.  This might work out for both of us. If she wanted to start earlier, would you mind?”

  Martine smiled.
“Heaven’s not.  Lucas will be over the moon, to think I can snuggle with him till seven or eight.”

 
“Let me just go call her then, shall I?”  George went into his little office and came out smiling.  “Vanessa is thrilled.  She just lost her job last week, the firm sold and the new owners sacked three of them, she was one of the three.  She’s got a little girl, a single mom.  They live with my sister.  So she could actually start tomorrow, she says.  She really needs the

money.  She helped us out when you went on holiday last year. She asked me for a job last

night…I was in a bad mood because I couldn’t see how I could afford her.”

 
‘Went on Holiday’ was the week Martine had taken off to get her Gallery ready to open.  But George didn’t know that.

  Martine smiled from ear to ear. 
“Lucas will be so happy, George.”  Impulsively, she reached up and kissed his cheek.

  The rest of the morning flew by.  Vanessa had come straight over, and Martine had spent the last three hours going over all the things she did.  George, listening, realized he had not noticed that Martine had gradually taken over more and more bothersome tasks, and felt a twinge of guilt when he thought of how little he paid her, compared to the work she did.  He wouldn
’t get that kind of workload from Vanessa, he knew.

  Martine
’s feet flew over the pavement to the Gallery.  She would call Lucas and tell him the good news…

  She went in the Gallery, turned off the alarm but locked the door behind her and left the sign saying
Closed
.  Martine went into her back room

and made some soup and toast for lunch, changed into her mini and tights, combed her hair, put her make up on.  It was nearly one.  She called Lucas at the flat.  No answer.

  She unlocked the door and swung the sign to ‘Open’.  Looked in her black address book for Lucas’s office number.  Found it.  Dialed.

 
“Lucas Langdon.”  He sounded so businesslike.

 
“Hello, darling, sorry to bother you at work, but…”

 
“Is it urgent?  I’m afraid I have clients with me at the moment.  Could I call you back at two?”

 
“Of course…sorry I interrupted.”  Martine hung up without saying goodbye.

  She and Lucas seemed not to connect on the phone right now, she reflected.  But he had clients.  And he had no P.A.  He needed a P.A., she thought. She could have just left a message and he could have called back at his convenience.

  Martine checked all the prices she and Lucas had changed last night. She smiled.  Have to see if her theory was correct.

  Belinda came in, smiling like a Cheshire Cat. 
“I got my coat, Martine. And three fab bikinis for Jamaica.  And two sun tops…”

  Martine smiled.  That reminded her, she needed to get hold of Tom right away so she could slip out to shop herself.

  “I need to buy a dress for tonight, Belinda.  I’m going to the Cancer Society Dinner and Dance.  Where would you suggest close by?”

 
“Lillian’s three door’s up,” Belinda said promptly.  “I could watch the shop if you want to pop out for ten minutes…”

 
“Oh, would you?  I was going to call Tom.  If you don’t mind?”

  Martine grabbed her coat and bag and slipped into Lillian
’s Dress Shoppe.  Explained what she needed to Lillian. 

 
“Martine, I have just the thing.”  Lillian went into the back and came out with a black crepe

dress.  “Here, go into the dressing room and try it on.”

  It was high neck at the front, no back at all till way below her waist, and long, tight sleeves.  It hit her mid knee.  She came out to show Lillian.

 
“It looks like it was made for you, Martine.”  Lillian was right.  The fit was flawless.  “Here,” she handed her a sequined jacket.  Martin slipped it on.  The dress looked totally different. Two looks.