City Girl (33 page)

‘Go on.’

‘Don’t think I’m patronizing you, Devlin. I assure you I’m not, but I don’t know if you have enough experience to convince a bank manager to give you the amount you
are going to need. That’s if you really want to have the best of everything, and in my view, for the business you envisage, nothing but the best will do.’

Devlin looked at him glumly. She didn’t think he was being in the slightest bit patronizing. He was just being perfectly straight with her, which was one thing she liked about him.
Besides, she had had the same thought herself. Luke cleared his throat. ‘Listen, Devlin, you know the old saying “two heads are better than one”? As it happens I think yours is a
great business idea and I’ll certainly understand if you want to go it alone. But if you’d like to accept me as a partner, I have a property in Stephen’s Green that might be
ideal.’

He stood up, his broad-shouldered body impressive in a black leather jacket, neatly pressed grey pants hugging his long legs. Beside him Devlin felt like a pygmy. ‘Think about it,’
he said easily and walked from the room. She watched how he walked, like a panther. There was something so solid and dependable about Luke, she mused. How mistaken she had been about him at their
first meeting. It must have been her hormones. Her mind weighed the pros and cons of the idea. What he said was true and his business experience would be invaluable. The idea of property on the
Green was enticing. Right beside one of the most trendy shopping areas in Dublin, it could not but attract the moneyed citizens of the capital. From listening to how he visualized it, and from her
own experience in London, she knew he was right ahout the amount of money that would have to be spent. Devlin also knew that Luke would not have made such an offer if he hadn’t thought it was
going to work. They would have to get the best of everything to appeal to those who could afford it. It would have to become an
in
place to be seen at – that took money.

Excitement rose within her. Instinct told her it was going to work and she decided to accept Luke’s proposal. Impatiently she waited to see him the following day. Devlin had grown to look
forward to his visits. His ideas excited her and she could understand how he had made his fortune. There was always a slight air of impatience about him, as if he was straining at some invisible
leash and ready to explode into action.

When he finally did come and stood at the door late on the following evening, her heart went out to him as she saw the taut grimness of his face. He didn’t have to tell her his father had
died. It was written all over his face. Devlin swallowed hard. She didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to bring back all her own misery, misery that she had savagely suppressed
these last few weeks. But he was suffering and needed comfort as she had needed it. Wordlessly she held out her arms to him and felt him bury his face in her hair. She held him tightly for a long
while, her heart aching for both of them, her thoughts turning to Lynn whom she would never hold in her arms again. Grimly, frantically she struggled to control herself, afraid to release the
emotion she had never expressed over her bereavements. She couldn’t add to his grief. If she started to cry now she would never stop. She managed, just about, and a little later he drew away
from her and managed a brief smile.

‘Thank you, Devlin. You’ve helped me more than you could know . . . I’ve got to go and make funeral arrangements. I’ll see you when it’s over.’

Three days later he strode into the ward with three dozen red roses. He looked tired: his craggy lean face seemed to have aged and the touch of grey at his temples seemed more pronounced but he
smiled warmly at her. Devlin smiled back, a blush tinting her cheeks as she accepted the flowers. ‘For a caring generous lady,’ he said softly. ‘I really appreciate what you did
for my father. Thank you.’

‘Not at all, Luke. Honestly, there was no need for you to take this trouble when you have so many other things to do right now,’ Devlin said, slightly embarrassed, yet touched by his
gesture. She looked him straight in the eye. ‘You’d want to start saving your money if we are going into business together. To staff, stock and decorate
it
, you’re going
to need lots and lots of cash!’ There was a wicked glint in her blue eyes.

A broad grin spread across Luke’s face as her words sank in. He could feel the adrenalin begin to rush through his body as it always did at the start of a new venture. He knew they were on
to a winner. Maybe he could make Devlin feel attracted to him as he was to her. He knew it would be a long slow process. She had been hurt, and hurt badly by something or someone. Luke squared his
broad shoulders. He had never backed down from a challenge and she was the biggest he had ever encountered. He wouldn’t rush things, though. Reaching into his briefcase he said crisply,
‘Don’t just sit there grinning, Miss, we’ve got plenty of work to do!’ Handing her a pen and some blank pages he said, smiling at her, ‘Let’s get down to
business, pardner!’

Twenty-three

For Devlin the next six months were a hectic but exhilarating time. She worked tirelessly, throwing herself into the preparations despite Luke’s admonitions that she take
things easy. Physically she was recovered. She wanted to keep herself busy every minute she could, to try to smother the feelings of guilt and grief that consumed her. If she hadn’t decided
to go and live in Wexford, Kate and the baby might still be alive today. Her heart felt like a vast lead weight and every time a thought of Lynn came into her head it was frantically banished.
Don’t think about it! Don’t think about it, she ordered herself a thousand times a day. Live for now, this minute, don’t think about the past. It got her through the days but the
nights were torture.

She knew Maggie and Caroline couldn’t understand her seeming lack of grief, but not even with them could she talk about it. For the first time in her life she couldn’t let the girls
help her, although she had listened and comforted Caroline when she told her about her treatment for alcoholism. Devlin couldn’t bring herself to share her grief and let go because she was
afraid of the torrents of emotion any giving into it would unleash.

Bitterly she told Lydia that she wanted nothing to do with her and the other woman had not come to the hospital again. Nor had she seen her since her discharge, although she met her father
several times a week.

Luke would sometimes look at her, a perplexed look in his eyes as she kept pace with him step for step in the development of the club, bouncing her ideas off him, learning from his suggestions
and gaining confidence in herself and the venture as everything began to slot into place. They could talk about anything concerning the business and talk they did, but with any hint of the talk
turning personal, Devlin clammed up, politely but very firmly, steering the topic around to business matters again.

Don’t push, he told himself a thousand times, but no matter how gently he tried to get behind her reserve he wasn’t having much luck. Even the odd deliberate reference to Nola
elicited no queries as he had expected it to. He could have sworn she had been surprised when he told her he wasn’t married but obviously he had read more into her response than was there.
Was it just that she wasn’t interested in him? Or was she getting over an unhappy love affair? If only he had some line to go on. The woman was driving him crazy.

Devlin knew her behaviour puzzled her partner, but she couldn’t help it. Her new health club consumed her. It was all she cared about. It filled her mind and kept her thoughts from other
painful things and that was the way it was going to be. Luke had insisted that she visit similar clubs in London, Paris and the States and she had spent ten long informative days in a plush resort
in Florida where many rich and famous celebrities came to relax and fight the flab and make the body beautiful. The treatments she herself received had left her glowing and refreshed, she had even
gained some of the weight that had fallen off her in hospital and she had come back to Dublin bursting with ideas for their place. Luke had flown over from London later in the week following her
return and his heart lifted at the sight of her. She looked so tanned and vital, almost like the Devlin he had first seen so long ago, but catching her in an unguarded moment staring down at some
children going to feed the ducks in the Green he had cursed beneath his breath at the awful lonely sadness in her eyes. If only she would tell him what had caused that pain he might have been able
to give her some comfort. It had to be more than grief for her aunt, he knew they had been close but surely time would have started healing the sadness. He considered asking Gerry but decided
against it. That would be an invasion of her privacy. If Devlin wanted to tell him what was troubling her, she would, and if and when she did, he knew he would have moved a big step forward in
their relationship. Better to know her crisp and businesslike than not to know her at all.

Devlin decided to call the club CITY GIRL and Luke liked the name. It had a snazzy uptown ring to it and the interest that was already being shown gave a good indication that they were on to a
winner. Caroline and Maggie were as excited as Devlin and there were endless discussions about the decor. The building, which had previously housed offices, was gutted from top to bottom, the
elegant Georgian façade cleaned and painted. With the help of the designer of the Florida resort, the interior of the building was transformed into a luxurious haven.

‘Get the best,’ said Luke, and she did. Only the plushest of furniture was used, enormous cane sofas and chairs with soft plump cushions lay dotted around the lounging areas, which
were decorated in soft pastel colours, muted pinks and greys and pale greens. The relaxing ambience exuded a subtle air of wealth, tinged with unmistakable sophistication. It was the perfect place
for a busy business woman or rich wife to relax with friends.

Professional staff was recruited. CITY GIRL had its own doctor, nurse, beauty consultants, as well as masseurs, hairdressers, aerobics instructors and a host of other personnel. The rooftop
swimming pool, jacuzzis and saunas were surrounded by vivid, lush tropical plants and enclosed under a huge glass dome. It was a rich green paradise at artificial temperatures. There were two
intimate restaurants, and an attractive Spanish-tiled shopping mall which sold wildly expensive goods. There was a small library where the weary city girl could relax over the daily newspapers, or
read a few chapters of the latest on the best sellers list. If she wished she could take a Linguaphone course while having a pedicure, or perhaps, dictate a business letter while having her
manicure, to a top class secretary who would have it ready for her departure.

Visiting business executives from other countries could avail of CITY GIRL’s exclusive services. And there was wide corporate interest in the club which generated enormous business.
Membership of CITY GIRL became one of the tantalizing perks that corporate employers used to headhunt the best. As Luke had foretold, membership of the club became a status symbol and even women
from other parts of the country who visited the capital two or three times a month availed of a special membership of the club.

The venture was succeeding beyond Devlin’s wildest dreams but even so, she didn’t forget old friends. She asked Eddie, Mollie’s husband, to take charge of the carpentry and Rog
and Rayo were sent to do a course in lifesaving with a view to becoming pool attendants. The boys had noticed that Devlin couldn’t bear to talk about Lynn or the accident, so by unspoken
agreement it was a taboo topic. To all intents and purposes, her secret past life had never happened. Only with Mollie would Devlin make a passing reference to the past, when lonely, tormented,
unable to face the thoughts of an evening alone she would drive out to her friend’s lovely new corporation house in the Liberties, and spend a few hours with the kind motherly woman.

Devlin’s lifestyle had changed dramatically. She was now the managing director of a fantastically successful company, CITY GIRL Ltd, and earning a large salary. When she had protested
about the amount, Luke said firmly, ‘Devlin, you’ll earn every penny of it. There’s no point in living on a pittance. You’ll be entertaining potential clients, you’ll
need your expense account. You need a place to live that’s going to be relaxing and comfortable for you after the ten- or twelve-hour day you’ll be putting in. The first rule of good
business is pay a decent salary and you and I are employees just like the others. They deserve their salaries; so do we.’ He grinned at her. ‘Don’t worry, if we are in danger of
going bankrupt you’ll be the first to know.’

He was right of course. And there was not the slightest fear of them going bankrupt. The figures were very firmly in the black.

Devlin bought an apartment in the same complex as Caroline, although it seemed as if she was never there. Luke was right: she was earning every penny of her salary. The new club excited enormous
media interest and the opening day was something Devlin would never forget. A PR firm worked flat out to ensure that it was one of the biggest social events of the year. Devlin spent the day being
interviewed by the press, radio, and TV and in the process became something of a celebrity.

She was invited to opening nights, galas, and a host of other functions, which she went to, realizing that by maintaining a high profile she would generate more business for the club. It was a
strategy that worked. Women were clamouring for membership, not the least deterred by the hefty yearly fees. To be a member of CITY GIRL was a must for the socially conscious woman.

Devlin’s life was full. Yet the emptiness inside would not go away. She couldn’t bear to be alone, yet she longed sometimes for solitude at the height of a hectic party or in her
plush office at the club where there was a constant stream of people requiring her attention. For the first time in their friendship she couldn’t talk to Caroline and Maggie about her
feelings. They too were emotionally wounded, Caroline by her alcoholism and by something else, something that affected her marriage that she could not talk about either. Maggie, deeply hurt by
Terry’s affair, was pouring all her bitter feelings into the novel she was writing. Devlin had read what she had written and the raw pain in some of the writing had made her want to cry as
she identified with it. Poor Maggie was so giving and yet Terry, the fool, couldn’t see what he was losing. She could almost understand Caroline turning to drink because of being married to
Richard, but Terry cheating on Maggie? That she couldn’t credit. They all had such problems, and they couldn’t talk to each other. It wasn’t that their friendship was under
strain. Devlin decided that the reason she didn’t want to talk to her friends about her emotional state was because they had enough troubles of their own, without her burdening them with
hers. Although she didn’t realize it, that was the exact reason the other girls had for not telling her their troubles.