Page 9 of Changing Tides
“I never thought you’d agree to it, if I’m honest. But Denny didn’t help me feel any closer to you.” Amira stepped back a little, as if the strength of Marianne’s pent-up anger was pushing her away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to talk about this, but we’ll have to sell the building to pay off our debts. It can be a new start for both of us. Apart.”
“And what about our child?”
“We should talk when you’ve had time to process things. I’m sorry I didn’t come clean sooner, but you do make things so hard.”
Marianne looked around, but her vision was blurred. “And what about all of this? Our staff? Our customers.” She waved at their surroundings.
“I’ve told the staff they’ll have to find new jobs and we’ll pay them for their notice period when we sell up.”
“You can’t do that. It’s illegal. They have contracts.” She thought of Colette. Her team would never believe she wasn’t party to this fuck-up.Oh no.They would believe she’d gone away at the weekend to hide while Amira broke the news.
“Don’t be naïve. They work in the hospitality industry. They’ll find other work. No one wants to work for an employer who can’t pay. And people will find other places to eat. It’s a fucking restaurant, Marianne, not a hospital. It just doesn’t matter that much.”
Marianne’s legs buckled and she crashed back down.
Amira’s voice was muffled, as though she was speaking in a tunnel. “Why don’t we go upstairs? They haven’t cut off the power to the apartment yet. We can get a good night’s sleep and talk more in the morning.”
She stared at Amira and shook her head. “You’ve just torn my entire life apart. Do you think I’m going to sleep?”
“Someone has to stay with Denny. I’ve told Emma to leave.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Amira. Let her stay until she finds somewhere to live.”
“She seemed keen to go when I told her. She’s staying with a friend. She only agreed for Denny’s sake to wait until we’d spoken.”
Her pulse beat so hard in her temple Marianne was afraid it was going to explode. Was she having a stroke?
“You go up. I need some time.” She dropped her head to the table.
“I really am sorry, Marianne. But you played your part in all of this, too.”
“Fuck you, Amira.” It was the best parting shot she could come up with.
She sat for a while longer until the sense of nausea was overtaken by hunger. She’d stopped to feed Denny on their way home, but she’d planned to eat in the kitchen while she checkedover the week’s menus.My kitchen. She sobbed as she stood up, remembering to take a candle with her. Shadows bounced off the walls as she stared around. Her chest felt hollow and heavy at the same time.
She tried to shake it off. Perhaps Amira was overstating the problem and there was a chance they could pull the restaurant back from the brink. But she knew better. Amira was the money expert. If she said it was irreparable, it must be.
She went into the cold store, now noticeably warmer, and wondered how long this disaster had been brewing. If Amira had told her weeks ago, they could have tried to rescue the business with an emergency loan. Or she could have asked her mother for help. It would have been a desperate option, but anything would have been better than this.
She pulled out some cold meats and picked the best cheeses from the wide selection. They’d all be spoiled soon. A detour to the wine cooler produced a bottle of her favorite Chablis. She retreated to the familiarity of her office to eat.
She checked her watch. It was only nine o’clock. How could her whole life have unraveled in little more than an hour? She uncorked the bottle and poured herself a large glass. Perhaps a couple of drinks would give her a chance of sleeping, and tomorrow she could find out the true extent of the horror facing her. She pulled out her phone and her finger hovered over the Instagram icon for a moment. The news of the restaurant’s closure would have broken by now, but she just couldn’t bear to see what people were saying about her. Not yet. That could wait until tomorrow.
SIX
Joey triedthe loading bay door and found it locked. They checked their watch. Mari’s staff should be preparing for lunchtime service by now.
“Hello? Amira.” They hammered on the doors and shook the handle. Nothing happened. They pulled out their phone.
Hi, Mari, are you in? I come bearing lobster.
They stared at the screen, waiting for the three dots to appear. When they did, it was a frustrating couple of minutes more until the reply appeared.
On my way.
The doors eventually rattled as they were unlocked from inside, but the version of Marianne who stood there shocked Joey. Her clothes were rumpled as if she’d slept in them, and her eyes were swollen and bloodshot.
“Mari, what’s wrong? What’s happened?” Without thinking they pushed their way inside and pulled Marianne close. To their surprise, she collapsed against them, sobbing.
