Page 93 of Fling

‘Well, I’ve always believed that every flower deserves to bloom,’ Tom said.

That was it. The slogan for Fling Tara had been searching for.

Every flower deserves to bloom.

It was the exact idea she had been trying to communicate but couldn’t find the words.

‘Tom, you’re a genius. I have to get home. You’ve just inspired me,’ Tara said, before downing her 7up.

‘Ah, darling, you only just sat down,’ Tom said.

‘I’ll be back for another visit soon Tom, I promise. Me, you and Mam should go out to dinner.’

‘Ah, that would be lovely, darling.’

‘Behave yourself while I’m gone, tomcat. No more spraining that groin of yours,’ Tara teased as she headed towards the door.

‘No promises!’ Tom laughed.

After a three-hour-long drive, Tara finally got home to Hillcrest just after 11 p.m. She was utterly exhausted after the journey and she was in no mood for any kind of confrontation with Colin. Thankfully, when she peeked into the living room, she saw him passed out cold on the couch. She couldn’t help but notice that there were specks of paint all over his body and his hands looked rough and calloused. It seemed as if he had been working non-stop on some home improvement project but, as she looked around, any improvements remained to be seen. She did notice, however, that the pub signs had been taken down and the man cave was back to looking like her living room. His beard had grown quite a bit more in the two days she hadn’t seen him, and she hated that it actually suited him. She closed the door quietly and tiptoed upstairs to the bedroom.

She still had to update the presentation for Dick Mulligan with the new slogan but she was completely wrecked. She could barely keep her eyes open. She decided she would wake up early the following morning and make the changes with brand new eyes. Tara got into bed and said a silent prayer that everything the following day would go according to plan.

Chapter 32

Tara awoke bright and early for what she hoped would be a career-defining day. Everything had to go perfectly – too much was riding on this pitch. One hiccup and all could be lost. All going well, Dick Mulligan would be one of the most high-profile clients Insight had ever landed. Even if he was public enemy number one, he was still a big fish and Tara was determined to reel him in. She needed to prove to the Lads, and the board of directors, that she was still on top of her game.

She went downstairs to the kitchen, took her tablet out of her handbag and brewed some coffee. She looked out the kitchen window and adored the blush pink colour of the morning sky. She couldn’t help but notice there were some tools lying around the outside of the shed and she figured Colin must have been mending the damage she had done to the bike.

As her coffee was brewing, she poked her head into the living room and saw that Colin was still out like a light. Ideal. She couldn’t handle a fight with him right now. Tara poured her coffee and spent the next thirty minutes perfecting her presentation. She went through each slide and added the slogan ‘Every flower deserves to bloom’ in small font under the logo. It was the cherry on top of the entire campaign. All thanks to Tom O’Malley, of all people.

When the presentation was finally ready, however, Tara noticed that the tablet’s battery was low, and she would need it for the pitch. She saved the file and plugged the tablet into a charger on the kitchen counter. It was only 7.30 a.m. so there was still plenty of time to charge it up.

Now Tara just had to get her own battery back to 100 per cent.

She knew she needed to resurrect every last ounce of confidence still left within her. She couldn’t let Colin’s infidelity get in the way of this huge career opportunity. She had razzle-dazzled Dick during the first pitch meeting so the bar was set high. Now she would have to outdo herself.

Tara showered, applied her best make-up and dressed up in a tantalizing red dress and a pair of black four-inch heels that gave her the confidence she needed. Admittedly, the dress was a little short and Tara wondered if it was office-appropriate. But as she looked in the mirror, she realized she looked good. Great, even. Dick Mulligan was, after all, the founder of an infidelity app. He needed to know she had sex appeal in order to sell her marketing strategy. Her pitch was all about women unlocking their desires and reclaiming their vitality, so it was kind of on-brand that she wear a dress that radiated an erotic aura. Now more than ever she had to embrace the divine feminine.

Colin may have cheated on her and Jack may have been ghosting her but she wasn’t going to let a man dictate her mood on such an important day. She stood up tall, threw her shoulders back and walked confidently back downstairs. When she returned to the kitchen, however, she was struck by the image of Colin preparing a bowl of cereal. He was pouring the milk in first, like a madman.

‘Tara!’ he said, looking up in shock. ‘I didn’t know you were here.’

‘Well, here I am,’ she said without emotion.

‘I didn’t hear you come home last night. I have something to show you,’ Colin said, getting up.

‘Colin, I’m in a rush this morning,’ she said, picking up her handbag.

‘You’re definitely going to want to see this. Come on, it’s in the shed,’ Colin said, like an excited child.

‘Colin, I don’t care if you cleaned the shed after me asking you for months. I have more important things to think about today,’ she said.

A look of devastation came over Colin’s face. ‘What’s more important than our marriage?’

‘Having an affair, apparently,’ she snapped.

‘Well, the last thing you said to me was that you were going to have an affair of your own. Is that where you’ve been all weekend?’ Colin asked.

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