Katie looked around the room and thought of the babies and couldn’t possibly see how Chrissie could find time to work and she hadn’t considered sharing the business in a partnership. “But how would you manage to share a business?” she asked.
Chrissie giggled. “No I don’t want to come in with you. I just thought if you were to take a job with more than two, three, or four guests I could be your waitress and assistant? It would get me out of here for a few hours and make me a little of my own money. I wouldn’t be able to start until the twins are on the bottles and I can leave them with big John, but, well, what do you think…”
Katie was delighted. She hadn’t given a thought to the fact that she’d need help for bigger dinner parties. “I think you’ve got yourself a deal,” she said grinning and they clinked their coffee cups together.
Chapter Thirteen
“Well, I spent Friday reading the whole of Chrissie’s folder and assessing the rates she’d charged for the meals she’d served and then off set them against the cost of food, transport, and equipment,” she told Frances over a coffee on Monday morning. “And the profits she’d made even six years ago were amazing.”
Frances nodded. “Chrissie always did throw herself into everything at a hundred miles an hour.”
“Oh Frances, it’s such a long time since I’ve felt so inspired about work and I know I can make a go of this business. But now it all boils down to the settlement from the apartment and my savings, and I figure if I get the bare minimum I’ve contributed into the apartment I should just have enough to buy a flat with a big kitchen.” she said
“Hmm,” Frances pondered. “And I suppose it depends how long it takes for Graham or Tim to contact you. Of course, you could always get in touch with them and explain that you need the money sooner rather than later?”
Katie grimaced. “Over my dead body!” she exclaimed which made Frances smile and sadly shake her head.
Ignoring the look on Frances’s face she continued, “And then I spent most of the weekend looking at estate agents websites, prices of flats for sale, and the costs involved for mortgages. I’ve circled a couple of areas on the street map where I’d like to live and run the business from which are fairly central to my friends and family…”
“So, you’re really going ahead with it all, then?” Frances asked forlornly.
She nodded and squeezed Frances’ hand. She knew how much she was going to miss her and how her support had been a lifeline over the last few weeks. “Yeah, it just feels the right thing to do, Fran. And at a time in my life when I really need a new direction.”
“Jeez, though, I’m going to miss having you around the place,” Frances said and suddenly her big grey eyes looked watery and full of tears.
“I know, but if I’d got the project managers job I’d have been leaving the team anyway?”
Frances gave her a weak smile. “Yeah, but you’d still have been upstairs and I could have popped up every day to see you.”
Katie sipped her coffee thoughtfully. “You know, it hasn’t been an easy decision and sometimes it feels like I’m outside myself looking into my new life. It’s strange because I’d got used to doing everything with Tim and deciding about things together but now he has nothing to do with any of this and I’m doing it all again on my own – and quite frankly it’s a bit scary.”
Frances fiddled with the salt cellar then visibly brightened. “Well, it’s bound to be, but I think you’ve approached the break-up with strength and dignity and you’re coping really well. I mean, some women would have completely gone to pieces by now. But you’re strong - you’ll be fine.”
“Thanks, Fran,” she said as they got up to go back to the office. “You’ve been great and I know I couldn’t have got through the last few weeks without you.”
“Aah, anytime, Katie,” she said, “I know you’d have done the same for me.”
She decided to keep as busy as possible during the week by looking in detail at the next six projects due to launch in Spring, which in a way would be tiresome, because she would have left the company by then but being the consummate professional in