And with those few words, the bottom fell out of Bailey’s world.
* * *
Bailey couldn’t believe that he and the other part-timers had been given their notice.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
He pulled his coat collar higher as he walked purposely down the city street. With his head down he focused on his feet and ignored those around him. His thoughts swirled and he dug his hands into his pockets. Losing his job had been the last thing on his mind when he’d started his shift that day. Given there’d been no announcements at the end of the financial year, he’d figured his job was safe. He’d been stressed to the max about finding the right direction in life, but now not having a job too…. What the hell was he going to do? How would he pay his bills without a source of income? His finances were already shot to hell. He’d be forced into taking the first shitty job he could find and not being able to focus on moving in a new direction. At least they’d been given two months’ notice of the intention to outsource more of the company business to the offshore location.
He skirted around a group of people standing on the footpath, ducking and weaving, determined to get to Tom as soon as possible. He wanted to talk to him,neededto talk to him. Not only did Bailey need a sounding board, he needed to hear that everything would be all right. It wasn’t until he’d pushed open the door to Take Two that he finally felt able to take a proper breath, and as soon as he saw Tom, it was as if the weight on his shoulders had been lifted.
Bailey shrugged out of his coat as he headed towards the counter where Tom was deep in conversation with someone seated on a stool. It wasn’t until Bailey got closer that Tom looked up.
“Can I….” Bailey could tell the moment Tom realised he wasn’t another customer. His smile grew wide. “Bailey. Hi. I wasn’t expecting you. Did your shift end early?”
Tom looked so happy to see him that Bailey didn’t want to get straight into it. “Yeah. Got an early mark.”Too bad the early mark is so we can get our heads around the bad news.
“Well I’m glad you chose to spend it here.” Tom leaned across the counter. Bailey met him halfway with a light kiss. Not nearly enough, but it would have to do. Tom’s eyes twinkled as they moved apart, the glance holding a promise for later. “Come pull up a pew. Phil was just telling me about a new contract.”
It was only then Bailey noticed that the customer sitting at the bar was Tom’s friend Phil.
“Hey, good to see you.” Phil stood and held out his hand.
Bailey shook. “It’s nice to see you again too.”
Bailey sat on a stool next to Phil, putting his coat on the vacant seat next to him. Tom moved to the coffee machine and started performing his magic, the aroma of ground coffee beans rich in the air. It was warm inside, and the gentle tones of acoustic covers over the speaker system mingled with the sound of muted conversation and the soft noise of the cafe. Bailey glanced around the room, satisfied to see it still held a number of customers despite nearing closing time. He spotted Cassie clearing tables across the room and gave her a wave. Tom’s business seemed to be picking up more and more each day. It was no wonder he was now in a position to need more help.
“You’ve just finished work, have you?” Phil’s question drew his attention back to the man next to him.
“Uh-huh. I… ah… let’s just say it’s been a tough day.”
“You need this then.” Tom slid the mug in front of Bailey.
“Thanks.” He sipped the coffee, Tom never taking his gaze from Bailey as he watched him drink. The warmth of the drink, matched by the warmth in Tom’s rich brown eyes, went a long way to soothing the anxiety that had been eating away at Bailey since the announcement at work. He wanted to spill everything that had happened that afternoon and couldn’t wait for Tom to close up for the day so they could escape upstairs together. But in the meantime, he enjoyed the warm, secure feeling of being in Tom’s presence.
“So tell me more about the contract, mate,” Tom said to Phil.
“They’re doing some development around at the old wharves. They’re turning a couple of the old finger wharves into apartment complexes. We got the contracts for all the kitchens.”
“That’s amazing.” Tom’s voice was full of excitement.
“Yeah.” Phil chuckled. “Definitely earned some brownie points with the old man.”
Tom looked to Bailey. “Phil works in his family’s company.”
Bailey smiled at Tom, grateful for him providing some background. “I think I remember hearing something about that, but it’s hard to remember all the details.” He turned to Phil. “Congratulations. It sounds like a great opportunity.”
“Yeah. It’s pretty huge. Luckily we’ve got the room for expansion at the factory but we’ll need to bring on some more cabinet makers. I’ll probably be doing more of the overall design and coordination and less of the actual manufacturing myself.” He chuckled. “I might have to ask Elliot for some pointers.”
“Between the two of you, you’ll be taking over the property development world in no time,” Tom said. His tone was teasing but Bailey had no doubt Phil and Elliot would be making a mark in the world, based on what he’d heard so far about the two of them.
Phil provided more details about the contract and the plans for expanding the family business, further cementing Bailey’s opinion of what a great opportunity it was. Phil was animated, hands moving in the air as he articulated his ideas for the design. His passion was obvious in the way he described not only the materials to be used, but the ambiance he wanted to create with the look and feel, maximising the harbourside location and impressive water views.
“So it’s a really prestigious job?” Tom asked.
“Sure is. The tender competition was fierce, so it’s bloody awesome to win.”
“I’m so proud of you, mate.”
