Part 2
Shane
hadn't slept at all that night, the day's events were repeating over
and over in his mind.
He
couldn't get over the fact he was single, once again. He lay there
in the early morning light, wondering what to do? He needed to get
away, to somewhere he could make head or tail of his life, and what
he wanted out of it.
He
got out of bed, hours later, got dressed in his usual working
attire, and grabs a quick coffee before walking out the door. It was
only a 10 minute walk to work, and he sighed. 6 months ago, he'd be
mobbed if ever he was out in the town, but now, not one person had
ever asked him for his autograph. The rumours about town, were that
Shane was a 'had-been' - a one big time superstar, now a forgotten
artist, that no one ever wondered about.
Shane
always thought that he'd be a solo artist when Westlife split, but
when the deals never came through, and the record companies weren't
interested, he knew his career in music has been short-lived.
He
wasn't entirely sure, about what to do after Westlife, except
Horses. Horses had been his life, and now even he was tiring of them.
"Shane,"
Liam has once said to him. "Your horses need this, and this,
and that. When are you coming to ride them again, its not fair on the
stable-hands and me to exercise the horses when you're not even away!"
What
was happening to him, was he losing his mind and all his childhood dreams.
He
knew he had to do something and fast, or there'd be a permanent
CLOSED sign on Filan's Fashions window.
His
sister wasn't there when he arrived, so he opened up anyway, picking
up the mail, when a letter caught his eye.
He
grabbed his morning coffee, and sat down.
'Dear
Mr Filan, We have heard about your lack of business, that we would
like to supply your store with our new line of women's clothes. Find
enclosed the latest brochure detailing our line of fashions. We hope
this finds you interested&ldots;.'
Shane
stared at the sender. What this some kind of joke, or was it
genuine. Why was new Dublin designer Charlotte McByrne wanting to
showcase her clothes in a store in Sligo of all places. He had seen
her on the television, in various interviews, and she was quite a looker.
Just
then there was a car pulled up outside the store.
"Hello,
anyone about?" a feminine voice called.
"Yes,
how can I help? oh my gosh, its you&ldots;"Shane said, staring
at Charlotte McByrne in the face.
"Yes,
I gather you got my letter, so can we discuss the plans."
"I
don't know what to say, but thank you, you've really made my day."
"Oh?"
"With
the business going slowly down the drain, my girlfriend ditched me
for her family's new café down the street."
"Oh,
you don't mean the ghastly café, I had the misfortune to stop
and have coffee at? I hadn't had coffee so disgusting, and the
service was most unpleasant." Charlotte said, sitting down,
welcoming the freshly brewed cup of coffee Shane placed in front of her.
"Shay,
so sorry I'm late, but I had to go and see Mam again."
"Yvonne,
would you meet Charlotte McByrne, a up and coming designer who has
expressed interest in supplying clothes to our store."
"It's
a pleasure to meet you Charlotte, but how did this happen?"
"Well,
to be honest, I heard from Nicky Byrne, our neighbour. He and his
girlfriend, were over for dinner with me and my partner Jonah.
Nicky's been over in Sligo the past week, trying to figure out what
went wrong for Westlife, and had been walking past the store
occasionally, noticing its lack of customers. And I was looking for
somewhere to showcase my clothes, and he suggested, who better than
Filan's Fashions, to get the crowds back, and showcase my stuff.
"WOW!"
Shane and Yvonne said.
"And
I believe the place could do with revamp, so I've called in some
help, I don't know how much help they could be&ldots;" Charlotte
said, signaling to the car.
"Oh
my lord, Nicky, Bryan! I can't believe this." Shane said,
shaking. Shane had to sit down, before he lost his balance.
"Shane,
we know you've been having it rough, so we'd decided to help you
out, because Me and Bryan know that its just no fun with the rest of
the lads." Nicky said, smiling.
"Yeah,
Shay, Nix's right. Why break a friendship with a sudden split, its
not our fault things went as they did."
"Am
I glad to see you guys, what do u have in mind for the shop
Charlotte&ldots;"Shane said, hugging Nicky and Bryan.