Cupcakes at Carrington’s (Carringtons Department Store 1) (28 page)

‘You’re only a couple of hundred short, but no, my mind is made up.’
A couple of hundred
. My head is spinning trying to catch up. This must be about the sales figures, and not about my indiscretion with Tom. I allow myself to relax for a moment and let out a small silent sigh of relief as she looks away to slap the wrap into place again. ‘Damn thing. Don’t you just hate wearing these ridiculous outfits?’ She looks me up and down, before wrenching the wrap from her neck and slinging it across the room.

‘Err yes, I suppose so,’ I venture, praying I’ve got it right. Her face has changed now, back to her usual aloof look, and a little shiver trickles down my spine. Maybe I’ve got it wrong then.

‘Do you like working at Carrington’s?’ I swallow hard, wondering why she’s talking about this today, at a wedding. Surely it could have waited until we were at work?

‘Yes, yes of course I do,’ I blurt, taken aback at the directness of her question at such an inappropriate time. Then she fixes her stare on me and I’m forced to look away.

‘Only just recently I haven’t been so convinced. You seem distracted. As if you’d rather be somewhere else.’ She fixes her eyes on mine. I swallow hard.

‘No, I don’t think so,’ I manage to reply, knowing what she’s saying does have a ring of truth to it. I hadn’t realised it had been quite so obvious, though. I have been preoccupied with worrying about Sam, losing Alfie, and thinking about the plan with James and Eddie – never mind fretting about my debts, the necklace, seeing if I might be able to salvage something of my relationship with Dad and everything else that has gone on. The thought of our plan makes me blush and I remember her chilling words about making it her business to know everything. Please don’t let her have found out about it. I don’t think I could bear the backlash.

‘Hmmm, well, if you’re going to be the new floor supervisor then you have to stay focused at all times.’

I snap back to attention.

‘The
supervisor
?’ Did I hear her right? My pulse quickens. Maybe I’m off the hook after all.

‘Yes, that’s right. I’ve made my recommendations to the board and spoken to HR. It’s all been agreed. Your section is the most popular, which is really no surprise – I mean, who doesn’t love a luxury handbag or three? And you just wait until those Prada and Hermès beauties arrive,’ she smiles, a real smile this time, and one that meets her eyes, and then puts her hand out to me.

‘Well, I … err … don’t know what to say.’ And I don’t. I shake her hand, feeling puzzled at this sudden twist. But then a surge of adrenalin bolts through me. A floor supervisor! Me. I wonder if my salary will increase. This means security. No more worrying and sleepless nights – all of it is mine for the taking. But why do I still feel uneasy and a little deflated? I thought this was what I wanted, but now I’m not so sure.

‘But, James is the floor supervisor,’ I hear myself saying. ‘And he made the most sales, surely the job should still be his,’ I add, desperate to try and make the decision a fair one, made on merit, and then I immediately feel like a naïve idiot for thinking that it was ever about fairness at all.

‘Maybe. But no, like I said, us girls need to stick together. Just tread carefully when you break it to them. You know how tetchy men can get.’

‘Break it to them?’ My stomach turns.

‘Of course. You’re in charge now so you can tell James and Tom they’re no longer required. Redundant. Whatever spin you want to put on it. But it all boils down to the same thing. Just get rid of them.’ She flaps a dismissive hand into the air between us.

‘But, I …’ I gulp. I can’t believe this. Surely HR should deal with this kind of thing? I need to talk to Amy, but then what if Maxine finds out and thinks I’m checking up on her, that I’ve gone behind her back? This is a nightmare. How am I going to tell James he has to leave when I’ve stolen his job out from under him? The thought fills me with dread. It’s like an icy hand clutching at my insides. And Tom? Oh my God, what am I going to say to him?

This is bad. Really bad. And I’m not sure I can do what’s she asking. It just doesn’t make sense – why would she make me a supervisor when James clearly won on the sales, which is what it was supposed to be all about? And he has the experience. Then, for a flash of a second, I feel a stab of guilt. So she wasn’t playing me after all, and I’ve even gone and roped in Eddie to stitch her up. But I saw her with Tom, with my very own eyes. I didn’t imagine it and she definitely answered the phone on that Sunday morning.

Maybe this is her sick way of getting revenge on James for choosing another woman over her, and she’s prepared to sacrifice Tom in the process. God, maybe she does know what happened with Tom and this is her punishment to him for taking their ruse too far. My head is spinning, lurching from one sickening possibility to the other. I just can’t believe it. A sinking feeling cloaks itself around me. If I accept this job then I’ll become a puppet, dancing to her tune forever, with the threat of the strings being cut at any moment. I just don’t know if I can go that far to ensure my financial security.

‘I’ll need your formal acceptance by close of play on Tuesday.’ She jumps up and, grabbing the wrap from the floor, she turns around, flaps her hand behind her backside to indicate that I’m to follow her, and heads towards the door. Once again I scuttle along behind, my mind working overtime.

A
fter managing to escape from Maxine, I make my way back into the atrium and take another flute from a passing waitress.

‘Take two,’ she says. ‘Looks as though you could do with it.’ She grins at me.

‘You’re right.’ I smile back gratefully. ‘Thanks.’

There are more people milling around now. A quartet is playing light jazz music and there’s a happy wedding atmosphere. I spot Melissa standing alone near the fire exit and wander over to join her.

‘Cor, you scrub up well,’ Melissa the store detective says, shimmying her ample cleavage which is tethered in, only just, by a lime-green scoop-necked Lycra dress. She’s holding a pint of Guinness.

‘Thanks Mel. How come you’ve got Guinness?’ I ask, eager to engage her in conversation. I can see James standing just a few inches away, chatting to a guy who must be related to Ciaran – he’s the spitting image of him. The job promotion still hasn’t really sunk in, and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to keep it from James. But I have to, at least until I’ve got my head around Maxine’s sneaky plan.

‘Just asked the waiter for it. Shampoo gives me gut-ache.’ She pulls a groaning face.

‘So when do you start your training course?’ I ask, remembering that she handed in her notice last week and is off to become a prison warder.

‘End of the month, and I can’t wait. It’s just not the same at Carrington’s any more,’ she says, downing the last of her pint. I stare at her, pondering on what she’s just said.

‘I know,’ I reply, softly. I know. The thought lingers on.

‘You’ll come to my leaving do though, won’t you? A ten-pint challenge in the Nag’s Head. First one down buys the kebabs on the way home,’ she says, like she can’t wait to get started. I groan at her idea of a good evening and then, just as I open my mouth to reply, Tom, who must have been standing behind me, turns to join us. He’s wearing a beautifully cut black tuxedo, white shirt and loose bow tie. His dark curls are gelled back and he looks just like a Hollywood A-lister at a film premiere. And no matter how hard I try, I just can’t stop my stomach flipping, my groin tingling and my heart racing all at the same time. It’s a mixture of sexual excitement and raw nerves, and there’s no hiding from him.

The atrium is buzzing now with guests. Some of the others from work are here, all necking drinks like there’s no tomorrow. Mrs Grace has just arrived and is busy telling Stan to stop fiddling with his tie. He rolls his eyes and she bats his hand away from his collar before sipping the champagne and wrinkling her nose.

‘Hi Georgie,’ Tom says, letting his gaze linger on me. I feel awkward. It’s the first time he’s spoken directly to me since that moment in Brighton. ‘What’s this about a party?’ He turns to Melissa.

‘My leaving do – you’ll be there, won’t you?’ Melissa says. The atrium is filling up so quickly there’s barely room to move now, and Tom is standing right next to me, my bare arm tantalisingly close against his sleeve.

‘Depends … will Georgie be there too?’ Tom smiles, and I almost choke on my champagne. I can feel my cheeks getting hot. There’s a momentary silence.

‘Nice one. You two … right pair of bluffers. Never would have guessed you were at it,’ Melissa broadcasts in a too-loud voice, and treats me to a massive wink before sauntering off in search of a waiter. I’m speechless. I just wish the ground would come back and swallow me up. My whole body is singeing with embarrassment.

‘Sorry about that. It’s Melissa, you know how she is …’ I manage to mutter, not daring to look at Tom. I drain the last of my drink. I can’t move. There are people crammed all around me. There’s no escape.

‘Why are you apologising?’ He manages to turn in the confined space so he’s facing me now. I glance up. He stares straight into my eyes, holding my gaze and not faltering. I gulp, unsure of what to say. Suddenly I wonder where Maxine is – she could be watching us. Then I wonder whether he already knows about my promotion.

‘Well, you know …’ is all I can muster.

‘No I don’t. Please tell me,’ he says, still holding eye contact. I feel sick. I don’t want to have to spell it out to him.

‘Well, after what happened. I mean, I know it was just a kiss and all … but well,’ I babble, waving a hand around and cringing all over.

‘Not for me it wasn’t,’ he interrupts, and my heart actually misses a beat.

‘But you left in such a hurry,’ I stutter. ‘And you’ve been avoiding me ever since,’ I add, desperately trying to regain some composure and control.

‘I haven’t.’ He looks bemused.

‘Yes you have. Just the other day you let the lift go without me. You could have easily waited but you chose not to,’ I say, thinking,
there
, let’s hear what you have to say about that.

‘I don’t remember, but I’m sorry if I did. It wasn’t intentional. And if I have been avoiding you it’s only because … well, I thought I might have overstepped the mark.’ Sadness clouds his eyes. He looks away.

‘But I didn’t realise.’

Tom laughs and a fizzle of electricity shoots up my arm as his fingers gently stoke mine. Then a bald-headed, beer-bellied man tries to squeeze behind me to get through the crowd, and as he stumbles into my back I’m suddenly catapulted into Tom’s chest. I draw in his delicious scent as he places his hands, one on each of my arms, to rescue me from being winded. The feeling is so intense it makes me gasp. But then I quickly pull away. I’m not falling for it a second time.

‘But you told Maxine the weekend was “predictable”. What did you mean by that?’ I can’t look him in the eye.

‘Predictable?’ He ponders for a moment. ‘Oh yes, I was just making conversation. She wanted to know what happened, so I told her … you know, people started off not liking the idea of team activities but soon got over it and ended up enjoying themselves – a typical team-building event,’ he says, casually. Then he touches my chin and gently turns my face towards his. My heart surges again as he leans down to whisper in my ear. ‘Georgie, what happened to you to make you so mistrusting?’ Silence follows. I pull away. ‘Have a bit more faith, I wasn’t talking about you. Far from it.’

‘But what about Maxine?’ The words are out of my mouth before I know it. His face changes, he looks at me blankly, his forehead creases. ‘The phone call?’ I say, trying to jog his memory. I feel more confident now. I’m not losing my job after all, and in spite of what he’s just said, I still want to know if he’s been sleeping with Maxine.

‘What phone call?’ he says, genuinely looking as if he has no idea what I’m talking about.

‘You know, the one from the hotel room, I err … overheard you, the door was open.’ I feel nervous now and immediately regret having said anything. And then, God I hope he doesn’t ask me how I know. I quickly rack my brains searching for a suitable explanation, and I realise I’m bobbing again from one foot to the other. I quickly stop.

‘Why would you think I was talking to Maxine?’ he asks, creasing his forehead. The nerves are replaced by a panic now that’s slowly building up inside me.

‘
Weell
,’ I start, stalling for time. ‘I just presumed you were,’ I finish, swallowing hard. The last thing I want is him thinking that I’m some kind of nutcase snooper, especially if there’s even the slightest chance I’ve got it all wrong, somehow. Maybe he is for real.

‘But why Maxine?’ Jesus, he’s not going to let this drop. I swallow again and decide to confront him.

‘Because you’re sleeping with her?’ I say, tentatively. His face doesn’t move. A wave of nausea rides up through me.

He laughs, and I feel so insecure. ‘That’s absurd. Why would you think that?’ His eyes are still smiling and he strokes my hand again.

‘I saw you with her in the corridor. She had her arm in yours, she was practically pawing you.’ His forehead creases again as if he’s trying to remember. ‘And you were seen together, actually snogging by the car park.’ Ha! Try wriggling out of it now. I have to look away because the physical attraction to him is so intense that it’s making me feel confused and clouding my judgement. How can I be this attracted to a man when I’m sure he’s having an affair with another woman, my boss? I take a deep breath in an attempt to clear my head.

‘Of course!’ he says, as though he’s suddenly recovered from temporary amnesia. ‘The car park. Hmmm, but we weren’t kissing as in
kissing
kissing.’ I frown and he shakes his head and lets out a big puff of air as if he’s annoyed.

‘Well, what kind of kissing was it then?’ I ask, confused. And he hasn’t denied it.

‘It’s a bit awkward really.’ He casts a look around before leaning in.

‘Try me.’

‘She grabbed me! And well … she’s just a man-eater. I didn’t stand a chance. Honest to God, she just lunged at me, and before I knew it I was body-slammed up against the wall.’ He pulls a face and makes big eyes. The way he says man-eater, as though he’s genuinely terrified of her, makes me giggle. And I can’t stop, I feel slightly hysterical. I quickly force myself to get it together. ‘And Georgie, I was talking to Walter that morning. I’m not sleeping with Maxine, or anybody else for that matter.’ He stares into my eyes again. ‘But I would love to continue things with you. Be my Valentine?’ He looks downwards, treating me to a flash of his long velvety eyelashes. ‘If you want to, that is. I’ll even throw in the odd sketch and a few crazy golf lessons,’ he adds, looking back up and treating me to a really cheeky, sexy grin. His eyes draw me in. My heart soars. A lovely feeling of relief washes over me. Relief from knowing he wasn’t playing with me after all, and then heightened relief when it dawns on me that he hasn’t twigged about the phone call. No, he’s not even suspicious. In an instant I realise just how incredible he is. And … at last! I have my very own bona-fide Valentine. This is turning into a fantastic day. The best Valentine’s Day ever.