Skinny Dipping (40 page)

“I didn’t think we were excluding you, so to speak, and this meeting doesn’t seem to involve the team…” Sophie said, then paused, unsure how to continue.

“And you Bradley, you should have at least let me run ideas by you before you make a decision on which consultant to use.” Kelly turned to the waiter who was standing politely, watching the exchange with interest. “Well, aren’t you going to set another place at this side of the table?”

The waiter jumped to action, and disappeared. Kelly held a sheet of cardboard in her hands, clicked her fingers and another waiter appeared by her side. “Hold this for a few minutes,” she instructed. “This could be my big break.” She thrust the cardboard into the waiter’s hands.

Bradley stood up from his chair. “Kelly, you don’t have to do this. Please don’t cause a scene.”

“I’m not causing a scene. Just hear me out,” Kelly insisted, and Bradley slumped back into his chair, a deep frown forming on his face.

What was Kelly on about, Sophie wondered? What was she doing intruding at their lunch?

A waiter filled Sophie’s glass of champagne, then turned to Kelly. “Shall I bring another glass for Madame? Maybe order a second bottle? Will you be joining the celebration?”

“Yes.” Kelly’s head darted between the pair and Sophie gulped down her champagne, watching Kelly.

“So, did you pitch yet?” Kelly demanded, her green eyes looking at Bradley and then at Sophie for confirmation. Sophie suddenly felt confused. What
was
Kelly on about?

“Not exactly.” Bradley’s voice was smooth.

“Keep holding that cardboard,” Kelly said to the waiter, then picked up a knife, using it as a pointer. “These are some quick ideas I sketched up on Chanel, as I’m not privy to what they have asked for as a potential client. However, I’ve worked on it all morning, since I overheard Jessica making arrangements for a Chanel meeting between the two of you. I can’t
believe
you wouldn’t think I might be interested. So anyway, I’ve reviewed each product line. I’m presuming it’s makeup or perfume?” Kelly smiled sickly sweet at Sophie.

Sophie suddenly felt a stab of pity for Kelly. She really thought the lunch with Bradley was to discuss a potential client. She’d gone to so much effort to deliver new clients, to get a piece of the job. She was hungry, sly. Sophie suddenly felt angry. “Shouldn’t you be working on… something else? One of your own projects? This is surely none of your business,” Sophie muttered, looking at Bradley in bewilderment, not knowing what to do.

There was no client. No pitch. Jessica had merely typed the word ‘Chanel’ into the subject box because Bradley was giving her a bottle of Chanel as a gift. It was a reminder for Jessica. A mistake.

“Okay, my perfume log lines are like so….”

Sophie felt her body stiffen, rigid with anxiety as she listened to Kelly. Kelly the rattlesnake who’d stamp all over her if she could. They’d never work as a team. There really wasn’t room at
Clarks
for both of them. Not enough work. She looked at Kelly who was smiling brightly like a door-to-door salesman. She was truly determined to ruin whatever chance Sophie might have.

“It’s okay Kelly.” Bradley didn’t try to stop her, nodding his head politely. “You’re such a hard worker,” he commented. “I like the line you said about the ‘power in a flower’. Maybe work to develop that idea a little more.”

Sophie felt irritation crawl up her back.

“Great, so maybe Sophie and I could work on this pitch together? What are they looking for? Magazine? Television? The works? What type of advertising campaign? Will one of you start speaking? I need to know.”

“There’s no account,” Sophie interjected. “Bradley just invited me here for lunch. He gave me a bottle of Chanel as a gift for all my hard work.” Sophie smiled. “To make amends, I think, since he kicked me off the Barney’s account.”

“Is that true?” Kelly hissed. “I worked extremely hard on the Barney’s account. Very hard indeed.”

Bradley sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m starved,” Bradley said ignoring the veins protruding out of Kelly’s neck. A waiter brought forward three menus. “Food seems like a jolly good idea,” Bradley continued.

Kelly couldn’t seem to comprehend what was going on, and almost fell into her seat. “What? That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?” Kelly asked, looking quite dizzy.

“Kelly, there’s no account. There is no Chanel account. The perfume was simply a gift for Sophie.”

“You’re not sleeping with her, are you?” Kelly demanded shooting a look at Bradley. He shook his head furiously as if the thought was completely distasteful to him. “I’d never mix business with pleasure.”

“Then why are you at the Dorchester with Sophie? We’re in a recession, remember?
Clarks
is barely afloat, or so you keep saying. And you’ve given her a bottle of Chanel. It doesn’t make sense.” Kelly turned to look at Sophie.

Sophie nodded. At least the two of them were on the same page on that. “I agree. It doesn’t make sense.” Her feeling of unease suddenly came flooding back. None of this scene made sense.

Kelly flashed a smug smile. “It’s so bloody expensive here. Oh that’s right,” she said slowly. “This is the place you go for celebrations or commiserations...” Kelly suddenly stopped talking. She eyed the Chanel packet and quickly picked up the Dorchester menu. Her face flashed scarlet.

Comprehension washed over Sophie. This wasn’t a meeting to thank her for her hard work. Bradley had told her that he took staff to The Dorchester either to celebrate with them or to fire them. “That’s right,” she said slowly.

“Is she getting a promotion?” Kelly asked in the smallest voice. “I mean just because Barney’s isn’t quite happening this month? Is Sophie getting the promotion?”

Bradley scratched the bottom of his chin, and showed a gleaming, white-toothed smile. “I haven’t been entirely truthful,” Bradley started, them fiddled with the napkin on his lap.

“No shit,” both girls said in unison, then looked at each other. They were suddenly on the same side.

“Maybe it’s good that you’re both here. I was going to chat with each of you separately. I have something to talk to you both about.”

***

Sophie called in sick for the next three days. “But what’s wrong with you?” Jessica brayed over the phone line. “Do you know how many times Matthew Silver has called, asking for you? He’s refusing to talk to anyone else.”

“I’m in accident and emergency. At the bloody hospital. Tell him that. ” She coughed into the phone. They couldn’t prove anything. For all they knew she’d had a car accident or broken her arm. Going to accident and emergency was the place to go when something got too serious for a doctor. Besides, no one could prove she wasn’t in the accident and emergency part of the hospital.

“The Silver Account, the ‘
Skinny Dipping’
campaign is finished. I saw the edited version of the commercial from Desmond. Bradley took the final product over to Matthew Silver.”

“That’s nice,” Sophie said as if she didn’t care what the commercial looked like. She couldn’t bare to think about anything to do with the term ‘skinny dipping’.

“Matthew loved it. He even spoke to Bradley about how excellent you were, and how he’s giving you, and only you, the rest of his company to do the ad work. The entire
Silver Family Leisure Group
! Bradley almost fainted when he told us.”

“Great,” Sophie said. There was no enthusiasm in her voice. Was that the only reason Matthew was calling her?

“Just great? Are you okay Sophie?
Clarks
is saved.”

“Who cares.” Sophie had been made redundant. Bradley had fired her. Had fired Kelly. Both of them.

“You clearly must be ill, clearly at accident and emergency. The hospital atmosphere must have tamed you because you should be jumping out of your bloody chair with happiness,” Jessica said in a very quiet voice. “Well to continue, the wrap party is all scheduled for tonight. Are you sure you don’t want to review any of the plans?”

“Where is it?”

“Embankment on a boat just like we discussed,” Jessica paused. “You’re okay with boats. It’s just swimming and the trauma, right?”

“I’m good with swimming. I did a deep water jump the other day. I can handle the water.”

“I know you’re sick, but do you think you can still make it? I mean, Bradley would flip if you didn’t come; getting the rest of the Silver’s business, you’re expected to schmooze.”

“I don’t think Bradley cares too much about me you know. Never really did. I think I might be too sick to go.”

There was a long pause on the other side of the line. “You know it’s strange. Kelly’s sick, too.”

“Must be going around the office.”

“You’ve both been sick for three days. The same three days. Isn’t that interesting?”

“Very interesting.”

“But, I just spoke to Kelly and she’s turning up to the wrap party.”

“Oh really, why? Matthew’s not her client.” Sophie suddenly felt proprietary. Matthew Silver was her client and so was the new business. And if she had even a sliver of a chance to get her job back, then she’d have to talk to Bradley about it.

“Bradley called her. Barney’s is reconsidering, and have asked Kelly to come in. You know he almost made Kelly redundant,” Jessica gossiped.

“Hmm…” Sophie said, Bradley hadn’t called
her
to give her job back.

“She’s lucky to have a job. But I guess she’s sick, too, for some reason.”

“Well she can’t be too sick if she’s going to the party. What’s she supposed to be sick with?” Sophie asked carefully.

“I don’t know, she’s just sick,” Jessica said.

“So she’s not really sick.”

“Like you, you mean?” Jessica insisted. “Not
really
sick.”

***

Sophie hung up the phone and wandered around the flat in her pajamas. She slumped onto the leather lounge next to Carol, who sat sprawled on the sofa, eating ice cream.

“What are you doing?” Sophie asked, looking pointedly at the ice cream. Carol didn’t eat much, and she certainly didn’t eat ice cream.

“Josh is going to Australia,” Carol said sadly.

“Oh my God. Why?”

Carol sighed. “He’s a lifeguard and he doesn’t want to waste his life at a pool. He wants surf, sand, wind in his hair. All that kind of stuff.”

“I see. Are you going with him then?”

Carol made a face. “My agent called, I’ve got another job.”

“Congratulations. That’s wonderful news in a recession.”

Carol wiped a tear from her eye. “Yeah, there’s no possible way for me to go to Australia when my career’s just started taking off. Thanks for the help with that, by the way.”

“No problem.”

“Josh says he understands.” Carol sniffed. “What are you wearing to the wrap party tonight?”

“I’m not going.”

Carol shot Sophie a long hard look. “You’re not going? Bullshit. You can’t drag me out of bed at four o’clock in the morning, convince me to become a national star, and then decide not to show up for the wrap party.”

“I’m sick.”

Carol hollered. “No way you’re sick, you big fraud. Don’t think I’m not onto you. I’m your flatmate.”

“I can’t go. I got made redundant. They made me redundant remember. So I’m taking all the sick days I can. I called in sick today, so I can’t possibly go to the wrap party tonight.”

“What’s going on with you? What’s happened to that persistent, positive, go-getter attitude? Are you sure there isn’t anyway to save your job?”

“There might be.” Sophie shrugged. “But it doesn’t mean much anymore, does it? I mean, if Bradley made me redundant, even if he reinstated me..., well I’m not worth very much to
Clarks,
am I? They don’t really want me.”

“But you love that job.”

“I know,” Sophie said in a very soft voice. “Besides, I don’t want to see Matthew ever again, it’s too embarrassing.”

“He didn’t cheat on you. He’s left you about one hundred messages. He really likes you, Soph, it was just a slip of the tongue. A compliment really.”

“How was calling me Rebecca, his ex-girlfriend’s name a compliment? I can’t possibly compete with the ghost of a dead girlfriend. He loved her so much. I feel for him, I really do but it feels like we can’t give ‘us’ a try because he’s not ready. It feels like everyone’s going to get hurt, and most probably me.”

Carol sighed. “Love’s a risk. He might never forget her. But that’s the same as you never forgetting Derek. But Rebecca is his
dead
girlfriend. It’s different. He’s associated you with a woman he loved – the only other woman he loved from what I can gather. I know all about Rebecca; Josh told me. It’s been almost two years afterwards and she will come up in conversation from time to time. But she’s gone, Sophie. She’s never coming back. I hate to say this but she’s dead, so you’ve got absolutely nothing to be worried about.”

The door bell rang interrupting their conversation. “If it’s Matthew I’m not seeing him.”

Carol nodded and answered the door. “Sophie it’s for you.”

Sophie glared at her flatmate, her eyes blazing, if she could shoot her flatmate down in flames then she certainly would have.

Sophie trudged to her front door and ran her hands through her unwashed hair. She was of course still dressed in her robe and slippers. She pulled her robe tightly round her waist, wishing she looked much better.

At the doorway, Sophie’s heart lurched. It wasn’t Matthew. It was her mother.

“Hi Soph,” Gloria said brightly. Then Roger pushed past. Roger looked much stronger. Much healthier than he had lately. Edith had kept reporting that he was taking much better care of himself.

“Hi Mum. Hi Dad. What are you both doing here? I thought you were both going off on your cruise.”

“We are,” they said in unison, and looked at each other, a secret smile shared between the two of them.

“You wouldn’t take my calls at work, but then Jessica said you were sick, so I didn’t take it personally – you being absent and all. So I thought I would just invite myself over.” Gloria handed Sophie an ice cream container, as she wandered into the apartment, and started looking around.