Czytaj książkę: «When Alice Met Danny»

To Mariangela and Christina, with love

Chapter 1

‘So, you see, we have no choice but to make cuts.’ All she could do was stare at him across the huge slab of glass that served as his desk. She was still trying to take in the significance of what he had told her.

‘You mean, we are going bust?’

‘Well, that’s a very emotive way of putting it.’ He gave a slight grimace. ‘Of course the firm is still financially viable. All that we have to do is make a few cuts and economies.’

‘Starting with me?’ It was beginning to sink in.

‘We thought it better to prune a few of the high earners, rather than chop away a whole host of lower paid staff.’ He could see from her face that she had understood. ‘Of course, we will be offering a very generous severance package.’

She just sat there. Of all the things she had expected Nigel to want to discuss at this morning’s meeting, her dismissal had certainly not been among them. ‘But the Tianjin contract?’ She had only just got them that. ‘It’s worth twenty-three million for crying out loud. Doesn’t that justify keeping me on?’

‘I know, Alice, I know. And if it were up to me, you would be the last to go. I put up a good fight for you, you know.’ He glanced hopefully in her direction, but stopped short of meeting her eye. ‘But the decision has been made at board level. It’s out of my hands.’

She stood up. Her mind was whirling. Out of his hands? For a moment she had a powerful urge to overturn the glass desk into his lap, but she took a deep breath and headed for the door.

‘Alice, I’ll see that you get details of our severance offer. It is a very, very good package. You won’t have to worry about money for a long time to come.’ He stood up and attempted a smile. ‘Think of it as an opportunity for a complete change.’

‘Nigel.’ She spun round and looked hard at him. He instinctively took two steps backwards. ‘I came here straight from university. I’ve given G&B seventeen years of my life. This is my life. And now you are offering me the opportunity to change? To what, Nigel, to what?’ Before he could attempt a reply, she turned on her heel and left the office, resisting the impulse to slam the door behind her.

She walked across the hallway in a daze. She pressed the button and waited the few seconds that it took for the lift to arrive. The doors hissed open and she saw it was empty. She felt a sense of relief. As the doors closed behind her, she came as close to crying as she had ever done in her professional life. In the few seconds it took the lift to drop smoothly down to the fifteenth floor, she had time to collect herself. Or at least to try.

As she stepped out, she saw Danny waiting to get in. Something in her face told him all was far from well. He ignored the open doors and gave her a smile. ‘All well up in the realm of the gods?’ She made no reply as the doors slid shut behind her. She just stood there, as if uncertain what to do next. Indecision from Alice was so unusual as to be worrying. For a moment he wondered if she were ill. ‘Alice, are you all right?’

‘I’m fine, Danny.’ But she clearly wasn’t. As she set off towards her office, he turned and walked alongside her. By this time he had realised that something major had happened. He accompanied her to her door. She paused, her eyes fixed on the sign: Alice Grant. After a few moments, she stirred, shook her head and went inside. He followed her and closed the door behind them. She stopped by the window and stood there, staring out over the grey waters of the Thames far below. She looked like she needed a hug. He thought long and hard, but then restrained himself. He did, however, walk up close to her and lay a hand on her arm.

‘What is it, Alice? What’s happened?’ His voice was deeply concerned.

So she told him.

Chapter 2

‘So what are you planning on doing?’ Sally was the closest friend Alice had in London.

‘I’m not really sure.’

‘With your track record, surely you could just walk into any number of other well-paid jobs, couldn’t you?’

Alice nodded absently. ‘Mm. I suppose so. I’m just not sure I want to go back into that world again. It’s all about money, money, money. There’s no loyalty, no trust; just profit. I think I’d be better off out of it.’

‘How far out of it, Al?’

‘A long way, I think. Ever since I got the news, I’ve been mulling over what that slimy toad Nigel said to me. He called it an opportunity for a complete change. Although I still think he’s a despicable reptile, or should that be amphibian, I’m coming round to thinking he may be right.’

Sally caught the waiter’s eye and pointed to the empty bottle. It was going to be a long evening. ‘I’ll tell you this, Al, you could do worse. Try living like a normal girl instead of a career woman for a change. Get yourself a social life again. Meet a few nice people, cultivate a selection of eligible bachelors, jump into bed with some of them. That should take your mind off things.’

The waiter returned with another bottle of Pinot Grigio. Sally waited until he had retired before continuing. ‘Sex, my girl, that’s what you need. That’ll take your mind off things.’

Alice looked up, a hint of a smile on her face. ‘Sex, Sally, that’s your answer to everything.’

‘Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.’

‘Of course I’ve tried it.’ Alice sounded piqued. ‘I had a whole heap of boyfriends at university.’

‘And that was… fifteen, sixteen years ago?’ Sally kept her voice gentle.

‘Seventeen, but who’s counting? Anyway, I’ve been out with men since then. All right, nobody really special, and no long term relationships, but I was working so hard.’

‘That’s the whole point, Alice, it’s time to think of yourself, not just G-and-bloody-B. Isn’t there something you would really like to do? Apart from having sex with some young stud, of course.’

Alice sipped her wine. Alcohol wasn’t going to be the answer. And neither was sex. She allowed herself a moment’s reflection. Sally was right, of course. She really had sacrificed her personal life for her career. Not that she had lived an entirely monastic life. There had been men, admittedly not that many, but her job had always been her first priority. Now she could change all that.

‘Do you know what I’d really like to do?’ Sally looked up with interest, pleased to see a smile on her face. ‘I’m thinking about going back to university.’

‘What, as a postgrad?’ Sally sounded genuinely surprised.

‘Yes, I thought I might try and do a Masters.’

‘Something to do with finance? An MBA, maybe?’

Alice shook her head. ‘Nothing to do with work. No, something very, very different.’

‘Such as?’

Alice gave her a smile. ‘History. Don’t laugh. I’ve always been interested in history.’

Sally looked surprised. ‘So what period of history?’

Alice began to look less sure of herself. ‘I don’t really know. I’ve been reading all sorts. Everything from the Egyptians to the Cold War. There’s got to be something in between that gets my juices flowing.’

‘While on that subject, Al, there is always my original suggestion.’ Sally gave her a wink. ‘And by the sound of it, your experience of the opposite sex is back in the realms of history, so you’d be killing two birds with one stone.’

‘Oh, Sally, there’s more to life than sex.’

‘Certainly in your life.’

‘I’ll find myself a man, don’t you worry.’ She glanced across the table. ‘Maybe a handsome young student with a six pack.’

‘So somebody half your age? You’re almost forty, Al. You could be done for cradle snatching. Anyway, from what I remember of university, the only six packs I came across were the ones containing beer.’

‘Anyway, I’ve got to get there first.’

‘Where’s there? Are you going to stay here in London? Or are you thinking of pastures new? Maybe a little thatched cottage in the country?’ She was joking, but she spotted something on Alice’s face. ‘Really? You want to bury yourself in the country, among the yokels?’

‘I was thinking of Devon, actually. And Exeter is one of the best universities in the country, or so they say.’

‘Wow, that’s radical. So you really fancy abandoning the bright lights of the city? And Devon? They’re still eating the missionaries down there, you know.’

Alice gave her a smile. ‘I’ll take my chances. Anyway, I’ll need to find a house first.’

Chapter 3

‘A house in the country?’ Danny was doing his best to sound positive, although he was still reeling at the news that she was leaving London.

‘I think so. I’ve got my eye on Devon. We used to go on holiday down there when I was little. It has happy memories for me.’ She was still holding the envelope that he had brought from the office. Alongside her name and address, there were the words: Strictly Private and Confidential. By hand of courier.

His eyes flicked down to it. ‘Nigel told me to tell you it’s a really good deal.’

‘What would he know about a good deal?’ She allowed herself a snort of derision. ‘I’ve closed more deals than he’s had expense account lunches.’

‘We are all so sorry you have had to leave.’ He decided to take a chance. ‘And I’m very sorry indeed. It won’t be the same without you.’

‘Thanks, Danny. I’m going to miss you, too.’ She failed to spot the flash of disappointment on his face as she added, ‘All of you on the fifteenth floor.’

He rallied himself. ‘So have you found a house yet? And what about this place?’ Her flat was in a lovely old house, halfway up a narrow backstreet in Greenwich. It was the first time he had ever been inside, although he had once walked past and wondered what it was like. When Nigel had asked for a volunteer to deliver the envelope, he hadn’t hesitated.

‘I’ve only just started looking. I’ve been checking out the property websites. Prices in Devon are a lot lower than London prices.’ She nodded towards the envelope. ‘So, depending on what this says, I’ll either sell up and buy or maybe keep this place on and rent it.’ He perked up.

‘Listen, Alice, if you decide to keep it and rent it out, I would be very interested. It’s a gorgeous place and so very close to work. Would that be all right?’

‘That sounds great.’ She hesitated, looking a bit dubious. ‘It isn’t very big, you know. Are you sure you’d have room?’

‘Loads, Alice. There’s just me. Nobody else, no pets, not even a goldfish. And I should be able to afford to pay the rent. G&B are spending a lot on IT at the moment.’

She was on the point of making a rude retort about them having money to spend on computers, rather than on real people like her, but she stopped herself. It wasn’t Danny’s fault, after all. And he was a real person. How funny that he wasn’t married. He was quite good-looking, really.

‘Have you tried looking for property on auction sites?’ His voice interrupted her train of thought.

‘What, online auctions?’

‘Not exactly. These days there are more and more auctions, real auctions, where people can bid over the internet or by telephone, if they can’t be physically present. You can view all the lots from the comfort of your desk and then bid at a distance.’ He glanced around the room. ‘If you’ve got a computer here, I can show you a few if you are interested.’

‘I’d like that, Danny. Here, take a seat while I grab the laptop.’

They sat down together and he introduced her to a variety of property auction sites. In particular, they found one close to Exeter. He clicked on the icon.

‘Next sale…catalogue…look, there’s a sale next week.’ He could feel her warmth beside him. He did his best to concentrate on the screen. ‘Wow, look at this. There are eighty properties going under the hammer. Why not take a look at some of those. You can sometimes get real bargains at auction.’

She started clicking through the list, astounded to see some with a guide price of less than the cost of her new kitchen. She shot him a quick glance. ‘I’ll make some tea in a minute if you like. Do you want to take a look around the place in the meantime? You might as well check to see if it could suit you.’

He got up and wandered round the flat. There was this wonderful large living room, with a dining table to one side. The view from the window, over old slate roofs, was towards trees and parkland. The ultra modern kitchen was through an arch and looked like the inside of a space capsule. Not without difficulty, he located the electric kettle and filled it. While it heated up, he continued his tour of inspection. The bedroom and bathroom were spectacular. The bed was stainless steel, the sheets crisp and white. It was like something out of a glossy magazine. Shelves of clothes and rows of shoes gave it an air of intimacy, as did the blouse lying across the bed. He thought he could distinguish the imprint of her head on the pillow. He gave a silent sigh. He was still looking down at it when he heard her voice.

‘What do you think?’ Her voice echoed through the flat.

He returned to the living room. She had left the computer and was in the kitchen, making tea. He glanced at the screen. There was a pretty, red-brick terraced house for sale with a guide price of less than a hundred thousand. He gawped. The same house around here would be closer to half a million. Alongside the keyboard he saw that she had opened the letter from Nigel. She had tucked it back into the envelope again. He found himself hoping desperately that it would be sufficient for her to be able to keep the flat and rent it to him.

‘Afraid I haven’t got any biscuits.’ She reappeared with two mugs of tea. ‘If I had them in the house I would only end up eating them. Just because I’m unemployed, I don’t intend to slob out on the sofa.’

She looked, as ever, utterly gorgeous. He risked a compliment. ‘I can’t imagine you as anything remotely resembling a slob. You always look fantastic.’

Her head jerked up. That sounded remarkably like a compliment. Mind you, she thought to herself, he’s probably just trying to cheer me up. She kept her tone light. ‘A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.’

He did his best not to think of either her lips or her hips. He turned his attention to the laptop and pointed at an address on the screen. ‘See that? Beauchamp-by-the-Sea, I know that place. Did you know the locals pronounce it “Beecham”? It’s got a lovely sandy beach. Good for windsurfing, if you’re ever interested.’

She concentrated on the house agents’ blurb. ‘It’s in East Devon. That’s an area of outstanding natural beauty. I like the sound of that.’

He took a good look at the description of a terraced house. ‘It says here this one is in need of total refurbishment. Are you ready for a bit of DIY?’

She took a sip of her tea. ‘Do you know, Danny, I think I am. Something physical might be just what I need after years sitting in an office. I know what I’ll do, I’ll buy something in Devon that needs to be refurbished. In the meantime I’ll rent a place down there, so I’m not living in the midst of a building site.’ Happy with her decision, she pointed to the letter on the desk. He was pleased to see her smiling. ‘You can tell Nigel that he was right. It is a good severance package they have offered me. So, Danny, if you want it, this flat is yours. I’ll find out what the going rental rate is and send you an e-mail. OK?’

He jumped to his feet and extended his hand. ‘It’s a deal. Shake on it?’

She took his hand. ‘It’s a deal.’