Changing Places

by Colette Caddle

  ‘Not really. Most of my business can be taken care of over the phone or through email and conference calls.’

  ‘That’s fantastic.’

  ‘You should have a look at my website and tell me what you think.’

  ‘I don’t think that my opinion would be of much value. Apart from email I’m not really au fait with the internet.’

  Charlie’s eyes widened. ‘You mean you don’t even shop? I’m going to have to take you in hand, Anna.’

  She grinned. ‘We’ll have none of that, Mr Coleman, I’m a married woman!’

  ‘Just my luck,’ he sighed. ‘Never mind, I will do my best to keep my hands off you and concentrate on houses.’

  ‘I would appreciate that,’ she laughed.

  ‘Now, how about some coffee?’

  She checked her watch. ‘We should really be making a move if we’re to view both properties today.’

  He smiled. ‘Then let’s go.’

  After a brief argument, Charlie allowed her to pay for lunch. ‘It’s on Mark’s business account,’ Anna assured him.

  ‘I’ve never enjoyed business as much before.’

  ‘That’s because you’re usually just sitting in front of a screen,’ she told him, leading the way out to the car.

  ‘Let’s go in mine,’ he suggested.

  ‘Okay then, where is it?’ She looked around the almost empty car park.

  ‘Right here.’ He pointed at the large Kawasaki bike parked outside the door.

  ‘You must be joking.’ Suddenly his casual white shirt, jeans and leather jacket made sense. She shook her head as he handed her a helmet. ‘I can’t go on that in this!’ She gestured at her tight, knee-length skirt.

  He grinned. ‘Oh go on, it’ll be fun.’

  ‘Not a chance! I’ll drive. You can either come with me or follow – please yourself.’

  With a dramatic sigh, Charlie put back the helmets and followed her. ‘Are you always like this with your clients?’ he asked, climbing into the passenger seat.

  ‘I don’t have any other clients like you,’ Anna assured him.

  ‘I think that might be a compliment,’ he mused.

  ‘It is.’

  Anna drove the short distance to the first house, pulled up outside and went to the keypad on the pillar to open the imposing gates.

  ‘Very impressive,’ Charlie said as they drove in.

  ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.’ She guided the car up the long driveway lined with fir trees until it curved sharply and the house was in front of them.

  ‘Crikey!’ Charlie stared at the large period house with three chimneys, long sash windows and steps leading up to the imposing front door. ‘I never knew this place existed. How long has it been here? Who the hell owns it?’

  ‘Believe it or not, it’s only three years old.’ Anna drove around the house and pulled up at a side door. ‘It was built by an actress who wanted the period look without the hassle of renovating and with all mod cons.’

  ‘So why’s she selling?’

  ‘She worked on a soap but her character got killed off last year and she’s been “resting” ever since.’

  ‘I see. Well, I can tell you right now that I absolutely hate the place.’

  Anna grinned. ‘Thought so, but fancy having a look around anyway?’

  ‘Love to.’

  Chapter 6

  ‘Hello, you! I was about to send out a search-party,’ Liam remarked when Anna finally arrived home at nearly seven o’clock.

  ‘Sorry.’ She bent to kiss him. ‘I was with a very important and very rich client.’

  He abandoned his paper and pulled her down on to his lap. ‘Did you make a sale?’

  ‘No. I showed him two houses and he hated both of them.’

  ‘Hard luck.’

  ‘No, it’s fine. Now I have a much better idea of what he’s looking for. How was your day?’ Anna slid down on to the sofa beside him and kicked off her shoes.

  ‘Pretty good. Patterson’s been shut up in the boardroom all day with Boylan and the accountant.’

  ‘And that means?’

  ‘Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? I’d say they were working out his retirement package.’

  Anna gaped at him. ‘I had no idea that things were going to move this quickly.’

  ‘Well, I didn’t want to get your hopes up but I’d say Boylan will be gone by the end of the month.’

  Anna planted a kiss on his cheek. ‘And you’ll be the new General Manager! Oh Liam, this is wonderful. I’m so proud of you. You’ve worked so hard.’

  ‘It will mean more responsibility and probably longer hours,’ Liam warned her.

  Anna sighed. ‘That seems to be the price of success. Rachel’s always complaining about the hours that Gary works.’

  ‘It’s the only way to get on.’

  ‘And I suppose if you do get promoted you’ll be taking up golf,’ she groaned.

  ‘Not if, when,’ he corrected, standing up. ‘I’ll have to, won’t I?’ He did an imaginary swing. ‘Maybe I should get Gary to take me out a few times. Don’t want to look a total novice, do I?’

  ‘God forbid,’ Anna laughed, going out to the kitchen in search of something to eat. ‘Okay, it’s beans on toast, toasted cheese sandwiches or scrambled eggs on toast.’

  Liam followed her out. ‘Anything with no toast?’

  Anna smiled sweetly. ‘Cheese sandwiches?’

  ‘Toasted sandwiches it is.’ He opened the fridge to get a beer. ‘Want one?’

  ‘Yeah, why not? Though on top of the wine at lunchtime I probably shouldn’t.’

  ‘You were boozing at lunchtime?’

  ‘Yeah, in Cruzzo’s.’

  Liam raised an eyebrow. ‘I didn’t know Mark’s budget stretched to treating clients to fancy lunches.’

  Anna felt herself blush. ‘This guy is loaded so Mark wanted to give him the red-carpet treatment.’

  ‘I see. Well, it’s good that he’s willing to let you handle the bigger customers. Does this mean you’ll get all the commission if you make the sale?’

  Anna wrinkled her nose. ‘I haven’t asked.’

  ‘You should, my love. Don’t let him walk all over you.’

  She turned to face him, bread knife in hand. ‘I tell you what. You handle Patterson and I’ll handle Mark, okay?’

  Liam looked nervously at the knife. ‘Yes, darling, sorry, darling.’

  ‘Idiot.’ Anna went back to cutting the bread and wondered why she hadn’t told Liam that she and Charlie had had lunch alone. ‘I’m going out with Jill and Rachel tomorrow night,’ she said instead.

  ‘Rachel?’

  ‘There’s no need to sound so surprised.’

  He held up his hands. ‘I’m not saying a word. If you and your beloved sister fancy a girly night out that’s your business. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.’ He snorted.

  Anna scowled at him. ‘I’m sure we will too. Oh Liam, don’t be so hard on the girl. She’s having a tough time at the moment.’

  ‘Oh – why? What’s up?’

  ‘Nothing, nothing,’ Anna said hastily. ‘Just women’s troubles.’

  ‘Oh, right,’ Liam took his beer and wandered back to the television.

  Anna smiled. ‘Women’s troubles.’ The two words guaranteed to shut up every man! Though she wouldn’t admit it to Liam, Anna wasn’t really looking forward to tomorrow night. Normally she’d jump at the chance of a night out with Jill, but with Rachel tagging along it was bound to be hard work. And now they couldn’t even pour a few drinks into her to loosen her up.

  Anna slipped the sandwiches under the grill. It was very hard to understand why Rachel wasn’t over the moon at the idea of another baby when she herself couldn’t wait to start a family. She’d heard of women suffering from post-natal depression but ante-natal depression was a new one on her. And imagine not telling Gary she was pregnant. Anna would never keep stuff like that from Liam. They had always shared their problems, whether person
al or work. Liam was her friend, her soulmate, her lover. What kind of marriage would it be if they kept things from each other? An image of Charlie Coleman suddenly came to mind and Anna dismissed it. That was different. That had been harmless flirting – something Liam probably indulged in on a regular basis.

  Anna was shaken out of her reverie by the smell of burning and she hurriedly rescued the sandwiches, scraped off the black bits and called her husband.

  ‘So where are you going tomorrow night?’ he asked as they ate.

  ‘Dunno, Jill is organizing everything.’

  ‘You don’t seem very keen,’ he said.

  ‘I’m not,’ she admitted. ‘It’s just that I’ve a busy week ahead and I’d much prefer a quiet night in.’

  Liam pretended to choke on his sandwich. ‘You want a quiet night in? Who are you and what have you done with my real wife?’

  Anna laughed. ‘Maybe I’m getting old.’

  ‘That must be it. You’re ready to stay at home and mind babies.’ He winked at her. ‘Never thought I’d see the day!’

  ‘Are you going out after training tomorrow night?’ Anna asked.

  He shook his head. ‘No chance. I’ve an early meeting with Patterson on Thursday.’

  ‘So if I cancelled Jill and Rachel, you and I could have a quiet night in, I suppose.’

  He stroked her knee under the table. ‘If you play your cards right.’

  ‘You are going,’ Jill told her the next morning when she got the call.

  ‘But Jill—’

  ‘I don’t want to hear it, Anna. See you at eight-thirty.’

  ‘That’s very early, I’m not sure—’

  ‘Eight-thirty at Rachel’s. Be there.’ And Jill hung up.

  ‘Thanks.’ Anna put down the phone and glared out the window.

  ‘Something wrong?’ Val asked.

  ‘Just being press-ganged into going out tonight.’

  ‘How terrible,’ Val teased. ‘I hate it when that happens.’

  ‘Oh, don’t start,’ Anna moaned. ‘You’ve no idea what a difficult night it’s going to be.’

  ‘Why’s that then?’

  ‘Because my sister will be there,’ Anna replied without thinking.

  ‘And that’s a problem?’ Val looked concerned.

  Anna gave an embarrassed laugh. ‘No, it’s just that she’s a bit down at the moment and not much fun.’

  ‘And isn’t that when she needs her sister most?’ Val chided her.

  ‘It is indeed, you’re quite right, Val.’ Anna picked up some papers and escaped to the photocopier. She felt riddled with guilt now for saying anything derogatory about Rachel. She was her sister, for God’s sake, and even if she was annoying at times she was family and you didn’t talk about your family like that. At least Anna didn’t.

  She hadn’t even told Liam how upset she’d felt when Mam and Dad decided to sell the house and leave the country to travel the length and breadth of Europe. There was something so final about the sale of their family home, and it had been hard to put on a brave face and wish her parents well. And Anna did wish them well, she really did, but she still missed them and often wished they’d been content to stay put and veg out in front of the telly like most normal parents. Anna had often wondered if Rachel felt the same, but had never asked. Her sister hadn’t seemed bothered on the face of it, but whether that was for real or just a front, Anna had no idea.

  ‘Oh Jill, I’m really not in the mood for this,’ Rachel was telling her cousin.

  ‘Don’t even think about pulling out,’ Jill ordered, distinctly fed up with both sisters. ‘I organized tonight for your benefit, remember?’

  ‘I’m not some kind of charity case,’ Rachel retorted, stung.

  ‘I’m not saying you are, but you did say you should be out clubbing, so tonight, you’re going clubbing.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Sorry, did you mutter something?’

  ‘I said okay, okay?’

  ‘Try to contain your enthusiasm. I’ll call for you at eight-thirty. Be ready.’

  Dragging herself upstairs, Rachel went into the bedroom and opened her wardrobe to see if she possessed any suitable clubbing clothes that could compete with her gorgeous sister or voluptuous cousin. As she trawled through the wardrobe, Rachel thought how old and dated everything looked. Sensible clothes of a stay-at-home mother. Sweatshirts, cotton tops, drawstring trousers and leggings. Stuff that didn’t require too much ironing and that didn’t draw attention to the thickened thighs or bulging stomach.

  And when had she stopped wearing colours? Everything she owned seemed to be pale and washed-out and mumsy. God, it was depressing. She pulled out the pair of tailored black stretch trousers that she always ended up wearing when she had to get dressed up. She could wear the silky grey halter-neck top with them that she’d bought for Gary’s Christmas party, but her arms were too fat and pale to be exposed. The red shirt was out because it showed off every lump and bump and accentuated her red cheeks – why had she ever bought it? That left the black V-neck velvet top – which made her boobs look nice, but velvet seemed a bit warm for Summer – or her white shirt, the Old Reliable. She’d have to leave the last button open but at least she didn’t feel so bad about that now that there was a baby inside. With her high black shoes and plenty of make-up she should look reasonably presentable.

  Rachel sank on to the bed with a sigh. Being presentable was all very well but she’d prefer to look like a babe. She’d prefer to make men’s heads turn, to get chatted up when she went to the bar, maybe even be asked to dance. It would be so nice to feel sexy and fanciable. Gary sometimes told her she was sexy but that didn’t count because it was usually said after a few drinks and accompanied by a hand on her leg. Men would say anything at a time like that.

  Rachel quite enjoyed sex with Gary. He knew her body well and for a short time she could close her eyes and imagine she was sexy and beautiful. But even their adequate love-life would come to a halt once Gary found out about the baby. He’d been terrified to come near her when she was pregnant with Alex for fear of hurting the baby – as if! But, on the other hand, he had looked after her, cosseted her and been so tender and thoughtful that Rachel would gladly trade her predictable sex-life for some more of that.

  Rachel decided to tell him about the baby tonight when she got home. She had to do it soon, now that Jill and Anna knew. All she needed was for Anna to tell Liam and Liam to say something to Gary and then she’d be in real trouble. He would be disgusted that she had confided in her sister before telling him. Rightly so, as she knew her mother would say. God, how she missed her mother! It was lovely getting her postcards every couple of weeks but it wasn’t the same as sitting down over a cuppa and having a really good chat.

  Rachel would have loved to tell her mam about the baby and confide her fears about having a second child but there was no way you could have a conversation like that on the phone. Perhaps when the school term finished she’d take Alex to visit her parents somewhere for a few days. It would be nice to have a break and Alex would be thrilled to see his granny and grandad. Rachel took the black trousers and went downstairs to press them, feeling slightly happier. The thought of seeing her mam suddenly made all of her problems seem manageable.

  Chapter 7

  ‘So where are we going?’ Anna asked when they were in the taxi and heading for the city centre.

  ‘I thought Renards – we could have something to eat there,’ Jill replied as she checked her lipstick in a small compact mirror. ‘And if it’s too quiet we could head round to the Viperoom.’

  ‘Where?’ Rachel frowned, not having heard of either of these clubs. ‘What’s wrong with Club M?’

  Anna giggled and rolled her eyes at Jill. ‘Oh Rachel, you’re so out of touch.’

  ‘Well, I’m sorry but I’m a little bit busy being a full-time mother to keep up with all the trendy nightspots that I never get to visit.’

  ‘Lord, you’d think you had a dozen chi
ldren, to listen to you.’

  ‘Ladies, ladies, please,’ Jill cut in. ‘We’re going out to enjoy ourselves and let our hair down, remember?’ She didn’t think she could cope if the two of them started tonight. After having to sit smiling as that little shit Vinny presented his sponsorship plans to the ecstatic senior management of Cauldwell’s, Jill felt exhausted and would have much preferred to curl up on her sofa with a large glass of wine and a box of chocolates.

  The taxi pulled up outside Renards and she pushed 25 Euros into the driver’s hand. ‘Keep the change. Right, girls, let’s go.’

  ‘Let me give you something towards the taxi fare.’ Rachel started to rummage in her bag.

  ‘You can buy the first round.’ Jill propelled her towards the door. ‘Mine’s a double.’

  After they all had a drink in front of them, Jill did what she usually did when she wanted to relax the sisters; she steered the conversation around to their escapades when they were children.

  ‘You were always causing trouble,’ Rachel told her big sister, ‘but Mum always blamed me. You could do no wrong.’

  Anna looked incredulous. ‘That’s rich! You were always nicking my stuff and listening in when I was talking to my friends. You don’t know how lucky you were, Jill, being an only child.’

  ‘I had you two instead though, didn’t I? Telling tales on each other, playing tricks on each other.’

  ‘We weren’t that bad,’ Anna protested, looking at her sister for support.

  ‘Not at all!’ Rachel confirmed. ‘Family rows are what prepare you for going out into the big bad world.’

  ‘So how did I cope?’ Jill asked.

  Anna winked at her. ‘Like you said, You had us!’

  ‘Ah right, I see. Are you still drinking water, Rachel?’ Jill signalled to a waiter.

  Rachel made a face. ‘No, get me one of those alcohol-free beers.’

  ‘They’re disgusting,’ Anna said, wrinkling her nose.

  ‘I know, but there’s only so much water I can drink.’

  ‘What about an alcohol-free cocktail?’ Jill suggested.

  ‘Oh, yes!’ Rachel looked hopefully at the waiter.

  ‘We have a selection,’ he told her. ‘I’ll bring you the list.’