Wish You Were Here

by Phillipa Ashley

  It was almost 7 p.m. when she found herself knocking on Jack’s office door. He was still sitting at his desk, writing.

  ‘Um… hi,’ she said, suddenly feeling shy at being alone with him so late. ‘I’ve brought the updated husky report. I’ve emailed you a copy too, but I wanted to bring these competitor brochures in to see what you thought of the opposition.’

  ‘Let’s have a look,’ he said, indicating the table.

  She’d had been hoping to leave the brochures and get away as fast as possible, knowing that if she was quick, she might just be able to slip in to the movie after the ads. However, he clearly intended to discuss the package further. She thrust aside the idea of making the start of the movie and spread the brochures on the table.

  ‘Do you want a coffee while we take a look at these?’

  Beth hadn’t managed a drink since Freya had plonked a raspberry smoothie and a Gillian McKeith bar on her desk at two o’clock. Besides, her throat felt dry.

  ‘Yes, thanks.’

  He poured out two mugs of coffee and handed her one. Steam rose from her coffee and she blew it away.

  ‘I’ve found a way to increase the margin without affecting the quality of the package,’ she said, as he studied a competitor mailshot. ‘I phoned the supplier and I think they’d be willing to move slightly on their costs.’

  ‘I knew you could do it,’ he said, smiling encouragingly.

  ‘And Freya and I have refined the new marketing strategy,’ she said, thinking, annoyingly, that his eyes reminded her of a midnight sky. ‘They come out at night…’ Freya would have added.

  Beth let out a giggle

  Jack looked confused and she put her hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry, just thinking of something Freya told me.’

  His eyes really were a gorgeous color, though, she thought as she reverted into serious mode.

  ‘Yes, we’ve come up with a completely fresh sales strategy,’ she said.

  ‘That’s great,’ Jack went on, pulling a brochure towards him. It showed a Sami camp, the Northern Lights illuminating the sky behind the tents. ‘Beth, I know you think I’m pushing you and that’s because I am.’

  She felt her stomach flutter dangerously. ‘It’s what you employed me for.’

  ‘True, but I do appreciate the fact that you’re prepared to go the extra mile. This Lapland idea is inspired. Do you want some chocolate?’ he asked unexpectedly.

  ‘Um… why not?’

  Moments later, he’d produced a bar of Green & Black’s from his desk drawer and was holding it out to her. The scent of dark orange chocolate wafted temptingly into her nose. She broke off a square and popped it in her mouth, telling herself the warm glow inside was coffee and professional pride, that Jack would have offered praise where it was due to any of the other managers; he wasn’t singling her out for any special reason.

  He pointed at the photograph on the brochure. ‘Imagine being there now, sleeping in the snow, watching the Northern Lights.’

  She nodded. ‘Yes. It would be something. I saw them in Canada once. Like a fluorescent rainbow taking up the whole sky.’

  ‘I saw them too. Years ago, just after I left university; I was in Troms in Norway and I’ve never seen anything like it before or since. I think I sat for about an hour watching them and every inch of me was numb when I managed to tear myself away.’

  ‘When I first saw them, I couldn’t believe they were real. I mean, I know they’re just caused by the sun, but they seemed—it sounds silly—magical. You know, unearthly somehow.’

  ‘I thought they looked like ghostly waterfalls shimmering in the sky,’ said Jack quietly.

  ‘Or gigantic veils.’

  ‘You know,’ he went on, ‘I really envy you your job. I know it’s hard work, but getting out of office to actually see these places is something I really miss. I don’t get out into the field anywhere near as much as I used to. I miss getting too cold, being uncomfortable, challenged, jolted…’

  ‘…too hot, tired, bored, exhilarated, dead on your feet, but having to smile and have another shot of the local brew even when you’d rather be in your bed,’ said Beth wistfully.

  ‘Forgetting your passport…’

  ‘More shots…’ She shuddered.

  He grimaced. ‘I don’t miss that bit, but I wouldn’t mind a bit of sleeping on trains or on the ground…’

  She laughed. ‘Huddled in a tent or curled up by the campfire. Warm and cozy while the wind howls outside and the Northern Lights blast the sky.’

  He reached for the brochure and brushed against her arm with his. His fingers lingered for a second against her wrist and left it tingling with sensation. Then, quickly, he took the brochure and got to his feet.

  ‘OK. That about wraps it up. Thanks for staying late and I’ll see you on Monday. Can I keep this for a while?’

  ‘Yes… sure.’ Her heart was racing and she was already wondering if she’d imagined his touch.

  ‘Have a good weekend. Are you seeing Marcus?’ he asked, back at his desk now, beginning to stash some papers in his laptop case.

  She was taken aback. ‘No, I went home the weekend before last but he’s coming up next Friday for Tom’s gig.’

  ‘Perhaps I’ll finally get to meet him then.’

  ‘Yes, you probably will.’

  She gathered up the rest of the brochures in her arms, perplexed and anxious now to get out of his office. If there had been a flicker of intimacy between them, she told herself, it definitely had been imagined.

  ‘If it’s OK, I’m going to get off. If I go now, I might still make a film I’d like to see with some of the guys.’

  Jack barely glanced up at her as she hovered by the door. ‘Sure. You get off. Have a good evening.’

  Five minutes later she was on the pavement outside the building, frantically texting Freya, hoping she hadn’t turned her mobile off yet.

  ‘Hey, Beth!’

  She turned to find Shreeya and Freya emerging from the coffee shop next to the office. Freya was still slurping the last drops of a frappuccino. ‘And why aren’t you two guzzling nachos in the Odeon by now?’ she asked, smiling as they hurried towards her.

  ‘We’ve booked into the next show. We know how much you wanted to see Ewan McGregor get his kit off so we lay in wait for you in Starbucks,’ said Shreeya.

  ‘Does he get naked in this one too?’ asked Beth, relieved to be back out in the real world.

  Freya tossed her empty cup in a bin. ‘For most of the film, according to Time Out.’

  ‘Oh dear,’ said Beth, laughing as they set off for the Tube station. ‘That sounds absolutely terrible.’

  ***

  Four floors above them, Jack managed to prise himself from the window, where he’d been staring out across the sky since Beth had left. Grabbing his briefcase, he headed for the door. He’d managed to charm a table at Maggiores in Covent Garden and he knew Camilla would have a hissy fit if he was late.

  Chapter 12

  ‘So I’m finally going to see the mysterious Marcus,’ teased Freya the following week as she and Beth took a quick break from some mind-numbingly boring statistics. ‘Are you really bringing him to Tom’s gig next Friday?’

  ‘I might be,’ said Beth, watching Freya pin a photo of Josh Holloway to her noticeboard.

  ‘Only might?’ asked Freya.

  ‘Worry not. You are definitely going to meet him.’

  Beth had debated about taking Marcus to an ‘office’ do, however informal, but she’d decided it would do him good to meet her friends and chill out more. She wasn’t sure if Jack was going to the gig. She sincerely hoped not.

  ‘Your bloke looks pretty cute from the photos,’ said Freya. ‘Very smart. Don’t you miss him… at night?’

  ‘He’s very busy running his business and I’ve been away over two weekends, so we haven’t had many opportunities to get together like that.’

  Freya shook her head firmly. ‘What a shame. You’ve got that nice old plac
e all to yourself and you don’t want to waste a brilliant shag pad. Six months is a long time to go without sex. I think I’d wither up altogether. Still, you can make up for it next weekend.’

  ‘I’ll have to tidy up, I suppose,’ said Beth, desperate to change the subject. ‘The flat is a complete dump, but then again I’m away so much I’m surprised I haven’t been burgled. When I am there, I hardly have time to do the laundry, let alone do any cleaning. When I got back from Riga, I found a bottle of milk fermenting in the fridge and some furry Brie that practically crawled out of the door.’

  ‘Shouldn’t worry,’ said Freya airily. ‘I heard on GMTV this morning that we all need to build up a resistance to bacteria.’

  Beth felt her new Top Shop skirt tighten round her middle as she leant forward to rub a mark off the computer screen. Her eyes felt a bit gritty too, which she put down to lack of sleep combined with living it way too large.

  ‘I daren’t get on the scales, with all the bad stuff I’ve eaten, and I must have had a year’s worth of alcohol in the past few months. It’s all very well whizzing round local bars and sights, socializing with clients and suppliers until the small hours, but it’s hell for your figure.’

  Freya sat down at her desk and started to unzip her handbag. ‘My heart bleeds for you. I wish I could get my alcohol limit up on the company’s expense.’

  ‘You’d soon get fed up with it,’ said Beth, as Freya pulled a mirror from her bag and touched up her lip gloss. ‘It’s hard work, you know. In fact, I might have to show you just how hard it is. How do you fancy getting a taste of it?’

  ‘Oh. My. God. Do you mean it?’

  She broke into a grin. ‘Yes. Jack agreed in principle for you to check out the Lapland trip last night.’

  ‘Wooo-hoooo!’

  ‘It’s work, Frey,’ she said, laughing.

  ‘Yeah, yeah!’ said Freya. ‘Omigod, Lapland. Me and you and a bunch of huskies in a tent.’

  ‘Well, actually maybe not with me…’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘I’m only on a six-month contract, remember? Unless I can fit the trip in before I finish, we won’t be able to go together. It has to be in the winter and I’m done here in the autumn.’

  ‘Can’t you get an extension?’ pleaded Freya.

  ‘I doubt it, and even if I could, I need to go back home. I promised Marcus and Dad and Lou-lou. This was never meant to be permanent.’ Freya looked so absolutely downcast that Beth felt a lump in her throat. Lately, she always seemed to be leaving someone behind. ‘I’ll see if we can go before I leave, or if you can come with me on another trip. Promise.’

  ‘I guess He Who Must be Obeyed isn’t as bad as I thought if he wants me to go out to test a tour,’ said Freya, pouring a paper cup of water into Brad Pott, the office cactus. ‘I know he can get a bit heavy, but he never bawls you out or gets hormonal. In fact, he doesn’t say much to you at all—I mean, he doesn’t even try out his jokes on you… I think he’s scared of you, to be honest.’

  ‘Really?’ Beth managed a shaky laugh. ‘He knows I won’t be here long, that’s all. Besides, I’ve heard some of his jokes in the product meetings. They’re about as funny as David Brent’s from The Office.’

  ‘David Brent was never that cute,’ said Freya. ‘Jack may be a git at times, but he’s got a fit arse.’

  ‘I hadn’t noticed.’

  ‘I still think he’s in awe of you. He always speaks so politely, as if he’s scared of upsetting you.’ Freya broke off suddenly, peering closely at the cactus. ‘Do you think this plant is phallic? Personally I think it’s obscene.’

  ‘It is a bit… weird. Cacti do have some funny shapes.’ Beth wished Freya would get on with some work or talk business. She didn’t want to think of phallic things right now. She had an email from Jack in front of her.

  Freya had other ideas. ‘I do like the odd bollocking from the boss, though,’ she went on, carefully turning Brad’s pot towards the light.

  ‘You are joking,’ laughed Beth.

  ‘Nope. Don’t tell anyone this, but I get all tingly sometimes when Jack has to remind me to give him the sales figures. I mean I know he’s quite old…’

  ‘He’ll be thirty-five next month. I heard him telling Tom he was getting on a bit,’ Beth added hastily. ‘So as you say, he’s positively ancient.’

  ‘Well… I wouldn’t say ancient, but older men can be really sexy, don’t you think? Look at Daniel Craig,’ said Freya dreamily. ‘And even Jack’s not that bad. You know, once he asked me to go to his office and explain why I hadn’t done something. I just saw him, sitting behind the desk all serious, and I had this sudden urge to—’

  ‘Freya—watch Brad!’

  It was too late. The cactus had toppled off the filing cabinet and smashed onto the floor. Soil and broken terracotta littered the carpet tiles.

  ‘Poor Brad,’ said Freya, getting down on her hands and knees. ‘He’s gone all limp.’

  ‘I’ll take him home and try and replant him,’ said Beth, helping her clear up the mess. ‘I’m sure Gill won’t mind me borrowing a pot.’ When calm was restored, she turned to her computer to find an email, as short and cool as an English summer.

  From: Jack Thornfield

  To: Elizabeth Allen

  Subject: Report—HIGH PRIORITY

  Please can I have the stats for the Provençal mountain-bike package ready for Friday’s team meeting at 10 a.m.

  Jack

  P.S. I need a copy on my desk by close of play the day before. Thanks.

  So, another late night at the office, she thought with a wry smile. Then again, being treated with strict professionalism by Jack was what she wanted. She’d established the ground rules between them from the day she’d accepted the job. She was still in the driving seat, here, even if Jack was her boss.

  ‘Do you think that cactus hated me personally?’ asked Freya, wincing as she pulled a fine spike from her hand with her eyebrow tweezers while Beth digested her email. Jack chose that moment to open their office door without knocking.

  ‘Shit!’ cried Freya, dropping her tweezers in her drawer and pretending to look for a paper clip.

  ‘Hello,’ said Jack.

  Beth heard a strange squeak coming from Freya’s desk.

  Jack gave Freya a puzzled frown before turning back to Beth. ‘Beth, can you come to my office, please?’

  ‘Does it have to be right now? Only I just wanted to phone a Tuscan supplier before they closed.’

  ‘I have to be in a board meeting in ten minutes. If you can’t spare the time now, can you make it later? Say after six?’

  ‘Of course. No problem.’

  ‘Thanks. I appreciate it,’ he said, staring at Freya as she snorted into her handkerchief.

  Beth picked up the phone. Jack hovered in the doorway for a moment and then said very seriously, ‘That sounds like a nasty cold you’ve got, Freya. I should see the company nurse about it.’

  ‘Don’t you dare say anything,’ said Beth as he strode off and Freya erupted into fits of laughter. ‘And before you ask, I don’t feel “all tingly” at being ordered about by him.’

  But as she walked towards his office later that evening, she found she was fizzing from head to toe.

  ‘Thanks for sparing the time,’ he said as she closed the door. ‘I know you’re busy, but I want to run some ideas by you.’

  ‘It’s OK.’

  ‘Come and look at this.’

  He indicated a folder on the table overlooking the window.

  ‘I’ve had this for a few weeks,’ he explained as they sat down together. ‘I’m being, let’s say, “courted” by an enthusiastic supplier and I want your opinion on taking them on as a potential major addition to our portfolio.’

  Beth felt ludicrously flattered that he wanted her input. ‘It sounds exciting…’

  ‘Hmm. It’s a completely new destination for Big Outdoors. I’ve called you in because it’s in your field of expertise. In fact, you could say
you’ve direct experience of it…’ He paused, seeming on edge.

  She smiled encouragingly. ‘It’s not cave diving, is it? Or potholing? Because if it is, I’ve never tried that one.’

  ‘No, not potholing. Nothing quite like that. It’s still an adventure travel operator and they specialize in small group activity tours—camping, canyoning, via ferrata, hiking—all that sort of thing.’

  ‘Via ferrata? That is a blast. And canyoning—what a great hook for families.’

  ‘Yes, I know.’

  A tiny light glimmered in the back of her mind. ‘You say it’s a European destination. It must be, if you’re asking my opinion,’ she went on, feeling tension building in her chest. ‘It sounds a great proposition. As if it could have broad appeal, but, you know, you haven’t actually said where this company is based.’

  ‘Haven’t I?’ he said, leafing through the papers.

  ‘No, you haven’t,’ she said firmly, determined to make him look her in the face.

  He finally met her eyes. ‘It’s in Southern Corsica.’

  It took a moment before she realized her mouth had dropped open. The silence seemed to stretch out between them, before she managed to find her tongue. ‘Corsica?’

  He cleared his throat. ‘Yes. The company is called Lorenzelli Tours. I happen to know the owner, Olivier Lorenzelli, from years back. He phoned a few weeks back to say his company’s expanding. Not that I’d let our connection influence me, beyond professional courtesy, of course.’

  ‘No, of course not.’

  ‘Naturally, he thinks their new tours will fit perfectly in our portfolio and they do appear on the surface to tick all the boxes, but I wasn’t able to be totally objective about this. We do have a personal connection and Olivier has been known to get carried away.’

  ‘Right…’

  He went on briskly, almost falling over himself to get the words out. ‘They have a very professional set-up. With the beaches, mountains, and activities, it should be a great addition to our program—a very wide appeal. This could be a big revenue opportunity if it comes off and, added to other tour ideas from you and the other product managers, I think we’ll be on the way to getting Big Outdoors back where it should be in the market. Beth… is that OK?’ he asked when she didn’t reply.