Wish You Were Here

by Phillipa Ashley

  ‘Yes. Yes, of course. If you let me have the details, I’ll put together an itinerary and get Freya to research the logistics and cost implications.’

  ‘Fine. Good idea.’

  ‘Is that all for now?’ she said, the half-open door of his office more tempting than it had ever been.

  ‘Yes, thanks. Update me when you’ve done the research.’

  Outside in the corridor, she gulped in a huge breath. She thought she had everything sorted. She was giving her relationship with Marcus a chance. Making a success of her job. Now, she only knew she was going back there and no matter how hard she tried to deny it, she still felt deeply hurt by what Jack had done to her in Corsica. No amount of professionalism could ever change that.

  Chapter 13

  At the end of the week, Beth found herself dumping her Sainsbury’s Local bags on the top step of her flat. She’d worked late every night that week, planning the Corsica trip on top of her usual workload. Now, she also had a visit from Marcus to get ready for.

  She allowed herself ten minutes of slobbery, then dragged herself off the sofa to clean up before Marcus arrived. She didn’t think it was fair to make him live in a pigsty, especially as the Grange, his own place, was always scarily tidy.

  Empty takeaway trays filled the sink, the legacy of a night with Tom, Freya, Shreeya, and a few more of the guys from the office. A half-open carton of milk was festering in the fridge door so she poured it down the sink. After chucking out the trays, she plunged the dirty plates in some hot soapy water and rooted in the airing cupboard for some clean sheets to put on the bed. She reckoned she just had time to shower and change into her skinny jeans and sparkly top before Marcus arrived. She was just putting on some lip gloss when she heard him buzz the door.

  ‘Good journey?’ she asked, kissing him as she showed him into the flat. To her great relief, he was wearing jeans and a polo shirt, rather than a shirt and tie.

  ‘Not really,’ he said, glancing round at the room with a frown. ‘I crawled most of the way and the SatNav decided to go haywire as I got off the M25.’

  ‘How horrible for you,’ she soothed as he sprawled on the sofa. ‘But you’re here now.’ Marcus pulled a pair of knickers from behind a cushion and raised his eyebrows.

  She grabbed her panties. ‘Sorry, I’m behind with the laundry. Would you like a beer?’

  ‘What have you got?’ he asked, squinting hard at the ceiling.

  ‘Cobra, Stella, Budvar…’

  He wrinkled his nose. ‘Any chance of some decent red wine?’

  ‘I bought a nice Shiraz, just in case…’

  He sighed. ‘Oh, go on then, if you’re forcing me.’

  As she uncorked the bottle and poured them both a glass, he came up behind her and nuzzled her neck. ‘Beth…’ he whispered.

  ‘Hmm…’

  ‘Did you know you’ve got rising damp?’

  Later, they were pushing their way through the crowds in the Bird in Hand, heading for the back room where Bluesky were already halfway through the first set. The air smelled of chili con carne and spilled beer. Tom’s band was making an enthusiastic attempt at Indie rock covers and weren’t that bad at all, she thought.

  Freya was wiggling along to one of the tracks.

  ‘I’ll get these,’ mouthed Beth, taking her empty glass from her friend’s hand. ‘Marcus, would you like a pint?’

  ‘Thanks but no thanks. Not at these prices.’

  ‘This is one of the cheapest places for miles,’ put in Freya, helpfully. ‘You could pay twice as much in the West End.’

  Marcus rolled his eyes. ‘Daylight robbery.’

  ‘It is a bit steep compared to home. But it’s just for one night and Freya’s right, the Bird is one of the cheapest places.’

  ‘I’ll have a half then,’ he said, handing over some bills.

  Beth headed for the bar, leaving Freya quizzing him tactfully on fast cars. It took awhile to get to the counter and awhile longer to get noticed by the barman. In the end she had to elbow her way between a couple of rugby-sized blokes and shout out her order.

  ‘A half of London Pride, a vodka and Red Bull, and a Sex on the Beach!’ she bellowed for the third time just as the band played a last chord and the music stopped.

  ‘Sorry, love, can you speak up?’ asked the barman, grinning as the rugby types burst out laughing. ‘I’m a bit deaf.’

  ‘Very funny,’ she laughed. ‘Just the drinks please—the comedy spot comes later.’

  She turned back to the throng of drinkers in the pub, trying not to spill any of the drinks. On the stage, Bluesky was accepting pints from a couple of squealing girls. Freya waved excitedly across the room.

  She’d almost made it back when she saw Jack.

  He was making his way through the crowd and he wasn’t alone. The girl next to him was tall, blonde, and stunning. Even the rather distasteful expression on her face couldn’t detract from how pretty she was. Jack had his arm on her back, propelling her towards the bar, smiling and nodding at people from work. Alcohol splashed onto the tray she was carrying as her heart sank. But she squared her shoulders and moved on, reminding herself that Jack had every right to bring someone—a girlfriend—to any place he wanted. After all, she was here with Marcus. They had both moved on and that had to be good.

  She handed Freya a drink, trying not to glance in Jack’s direction. ‘Where’s Marcus gone? I don’t want to abandon him.’

  ‘Over there. I introduced him to Dave Stirling,’ said Freya. Beth spotted Marcus’s blond head, next to the Big Outdoors’ IT manager. Beth knew Dave was building a Caterham kit car so she guessed he and Marcus must be in their element.

  ‘Thanks, Freya. I was worried he wouldn’t find anyone to talk to.’

  ‘Oh!’

  ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘The boss has brought someone,’ hissed Freya, hardly able to contain herself.

  ‘Has he?’

  ‘You can introduce them to Marcus. I’d love to find out who she is—this is going to be interesting!’ Freya pointed to her glass. ‘That didn’t touch the sides,’ she said.

  Beth found she’d gulped down nearly half her glass. ‘I guess I was just a bit thirsty,’ she laughed.

  ‘You’re telling me. Sure you don’t want a Coke or something?’

  ‘No. It’s OK, I’ll make the rest of it last.’

  ‘I think they might be coming over. Fancy him bringing a woman. Oh, I wonder what he’s like in bed?’ said Freya, giggling. ‘I wonder if he issues a memo asking her to turn out the light to save energy.’

  It was true. Jack did have a quite a reputation for money saving ‘initiatives’ and had recently sent out a long report detailing ways in which the company could be ‘greener’ and save money. But as for bed? He didn’t spare anything, she knew that.

  And now he was here, the blonde girl standing cool and aloof beside him. Beth thought she didn’t look too happy to be there whereas Jack had a smile on his face.

  ‘Enjoying the gig?’ he asked cheerfully.

  ‘Great,’ said Beth, smiling back until her jaw hurt.

  ‘It’s fab,’ trilled Freya excitedly. ‘Aren’t you going to introduce us to your girlfriend?’

  ‘Ladies, this is Camilla Reed. She works for Voyages magazine.’

  Beth held out her hand, suddenly self-conscious that she hadn’t had time to file her nails, let alone put on any polish. Going bowling the night before hadn’t helped either.

  ‘This is Beth Allen, consultant in charge of our European development program and Freya Scott, her assistant,’ said Jack.

  Camilla hesitated a moment before giving Beth’s hand a limp shake.

  For a moment, Beth wondered if she’d seen Camilla in one of Louisa’s magazines. She was so skinny and so beautifully-groomed, maybe she was a model. She was even thinner than Louisa, even though she had to be ten years older. ‘Pleased to meet you,’ she said, sounding rather bored.

  Beth was determined t
o be polite and friendly. ‘So you work for Voyages do you? That must be very exciting.’

  ‘It is,’ drawled Camilla.

  ‘You could do a feature on some of our tours,’ piped up Freya. ‘We’ve just added a dog sledding break to the portfolio.’

  Camilla raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow and Beth reminded herself to go and get hers waxed at the next opportunity.

  ‘Dog sledding? How bizarre,’ she said, flicking an imaginary speck of dirt from her shimmering mini-dress.

  ‘With real huskies and Sami tents,’ added Freya, getting into her stride. ‘You get to eat reindeer meat.’

  Camilla pulled a face. ‘How gross.’

  Beth could have sworn Jack had tightened his arm around Camilla’s waist. He smiled at Freya. ‘Voyages clients are very up market. Perhaps tents and dog sledding aren’t really their kind of thing.’

  ‘Maybe, I could be persuaded to make an exception,’ said Camilla suddenly sparking into life. ‘In fact, Jack’s already issued an open invite to try one of your packages. I’m just waiting to see if I can fit it into my calendar. Have you read Voyages?’

  ‘Is that the one that’s got a voucher for a free Brazilian?’ said Freya.

  ‘Our clients like to be well-groomed, but they usually have their personal waxer take care of um… that kind of thing,’ sniffed Camilla. ‘I think you’re getting us confused. The only Brazilians we feature are luxury spa retreats in the rainforest. Although we did have Gisele try out some eco-friendly cottages in the Grenadines.’

  ‘Who’s Gisele?’ asked Freya innocently. ‘Is she that blonde girl off Big Brother?’

  ‘I think the person you’re referring to is Chantelle,’ said Camilla icily. ‘Not our kind of thing at all.’

  ‘What am I like?’ giggled Freya. ‘But I think she’s nice.’

  Out of the corner of her eye, Beth could see Marcus making his way over.

  ‘Ohhh,’ said Freya. ‘Marcus is back. I’m just off to the loo before the band starts. See you in a mo.’

  Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘The Marcus?’

  ‘Yes. That’s me,’ said Marcus, bounding over and holding out his hand.

  ‘I’ve heard a lot about you from Beth,’ said Jack, as they shook hands.

  ‘This is Jack Thornfield, my boss,’ said Beth feeling Marcus’s arm around her. ‘And this is Camilla Reed.’

  ‘Girlfriend?’

  ‘What a quaint term,’ sniggered Camilla.

  ‘So, Marcus, are you up here for the weekend?’ asked Jack, as Beth silently prayed for the band to start up again.

  ‘Yes. I got here tonight. Eventually, that is. I don’t know how you stand it. The bloody traffic’s terrible and I had to leave the Porsche outside Beth’s place.’

  ‘You’ve got a Porsche?’

  ‘2007 model year actually,’ said Marcus proudly. ‘911 Targa 4. Beth loves it, don’t you?’ he said.

  ‘It is a beautiful car.’

  ‘Mind you, I don’t know if it will be parked outside when we get home. The area round Beth’s flat looks a bit on the dodgy side to me.’

  ‘Really? Where do you live?’ asked Camilla.

  ‘Camden Town,’ replied Beth.

  Camilla pursed her lips in horror. ‘Oh dear.’

  ‘That’s a nice set of wheels,’ said Jack quickly. ‘I’m sure you’ll be OK, if it’s got a top end security system too.’

  ‘It’s got the best,’ said Marcus. ‘But it’s the neighbors that bother me.’

  Jack gave a nod. ‘The city can be quite intimidating if you’re not used to it.’

  ‘It’s not that bad here really,’ said Beth.

  Marcus snorted. ‘Apart from the pollution, the congestion charge, house prices, muggings…’

  ‘That’s the price you pay for living in one of the world’s great cities, I suppose,’ declared Jack.

  ‘Can’t see us getting much sleep anyway,’ said Marcus to Jack. ‘We’ll probably be up half the night checking to see if it’s still there. Lucky our bedroom window overlooks the street and I managed to get under a streetlight.’

  ‘Sensible move,’ he said smoothly. ‘As you say, you never know what might happen while you’re tucked up in bed together.’

  ‘Jack, I see that guy from the band is waving at you,’ said Camilla, her eyes beginning to glaze over. Beth had to stop herself sighing with relief as Freya got back for the loo.

  ‘That’s Tom. We’d better go and congratulate him on his bass playing,’ said Jack. ‘Bye ladies—and Marcus. Enjoy your evening.’

  ‘We will,’ said Freya, with a noisy slurp that drained the last dregs of her cocktail. Beth watched Camilla steer Jack towards the stage by means of a beautifully manicured hand on his rear.

  When they were out of earshot, Marcus grinned at her. ‘You know, I think I might have a pint this time and get in a round. That Dave bloke’s all right, by the way. He wants to get my opinion on his perf tubes, so if you don’t mind me scooting off for a bit. I think I might get in a round first. What’re you having?’

  ‘Kamikaze,’ said Beth, trying for oblivion.

  Freya giggled as the band launched into the Kaiser Chiefs’ ‘I Predict a Riot.’ ‘Well, If you’re going to force me,’ she shouted, standing on tiptoe to reach his ear. ‘I’ll have a Screaming Orgasm.’

  At the end of the gig, Beth and Freya were queuing for the toilets when Camilla joined them at the front of it.

  ‘Oh dear, were people waiting?’ said Camilla, as mutterings rumbled from the end of the line.

  Freya’s eyes widened. ‘Well…’

  Camilla shrugged. ‘I’m sure they’ll get over it. Needs must, but I wouldn’t even dream of using a loo in a place like this unless I was utterly desperate.’

  ‘It’s OK. The Bird is one of the nicer pubs round here,’ said Beth.

  ‘I wouldn’t know. I don’t frequent pubs if I can help it.’ She glanced up at Beth, her eyes gleaming. ‘But Jack was so insistent that we ought to put in an appearance at his office social that I hadn’t the heart to say no. He is so wonderful with his employees. You must feel very lucky to have him as your boss.’

  ‘Privileged,’ murmured Beth as they reached the front of the queue.

  Camilla’s eyes widened as they got inside the loos. ‘Oh. My. God. This is totally gross! It’s absolutely villainous in here!’

  ‘I know it’s a bit basic, but look, why don’t you go first and get it over with?’ offered Beth, almost feeling a bit sorry for her.

  Camilla shuddered but strode in front anyway, kicking open the door with her shoe.

  ‘Oh dear,’ whispered Freya, as the cubicle door slammed shut. ‘There’s no loo seat in that one and I think there’s something ever so rude written on the back of door.’

  ***

  Jack was standing at the bar, having decided to get in a round for the band while Camilla was ‘powdering her nose.’ He turned to find Marcus behind him, smiling broadly. Close up, he realized the bloke was a good inch taller than him. He was very blonde too, and Jack was bizarrely reminded of a young Paul Bettany.

  ‘Can I get you a drink?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ll get these,’ said Marcus. ‘Stella, is it?’

  ‘Yeah. Thanks.’

  ‘Missus deserted you, then?’ said Marcus after handing over the money to the barman.

  ‘Little girls room,’ said Jack.

  Marcus rolled his eyes. ‘Mine too.’

  ‘How long have you been with Beth?’ said Jack casually, leaning against the bar as if he was a regular.

  ‘Years,’ said Marcus. ‘We went to the same school.’

  He nodded in what he hoped was a nonchalant way. ‘So you were childhood sweethearts then?’

  ‘Wouldn’t say that exactly. We only started going out after her dad had the accident, but to be honest,’ he said, lowering his voice as if Beth might appear at any moment, ‘she always had the hots for me at school. In fact, if she hadn’t taken it into her head to go off round
the world, we’d have got together long ago.’

  ‘Right… so it’s pretty serious between you, is it?’ said Jack.

  ‘Yup. Hope to make it formal any day. Now I’ve got the business running really well, got a decent five-bed place and all that, I think it’s high time I settled down and made an honest woman of her.’ He paused to sip his beer. ‘As soon as she gets all this London business out of her system of course—not that any of it was necessary.’

  ‘But I thought she needed the money to send her sister to drama school?’

  ‘Well. I could have helped them out, naturally,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘But she won’t hear of it. Nice girl, Beth, if misguided. Well-intentioned but stubborn. Needs careful handling, but I think I’ve got the knack with her.’

  ‘I’m sure you have,’ said Jack, hardly able to believe his ears. Desperate to fight her corner, but unsure how far he dare go as her boss. Because, he told himself, that’s all he was as far as Marcus or anyone else was concerned. ‘But, you know, this job means more to her than the money. She’s doing a great job of developing our European sector. I need her… the company needs her, that is. She’s a very dedicated and talented product manager.’

  Marcus gave a little snort. ‘Hmm. Well, I’m sure she’s been very helpful to you, but this is just a temporary blip,’ he said, waving his glass dismissively at the pub and at, Jack suspected, Beth’s London life in general. ‘I know you’re her boss, mate, and you’re thinking of how you’ll manage without her, but with all due respect, in a month or so, she’ll be back where she belongs.’

  ‘And where’s that?’ said Jack, boiling inside. ‘With all due respect?’

  Marcus looked incredulous ‘At home with me. Where else would she want to be?’

  Jack picked up his glass and flashed a brief smile at Marcus. ‘I’m sure you’re right. Nice meeting you,’ he said, spotting Camilla beckoning him frantically from the pub door.

  ‘You too, mate. Give me a call if you ever want a decent set of wheels. I could fix you up with a fantastic deal on a BMW Seven series.’