by Holly Martin
Christ, he really was serious about going on the run with them.
She reached up and stroked his face, placing her fingers on his lips before he came up with any more crazy plans to escape from the law.
‘You are an amazing, wonderful man, and I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you in my life, but there’ll be no running from the authorities tonight. Karie came to tell us we finally have a date for the adoption hearing. She thinks it will just be a formality now and that the judge will give me full parental responsibility. The adoption will be final.’
He stared at her and then he broke into a huge smile. He grabbed her into a huge hug and then swung her round laughing.
‘Oh god, I’m so relieved. He’s really going to be ours?’
Ours.
Her heart leapt at that word.
He must have seen her face because he quickly backtracked. ‘I mean yours, obviously.’
She placed a hand on his heart. ‘He’ll be ours. I don’t need a ring on my finger or a big declaration of love to see what’s right in front of me. You love that boy and he loves you. You’re as much part of his family now as I am.’
He smiled and kissed her head. ‘And I’m going to take really good care of him, of both of you.’
‘You already do.’
She looked up at him.
God I love you.
Maybe Karie was right. Maybe it was time she told him how she felt.
Elliot burst into the kitchen. ‘Luke has paint all over his paws.’
Leo laughed and broke away from her. ‘That’s because he wants to be part of our family tree too.’
He followed Elliot back outside. Evidently, her declarations of love would have to wait.
Chapter Five
‘Hey Annie,’ Leo said to his assistant as he threw his keys down on his office desk the next day, his mind still filled with Isla.
‘Morning, Leo dear. I have some news,’ Annie said.
Leo flopped down in his chair and stared at his blank computer screen for a moment. It took a few seconds for him to realise that Annie was packing her things from her desk into a box; her photos, her plants, even her beloved George Clooney calendar he had given her last Christmas disappeared inside the box.
He stared at her for a few moments in confusion. Annie had worked for him at The Big Bang from as far back as he could remember, back when it had just been the two of them organising local firework displays and not the large team of pyrotechnic experts organising huge professional corporate displays that he had now. She was efficient, friendly, the clients loved her, and quite honestly she ran the company single-handed. She was probably in her fifties, extremely glamorous in that effortless way some people managed, and tried to mother him more often than he liked.
‘Please tell me your news isn’t that you’re breaking up with me,’ Leo said. ‘I don’t think my fragile heart could take it.’
He watched her put her stapler into the box. This looked like serious business. They had talked about redecorating the office a few weeks before. Had Annie perhaps organised for it to be done without telling him, and she was simply packing everything away so it wouldn’t get damaged in the decorating process?
‘I’m breaking up with you,’ Annie said simply.
He watched her for another moment and his heart sank into his stomach. It was quite obvious she was serious.
‘Wait, you’re leaving?’
‘I am,’ Annie smiled, serenely. ‘We won the lottery.’
‘Is this one of those times when I get all excited and you tell me you won ten pounds?’
‘Five numbers and the bonus ball. One hundred and forty-one thousand, two hundred and fifty-six pounds and thirty-three pence.’
Leo whistled appreciatively. ‘Wow, really?’
Annie nodded, the biggest smile on her face.
‘Congratulations, that’s amazing. When did this happen?’ Annie lived next door to Isla and he was surprised he hadn’t heard the whoops of delight.
‘Last week, but we didn’t want to tell anyone until the money was actually in our account. It cleared this morning.’ Annie put a small pink teddy that said ‘Grandma’ across the belly into the box too. ‘Me and Bill are going on a world cruise. We leave on Friday, we’ll be gone for six months initially but we might extend it. And when we come back, I think it’s high time I retire.’
‘Retire? But you’re what, fifty-one, fifty-two?’
‘I’m sixty-eight, dear. I should have retired years ago but I enjoyed working here at The Big Bang, planning the perfect display for our customers’ needs. I also enjoyed fending off the calls from the thousands of women that used to ring up on a daily basis to ask you out or to thank you for the wonderful time they’d spent with you the night before. But mostly, dear, I loved working with you. However, now it’s time to spend my retirement with my husband. The mortgage is paid off, the children are all grown up and scattered around the world, so we’re going to do something for ourselves for a change.’
Leo smiled, despite his heart sinking, and he stood up to hug her. ‘Oh Annie, I’m happy for you. I’m going to miss you like crazy, but hell, I can’t think of a better thing to do with the money. Go and enjoy yourself.’
‘We intend to.’
He gave her a squeeze. They both knew she should have given him some kind of notice period and that leaving at one of the busiest periods of the year was going to leave him in the shit, but he didn’t care about that right now. She deserved this.
‘Well, my resignation is effective immediately. I have a ton of stuff to sort out before we fly out on Friday, but I haven’t left you completely in the lurch. I’ve organised a temporary replacement for you.’
‘You have?’ Leo looked at his watch. It was ten minutes past nine. How had she managed that already?
Annie nodded as she pulled back and continued packing. ‘She can come and work for you for the next few weeks until you can find someone else. Or you know, keep her on if she meets your needs. You choose.’
Who had Annie found so last-minute? Leo didn’t hold out any hope that it would be someone good.
‘Does she have any experience in displays?’ Leo asked.
Annie paused. ‘She has vast experience in displays.’
The way Annie said it suggested that it wasn’t entirely true. She must have seen his face because she smiled. ‘She’ll be here in ten minutes and you can interview her yourself. If she’s not suitable, show her the door.’
Annie put the lid on the box and she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
‘Thanks for being an amazing boss.’
‘Thank you for being a phenomenal assistant,’ Leo said, lifting the box. It didn’t weigh much but within a few minutes Annie’s very existence from the office had been wiped clean. ‘Let me help you out to the car.’
‘You’re a good lad, Leo Jackson. I only hope your new assistant can look after you in ways that I never could.’
‘No one could replace you, Annie Brooke,’ Leo said, following her out to her car. He frowned as he considered what she’d just said. What did she mean by that? He cringed. ‘How old is my new assistant?’
Annie shrugged. ‘Probably around your age.’
Leo only hoped it wasn’t someone he’d slept with once, many moons ago. That would be beyond awkward: to be faced with an ex who possibly still had feelings for him. If she was willing to work for him at such short notice, it was a distinct possibility.
‘This is probably her now.’ Annie indicated the red car coming up the gravel driveway in a cloud of dust that billowed around it. ‘Be nice.’
‘I’m always nice,’ Leo said.
Annie rolled her eyes and got in the car. ‘I’ll send you a postcard.’
With that she drove off and Leo was left alone, waiting for the arrival of the car that was bringing him his new assistant.
As the car drew closer and the dust began to settle, unease spread into his stomach. He recognised the vehicle.
The car stopped and the most beautiful blonde woman in the world got out, her hair blowing around her like some kind of banner.
She smiled when she saw him and, despite the fact that his brain was shouting that this was a terrible idea and that you should never mix business with pleasure, he knew for a fact that he would be hiring her on the spot.
Chapter Six
‘Hey!’ Isla said, closing the car door and walking over to Leo. ‘Is Annie around?’
‘She just left.’
Isla frowned in confusion. ‘She just phoned me and asked if I’d give her a hand for a few hours.’
Leo couldn’t help smiling. Isla had no clue why she was here. Of course Annie would have asked Isla; living next door, Annie would have known that Isla was struggling to find a job. Though the very fact she hadn’t mentioned who was coming in for the job and hadn’t even told Isla she was here to interview for the job, suggested that Annie probably had some ulterior motive.
‘Why don’t you come inside for a moment?’ Leo said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. When had that long since become the norm? He didn’t have that tactility with any other woman outside of his family and there was nothing sisterly about his feelings for Isla.
‘OK,’ Isla said uncertainly and followed him inside.
He gestured for her to sit down and set about making two cups of tea. How should he play this? She had no idea she was here to interview for a job. He could give her a drink, make up some excuse and then let her leave. Having her work here could be all kinds of awkward, not least because he was hardly able to contain his feelings for her when he was around her house, let alone if he had to see her all day at work too.
He turned round with the two mugs and sat down at the desk.
‘I’ve never been here before, it’s quite nice,’ Isla said, looking around. ‘Where are all the fireworks kept?’
‘We have a storage place out the back.’
‘Are you getting ready for the firework display here at the weekend?’
‘It’s all in hand. We’ll probably set it up on Saturday morning.’
‘Elliot thinks you have the coolest job in the world,’ Isla said, sipping from her tea. ‘I have to agree with him.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, you create… magic. Though to be honest I have no idea how any of it works. How do you do all those firework displays to music?’
‘Oh, it’s all computer-programmed now. I can show you if you’re interested?’
‘I’m very interested,’ Isla said, keenly. ‘I think it’s fascinating.’
He smiled. Someone with enthusiasm for the job was exactly what he needed.
‘Elliot pretty much wants to have his own firework display company when he’s older.’
‘He will always have a job here,’ Leo said and then cleared his throat. ‘As do you, if you want one?’
She frowned in confusion. ‘You’re offering me a job?’
‘Annie quit. She won the lottery. Her and Bill are going on a world cruise.’
‘Oh my god, really?’
He nodded.
‘That’s amazing. I’m so happy for her,’ Isla said.
‘I know, it’s great.’
‘But she just quit?’
‘Yes, about fifteen minutes ago. She leaves on Friday. She said she had organised a replacement and here you are.’
‘Wait, what? That’s not what she said to me. She asked if I could come up and give her a hand.’
‘Yes, with being my assistant.’
She stared at him for a few moments, a frown creasing her beautiful face. ‘Have you engineered this?’
‘Engineered Annie winning the lottery? I’m good but not that good.’
‘No, giving me a job because you know I need one. You don’t have to save me, Leo Jackson.’
‘I know. This isn’t that. To be honest, I had no idea she had asked you until you got out of your car. This was not my doing, this was all Annie. But I do need an assistant. I haven’t got time to go through the process of advertising and interviewing, at least not until Christmas and New Year is out of the way, so if you can help till then that would be great. If you would prefer not to because you think it would be awkward working with your best friend then that’s fine too. I completely understand.’
The frown was still there, her arms still folded across her chest, like she didn’t trust him.
‘I don’t know the first thing about fireworks.’
‘Annie tells me you have vast experience when it comes to displays,’ Leo grinned, knowing now what Annie had meant.
‘Window displays, yes.’
‘Ah, it’s the same thing,’ Leo lied. ‘It’s about interpreting the clients’ needs and putting on a show for the customer.’
Isla smiled slightly. ‘I do know how to do that.’
‘Well, there you go.’
‘I have Elliot to think of,’ Isla said, her defences going back up.
‘I’m sure we can be flexible about your working hours, make sure it fits around his school day. I can always pick him up from school as well. All the setting up of fireworks are normally done in the mornings anyway, so I could be free to look after him while you’re finishing off at work.’
‘He’s off school this week for half term. I promised to do a load of stuff with him. There’s the great acorn hunt and the pumpkin-carving competition and we’re going to roast marshmallows on the beach and—’
‘And you can still do all those things. My working day is really flexible and I have several pyro teams who do a lot of the setting up for me,’ Leo said. His working day had become a lot more flexible over the last year as he had taken a huge step back from a lot of the displays and setting-up side of things so he could be there for Isla and Elliot more often. ‘I can do some of those things with Elliot while you’re here, or maybe your mum and Melody can look after him for a few hours here and there. I really just need someone to answer the phone and deal with enquiries over email. You could answer a lot of the emails from home.’
‘OK,’ Isla said, cautiously.
‘OK you want the job?’
‘I’m thinking about it.’
Leo took that as a yes. He could see she was wavering.
‘So, let me show you Annie’s system.’ He stood up and faltered for a moment. He had no idea how Annie ran The Big Bang. Events appeared in his diary as if by magic and he wasn’t sure if she kept printed records of the clients’ details or if everything was on the computer. Isla would need to know the right questions to ask a potential client and the prices for various different options and he wasn’t sure where Annie kept all that stuff. Whenever his assistant had gone on holiday before, her daughter Ruby always used to help out and Annie had handled making sure Ruby knew what she was doing. But Ruby had moved from Sandcastle Bay a few months before so he couldn’t even call on her to help Isla settle in. Maybe Annie would agree to come back for a brief handover.
His eyes fell on a bright red A4 ring binder with Isla’s name written across the front. He frowned in confusion. He had seen Annie busily putting stuff in this folder all last week, but he hadn’t thought anything of it and it certainly hadn’t had Isla’s name on it then. He picked it up, thumbing through all the clearly labelled segments, and he couldn’t help but smile. Annie really was efficient. This was everything Isla would need to start the job and more – from a basic enquiry form that she could fill out with each phone call and the questions she would need to ask, to a list of different fireworks and their effects, and instructions on how to add the details to the electronic diary. The folder was so detailed, Elliot could probably come in here and run the office for him.
‘Well, this looks like a good place to start.’ Leo handed her the folder. ‘Why not look through this and if you have any questions you can ask me.’
Isla flipped through it. ‘Annie really did plan for this, didn’t she?’
‘It looks that way.’
‘Is she tryi
ng to set the two of us up?’ Isla asked.
‘I think the whole village would like to see us get together,’ Leo said. ‘Shame they’ll be disappointed.’
‘Not necessarily,’ Isla said, standing up, and his heart leapt at that sudden glimmer of hope. ‘One day you might fall in love with me.’
He watched her as she kicked off her shoes and curled up on the sofa to read through the folder. His heart was striving to tell her that that day had happened a long time ago.
‘So I tell you I love you and you’ll say yes to one of my proposals?’
‘If you genuinely mean it,’ Isla replied, without looking up from the folder.
‘I would never say those words unless I meant them.’
‘Then yes, I would marry you.’
‘But you said you would never get married unless you were in crazy in love with the man,’ Leo said.
There was silence from Isla for a moment then she looked up and gave him a level gaze. ‘Yes, that’s right. I would never walk down the aisle unless I was completely in love with the man.’
He stared at her, his heart thundering in his chest.
Was she in love with him? Was that what she was saying?
It was.
Christ, she was in love with him.
He had no idea what to do with that. He wanted to walk over there, gather her in his arms and kiss her. He wanted to tell her he loved her too and he had for a very long time. But he couldn’t do that.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. ‘I need to sort out some fireworks ready for a display tomorrow. I’ll be in the warehouse if you need me.’
He walked out the door and, as it closed behind him, he heard Isla sigh softly. ‘Well, that went well,’ she said.
Chapter Seven
Leo started taking down fireworks from the shelves and loading them into boxes ready for his pyro team to take them to a display tomorrow morning.
His heart was roaring, his stomach was churning.
Isla was in love with him.