“I love you,” he murmured.
I lifted my face in surprise. “What?”
“I love you,” he repeated firmly and kissed my forehead.
I pressed against him and held on tight. “I love you too, Jacob.”
This time I meant it.
14. Tango Nuptial
Part I
There is only one thing more wonderful than the Christmas season: to be in love, happy in a new relationship and to look forward to the first Christmas together. Even the less wonderful side of the season, namely the crazy year-end transactions dictating our work life, couldn’t spoil this. In spite of my workload preventing me from being able to enjoy my Christmas shopping in peace and quiet, I was in a festive mood for the season of love and giving. Therefore vulnerable!
Tracey noticed the change in me. She must have observed me during a conference call, that we had with Luke Miller and his team of Francobank. Jacob had walked past the glass door of her office and grinned at me. I had grinned back. After the call was over she looked at me knowingly with her cold blue eyes.
“I must say, Chloé, you seem so much better than the summer, when your boyfriend broke up with you.” She gave her voice a tone that I readily interpreted as kind interest.
“Uhm. Actually, yes. I am,” I replied hesitantly. Then I could not help breaking out in a smile. I was, after all, happily in love.
“That might not, by any chance, have something to do with a certain colleague?”
There it was. What was I supposed to do? Lie to her? The official firm policy allowed relationships between colleagues of the same level of seniority - see David and Jessica - which did make sense. If you spend so much time in the office it automatically becomes a type of hunting ground. As long as the relationship worked, it could even be good for the firm when the couple worked in the same office so that both would have an additional reason to spend more time in the office and less distractions outside of it. The practical consequences could be very different. I wasn’t sure how Tracey would react. On the other hand even though things between Jacob and me were fairly fresh, they had become serious. In addition, we had known each other for years.
Tracey didn’t wait for my reply. “I had noticed that Jacob and you were very close at the office outing,” she pressed on. She leaned forward. She had this conspiratorial come on you can tell me look.
I felt unable to lie. “Well, actually, we have been together since then. We’re getting on very well, and so do our children.” I don’t know why but somehow I hoped that a relationship with a good and loyal P&W man would finally make Tracey welcome me as one of them. Or to congratulate me that P&W was now effectively present in every minute of my private life.
Instead a triumphant smile escaped her. “I knew it.”
Then she changed the subject and gave me a long list of to do’s regarding the Francobank transaction, which I was to complete by the end of the day.
“Don’t forget, we have to be tough on these points we just discussed with Luke,” she reminded me.
I left her office a little confused but relieved.
On the way to my room I stopped at Jacob’s door and cleared my throat demonstratively. He looked up with a furrowed brow, then smiled when he saw who it was.
“Just quickly,” I whispered. “Tracey knows about us.”
He immediately made a worried face. “You told her? Chloé, that wasn’t really a good idea. You don’t know what she will make of it. You do have to watch out with her.”
“She asked me a direct question! I could hardly lie to her face,” I defended myself. “Anyway - she doesn’t seem to mind, and why should she.”
He didn’t seem convinced. “Well, now it’s too late anyway.” He shook his head.
I was annoyed. Did he not want things to be made official? I murmured “whatever!” and left before he could notice my annoyance.
I didn’t get to think about it any further for the remainder of the day since I was drowning in work. When I had circulated, by email, the newly revised draft agreement which contained all of the points we had discussed earlier with Luke, my counterpart at Lakes Solicitors, an English lawyer I hadn’t come across before, wrote an almost instant reply.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Re: WPF
Chloé,
We have received the revised draft. The undertakings are unacceptable. Furthermore, WPF will not bear any tax risk or risk of increased costs.
Paul
What? I was flabbergasted. The borrower’s undertakings in the agreement were to some extent negotiable. They could be drafted in a way that would make it easier for the borrower to be able to fulfil its obligations. No lender would ever take any risk of taxes resulting from a deal, or of costs imposed by banking regulators who decided that this sort of transaction would require an increase in the bank’s capital or payment by the bank of any special fees. For the borrower to take the risk of taxes or so-called increased costs was absolute market standard and had already been agreed upon by WPF in the signed term sheet. Disputing this meant going back to square one. I decided to call this Paul to find out where this all came from. When his assistant informed me that he was not available, I left a message asking to be called back. Instead of returning my call he sent a further email.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Re: Re: WPF
Chloé,
Just to make sure you understand - Francobank’s cost of doing business, and any risks associated with the transaction, should have been priced in. This has nothing to do with WPF.
Paul
This was ludicrous, in particular considering that the fees Francobank was going to make on this deal were considerably low. Remindful of Tracey’s instructions I decided against my instincts and usually diplomatic style to write a tough reply.
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Re: Re: Re: WPF
Paul,
Surely this cannot be right. I tried to call you to discuss but was told you are not available. I suggest we talk this through before exchanging further emails.
Chloé
I pressed ‘send’, feeling slightly uneasy. However, this was the sort of email I had seen from others, including the P&W partners.
Two minutes later my phone rang. Tracey. “I don’t believe you just wrote that. What on earth were you thinking?” she hissed without further ado.
I could feel my head getting all hot and my stomach churning. “His arguments were ludicrous and you told me to be tough on these points,” I replied feebly.
“I don’t know how you could get that idea! Luke just called me and went ballistic. This is a really important deal for him! He does not want you to work on this anymore. I will take over. Send me all drafts and make sure the virtual file is up to date.” She hung up.
I stared at the receiver. This had never happened to me before. Fuckfuckfuck.
Tears started to run down my cheeks. I quickly tried to dry them. Damage control, Chloé. Maybe Tracey would realise that I had not done anything terrible. I checked the virtual file. It was up to date. I quickly printed out the last draft agreement, filed it in my working folder and called Jerome to print out all drafts for Tracey. Checking my watch, I realised it was 7 p.m. already. I could hear Jacob on the phone next door. He was angry with me too, so no sympathy was to be expected
from him. I switched off my computer, grabbed my bag and coat and left the office, taking the direction that did not lead past Jacob’s door.
On my way home I called the only person who always understood me.
Isabella answered immediately. “Unbelievable - I was just about to dial your number!”
“Oh - everything alright? I just had a shitty day. But you go first.”
“No, sweetie, you sound very down. What happened?”
I quickly filled Isabella in.
“Oh dear, that was bound to happen sooner or later. She has been trying to get at you, hasn’t she?”
“I guess so. I am so angry with myself! I went against my instincts and stepped right into her trap!”
“Maybe it wasn’t a trap. But who knows.”
“I’m so tired, Isabella! So tired of being scared of her, of constantly having to watch my back, of all this hostility and duplicity.”
“Can’t you get a job elsewhere?”
“Not that easy at such a senior level and, somehow, I feel I shouldn’t allow her to push me out.”
“Hm. Perhaps it’s better than being unhappy.”
“Yes I know. Anyway. Why were you going to call me?”
“I don’t think now is the right time to tell you.”
“To tell me what? You know you can’t just say that and then tell me nothing.”
“OK, then. We are moving to Berlin.”
“What? Why? What about the shop? What about us? When?”
“Darling, don’t be upset. Please. As you know Joe has been going to Berlin a lot for business and now he’s got a project for which he needs to be there full time. As far as the shop is concerned, my assistant Sylvie will look after that. If it goes well maybe she’ll take it over. In Berlin I can do what I’ve always wanted to, Chloé - design jewellery. You know I’ve had individual pieces made after my design and now I have found a goldsmith in Berlin to assist me. Joe has rented a small apartment near the park. We are moving after Christmas.”
“So soon? I mean, sorry, it all sounds exciting and I am happy for you if you are. It’s just that it’s far away and, oh what am I going to do without you?”
“You’ll visit. You’ll see, Berlin is the place to be now - it’s exciting, new, free - I love it!”
“Of course I will come to see you. Still, I’ll miss you so much.”
“I’ll miss you too, sweetheart. You’ve got Jacob, and his boy, now, as well as the girls of course. I also think you’ll be very busy soon, planning your wedding.” She chuckled.
“What? You think so? I mean - Jacob mentioned it already and he had sounded quite serious. Oh my god! Maybe he’ll propose this Christmas! Or New Year’s Eve! It’s a bit soon, but why not?”
“Darling, I’ve told you before, you are supersonic, so why not indeed!”
Somehow things didn’t look so grim anymore.
* * *
The positive aspect of having been taken off the Francobank deal was that I had time, in the last days before Christmas, to buy presents in actual shops and not all online, to decorate the house and the Christmas tree and to bake cakes and cookies with the girls. On the eve of my birthday, Jacob, Antonio, the girls and I had watched Mamma Mia on DVD, singing and dancing on and around the sofa. After having taken our respective children to bed - I had turned the spare room into a guestroom for Antonio - Jacob and I reconvened in the living room.
“Phew! I am exhausted from all that dancing!” I complained. “I must be getting old!”
Jacob checked his watch. “Not old, but a year older soon! It’s almost midnight.” He smiled nervously. I waited.
“Uhm. Would you mind if I gave you your present tonight? I don’t think I can wait any longer - I want to see whether you’ll like it.”
I tensed slightly. That sounded mysterious. Omigod. Maybe he was going to ask me? What will I say? I smiled encouragingly.
“Of course! If you want to - that’s very sweet of you.”
He checked his watch again.
“It’s midnight. Happy Birthday, darling.”
He bent towards me and kissed me tenderly, trembling slightly. My heart started beating fast. Was this the moment? He let go of me, reached behind the sofa and pulled out a large square package. I breathed a secret sigh of relief. That was too large to be a ring. I opened the blue bow and then the wrapping paper. It was a fifty-by-fifty centimetre, framed black-and-white print on canvas of the selfie we had taken in Rome in front of the Trevi fountain.
“Oh wow! What a fantastic idea! And so romantic!” I exclaimed.
Jacob beamed at me proudly. “You like it?”
“Of course I do! That is the sweetest, most original birthday present ever! Thank you so much!” I kissed him tenderly. I really did like it. I was relieved because I would have been a bit disappointed to get a proposal on my sofa. I pictured something more romantic, a special occasion. Anyway, there would be still plenty of opportunities.
* * *
Christmas came and went, Jacob having gone a step further and given me something perfect wrapped in blue: a platinum necklace with a diamond cross from Tiffany’s, nearly identical to the one I had lost a few months earlier. “I was so touched I wept a little,” I told Patricia when she came to see me at home, on the Saturday afternoon just after New Year, to pick up Lucas from his play date with Marie.
She examined the little cross. “How sweet of him to remember! I am impressed - this must have cost him well over a thousand Euros. He certainly seems very generous.”
“He is! It’s a nice change to be with a man who is willing and able to buy nice presents.”
“Hugo was generous! He just didn’t have the same means as Jacob has,” Patricia reminded me. “I miss Hugo. He was fun,” she added solemnly.
I shrugged. “I know you two got on well. You still see him, right?”
“Once in a while at parties. So where is this boyfriend of yours?”
“He’s on his way over. Ah - talk of the devil!” I heard the key in the door.
“He’s got a key already?” Patricia hissed.
“Hi darling, we are in the kitchen!” I shouted out to Jacob and frowned at Patricia. He entered the kitchen, holding two plastic bags from the supermarket. “Jacob, this is Patricia - Michael Stone’s wife,” I introduced her.
“Hello,” Patricia smiled coyly. Jacob put the bags on the floor and shook her hand.
“Patricia! Very nice to meet you! Chloé has told me all about you.”
“Has she now?” Patricia raised her eyebrows at me. I squinted and shook my head slightly as if to say don’t worry.
Jacob put his arms around me. “Sure. Chloé has no secrets from me.” He placed a kiss on my forehead.
“Uhm, ‘course not,” I replied vaguely, still signalling Patricia with my eyes. “So uhm, darling, have you been shopping?”
“Yes. I stopped at the supermarket on the way here. I got a fresh duck, dumpling mix, vegetables and chocolate gateau. I’m going to do a roast duck for lunch now.”
“You are going to make lunch, now? It’s three o’clock! We have had lunch already and I had planned for the girls to make their own pizza this evening,” I objected.
“So? I’m hungry now,” he stated and started to unpack the bags.
“A man who can cook and buys lovely gifts! Very impressive,” Patricia said.
“You have seen the necklace? Ah, that’s just a small gift. Chloé is such a good little woman. There is plenty more where that came from.”
“Hm! That’s nice. Anyway. I’ve got to get back home to my lord and master.” Patricia shot me a glance. “Lovely to meet you, Jacob.”
He smiled at her. “Come over any time.”
“I’ll see you out,” I said to Patricia.
“Thanks. Lucas!” She shouted into the hallway. “We’re going!” Lucas shuffled out of Marie’s room, dragging his jacket behind him. As he put on his shoes, Patricia hugged me. “See you soon, perhaps for lunch?”
“That would be great. Tracey took me off this deal so I’m not too busy at the moment.”
“Fine. I’ll call you on Monday.”
“Are you alright, Patricia? You seemed a bit off just now.”
“Sure, sweetie. As long as you’re alright.”
“Jacob can give a bit of a false impression but he is a really nice guy.”
“I’m sure he is, Chloé.” She kissed me good-bye and left with Lucas. I went back into the kitchen where Jacob was already busy with several pots and pans. I watched him for a moment until he noticed me.
“Darling, you haven’t yet said hello to me properly - come here, beautiful.” He pulled me into his arms, grabbed the back of my neck and kissed me passionately. Oh he was a good kisser. I soon forgot about Patricia’s visit.
* * *
Back in the office, after the Christmas break, Gunther White suggested that Jacob and I should attend an aircraft industry finance conference in Geneva. Luckily I had become quite busy with aircraft finance deals, that he required help with, otherwise it would have been more painful to realise that Tracey continued to ignore me and to load all the work onto Jessica. I was glad with not having to work with Tracey whilst I enjoyed spending time with Jacob and looked forward to our trip to Geneva.
Several weeks later we arrived in the Hotel des Bergues in Geneva. Jacob and I checked into our separate rooms, having ensured that they were adjoining. As I was unpacking, I heard a light knock on my door and went to open it.
“I just checked the conference schedule. We don’t really have to be there before 6 p.m. for the cocktail reception. What do you say I take you for lunch?” Jacob suggested.
“Good idea! Just give me a few minutes. I know a lovely little restaurant near the Rue du Rhône. We can walk - the weather is glorious and it’s actually not that cold.”
Supersonic Page 24