Better Together

by Annalisa Carr

  She pulled a short multi-coloured tea-dress out of her wardrobe and matched it with a pair of red canvas wedges which gave her an extra three inches of height. Leaving her hair to dry itself, she pulled it into a high ponytail and added long sparkly earrings. She was ready. Kyle wasn’t back, but hopefully, he would go straight to the pizza place in Islington.

  It was a quarter to seven when she walked out into the heavy evening sun. Heat still rose from the pavements, and evening commuters rushed towards King’s Cross and the Thameslink stations. Everyone appeared flushed, sweaty, and bad-tempered. Tallulah forced herself to stroll.

  At the restaurant, both her sisters and Kyle were already seated at a table on the pavement. An extra beer had been placed in front of the empty seat. Tallulah picked it up and took a long cool drink. “Mia? How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you for ages.” She ignored the gimlet stares from her other siblings and slid into the chair.

  “Rehearsing with a new band,” her sister said. “We’ve a gig in Holloway next week. The first one we’re doing together. You’ve got to come. All of you.”

  Mia wore a broderie anglaise camisole and white denim shorts that showed off her long milky-coffee coloured legs. Her feet were propped on the edge of Kyle’s chair, showing off her collection of silver toe-rings and her white flip flops. White-blond and gold streaked her natural dark-brown hair, and it corkscrewed around her face in a halo. A red rose tattoo encircled her upper right arm, and a wide silver bracelet the left arm.

  “Of course we’ll come. At least I will,” Tallulah said.

  “We’ll all come,” Zoe said, “but that’s not what I want to talk about. What’s this that Kyle tells us?”

  Tallulah glanced at Kyle who smirked.

  “I don’t know what he told you,” she said. “Anyway, whatever it is, it probably isn’t true.”

  “You’re engaged,” Zoe said. “I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone. What’s with the secret?”

  “I’m not engaged.” Tallulah glared at Kyle. “He’s a fantasist.”

  He shrugged theatrically. “That’s what they’re saying at work.” He looked at his other sisters. “And I came home the other night to find her in a clinch on the sofa. With her boss.”

  Mia and Zoe both turned to stare at her.

  “It could have scarred me,” Kyle said. “What if I’d come in ten minutes later?”

  “Yeah,” Mia said. “What if he had?”

  “Nothing,” Tallulah said. “That’s what he’d have seen. He’s exaggerating. And has he told you he’s been spending most nights at some girl’s house?” She raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were going to invite her tonight.”

  Kyle pointed down the road. “I did. That’s her.”

  The girl picked up her pace as she realised she’d been spotted. Kyle stood up and took her hand, introducing her to his sisters.

  “So, Tanya,” Zoe said. “You look like an independent witness. What’s this about Tallulah being engaged to her boss?”

  “Yeah. That’s the best gossip in ages.” Tanya grinned at Tallulah. “Congratulations. And I’m with your brother. That makes me big at the moment. But why does everyone think you’re called Tinkerbelle?”

  Tallulah wanted to bang her head on the table. “I’m going to kill him.” She looked straight at Tanya. “We are not engaged.”

  “This came from his sister. Francesca Marlowe,” Tanya said, for the benefit of Zoe and Mia. “Surely she’d know.”

  “Surely I’d know?” Tallulah gathered her dignity. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. He’ll have to tell people it’s not true.”

  “But what about the sofa?” Zoe asked.

  “Yeah,” Tanya said. “Kyle told me he caught you mid act.”

  “He did not.” Tallulah was getting cross. “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Okay,” Zoe said. “When’s the wedding?”

  The rest of the table cracked up.

  Fortunately for Tallulah’s rapidly rising temper, the waiter appeared to take their orders. Tallulah asked for another beer. She not only needed one, she deserved one.

  “I met the fosters for lunch,” Kyle said. “They want me to come home.”

  It was interesting that he referred to his foster parent’s house as home.

  “Are you going to?” Tallulah asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kyle said. “It’s too interesting around here at the moment. And you need a chaperone.”

  “I do not.” Tallulah slammed her bottle onto the table top and folded her arms.

  “I think you do.” Kyle glanced at Tanya. “I’ll stay until the end of the holidays. I could earn some money, then go back and finish the sixth form. They seemed to think that was an okay idea.”

  “I might throw you out now.”

  Kyle ignored her. “I’m going to apply to do engineering. I don’t know which university yet. I don’t want to be stuck in a mailroom or hauling bricks for the rest of my life. I’ll be able to come back in the holidays, Human Resources told me.”

  Tallulah heaved a sigh of relief, diverted from her own problems for a moment. She had worried about Kyle, like she worried about Mia. They needed to be settled. Zoe was the only one who wasn’t a worry.

  “We’re moving to Manchester,” Zoe said. “That’s my news.”

  “What? Why?” Mia obviously hadn’t heard anything about a projected move.

  “Michael wants to be able to buy a house,” Zoe said. “We couldn’t afford to pitch a tent in London. He’s signed his new contract and starts in a month. I’ve had a few interviews, and two of them look promising.”

  “I’ll miss you.” Tallulah hated to think Zoe would no longer be around the corner. It’s Michael, she thought. I’m sure Zoe doesn’t really want to go.

  “Manchester’s not the end of the world,” Zoe said. “It’s only a couple of hours on the train.”

  The waiter came back with the pizzas, and Tallulah turned to Tanya. “Do you have any plans for the next year?”

  Chapter 18

  After Tallulah left, Aiden found it hard to focus on the project he was reviewing. His blood still fizzled with adrenaline, but he hoped he hadn’t upset her too much. He hadn’t meant to, but he’d been carried away by the scenario he’d built up and completely forgotten that she prided herself on her professionalism. So do I normally, he thought. He’d assumed that, because she was on a temporary contract, she wouldn’t care whether rumours followed her about the building. He’d never behaved in such a manner before, at least not in his working life. He had been a bit wild as a student, but that was in the past. He wondered if the stress of coming back to London had unhinged him, because spinning that imaginary tale had given him a huge rush. I need to get back to New York, he told himself, before I go off the rails completely.

  He glanced at his watch. It was half past five, and he told himself he should start looking through the emails IT had sent him. It would be boring by himself, but it needed doing. He opened the file and sat back, staring at the huge list of contents.

  Why hasn’t Francesca been back? Surely, she would have wanted to know more about his ‘engagement’. He shook his head. He’d think about it later. He opened the first email.

  Two hundred and thirty-three messages later, his mobile phone chimed. He picked it up to see his mother’s number flash on the screen. Reluctantly, he hit the accept call button. He was just beginning to get into his stride with the emails. Or not.

  “Aiden?” Her voice was sharp.

  “Yes, Mother? Father’s all right, isn’t he?” A brief flash of worry hit him.

  “Your father’s fine. I’ve been talking to Francesca.”

  “Really?” Aiden’s heart sank.

  “She told me you were engaged. Why did I have to hea
r from her? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Aiden clenched his jaw. I never realised Sasha had such a big mouth? Any normal woman would have crawled away in defeat, accepted her cards quietly, and just gone. And Fran was worse. “It’s not set in stone yet,” he said.

  “Sasha told Francesca you planned to get married.”

  “I might have been a bit premature. Sasha was beginning to feel like a stalker.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” his mother said. “She’s a lovely girl.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Don’t change the subject, Aiden. An engagement is an engagement. Francesca tells me you’ve got yourself tangled up with the young woman who substituted for Elaine. She had some sort of exotic name. Tinkerbelle?” Waves of disapproval leaked from the phone.

  “Tallulah,” Aiden said, “and really, Mother, it’s early days yet.”

  Her voice became chilly. “I want to meet her. Bring her to dinner on Saturday.”

  “But—”

  “I don’t want excuses. I want to meet the woman. I put up with Elaine McCoy for twenty-five years. I want to meet her replacement. Your sister and Gareth will be there as well. Seven for seven-thirty. Your father can’t take late nights at the moment.”

  Aiden stared at the phone as she disconnected. Tallulah would be furious.

  He logged off his computer and stood up, unable to concentrate. What made me think this was a good idea? He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window, looking out to where the setting sun bounced off the glittering buildings of the city. He’d go and get some food, then come back and do another couple of hundred emails.

  It was ten o’clock when he found the first suspicious message. He was tired enough to almost miss it, and he’d moved on to read a couple more before something tickled the back of his mind. He re-opened the email. It was a note confirming an order, and when he compared it to the financial records, it corresponded to the inflated amount rather than the real order. He stared at the sender ID, and his heart sank. The name matched his suspicions, but he hoped he’d been wrong.

  He saved the email into a separate folder and switched his computer off. He could carry on the next morning. He couldn’t face any more at the moment. He hurried out of the building, planning to swim in his apartment complex’s pool.

  His mind raced as he walked back to Tower Hill, swinging between the suspect email and his suspect engagement. He would have to persuade Tallulah to come with him to his parent’s house on Saturday. There was no way he wanted to argue with his mother, or try to explain things to her. That could wait until he was safely home in New York. A shaft of guilt speared him as he imagined exposing Tallulah to his mother’s ice-queen persona.

  He slowed down as he approached his apartment. If his suspicions about the email were correct, a lot of family issues would explode in the near future, making his fake engagement fade in comparison.

  ~ ~ ~

  The door to Aiden’s office was firmly closed when Tallulah arrived the next morning, but she could hear him moving about. She set the coffee going before he emerged.

  A small wrinkle marred his forehead, and his eyes were tired, as though he hadn’t slept. Forgetting her anger at him, she inspected his features carefully. “Are you all right?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What?”

  He wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

  “Aiden?” She pulled back until she could see his face.

  He lowered his head and rubbed his mouth slowly over hers. Her eyes drifted closed.

  He raised his head, but kept his arms round her. “I found some suspicious emails. I don’t know if I’m being overly cautious, but would you come and look at them?”

  She shook off her languor and pulled away. “I’ll just get some coffee.” She poured two mugs, passed him one of them, and followed him into the inner office.

  “Here.” He gestured for her to come behind his desk and unlocked the computer screen. “Read this, then look at that.” He pointed to a document lying next to the computer.

  Tallulah put her mug down on the desk’s surface and read the message. It was fairly innocuous—just a summary of a construction order, sent to the accounts department. She frowned as she glanced at the document.

  “Ah.”

  “You see it, then?”

  “They don’t match. Accounts is paying out about fifteen percent more than they should be, based on the delivery.” Tallulah reread the details of the order. “I can’t think of any reason why—”

  “I found that last night,” Aiden said. “I looked for similar ones this morning, and I’ve already found two. It looks like deliberate fraud.”

  Tallulah straightened. “What are you going to do?”

  “Call the auditors. Get them to come in as soon as possible. We need to clear the company of wrongdoing before the next tax year.”

  “At least you’ve found it.”

  “Look at the name on the email.”

  Tallulah looked. “Gareth Oliver? Why is the name familiar?”

  “He’s the financial director.” Aiden blew out a worried breath.

  “Well, you thought it would be someone senior.”

  “And Fran’s fiancé.”

  Tallulah stared at him. “Seriously? Does she know?”

  “Fran?” Aiden shook his head. “Of course not. She wouldn’t do anything like this. Why would she?”

  “Why would anyone?” Tallulah asked. “Money? I imagine Gareth what’s-his-name has plenty of that.”

  Aiden shook his head again. “No. I know Fran. She wouldn’t steal from her own company.”

  Tallulah shrugged. If that’s what he needs to think, then who am I to argue?

  “I’m going to ring the auditing firm,” he said. “Just so that when I tell Fran what I know she won’t be able to dissuade me.”

  “Would she do that?”

  “She won’t believe it. If she loves Gareth, how could she?”

  If she doesn’t believe it, why would she try to stop Aiden getting to the bottom of things? Tallulah left him to it and went back to her own desk. It didn’t look like the right time to kick up a fuss about a fake engagement.

  Ten minutes later, Aiden drifted out again. “I’ve called. I’ll have lunch with Fran and tell her what we’ve found.”

  Tallulah nodded.

  Aiden hovered by her desk for a long minute, saying nothing.

  Eventually she lost patience. “Was there anything else?”

  “That engagement thing.” He rubbed his face.

  “What about it? Maybe you can tell your sister at lunch. Take her mind off her own fiancé,” Tallulah suggested.

  “I’m afraid it’s not that easy.” He came around to her side of the desk and stared over her shoulder at the screen.

  “Of course it is. Just tell her you wanted to discourage Sasha.”

  Aiden placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “I’m really sorry. Fran told my mother, and she wants you to come to dinner on Saturday.”

  “No way. I hope you told her no.” Tallulah slipped out from under his hand and stood up. “Aiden?”

  “She wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he said. “I tried to tell her, but she said she wanted to meet the new Elaine.”

  Tallulah heaved an exasperated sigh. “I’m not any sort of Elaine. I hope you told your mother that?”

  “I can’t be bothered to get into an argument with her at the moment. There’re too many other things going on.” Aiden shook his head. “What are you doing on Saturday? Are you free?”

  “No.” Tallulah was glad she had a reasonable excuse. “I’m going to an art fair in Putney. I’m displaying some of my pop art work, and hopefully selling it.”


  “What time does the fair finish?”

  “No.” She folded her arms. “It goes on till five thirty, and then I’ll have to clear up.”

  “I’ll help you,” Aiden said. “I can come along and help you set up as well.”

  “No,” Tallulah repeated. “I have enough family issues of my own, without getting involved in someone else’s.”

  “Please?” Aiden stared down at her, unsmiling.

  Tallulah gritted her teeth. This was why she liked to keep her distance at work. People presumed. “I don’t—”

  Aiden’s eyes melted into an expression of Bambi-like entreaty, and he placed both hands on her shoulders. “Please.”

  She snapped. “Oh, all right. But just this once. And then you have to tell them the truth.”

  Aiden squeezed her shoulders and kissed her, a quick hard kiss. “Thank you.”

  He headed to the door. “Hey, Tinkerbelle? Do you want double time? For Saturday night?”

  “Just get out.”

  He closed the door behind him, but a moment later, it opened again. “Could you set up a lunch with Fran for me?”

  He disappeared, and Tallulah sank back into her chair. He was impossible; there was no point in talking to him. She touched her fingers to her lips, which still tingled from the pressure of his and then rested her head in her hands.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Why are we doing this?” Francesca gave him a suspicious look as they walked towards Tower Hill. “Not that I don’t want to hear about your engagement.”

  “It’s only lunch,” Aiden protested. Fran must have picked up something from his body language that put her on high alert.

  “Right. So tell me about Tinkerbelle.”

  “Tallulah.” Aiden sighed. “It’s early days, but Sasha put me on the spot. I got carried away.”

  “You’re bored, aren’t you?” She gave him a sidelong glance. “You must really hate the job. You always got into trouble when you were bored. Do you remember—”