Behind Her Back

by Jane Lythell

  ‘Will I get to do any of the big interviews or has she put a ban on that too?’

  He needed to know he was the junior partner so I told him straight.

  ‘Her agent was tough when we negotiated the change. Julius had to agree a contractual obligation to give the big interviews to Fizzy. I’m sorry about that, but we have to live with it.’

  ‘My agent Angela Hodge might have something to say about that,’ he said.

  ‘Come on. We need to get to the meeting. You know Julius hates to be kept waiting.’

  ‘You go ahead. I’ll be up in a minute.’

  That was significant, I thought, as I headed to the stairs. He did not want to be seen arriving at the meeting room with me because I was no longer his patron. Lori Kerwell was his patron.

  The mood at the meeting was horrible. Fizzy said nothing. She sat and examined her nails as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world. I sensed she was waiting for one of us to mention how she had overrun her items again. Julius was subdued and brooding. Ledley was fuming and Lori was glaring at me. I glared back at her. Martine tapped on the door and there was a palpable sense of relief when she told Julius he was needed for a call from Sweden from Saul Relph. I put my papers into my bag and turned on my mobile. I was hoping that Douglas would get in touch soon but my screen was clear. When I looked up, Bob was standing in the room. The others had gone. He was staring at me and I felt a prickle of apprehension down my spine.

  ‘What did you say to Pat on Saturday?’ he said.

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘You heard me.’

  I stayed seated so that I could keep the table between him and me. Since our rift over Fizzy all my lone encounters with Bob have been threatening and I wanted to get away from him.

  ‘What did you say to her?’ he repeated, his hands balled into fists on the table.

  I knew then that he must have been with Fizzy on Saturday and that his overtime story to Pat was a lie. He was sweating about what I might have revealed to his wife.

  ‘I don’t like your tone of voice but I said nothing incriminatory, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

  ‘You keep your bloody nose out of my business and keep away from my family,’ he snarled.

  ‘You’re a fool, Bob. I have no intention of saying anything about your affair because I care about Fizzy. But if you keep making me feel threatened you might tip me over the edge.’

  I stood up.

  ‘So back off!’

  I snatched up my bag and strode to the door and was out of there before he could say anything else. My heart was in full gallop. I’d decided to fight aggression with aggression but now I needed a breather before I saw my team. I went downstairs to the Hub, bought a cup of tea and took it outside. It was a bright day and sunlight was bouncing off the river. I sipped my tea and took deep breaths as I watched some gulls circling above the boats that moved through the water. There has always been conflict at work and it’s inevitable when you work on a live TV show with presenters and their big egos. Up until now I have been able to manage it but it was starting to look like there would be battles every single day. Bob hating and suspecting me and Fizzy and Ledley fighting over every slot and how much time they would get. I hoped I had the strength to deal with it. I headed back in and saw Henry standing in reception. He walked over to me.

  ‘How are you coping in the nut house?’ he said.

  ‘Nut house? Snake pit would sum it up better, I would say.’

  We smiled at other sympathetically and nothing else needed to be said.

  *

  As I passed Ziggy’s desk I took a good look at her. She was bent over her keyboard, her face pinched and her body language defeated.

  ‘Simon, a quick word,’ I said.

  As soon as he came in I asked him for an update on Ziggy’s search for a place to live.

  ‘She hasn’t found anywhere yet. Harry and I are scanning the estate agents every day. Anything suitable is out of her price range. We suggested she should do a house share.’

  ‘That might work.’

  ‘But she wants to live on her own. She’d rather be in a grubby little bedsit than in a room in a better house. You know, I think all her years in care has made her guard her privacy so strongly. She says she’ll do a house share if all else fails.’

  ‘Well, keep me posted. She looks beaten at the moment.’

  This reminded me that I have yet to secure a full-time position for Ziggy. I’d speak to Julius about it but I would need to choose my moment. With money tight at the station there was a reluctance to make staff permanent. Simon handed me a script.

  ‘And Betty’s doing eating disorders with Ledley tomorrow.’

  I scanned the script and the three letters they had chosen to discuss.

  ‘Good choice and hard-hitting. Thanks, Simon.’

  It was four o’clock when Julius wandered down to my office. It used to be a regular event for him to drop in on me. Ever since the screen-test incident he has kept away and his appearance now caused a frisson of alarm from Harriet and Ziggy. He stood at my threshold.

  ‘Have you got a minute?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘And I’m parched.’

  ‘Will water do?’

  He sat down on my sofa and I poured him a glass of water. I noticed that his left eyelid was twitching, a sign of stress with him.

  ‘Lori has just been to see me. It appears that she has secured a large sponsorship deal with WayToGo airlines.’

  As Julius mentioned the name of the company his lips had curled. WayToGo was a budget airline with a reputation for long queues, cutting corners and losing luggage. He was the sponsorship expert at the station and had brought in some quality deals over the years. He would have been mortified that Lori had secured this deal and with such a cheapskate company. He drained his glass as if washing a nasty taste from his mouth.

  ‘She’s already shared this news with Saul, who is apparently delighted. What WayToGo want for their cash is a dedicated weekly travel spot and they’ve asked for Ledley to front it,’ he continued.

  ‘That explains it,’ I said.

  ‘Explains what?’

  ‘Gerry spotted Saul and Lori at some big travel show in Olympia.’

  ‘When was this?’

  ‘Last week.’

  Despite our personal differences I knew that he and I felt the same about this. Neither of us liked how close Lori had got to Saul Relph or that she had gained power at the station. Not to mention having to work with a company like WayToGo. They were the kind of company that would expect a lot for their cash.

  ‘We’ve never done a travel slot because producing one that looks good costs too much. We need footage of locations and you know how pricey that can be. Without proper footage the item will look cheap,’ I said.

  ‘I agree, but she doesn’t get any of that. She is adamant that there has to be a travel slot to secure the sponsorship cash. I spelled out the problems but she said why can’t it be a sofa item with graphics and viewers sending in their holiday footage?’

  I groaned.

  ‘Really? She wants to reduce everything to the lowest common denominator.’

  ‘Saul says the travel spot goes ahead from next month and you’ll need to make a pilot for WayToGo to approve,’ Julius said.

  Julius would have hated it that Saul had insisted on a specific programme item.

  ‘Well, the only silver lining is that it will give Ledley something to do,’ I said.

  He left my room. This had not been the moment to mention a permanent role for Ziggy. For all his faults Julius is first and foremost a programme maker who cares about quality. He was as unhappy as I was that the show was being bent out of shape.

  Chalk Farm flat, evening

  It had been a wretched day at work and was a miserable evening at home. Flo had period pains and was snappy all evening. I retreated to my bedroom. There had been no word from Douglas and I hated myself for continually
checking my mobile for texts or missed calls. A watched kettle never boils and a watched phone never texts. Douglas usually called early in the week to suggest a date for Thursday night; well, he had three times before. Maybe this was it and I wouldn’t hear from him again. Julius had warned me that he was ‘playing the field’ and Douglas could not have missed how I pulled away from him at our last date. I couldn’t believe how low this made me feel.

  I went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea and could hear Flo talking to one of her friends. I caught the words ‘went to fourth base’. I moved closer to her door, which was open just a crack.

  ‘She isn’t someone you’d think would do it,’ Flo said.

  I wondered who she was talking to and about whom.

  ‘I know. And Justin said she was a skank and Ryan called her a sket, but they would, wouldn’t they.’

  A long pause while Flo listened to her caller.

  ‘She’s made a big mistake. It won’t make him like her for long.’

  I was sure that Flo was still a virgin and this exchange confirmed it. I recalled the girls in my year who had ‘gone the whole way’ as we called it then and how they had been subjected to abuse for being an easy lay. So it was still going on; boys pushing to have sex and then deriding the girls who did it. Fifteen-year-olds can be cruel and the thought of that probably insecure and vulnerable girl being verbally abused was upsetting. I crept away from her door and put the kettle on noisily, rattling the mugs so she would know I was in the kitchen. A minute later she got off her bed and clicked her door shut. She did not want to talk to me. This added to my feeling of lowness and when I got into bed I had a good cry. The tears were a release. After a while I blew my nose and sternly reminded myself of my blessings. I got up, tapped on Flo’s door and went in. She was lying on her side hugging a pillow.

  ‘Feeling any better, darling?’

  ‘A bit,’ she said drowsily.

  I leaned over and kissed her cheek.

  ‘Sleep now.’

  Even if she was grumpy sometimes, I had a good kid.

  21

  StoryWorld TV station, London Bridge

  Fizzy and I left the morning meeting together and she asked me to join her downstairs. I sat in her dressing room as she changed out of her TV clothes.

  ‘I’ve sorted the access problem with Bob.’

  ‘OK.’

  ‘We’re meeting at Loida’s flat in Kensal Rise.’

  So this was her ‘safe house’. Loida, of course, would go to any lengths to help Fizzy and it was a discreet place to meet.

  ‘I’m glad you managed to sort something out,’ I said.

  ‘He told me I was not to tell you under any circumstances.’

  I wondered why she had told me. It was another secret for me to carry.

  ‘Are you OK, Liz?’

  ‘I’m feeling under pressure. And Bob hating me is part of that.’

  ‘I think he fears you rather than hates you,’ she said.

  ‘Whatever, it’s still very uncomfortable. But one thing I can do is keep a secret,’ I said.

  ‘I know that. He’s a difficult man but he’s actually rather sweet with Zac.’

  Sweet was not a word I would ever have used about Bob.

  ‘And I’m sure we can make it work,’ she said.

  I think she wanted me to reassure her and I searched for words that I could say and mean.

  ‘You can count on my support,’ I said.

  She was ready to go and we walked to the exit and waited for her taxi to draw up. She gave the driver an address and put one finger to her lips as I waved her goodbye.

  *

  With everything that had been going on, my plan for a Young Fashion Designer competition had slipped down my list of priorities. But now would be a good time for Julius and me to secure a quality sponsorship deal for the station. We would show Lori Kerwell and Saul Relph what we could bring in. Having Guy Browne as our front man might tempt a good brand on board. I worked on a proposal, printed copies and took these out to Harriet and Ziggy.

  ‘Can you research good brands who may be interested in sponsoring this? I’d like to add a list before I show it to Julius.’

  Harriet looked interested but Ziggy still seemed subdued. Losing her base was hitting her hard. She had lived her whole life thinking the world was a hostile place and that you couldn’t trust people. I wondered if she would ever feel safe.

  I was called by the agent of Bethany Burton. She is the UK’s hottest young actor and wanted to come on our show on Friday to discuss her new TV series. Normally I would be cock-a-hoop at having her as a guest. But there’s a major wrinkle: her agent was insistent that Bethany wanted Ledley to interview her. Apparently Bethany is a big fan, loved Ledley’s cooking slot and had only agreed to come on the show in order to meet him. But our contractual obligation was to give the big interviews to Fizzy and this was one of the biggest. I went down to Julius’s office because I wanted him to help me deal with it. Martine was at her desk.

  ‘I hope it’s not bad news, he’s having a difficult day,’ she said.

  ‘I’m afraid it could be.’

  ‘Oh dear. Well, you’d better go in.’

  Julius was sitting slumped at his desk.

  ‘Our first big issue,’ I said.

  ‘What now?’ he said.

  I explained the Bethany Burton dilemma.

  ‘Well, we have to have her on the show. She’s too big a star to turn down,’ he said.

  ‘I agree, but this calls for a word with Jonny Hammond, doesn’t it?’

  ‘It does my head in having agents dictating our running orders. Who’s Ledley’s agent?’

  ‘Angela Hodge,’ I said.

  ‘She’s a tough nut too.’

  ‘The only idea I’ve had, which might mitigate it, is to conduct the entire interview in the kitchen. Bethany was a big fan of Ledley’s cooking spot so we could ask her to join him in the kitchen while he cooks something for her. It might make it a little easier for Fizzy to bear.’

  ‘Yes, that’s a good idea. You better call Jonny Hammond. If I do I’ll get abusive,’ he said.

  Julius and I have been working together more closely recently, which is one positive development.

  I went down to the Hub to get a drink. Ledley was sitting at a corner table with Lori. He waved at me and beamed and I guessed that he had already heard about the Bethany Burton booking. If he already knew then Fizzy needed to know and I hurried back upstairs without anything. I kept trying to get through to Jonny Hammond but his phone went to voicemail each time. I called Fizzy and Loida said she was out with Zachary and wouldn’t be back for a while. So that was where she was going in the taxi; to a meeting with Bob in Kensal Rise.

  At six o’clock I left a message for Jonny Hammond explaining that Ledley would be doing a cooking spot with Bethany Burton on Friday. I shut down my PC and headed for home, knowing this would not be the end of it.

  Chalk Farm flat, 8 p.m.

  I had the ironing board out and was working my way through Flo’s school shirts when my landline rang. My heart sank that there would be a furious Fizzy on the line. It was Douglas.

  ‘Sorry I’ve not been in touch. We’ve had major stuff going on at work and I haven’t had a moment,’ he said.

  ‘It’s fine,’ I said.

  It hadn’t been. I had been in pieces but I managed to sound airy because my heart had lifted the moment I heard his voice.

  ‘This is a long shot but I wondered if there was any way you could get away this weekend? A good friend of mine has been refurbishing a small hotel in Sussex and he’s having his opening this Saturday. There’s going to be a rather good dinner and an overnight thrown in for invited guests.’

  ‘That sounds lovely. Where is the hotel?’

  He was suggesting a weekend away with him and I was filling up with joy. And then I remembered that Sunday was the day of Flo’s teenage fashion shoot. Oh God! Could I really go away on Saturday and leave her to do
that without me?

  ‘It’s in West Sussex, near Arundel. Do you know the area?’

  ‘No, I don’t.’

  ‘It’s lovely countryside round there. He’s a good mate and he’s worked flat out for months to transform the place. I thought weekends might be difficult for you because of Florence. But if you could get away I think it will be a lot of fun. I’d drive us down there, of course.’

  He wanted to spend the weekend with me, the whole weekend, at a country hotel. I knew I would be wretched if I said no to this.

  ‘It sounds great and I’d love to. The only thing is I’d have to be back early afternoon on Sunday. Flo is doing a fashion shoot. She doesn’t want me there. In fact I’ve been banned from attending, but I need to be on hand here, you know, for afterwards. It’s a big thing in her life.’

  ‘Of course, it would be. Is it for your station?’

  I was silly to feel defensive whenever Douglas asked me about StoryWorld. It was the obvious question to ask and I had to be able to deal with this if we were to have any hope of a relationship.

  ‘Yes, with Guy Browne and it’s his first foray into teenage fashion. He’s doing a makeover with three fifteen-year-olds.’

  Douglas laughed.

  ‘Brave man! Look, I can get you back to your flat by the afternoon. Do say yes.’

  I said I would go. I put the phone down and punched the air in joy. A weekend in the country and a hotel opening; I was thrilled. And I’d meet his friend too and get an insight into how other people related to Douglas. I skipped over to the fridge and poured myself a glass of wine and called Janis. I asked if as a huge favour she would sleep here on Saturday and get Flo off to the fashion shoot on Sunday morning. I had to tell her why; that I had been invited on a rather special date.

  ‘About time you had some fun in your life, Liz. I’m pleased for you and I’ll do it,’ she said.

  Now I have to tell Flo about Douglas. I was feeling stupidly nervous and decided to make some flapjacks. She loves eating them warm from the oven.

  As I predicted, the aroma of warm flapjacks drew Flo out of her bedroom. I put the baking tin on the table and started to cut them into squares, handing her the first piece.