Changing Perspectives

by Jen Silver

  Those words sent a shiver through Dani. “When does he kiss you?”

  “At bedtime. I don’t want him to kiss me.”

  “Have you told your mother that?”

  “She says it’s nice, that it shows he cares. She says Daddy never cared.”

  “Well, she’s wrong. He cares for you, very much.”

  Holly squirmed and said quietly, “I need to pee now.”

  “Okay. Can you go on your own?”

  “Yes.” Holly gave her an indignant look. “I’m a big girl.”

  “You are. Off you go.”

  Brian woke after Holly left the room.

  “Sorry. Have I been out long?” He stretched his arms over his head.

  “Long enough. I think Lucy’s created a masterpiece while you’ve been sleeping.”

  †

  The rain had eased off and it looked like the afternoon would be sunny. Brian joined Dani at the window looking out at the river while the girls gathered up the pencils and paper in the living room.

  “Thanks, Dani. They’ve really enjoyed themselves.”

  “Good. Listen, what do you know about June’s boyfriend?”

  “Nothing much.”

  “I think you should check him out. Lucy’s afraid of him. Personally, I’d be suspicious of a guy who takes an interest in a woman with two small girls.”

  “What has she told you?”

  “He kisses her goodnight. Sounds innocent enough, but from the way she said it, I think there is more to it. Sounds creepy to me.”

  Brian sighed heavily. “Thanks, I’ll look into it. I’ve only met him once and can’t say I took to him either. But I should have picked up on this.” He surprised Dani by pulling her into a hug.

  “Can we have hugs too, Daddy?”

  After a round of hugs—aunt, nieces, brother, sisters, daughters—Dani watched from her doorstep as the three walked slowly down the street to Brian’s car, each of the girls holding one of his hands.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Once she started, Camila couldn’t stop reading. It was after three in the morning before she finished the book, and she lay awake for another hour or so, tossing and turning, trying without success to calm her thoughts and the reactions in her body.

  Camila woke later than she had planned, and when she stumbled out into her kitchen, she soon realised her parents had breakfasted and gone. They’d left a brief note on the counter saying they would call later in the week when she got back from her business trip.

  Relieved that she wouldn’t have to face them, she refilled the kettle and switched it on. Only as she was spooning coffee grounds into the cafetière did she notice the time. She had less than forty minutes before the taxi was due to take them to the airport. Carl wouldn’t be amused if she kept him waiting.

  At least the preparations she had made the night before meant she only needed a quick shower to wake herself up. Drying her hair took twenty minutes. A light application of eye shadow and lipstick and her face looked less like a death mask than it had when she first awoke.

  She rechecked her bag for passport, money, hairbrush, and other minor essentials, picked up her case, and left the apartment. The taxi pulled in to the kerb just as she stepped outside the building.

  Carl greeted her with a smile when she settled herself in the seat next to him. “Perfect timing as expected, Ms Callaghan.”

  She gave him a brief smile in return. “Of course.”

  “You won’t mind if I doze off on the way. Bit of a late night.”

  “Not at all.”

  He was asleep before they reached the end of the road. Camila closed her eyes and was surprised when she jerked awake and saw they were turning into the Heathrow complex. She turned to Carl, who was observing her with an amused grin.

  “Wild night with Mr and Mrs C?”

  “No, just stayed up reading.”

  †

  Their check-in didn’t take long. They were both frequent flyers, and they made their way to the business-class lounge to wait for their flight to be called. Camila sat down with the complimentary Financial Times while Carl went to the counter and collected two coffees. The headlines swam in front of her eyes. She was going to need a strong injection of caffeine and perhaps another hour of sleep on the plane if she could manage it.

  Hiding behind the newspaper wasn’t an option when Carl sat down and said, “So how did it go with your parents after they met Dani?”

  Camila would have told anyone else to mind their own business, but she had always had a good relationship with Carl. “Not well. I think it will take them some time to get used to the idea.”

  “It’s serious, then?”

  “Who knows? It feels like it could be. We’ve only known each other a few weeks.” Camila sipped her coffee, pleased to find it was stronger than she’d expected. “You, on the other hand, have known Dani for much longer. I think you and Eric have some explaining to do.”

  Carl examined the contents of his own coffee cup intently before answering. “Yes, I suppose we do.”

  “Dani told me you were at art college together. I have a hard time imagining you as friends.”

  “We had a few things in common. Both outsiders, for a start. Nineteen seventy-five. She perfected the grunge look before it became fashionable. And I was annoying my parents by imitating David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust phase. Only for me it wasn’t just a fashion statement. I knew I was gay.”

  “I still don’t see how you and Dani would connect.”

  “She was, is, so talented. I struggled. I mean, I was only there because I was rebelling against my father’s plans for me to follow in his footsteps and do a degree in engineering. Dani helped me out with my projects and we just hit it off. I suppose that’s the clue, isn’t it? We also have a certain obsession, shall we say, in common.”

  Carl was watching her face for a reaction, and Camila knew that she failed to conceal her shock at this last statement.

  “You and Eric…?” she whispered.

  “Hey, it works for us. If you love someone, you put your trust in them, and whatever anyone else may think, it’s the most wonderful, freeing experience you’ll ever have.”

  Trust. That word had cropped up frequently in the book she read during the night. Trust and feeling safe. Safe words.

  An announcement broke into her thoughts.

  “Time to go,” Carl said. “That’s our flight.”

  †

  Gordon wondered how he had let his wife talk him into buying the monstrosity of a house they were now living in. He would need another ten years to make even a sizeable dent in the mortgage repayments.

  Although he knew it wasn’t fair to put all the blame on Melissa. He had fallen in love with the size of the garden, the fully grown weeping willow at the far end reminding him of his childhood home. Summer days spent playing games under the branches, hidden from adult view.

  Theo and Tessa were out there now. He could hear their high-pitched voices and laughter. He wanted his children to embrace outdoor activities as much as possible. Sometime soon, though, he was sure he would be losing at least one of them to the lure of constant computer games, most likely Theo. Boys did seem to get addicted more quickly than girls. Tessa’s day would come, when she turned from being their sweet eight-year-old to a surly sixteen. Possibly before, the way kids grew up so fast these days.

  “Are you listening to me, Gordon?”

  He sighed and turned from the window to face his wife. “What?”

  “Either she goes or I go. And if I go, I’m taking the children.”

  Could his nightmare week really get any worse? It seemed it could. Not only did Melissa know about his affair with Maria, she was threatening to leave him. Her parents would be only too happy to have their daughter and grandchildren living with them. They had never approved of him.

  “I keep telling you, it’s all over with Maria and has been for a while.”

  “I don’t care. She sees you every day.”


  “Look, it’s not a problem. I’ll get rid of her. Tomorrow.” It really wouldn’t be any hardship. He should have done it before now anyway. Maria was no great shakes as a secretary and he had tired of their liaisons some time ago.

  “Good. And once you’re free of that Dani creature, we will all be able to move forward.”

  Gordon wasn’t sure how she expected that to work out. Without the Redmond account, he would have difficulty maintaining their extravagant lifestyle. And Dani’s threat to have her solicitor look into his finances would destroy his chances of getting back in business anytime soon.

  His first priority on Monday morning, after firing Maria of course, was to talk to Dani again. See if they couldn’t come to an amicable agreement.

  †

  Dani was at work early on Monday, getting in before everyone else. Her Sunday afternoon and evening had been quiet. The freshness of the air after the morning rain drew her out into the garden. She sketched for a while, an image of Camila’s body arching under her touch. The drawing was so realistic that she had to hide it under some other drawings and retire to her bedroom for some much-needed hand relief.

  Afterwards she showered and changed and went out for a walk by the river. But the sight of so many couples arm in arm, enjoying the sunshine and each other, was too much to bear.

  She kept reminding herself that she only had to get through another two days. Hardly any time at all in the grand scheme of things.

  Engrossed in her work, she wasn’t aware of other people arriving in the building until Declan came in with her coffee and a chocolate éclair.

  “Thanks, Declan.”

  He hovered in the doorway until she looked at him again.

  “Yes?”

  “Um, just thought you would want to know, Maria’s gone.”

  “About time. She was fucking useless.”

  “The thing is, people are talking. Wondering who might be next.”

  “I see. Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

  Dani sucked the chocolate off the top of the éclair and thought about the situation. She should have a chat with Gordon but didn’t have the energy for a full-on confrontation now. He wouldn’t be in the best of moods if he had just fired his mistress. Melissa was obviously still pulling his strings.

  Her phone rang. Amanda’s voice was brisk and professional, “Ms Callaghan on line one.”

  Gordon certainly had the staff rattled.

  “Hello. How are things in Euro-land?”

  “Boring. We will be in meetings all day, so I thought I’d try to reach you now.”

  “I thought you enjoyed meetings.”

  “Usually I do. But right now all I can think about is what I’m going to do with you when I see you.”

  Dani shifted in her chair. “Have you considered starting a sex-chat line?”

  Camila’s soft voice purred in her ear. “I don’t want to waste time talking about it. I hope you’ll be ready for me.”

  “I’m ready now.”

  “Damn! Carl is waving at me. Time to go and switch into meeting mode.”

  Dani didn’t miss the suggestive inflection Camila put on the word switch. Well that was her early morning concentration shot.

  She spent some time talking to Declan and Gary about their workloads. On the way out for a change of scene, she stopped by the reception desk.

  “Amanda.”

  The woman looked at her, and Dani could see the fear on her face. She leaned forward. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

  Amanda gave her a tentative smile.

  †

  After a pint of London Pride and a chat with one of the other Rising Sun regulars about whether or not having a tunnel link to France was a good idea, Dani returned to the office determined to get some productive work done.

  Amanda stopped her as she walked through Reception, looking concerned.

  “What is it? I thought I told you not to worry.”

  “Gordon’s waiting for you, in the studio.”

  “Oh. By himself?”

  “Yes.”

  “Right. Thanks for the heads-up.”

  Gordon was standing by the window. He turned and took a step back when he saw her. “Jesus! You scared me.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Look, maybe this isn’t a good time….”

  “Any time is a good time for you to be leaving.”

  He took a deep breath. Dani had walked over to her table and started to arrange her drawing materials. “Look, Dani. Maybe I was a bit hasty. This split…it isn’t really what either of us wants, is it?”

  “Oh, isn’t it?”

  “You don’t really want to go it alone, do you?”

  “I won’t be alone. I’ll just be without you.” She had started doodling on a pad.

  “Dani, we can’t just throw away fifteen years of working together.”

  “You already have.”

  “I just don’t think we should go down this route.”

  “Oh, get a grip, Gordon. This is what married couples do, isn’t it? Stay together for the sake of the kids. It doesn’t always work. You can’t fix something once it’s broken. We need to let it go, move on.”

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Well, that’s your problem now. And I’d appreciate it if you spoke to my solicitor in future instead of me.” She stalked over to the door and held it open for him.

  †

  The meetings weren’t as boring as she had indicated to Dani. Camila did enjoy watching the male members of the panel squirm when they realised she was on top of her game and knew more about the legislative processes than they did.

  By the end of the long day, she and Carl had something to celebrate. They met in the hotel bar.

  “Eric didn’t think we would pull it off. He’s ecstatic.”

  “It’s certainly a relief to get this one done and dusted.”

  The waiter approached their table with the champagne Carl had ordered. After the first swallow of the delicate bubbles, Camila asked the question that had been nagging at her all day.

  “The mocked-up packaging designs you showed the panel…who did the artwork?”

  “Oh, just this small outfit we subcontract to.”

  Camila had seen the name on the back of one of the display boards. “DBS.”

  Carl cocked his head, and his smile confirmed what she had suspected.

  “Let me guess, Dani Barker Services.”

  “Got it in one, Ms Callaghan.”

  She had seen the DBS name on the financial reports that crossed her desk, but until now hadn’t connected it with Dani.

  “How long has that cosy little arrangement been going on?”

  “Not long after I started in the business. Eric was complaining about the poor-quality design work on one of the products and I suggested Dani.”

  “I’m guessing Gordon McKenzie knows nothing about this.”

  “No, and I think Dani would like to keep it that way.”

  “I wondered how she could afford a house that backs onto the river.”

  Carl finished his drink. “Come on. Better make a move or they will give our table away.”

  They walked across the square to the small family-run restaurant that Carl assured her had the best Italian food outside Italy.

  †

  Later, Camila blamed it on the combination of the adrenaline high from their success and the amount of red wine they drank. After they’d finished the main course and declined an enticing array of desserts in favour of sharing a cheese board and another glass of red, she leaned towards her dining companion and asked quietly, “Are there any sex shops here?” Camila had always thought of Strasbourg as a rather conservative place.

  Carl laughed long and hard before answering. “Are you kidding? All these Euro MPs on expenses, living away from home…what exactly are you looking for?”

  When she told him, he smiled and said he knew just the place, not far from the hotel.


  “We can go there in the morning.” They had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport.

  “I wish we could have got an earlier flight.” Camila placed a slice of blue cheese on a cracker.

  “Fran tried, but there was no chance. The other flights were fully booked.”

  “I’ll be glad when the tunnel is finally open. Next year, isn’t it?”

  Carl seemed happy with the change of subject. “Yes, I’m looking forward to popping over to Paris on day trips. We’ve talked about having a presence there.”

  Back at the hotel they parted in Reception to go to their respective rooms. Carl kissed her lightly on the cheek and whispered, “Sweet dreams. See you at breakfast.”

  †

  Monday had been unproductive. After another restless night, Dani arrived at the office on Tuesday morning determined to work on the creative concepts for a new brand of toothpaste. The deadline was on Friday and it was a job she had been putting off.

  The phone call from Annette Harmon destroyed that early impetus. Dani hadn’t heard from the solicitor since the meeting the week before and was surprised by the frosty tone Annette greeted her with. She thought they had parted on good terms.

  “Full disclosure, Ms Barker?”

  “I told you everything.”

  “DBS slipped your mind, did it?”

  “Ah. Yes, I guess it did.”

  “I take it Mr McKenzie is unaware of your sideline.”

  “Yes.”

  “If this goes to court….”

  She left the sentence hanging, not needing to spell it out.

  Unable to get her mind back on the toothpaste after the call, Dani spent the morning on the computer. Getting to grips with the drawing-program features wasn’t as daunting as she had thought. She tried out more of the options and discovered she liked the ease with which she could manipulate shapes and change colour combinations.