‘What on earth are you doing here?’ Her heart was pounding.
‘That’s a warm welcome, I must say.’ Neil beamed his hundred-watt smile and it irritated her. ‘I got home from the airport and found out I’d had a massive water leak. Nothing I could do as it’s a bank holiday and I can’t live there until it’s fixed.’
‘So you came here?’
‘I thought you wouldn’t mind me staying a day or two. I can work just as easily from here. I’ve brought my stuff.’
‘How did you get in?’
‘I thought you would be at home and doing your laundry. You said you were going to do that.’ Neil sounded aggrieved. ‘Luckily, I still had your spare key from when I stayed a few weeks ago. Must’ve forgotten to leave it. Where have you been?’
‘Out. I called in to see Heather and Mark and I ended up staying for dinner.’ Why was she having to explain herself?
‘I tried phoning.’
‘I must’ve missed your call.’ Cleo felt a bit guilty, she had seen his name come up onto her mobile screen when she was talking to Heather but had kept her phone on silent and hadn’t called him back.
‘Cleo, if you have already eaten, that’s OK. Don’t bother with much for me; a sandwich or a pizza with a beer will do.’
Cleo walked over to her kitchen. A pizza and beer will do, will it? She had loads to do before work tomorrow and here she was running after Neil. She was too drained to argue tonight. She had to finish this, but how?
9
Cleo closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief as she left for work early next morning. She had been able to get ready and have breakfast on her own, thank God. Neil had stayed slumbering away and showed no signs of being awake as she showered and crept around gathering the things she needed for school. She felt unsettled at leaving him in her apartment for the day when she wasn’t there, but it couldn’t be helped.
Neil slipped out of Cleo’s mind completely as she thought of what she had to do before school started. She’d pop in to see the boss to find out what notices she had to read out at the ten-minute staff briefing, she’d listen to phone messages and make sure any staff absences were covered by members of staff who had a non-contact time and then she’d go along to the entrance to welcome staff in after their break and to ask them to look at her absence cover sheet.
She parked near the entrance, a perk of being one of the first in the car park, and met Jim cleaning the glass of a display cabinet in the school foyer.
‘Did you have a good break, Cleo?’
‘Great thanks Jim.’ If only he knew, ‘What about you?’
‘It was fine until last night when we had vandals around the back. Graffiti all over the back wall, it’ll take the cleaners hours to put it right.’
‘It’s time the kids were back at school then to keep them busy. Although it’s not likely to have been any of our own, is it?’
‘Looks like it was someone who knows Gracie Grieves and it isn’t complimentary so I’ve sprayed over the writing until we can get it cleaned off.’
‘Thanks Jim, that’s thoughtful of you.’ Gracie Grieves was a bright, mouthy girl in Year 11. She was always in the thick of things but no one deserved having crude remarks about them sprayed in a public place. She’d ask the Head of Year 11 to follow it up to see if Gracie knew who it might be.
Cleo saw the boss park his car and come into school. He came straight to her office with his coat on and car keys in his hand. The door was open, as it usually was.
‘I have no special announcements for staff briefing, Cleo. Just remind them all to keep a check on uniform, especially trainers. I’m going to be out for most of today, but I’d like you to come back to my office at three to chat about your TeMPS project. I’ll see you then.’
Cleo nodded, but he was off down the corridor. And a very good morning to you too, she thought.
It was a busy day at Tyneview High and Cleo didn’t have a moment to spare until three o’clock. She had cleared her diary from then until the end of the day for the TeMPS meeting. It would be exciting to move on from the planning to the creating stage. Cleo had a timeline drawn up and she was sure Tef would approve.
Twenty minutes later, Cleo left Tef’s office with her head pounding and tears pricking at the back of her eyes. Incredible, even for him! He’d sat there with that soapy-faced ‘yes’ man from financial services and had calmly popped all of her bubbles as if they were nothing! At the same time, his look had admonished her, warning her to be professional or pay the consequence. She had stated her case calmly but she got nowhere. It seemed like her project was off. But it wasn’t just a project, it was more to her; it was so much more.
The school bell was due to go at any moment and then she was out of here for the day, enough was enough. She packed her bag, turned off her computer, closed the door to her office and reached the main reception desk just before the closure bell. As she signed out of school, Ann, one of the women from reception called over.
‘Hi Cleo, are you off to a meeting somewhere?’
‘Not today, I’m going home,’ she said with a determined lift of her chin.
‘Good for you,’ Ann said as she watched Cleo head for her car to be first out of the car park for once.
‘Something’s happened to upset Cleo,’ Ann told Jim, as he called into the office. It’s not like her to do an early shoot off.’
Jim cast a look towards Mr Telford’s office. Teflon Telford, that slippery sod, would be behind it.
Cleo was pulling her car out of the car park when the first pupils to leave trickled by. Where would she go? Neil was at her apartment and she didn’t fancy facing him so early. Without thinking, she headed for Newcastle’s quayside.
The Head had liked her idea of the TeMPs, he had officially said that in front of the governors. It would fit in with the new buzz-word of community coherence and he could offer places, at a price of course, to other schools in the nearby authorities. She had presented her plan and budget to governors with his blessing and they had even been able to cost the whole new build due to a generous donation. Now, at the eleventh hour, he had changed his mind; the governors would be swayed to back him. Damn the man.
It was a great idea. It was needed! They lost a few young students every year because they wouldn’t attend mainstream classes when they were too far gone and then didn’t have the right crèche facilities to return to their studies once the babies were born. Other local high schools had submitted similar numbers so on those figures she had projected that each year there would be a small group of pregnant students and a second group of young mums with babies in need of tuition. The unit made more sense than home schooling and it gave the young people support and in a great environment for both them and their babies.
Before she knew it, she was parked by the Quay. The sun was shining, not even a wisp of fog on the Tyne today, so she sat at an outdoor table and ordered a latte with an extra shot. You could almost be on holiday, well some folk over by the bridge seemed to be.
The giant eye that was the moving Millennium Bridge of the Tyne was blinking and a group of tourists, cameras clicking, followed its progress. The ‘eye’ of the Tyne closed, making a footbridge across the river from Newcastle to Gateshead. On impulse, Cleo decided that, after her coffee, she’d walk over to the Southbank, wander around the Baltic art gallery and try to lose herself in an exhibition; the old flour mill always had something for her to love or hate.
She cradled her cup and sipped. Bloody Tef! Ditching her project... Fiddling with his stapler, avoiding her eyes, as he explained that an after-school sports programme would help the wider community and their large ‘community cohesion’ donation could be used for that instead of the TeMPS unit.
‘Yeah right! There’ll be far more photo opportunities and local news coverage with community sports than with pregnant students, too.’ Had she really said that to him? She’d just managed to leave his office before she really lost it. Oh, to staple those well-manicured
hands to his desk.
Cleo was reaching into her bag, to leave a tip for the waitress who seemed almost as harassed as she felt, when her phone rang. Seeing the photo that lit up on the screen, her heart leapt.
‘Hi, Mum. Are you OK?'
'Of course I am, darling. Quite au fait with this mobile lark now. I need to be sure you can keep in touch with me while I travel; just emergencies of course. I might be up to texting you back and video chatting soon. Now, how was your holiday and what are you up to?'
‘It’s lovely to hear your voice, I’m having a coffee in town to cheer myself up.’ Oh no, she shouldn’t have said that.
‘Why do you need cheering up sweetheart? Is it that man of yours being a pain?’
‘He’s not mine and yes he is but that’s not what’s upsetting me.’
‘You’re upset. Why?’
‘Oh please don’t be sympathetic or I’ll blub.’ The familiar voice did it: she missed her and she hadn’t even gone off yet. Cleo’s sobs, held back since that meeting, poured out as she filled Mum in on her shitty news.
She was aware of some of the tourists giving her odd looks as she strode across the bridge, probably ruining their photos but, at that moment, she didn’t care. After crossing the Tyne, she stood in the entrance to the Baltic gallery venting out her anger and frustration and knowing that Mum would understand.
‘It’s not just the work I’ve put into it, Mum; it’s something I’d be truly proud of. Especially after you having me...look at what I made you miss out on.’
‘Hey, stop that this minute; I missed nothing my angel. Now you must dry your eyes and look at your plan again and go back in a few days and ask him to reconsider.’
‘He won’t.’
‘He might darling. If you make sure your planning is sound and you don’t lose your rag but give him good reasons to go ahead.’
‘I suppose you’re right in that I should try again but I don’t think I can keep my cool with him, Mum. He’s devious and doesn’t like to be crossed.
‘Look Cleo, the flower moon is full tonight so you must harness its strength. It gave you your wish, to persuade the governors at the meeting when it was new, so be thankful and trust that your project will happen but you may need to help things along yourself, darling.’
‘Mum, you’re mad and I miss you already...’
‘I’m hearing crackling, is that breaking up? Take care, Cl ...’
She’d gone. Cleo smiled, her mum had some loopy ideas. Politely asking Teflon to reconsider was more crazy than wishing on the moon. Well, did she have anything better to try?
Teri clutched the phone, long after it was silent. Her daughter was hurting and that ate into the mother in her, but she could sort this out. She was seething and she felt that she may have inadvertently made a blunder herself.
She scrolled to her solicitor’s number and dialled. He was out, but his secretary assured Teri that he would call and up-date her on her charity donations as soon as he returned to the office.
Sports had its place, Teri was aware of that, but that wasn’t what she had chosen to support when she’d made her donation to Tyneview. She didn’t want Cleo to know it, but she had a great deal invested in the baby unit too and she was not going to rely entirely on the flower moon to sort this out.
10
Cleo called at her local supermarket to get something easy for dinner. What would Neil want? Would he have been shopping? After being on holiday, she had nothing in the fridge but couldn’t face a big shop. Better get a readymade salad for two and a micro meal.
As she put her key in the lock, Cleo could smell frying and as she opened the door thick smoke escaped into the hallway. Her smoke alarm was beeping away and Neil was wafting a towel at the ceiling as if that would stop it.
‘Hi Cleo, thought I’d treat you to a mixed grill but your grill isn’t the same as mine and it’s overheating or something.’
Cleo looked at charred steak and blackened sausages, Neil must’ve raided her freezer to find the meat, and a dozen oven chips in a bag - leftover from goodness knows when. He had opened a tin of peas and sweetcorn to complete the feast.
‘There aren’t many chips,’ she said.
He had opened a window and the noise had stopped but the acrid smoke was choking them both.
Cleo fixed a smile on her face, retreated to her bedroom and closed the door to keep the smell out of her clothes. Oh hell, how could she stand another night with him? She shuddered at the thought of the burnt food as she changed into jeans and a fleece top. She’d have to say something.
Cleo walked back into the kitchen area, ‘Look, Neil. Can I give the grill a miss? I’ve got some work to do and I’ll make do with a salad or something later on. I really want to get my work out of the way first.’
‘Oh, I’ve looked forward to seeing you all day and thought you’d like someone to spoil you. Can’t work wait till later?’
Cleo felt uncomfortable; her awful day wasn’t Neil’s fault. ‘OK, but I’ll have salad with mine; you have the chips seeing as there’s only a few.’ Cleo sat at the end of the breakfast bar.
‘I thought we’d have it at your dining table.’ Neil smiled at Cleo and proudly led the way to the dining area. Her best glasses were out and he had opened a bottle of her expensive Rioja.
‘Wow, Neil. This is OTT for a workday. I usually keep it simple and I don’t often drink on work nights.’
‘This will be a great change for you then and you can get used to the special treatment while I’m here.’
I don’t want to get used to it and I don’t want to get used to you either, she thought.
Cleo toyed with the cremated steak, ate the salad she had bought in and had a glass of wine before heading for her office.
The tiny box room was only big enough for her desk and a bookcase and when she opened the door, she gave a gasp. There was a suitcase by the door and a second laptop and piles of files on her desk.
‘Neil?’
He came behind Cleo and gave her a hug, ‘Hope you don’t mind, I brought some more clothes and my work over. I wonder whether you could make some wardrobe room for me?’
Cleo turned and faced Neil and his dashing smile. It just wasn’t working any more. ‘Neil, just how long is this work on your place going to take?’
‘Why? You aren’t fed up with me already are you?’
Cleo said nothing.
‘You know, I do believe you are, Cleo. I thought we had something... that you’d help me out in my hour of need. Come on darling, lighten up! Be pleasant to your old boyfriend, eh?’
‘You are not my old boyfriend, Neil. We’ve only just met, really. We are just sort of dating. This is all a bit much.’
‘Sorry I didn’t realise you felt like that. I suppose you want to chuck me out with nowhere to go?’
‘No Neil. I... I just don’t want us to be living together. In fact, I was thinking of us cooling it a bit because...well I think we are a bit too different.’
‘What do you mean? We had a great time on holiday, didn’t we?’
‘No. No we didn’t, Neil. You had a great time. You enjoyed the holiday on my money and you haven’t paid me back yet. You enjoyed the casino and left me to get back to the hotel on my own. You think of you.’
‘Ha, that’s rich coming from you Cleo.’
She could see his demeanour had changed and he looked daggers at her.
‘Just listen to yourself. You think of you all the time. You don’t give a thought for others. You wanted to leave the casino - why should I? Your office has some of my stuff in it and you want to call the whole relationship off. That’s perfectly OK with me. I’m happy to do that, but really... I mean... doing it when you know I’m homeless for a week or two.’
‘A week or two? You said a day or two.’
‘The water damage, it’s worse than I thought. I’ve had to pay out a lot of cash today so I was hoping to wait till the end of the month to pay you back. Do you want me to raid my lo
ng term savings? If you insist, I will.’
Cleo couldn’t stop her resentment from spilling out. ‘I had to raid my savings for the holiday. Don’t you think you should too? And, Neil, I know you had three credit cards with you in Italy.’
There was a long silence. Neil seemed to be unsure of his next move for once.
‘What shall we do now then?’ he had calmed down again.
‘You should go.’ Cleo was glad she’d said it at last.
‘I can’t. Not without somewhere else to go.’
‘Haven’t you got other friends to put you up? Or a B and B near your house?’
‘I need to be able to work, Cleo. You have an empty apartment. Come on, have a heart!’
Cleo wasn’t sure whether she was being mean or not. What would she do, if she was in Neil’s situation? ‘What about making an insurance claim?’
‘If this was covered in my policy do you think I’d be here begging?’ He looked such a crestfallen little boy. Not appealing, but not someone she could kick out.
‘OK. You can have my spare room for now. Take your suitcase and dump it in that room. Take your laptop and files too; you can use the dining table to work from. I need my office.’
‘Thanks, Cleo.’ He came to hug her but she backed away.
‘Not now Neil, I’d prefer it if we were just friends. Tomorrow, why don’t you make your meals and I’ll make my own? We’ll flat share till you are ready to go back home. Let’s try to be friends. I’m sorry, but I don’t want us to be any more than that.’ Cleo studied Neil’s face; she wasn’t sure how that had gone down.
Neil smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes and they stared coldly at her. ‘You’ll regret it and end up a sad old spinster, Cleo. I’m rather a good catch you know and you need someone to liven up your life.’
‘Let’s beg to differ on that,’ Cleo took in a calming breath before adding, ‘I will live with my great loss if you can just keep out of my hair. When I'm at work, I work long hours and, when I get back here, I need space to think, relax and work some more. I’m sorry if you think I’m selfish, maybe I am.’
A Jarful of Moondreams_What does it take to make a dream true? Page 7