Doing the Right Thing

by Barbara Elsborg

  Addie limped into the office to find Will had gathered the staff together. He stopped talking and everyone turned to look at her. At her hair.

  “Nice of you to join us,” Will said.

  Addie slunk to her seat. She didn’t hear another word. She felt sick, but she couldn’t move. Blood was still trickling down her leg. She fumbled in her pocket for a tissue and wiped it away. Addie lowered her head to the desk. She had no idea how long passed before Genghis yelled in her ear, “You don’t come to work to sleep. What’s the matter with you? You’re late and you can’t keep your eyes open. Keep your personal life from interfering with your job or you won’t have a job. I’m giving you an official warning.”

  “Fine,” Addie muttered, unable to raise her head from the pile of files, but thinking if she could muster enough energy for one final act, she’d strangle Genghis. Her phone rang and she reached out to pull it to her ear without lifting her head.

  “My office, now,” Will said.

  It took a superhuman effort to get up. Addie felt drunk, but without the nice fuzzy feeling that went with it.

  She knocked once and almost fell when Will flung open his door.

  “Take a seat and try not to break it.”

  His voice was brittle and cold. He didn’t even like her, let alone love her. He never would. Why would she think cutting her hair would make a difference? She didn’t want to have a crush on him. She was too sensible to waste her time and energy on someone who’d never like her. She tuned back in.

  “And just because you’re working a month’s notice doesn’t mean I have to accept irresponsible behaviour.”

  “Sorry I was late. I—”

  “I’m not interested in excuses. Get here on time, but that’s not the reason I wanted to speak to you.”

  His voice grew louder. Addie wondered what she’d done.

  “What right did you have to change the press release? It was given to you to check for grammar and inaccuracies. I thought I could trust you. You’re obviously bright, but for some lunatic reason you take it into your head to add irrelevant details.”

  “I—”

  “Fortunately, only one publication received the amended version.”

  “I—”

  “Are you trying to make some point here, Addie? I told you that you have to work your notice. Stunts like this are only going to result in a bad reference. Is that what you want?”

  Daisy had done it, Addie realized, but he wasn’t going to listen. He was stamping round the room like an angry bull with a herd of cows just out of reach.

  “That’s not the only thing. Who told you to send out the invoices?”

  Oh God, more? “I’d—”

  “Didn’t it occur to you, if this company is no longer trading as Booth’s, it was possible we might want to let people know?”

  “But—”

  “There’s a letter to be sent to every customer, every supplier, and it goes with every piece of correspondence that leaves this office. The only thing I wanted to come out of here yesterday was the press release. The correct press release.”

  Addie hadn’t sent out the invoices. She’d printed them, put them in envelopes and left them unsealed. She had no idea how they’d ended up being sent. Addie couldn’t think straight. She didn’t want to be shouted at. She needed to lie down. She got to her feet and walked out.

  “Where do you think you’re going? I’m still talking to you.”

  So what?

  Genghis caught hold of Addie’s arm as she passed. “Graham has a pile of work to do. If it’s not too much trouble, do you think you could give him a hand?”

  “What else do you want from me? You going to boil my bones and make stock?”

  “What did you say? What on earth is the matter with you?”

  Addie could feel Will watching, his eyes searing holes in the back of her head. He should offer his services to the army. Addie trekked the hundred miles to her chair, taking a zigzag route between walls and partitions, crevasses and ice ridges. Will thought she was stupid and she was, but not for the reason he’d said. She didn’t care what Genghis thought.

  An envelope lay on top of her files. She ripped it open. A written warning. Addie embellished it several times with her date received stamp and pinned it up on the board behind her computer. She reached for her keyboard to log on, but her fingers froze when she couldn’t remember her password.

  After several minutes, Addie gave up and opened the top file. When she heard most of the office getting up to go to lunch, she looked down in dismay. She’d done nothing all morning.

  “I like your hair,” Ed said, scooting across on Graham’s swivel chair. “Really cute.”

  Addie wanted to cry. He was the first person who’d said anything. She tried to say thank you and instead a tear fell from her eye. She turned her head.

  “Addie, are you okay?”

  “Fine.” She grabbed another file.

  “You don’t look fine.” Ed took hold of the arms of her chair and pulled it away from the desk so that she faced him. Well, she would have been if her gaze hadn’t been fixed to her knees.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Ed’s finger swept another tear from her face and a surge of heat flashed through her. What the hell was the matter with her?

  “I was in an accident.”

  “When?”

  “On the way to work.”

  She heard a sharp intake of breath.

  “That’s why you were late? What happened?”

  “I was knocked down by a car.”

  “Christ, why didn’t you say something? Did you go to hospital? Do the police know?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll call them now. Where was this?” He took out his mobile.

  Addie reached out and laid her hand on his for a brief moment. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  She looked up. “It happened in the car park.”

  “Whose car? Please say it wasn’t mine.”

  “A silver Lexus.”

  Ed jumped to his feet.” Will knocked you down?”

  “He didn’t see me. He reversed into me. I was bending over, er…picking something up.”

  “Don’t make excuses for him.”

  Ed bounced like a rubber ball. “God, he could have killed you. Where are you hurt?” He sat down again, lifted her face by the chin and looked at her. “My God, your head. You’re concussed.”

  “I cut my leg.”

  He reached toward her knee and then drew his fingers back.

  “I’m okay,” Addie said. “Forget about it. Don’t say anything. It doesn’t matter now. It’s not important.”

  Ed looked at her. “That’s the saddest load of sentences I’ve ever heard.”

  “I mean it,” Addie said. “It wasn’t his fault. It was gloomy and I was in a dark coat.”

  “How hard did you hit your head?”

  Addie’s fingers moved to the lump and winced.

  “I think I might have been knocked out for a while.”

  “God, Addie, you should see a doctor.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Well, let me buy you lunch.”

  Addie shook her head. “I have to work through to make up the time. Not hungry anyway.”

  “You will be later. Can I take you out for something to eat?” he asked.

  “What, today?”

  “No, next March. Of course today—tonight. Say yes.” He turned on a lighthouse smile.

  “No.”

  The smile went out.

  “Really?”

  Addie squirmed. “You don’t have to be nice to me, Ed.”

  “Why shouldn’t I be?”

  “I’m not used to it. It makes me uncomfortable.”

  Addie’s day went from terrible to diabolical. Genghis had been easier to stand while contained in her office. Now she’d moved in with the herd, staying in permanent circulation, there was no escape. No one dare play Sudoku on their computer, in case she
appeared at their shoulder. Though Addie knew they would have got away with it, because Genghis only had eyes for her.

  Word spread that Addie had received a warning for being late, had issued an outrageous press release and posted invoices without authorization. Addie wondered why they didn’t put her down for insider trading and false accounting while they were at it. Daisy stayed away and since Addie knew she’d probably been desperate to tell her about her date with Ed, she guessed Miss Chain felt guilty. But not guilty enough to admit what she’d done.

  Joe handed Addie a packet of peanut M&M’s before he showed her a copy of the press information sheet that had sent Will into meltdown. Addie could see why. His management consultancy team were described as “The All Man Mansells” and “Londoners with the faces and bodies of Gods, whose firm and sexy hands are skilled in manipulating and moulding to bring out the best in people”. Daisy had done a bit of manipulating of her own. Addie tipped the whole packet of M&M’s into her mouth and crunched the lot.

  The invoices were another matter altogether. Daisy wouldn’t have deliberately set out to get her into trouble, so maybe Genghis had. When Bob Booth appointed Addie, he told Genghis she shouldn’t waste Addie’s ability. But Genghis didn’t have a degree and had no intention of promoting her. She ensured Addie got the worst jobs, boring stuff, and Bob forgot his plans.

  At four o’clock, Addie received another command to go to Will’s office.

  “I’ve just had a phone call from a Mrs Wilberforce.”

  Doreen Wilberforce was a professional complainer who had her local councillor and the police on speed-dial. With Booth’s, she angled for free trips. It was a game. Sometimes Genghis gave in, sometimes she didn’t. Addie thought it was pure spite that made Genghis pass the call to Will, because everyone in the office knew what Doreen was like.

  “She claims you refused to stop the coach so she could relieve herself,” Will said.

  Addie sighed. “There’s a toilet on board.”

  “She was too unsteady to use it.”

  Probably due to the two halves of lager she’d drunk in the pub before they’d set off.

  “We were on the motorway,” Addie said.

  “Ever heard of rest stops?”

  She never turned down a request to stop, but Doreen’s demand that they pull up on the hard shoulder of the motorway so she could wee behind a bush, happened to be illegal. Addie started to explain and then gave in. What was the point? He didn’t want to listen.

  She turned her mind to tomorrow, a trip with the senior section of Meanwood Amateur Dramatic Society, the MADS. The following two days she was teaching, so she wouldn’t have to see Will again until Monday. She should have been relieved, but disappointment surged through her. Why did she still like him so much, when all he did was shout at her? Every time she looked at him, she remembered the kiss. Addie swallowed hard. He was still talking and she had no idea what he’d said.

  Will couldn’t believe Addie Winter. She sat there not listening to a damn word. She’d tuned him out. He wondered if she was ill. There was an unhealthy tinge to her face and some odd marks. They looked like scratches. He bristled at the thought of someone hurting her. Maybe it was her hair that had made her look different. It had gone from smooth to spiky. The colour was pretty, like a pile of autumn leaves. He liked it.

  “Are you all right?” Will asked.

  “No,” Addie muttered, putting her hand over her mouth and sprinting out of his office.

  Pregnant, Will thought in alarm. Had he been right all along? Going out with a married man and pregnant. He should never have had that drink with her. The woman was a liability. He’d had a lucky escape.

  So why didn’t he feel lucky?

  Addie found Finn waiting when she got home. Lisa had let him in.

  He stared at her. “What did you do to your hair?”

  “Wanted something different.” Addie slumped on the couch.

  “Looks nice.”

  “Thanks, Finn. What have I done now?”

  “What’s wrong with your mobile, Addie? I’ve been trying to call you all day.”

  “Not sure.” She wasn’t about to tell him it had died in a car accident.

  “I have something to tell you.” Finn sat beside her. “You’ve been lied to. The man you’ve been seeing, his name’s not Noah, it’s Will Mansell.”

  Addie closed her eyes for a moment. She should have known this would come back to bite her. “Noah was a nickname.”

  “And the surname Davies was a nickname too?”

  Ooops. She needed to think fast, but her brain was moving at koala speed.

  “How do you know his real name?” she asked. “David took his car reg. I checked it out.”

  Bloody David. He was so dead.

  “The car’s registered to an address in Blackheath, London, not Manchester. I don’t know what web he was spinning, Addie, but I hope you’re not seeing him again. Would you like me to get someone to go and have a word with him?”

  “No.”

  “If he’s hurt you—”

  “He hasn’t hurt me. Just let it go, Finn. It’s not what you think. I didn’t want anyone to know his real name because I thought one of you would check up on him. He’s been in trouble and I knew you’d have a fit if you knew my boyfriend had a record.”

  “Christ, Addie. You don’t go out with anyone for ages and then pick a crook?”

  She cringed. “He’s not a crook. It was a mistake.”

  Finn rolled his eyes. “You know that’s the first thing most of them say when they get picked up. It’s a mistake. It wasn’t me.”

  “Leave it, Finn. Don’t go looking into his background. I told you he dumped me.”

  “You sure?”

  Addie nodded. “Absolutely.”

  Her brother looked her straight in the eyes. “Are you still seeing him?”

  “I swear to you, I’m not going out with him.”

  Finn stared at her for a moment with his policeman look and Addie held his gaze. Years of practice paid off. Finn nodded.

  “Are you all right, Addie? You look a bit battered.”

  “Fell over in the carpark this morning and banged my head. You know me. I can trip over a pattern in a carpet. I’m fine.”

  But she wasn’t fine. As soon as he’d gone, she went to bed.

  Will was working on his laptop when Ed arrived back at the house with a Thai takeaway. His eyes still fixed on the screen, Will took the container from Ed and carried on working.

  “Did you notice anything odd about Addie today?” Ed asked, a fork in one hand and the remote in the other.

  “Apart from the fact that she’s from an entirely different planet?”

  “Apart from that.”

  “No.”

  “Not even her hair?” Ed asked.

  “It suited her.”

  “Is that all?” Ed asked. “You didn’t think she looked…knocked about?”

  “She did look a bit untidy. What’s your point?”

  “You didn’t notice anything else?”

  “What?” Will turned to look at him. “The fact that she managed to annoy me yet again?”

  “Why the fuck have you spent the last two days picking on her?” Ed snapped.

  “I haven’t.”

  “Yeah, you have.”

  Will stopped eating. “She was late for work. She looked a mess. She added her own little gems to the press release. I accept she was joking, but thank God the company had the sense to check. She issued invoices without authorization. I had a complaint about her and she raced out of my office while I was still talking. She’s been asking to be picked on.”

  “Did you ask her why she was late?”

  “She was late. There’s no excuse.” Will dug his chopsticks into the carton.

  “She was late and looked a mess because you knocked her over.”

  Will gave a short laugh. “What are you talking about? I didn’t touch her.”

  “In the car park
this morning, you hit her with your car.”

  Will froze with the chopsticks at his lips. The lump of chicken dropped back in the container and splashed his shirt.

  “You know, I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you truly shocked,” Ed said.

  “That wasn’t funny.”

  “Addie didn’t think so.”

  Will tossed the chopsticks onto the table and walked over to his brother. He still wasn’t sure whether Ed was serious. “You’re telling me I hit her with my car?”

  “Yes.”

  And when Ed looked at him, Will knew he wasn’t lying and his world tilted. He sank on to the couch, trying to swallow the lump in his throat and failing. It stayed there like a chunk of half-chewed bread, threatening to choke him.

  “Oh God, why didn’t she say anything?”

  “I have a feeling she was lying unconscious in the bushes.” Ed continued to fork coconut rice into his mouth.

  Will stared at him in horror. “How do you know?”

  “Because I notice things. I notice people. She spent the day in a daze. She had a cut by her ear, a blood stain on her skirt and a not-there look in her eyes. I persuaded her to tell me what happened and then she said it didn’t matter, it wasn’t important. She didn’t want to make a fuss.”

  “Oh fuck. I have to go and see her.” Will grabbed his car keys and his jacket.

  “She also told me not to tell you,” Ed called after him.

  “But you did,” Will yelled back.

  “She’s asleep.” Lisa kept the chain on the door. “She’s been in bed since she got back from work. I don’t think she’s feeling well.”

  “I need to speak to her.”

  “Just go away. You hurt her. Addie sobbed and sobbed, now leave her alone.”

  Sobbed? Oh God. “Look, please, let me in for a few minutes. I need to make sure she’s okay.”