Match Me If You Can

by Michele Gorman

  ‘No, no, I’d like to try this. It’ll make a nice change. I’m not overly familiar with vegetarian food.’

  ‘Yes you are! Everybody is. Every time you have pasta with pesto or roasted potatoes or saag paneer or quattro stagioni pizza you’re eating what I eat. It’s not a special cuisine or anything. There’s no such thing as a dish that’s only for vegetarians. They’re just dishes without meat. Come on, I’ll show you.’

  The waitress led them upstairs to a pretty room with huge black-trimmed sash windows, bare floorboards and a large fireplace. The linen-topped tables had mismatched wooden chairs, and mirrors and frames were hung higgledy-piggledy on the pale walls.

  ‘This is nice,’ said Catherine. ‘It looks like a Victorian tearoom.’

  ‘That’s exactly what it is,’ he said. ‘Soho’s secret tearoom. They serve tea till nine, I think. But they also have full meals.’

  Catherine eyed the tiered cake stands on a few of the tables. Alis certainly won points for originality and atmosphere. Georgina definitely didn’t deserve him.

  She picked up the menu. ‘Tofush and chips?’ she said. ‘You are joking.’

  He grinned. ‘I’ve had it. It’s tasty.’

  ‘Is there no real fish option?’

  ‘Not unless fish grow on trees. No meat, remember?’

  ‘They shouldn’t really call this a burger then, if it’s not got meat in it. And shepherd’s pie without any lamb? If it’s only veggies then it’s a farmer’s pie, surely, or allotment pie.’

  ‘But the word burger has been co-opted in many ways.’

  ‘Pah! A burger is a burger.’

  ‘Actually, not true,’ he said. ‘It started out as steak tartare in Hamburg, hence the name hamburger. And steak tartare was brought to Russia by Genghis Khan, who fed horse mince to the Muscovites.’

  ‘So we should really call it the Genghis Khan. Do you know a lot of useless trivia like this?’

  ‘All trivia is useful eventually. It just needs the right questions asked.’

  ‘Then I want you on my team in Trivial Pursuit.’

  Catherine couldn’t remember the last time she felt so relaxed. Certainly it wasn’t when she was out with Richard. An undercurrent of business tension always kept her on guard with him. As the diners around them paid their bills and left, Catherine found herself losing track of the time.

  When they’d finished eating, Catherine said, ‘Well I have to admit that I enjoyed that. It was tasty, with lots of seasoning. Georgina would have been lucky to meet you tonight. I am sorry again about that. I’m definitely ringing her tomorrow to tell her off.’

  ‘No need,’ he said. ‘This was a better date anyway.’

  ‘But it wasn’t a date.’

  ‘Wasn’t it? What do you consider a date then?’

  She thought about it. ‘Well, you have to know it’s a date before it can be a date. Otherwise it’s just two people getting along and having fun.’

  ‘Two people who are attracted to each other?’

  She couldn’t deny that.

  Uh-oh.

  They stood to go back downstairs to the bar. She felt warm as she started to make her way down the spiral steps.

  ‘Do you want to get another drink?’ he asked.

  ‘Erm, no, I’d better not. I have to be in early tomorrow.’ Her heart was racing. ‘Thank you for such a nice night, Alis. This was unexpected but very fun.’

  ‘Catherine. It’s all right to go off script sometimes. You do know that?’

  She nodded. ‘I know that.’

  ‘So if I was to, say, lean in like this …’

  His lips were inches from hers. It would be easy to close the gap.

  But she couldn’t.

  She pulled back. ‘Thanks again, Alis. We’ll talk soon, okay?’

  She pecked him on the cheek above the beardy bit and hurried from the bar before she could change her mind.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Rachel

  Ed called the meeting for ten a.m. ‘He’s telling us which design they’ve chosen,’ James said. Even he couldn’t pretend nonchalance now.

  ‘Did he tell you that?’

  ‘No, but it makes sense, doesn’t it? We’re the only ones on the meeting request.’

  ‘I guess so.’ Something bothered her. ‘But why put us through the waiting? Why not just tell us in an email instead of building it up?’

  ‘Maybe he’s a sadistic son of a bitch.’

  ‘That’s what I thought too.’

  They waited in silence for Ed to arrive. Rachel wished she had a cup of coffee. But it seemed silly to go to the trouble for what could only be a two-minute meeting. It didn’t take long to say And the winner is … Still, now she wished she had a cup in front of her. Just to have something other than the conference room door to focus on.

  Ed strode in with his mug full of tea. Had they misread the situation? ‘Everybody all right?’ he asked as he lifted the conference phone receiver. He glanced between Rachel and James. ‘Don’t you want a drink?’

  ‘Are you phoning a friend?’ James asked.

  ‘I wouldn’t call the Ziglers friends,’ he said. ‘But they will be after this call. They’re running ten minutes late. Go get yourselves drinks if you want.’

  ‘We’re having a conference call?’ Rachel asked. ‘Aren’t you going to tell us who won the pitch?’

  ‘I will do as soon as I know.’

  ‘We figured you already knew,’ said James.

  ‘And I didn’t just tell you when I found out? I’m not that cruel!’

  ‘No, no.’

  ‘Course not.’

  They went to the kitchen to make their hot drinks.

  ‘So this is it, Rach. No matter what happens, we go out tonight, right? May the best person win.’

  They shook hands, both hoping to be the best person.

  Ed was ready to dial when they came back.

  ‘Anything we should know, Ed?’ James asked, wearing his bravado rather well, Rachel thought.

  Ed shook his head. ‘They emailed last night asking for a call with you both at ten this morning. That’s all I know. Maybe they have questions, or maybe they just want to tell you the news in person, as it were.’

  Rachel was glad it was a phone call rather than a meeting. If she was going to cry, best do it in front of as few people as possible.

  Ed dialled. ‘Hello, Philip, it’s Ed here, and I’ve got Rachel and James with me.’

  ‘Hi Philip,’ they chorused like tuneless backup singers.

  ‘Thanks, everyone, for having the call,’ said Philip. ‘George and Eric are with me.’

  There was silence.

  ‘Philip?’

  ‘I’m here, just getting my notes together.’

  Notes? Was that good or bad?

  ‘So,’ he went on, ‘as you know from our last meeting, we were very impressed with both designs. Rachel, yours was bold and fresh and we can see ourselves going to work in an office like that.’

  James made a ridiculous open-mouthed, hands on cheeks, Home Alone face at her.

  ‘What’s more, it’s a bold statement and we feel like you really understand what we’re trying to convey.’

  She wanted to jump up and down and thank the Academy, but she was waiting for the ‘but’.

  ‘But …’

  There it was.

  ‘James’s design is playful and fun and possibly just a little bit more exciting. We showed both designs to our board of directors and key managers. We did focus groups of four or five people at a time to really hone down the feedback. I think we had, what was it, George, eleven focus groups?’

  ‘Ten,’ said George. ‘We were going to have another but only one person could make it from that group, so we got her feedback separately.’

  Rachel wanted to shout at him to get to the punchline. She couldn’t care less about their opinion-collecting process.

  ‘So once we collected all the feedback, the result was clear. Although again
I want to say that both designs are very very good, and our choosing one isn’t an indictment of the other. If we had the budget we’d commission both!’

  Ed laughed heartily at this but Rachel could tell he was thinking about Zigler’s expansion opportunities.

  Philip continued. ‘We’ve decided that the bold, playful option is the one for us. Congratulations!’

  They all looked at one another. Which design was that? Rachel pointed at herself, then James, shrugging.

  ‘Erm, thanks for that, Philip,’ said Ed. ‘Just to clarify, which design have you decided on?’

  There was silence on the line again.

  ‘Rachel’s.’

  She clamped her hand over her mouth. She could hardly breathe. She and James stared at each other across the table. He bowed his head once. Then he smiled.

  ‘Thank you,’ she mouthed. ‘Wow, thanks Philip and …’ Her mind went blank. All she could think of was Zig and The Lers. ‘And thanks everyone!’

  ‘Thank you, Rachel. We’re really excited about this. Ed, I guess there’ll be some more letters and contracts to sign, so send those over when you can and we’ll get started on all the details. Congratulations again, Rachel, great design.’

  ‘Absolutely congratulations!’ Ed said when they’d hung up. ‘And they were right, James, they’re both great designs. You should be proud too.’

  But James shook his head. ‘The better design won. Well done, Rach. You deserve this.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She searched his face but he seemed genuinely happy for her.

  Later, they stood in front of the Jazz Cafe in Camden. When James gave their names at the door they followed a waiter upstairs, where little tables for two lined the narrow mezzanine.

  Rachel couldn’t hide her surprise. James planning ahead?

  ‘What’s all this in aid of?’ And with tablecloths even.

  ‘We’re celebrating. Plus I felt bad when you called me out about never taking you dancing.’

  Wonders never ceased. ‘Who’s playing?’

  ‘I don’t remember, exactly. Poncho Frittata and the Maracas or something like that.’

  ‘It’s Latin music, I take it? You don’t know how to dance salsa.’

  ‘No idea.’ He shrugged. ‘I think it’s mostly just wriggling about. I bet you can’t wait to dance with me now.’

  ‘As long as you don’t twerk again.’

  The waiter brought their menus.

  ‘Order three courses,’ he said. ‘I had to prepay for them.’

  ‘You’re buying dinner too? My God, man, who are you?’

  She caught her breath. She did know who he was now, didn’t she?

  His face got suddenly serious. ‘About that, Rach. I owe you a thank you. Plus an apology for the way I acted when I read your feedback on me. The truth hurts, and the truth is, I was a pretty shite boyfriend. So I’m trying to make it up to you now.’

  Now? He wanted to make it up to her now, when he was probably sleeping with her best friend and she had no hope of going out with him again? Fat lot of good that did her.

  And she’d have told him it was too late, if she wasn’t so busy hoping that it wasn’t.

  ‘Plus,’ he continued, ‘I’m sure the Zigler account will mean a promotion for you, so it’s a double celebration, really.’

  The promotion! She hardly dared believe it was possible, but he might be right. They had enough experience now at the firm. Something spectacular could give them a leg-up to associate. But it’d still be a long road. ‘Eventually,’ she said. ‘One win won’t do it.’

  Their food came about two minutes after they ordered it.

  ‘I guess they don’t want us lingering over dinner,’ he said. ‘But we’ve got the table for the night.’

  ‘That’s okay. I want to get to the part where you dance.’

  ‘Just don’t expect any moves off Strictly.’

  He wasn’t kidding. When the band started its hip-swaying rhythm, they held back till the floor filled with competent dancers.

  She felt self-conscious. Not at the thought of dancing. She loved Latin music. She imagined she looked a bit like Shakira when she moved. Probably more like Shrek.

  No, she was nervous about dancing with James.

  He took her in his arms and they began to move together. He didn’t try any flash moves. He just held her and sort of hopped from one foot to the other. Had it been anyone else she’d have made an excuse to stop. She was sure they looked ridiculous.

  But she didn’t care. It felt too good to be in his arms. Each time he pulled her close she tried not to pant in his face.

  By the time the band took its break she wished she hadn’t worn a wool dress. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

  ‘Drink?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m parched.’

  Taking her hand, he led her back to their table.

  This wasn’t right. Not when he was seeing Sarah. It was one thing to go out, as colleagues, to celebrate a win. Colleagues weren’t supposed to cuddle. How would she feel if Sarah had held James’s hand while they were going out?

  She smiled at the irony of that thought.

  Then she dropped his hand.

  He turned back to look at her, but said nothing.

  The waiter wasn’t as keen to get their drinks as he’d been to sling their food at them, but their mojitos finally arrived.

  ‘Cheers.’ She raised her glass. ‘Thanks for tonight, James, especially for being such a great loser.’

  ‘I like to think that I came a close second, but thanks for—’

  When his phone rang he glanced at the screen.

  So did Rachel. ‘You should get that. It’s Sarah.’

  ‘No, that’s okay, I’ll talk to her later.’

  ‘Don’t be daft.’ It was one thing to be out dancing with the man her friend was seeing. It was another to ignore her calls. She reached for his phone. ‘Hi Sarah, it’s Rachel. James is right here, I’ll put him on.’

  Her feelings were running crazily in her head. She wanted him to ignore the call. Yet Sarah was her friend and she wasn’t about to let anyone treat her badly.

  ‘No way!’ he said into the phone after they’d said their hellos. ‘Hang on, you can tell her yourself. Rach.’

  She took his phone. It was a bit wet where his cheek had been. ‘Hey, Sarah, what’s up?’

  ‘You’ll never guess!’

  Given that it was Sarah, no, she probably wouldn’t. ‘Go on, tell me.’

  ‘Guess! No, I’ll tell you … no, guess. Do you want to guess? Or should I tell you?’

  ‘Just tell me!’

  ‘We’ve got an ace place for Sissy to live!’

  ‘Yah!’ Rachel screamed. As it was still during the band’s break, this made everyone around her stare.

  ‘It’s in Cambridge where Kelly’s working,’ Sarah continued, ‘and it’s a really good facility, especially for people with learning disabilities. Kelly rang just now to say there’s a free place and I can email the application first thing tomorrow, but I already know Sissy’s going to love it.’

  There was so much relief in Sarah’s voice. ‘That is such fantastic news, Sarah! But isn’t Cambridge too far?’

  ‘Yeah, it’s going to be a pain to get there, but it’s so perfect for Sissy that it’s worth the extra commute for me to get her in where Kelly is. They’re usually chocka, but a few spaces opened up so it’s all moving fast. That’s why Kelly rang me just now. They can take Sissy and a few of the others by the end of the week. Though I wonder what happened to the residents who were there … maybe I’d rather not know. I’m going up there tomorrow to sign some papers and Kelly says there’s even an arts programme at one of the community centres close by. We’ll just have to look into transport … Oh! Am I interrupting anything?’

  ‘No, no! We’re just having a drink to celebrate the pitch.’ She’d told Sarah all about it when she’d rung after the meeting. Sarah had wanted to know what the winning building looked li
ke. Knowing her, she’d bake a scale model made of sponge.

  ‘I won’t keep you then,’ Sarah said. ‘I need to ring Catherine now anyway to tell her. I’ll see you later?’

  ‘Yep, I won’t be long. See you soon.’

  She handed the phone back to James.

  ‘What do you mean you won’t be long?’ James asked. ‘There’s still a set to go and I haven’t shown you my cha cha moves yet.’ He wriggled his hips around in his chair.

  She mustered a weak smile. Talking to Sarah just reminded her how hopeless she was being. ‘This has been nice but I should probably head home. Sarah’s really excited about her news and it doesn’t sound like Catherine is home.’

  She regretted her words as soon as she said them. She wanted to stay with James. And she definitely didn’t want him coming home with her to congratulate Sarah in person. Then she’d have to see them together in the house.

  She wished Sarah had kept the news to herself instead of calling her.

  Actually, she hadn’t called her, had she? It was James she’d rung first. Rachel was an afterthought after … go on, she thought, say it. Rachel was just an afterthought after her boyfriend.

  She was thrilled that they’d found a new home for Sissy, really she was. She just wished she didn’t feel like crying into her mojito.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Sarah

  Sarah glanced around the conference table at the other illustrators. What was all this for, really? They talked every week about new ideas. Harry pretended to consider them and then everyone went away to draw the same cards as the week before. She wondered if he’d even notice if she started pitching the old cards that she’d already designed. He seemed so preoccupied lately that he’d probably approve them. Maybe the sex with Maria-Therese was addling his brain. Just being in the same room with the woman addled hers.

  Yes, granted, a few of her ideas might be wide of the mark. But they weren’t all crackpot, and she knew she had a corker this time.

  Maria-Therese looked even more smug than usual. ‘All right?’ Sarah asked out of courtesy.