The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker

by Jenni Keer

  ‘Just tell him you can’t, then you can both pretend it didn’t happen. Problem is, we’ve now got to come up with another plan to get our hands on his belongings.’

  ‘Ah, there you have underestimated your ever so slightly, tiny bit tipsy, best friend…’ and Lucy reached down to her socks and pulled out the tiepin, the posh pen, and some loose change. Then she produced the bookmark from her back pocket and, after a further rummage in her bra, a small tub of hair gel and a pair of nail clippers fell onto the sofa cushions.

  Sunday morning a delicate Lucy sat hunched over her knees, wrapped in her crocheted blanket, on the back step. The searing sunshine was attacking her light-sensitive eyes and she couldn’t possibly contemplate consuming any food. At least she hadn’t embarrassed herself further by being ill, but she felt as though a hundred stampeding wildebeest had done a dozen circuits of her head – in stilettos.

  Jess drew a pentagram in pavement chalk on the tiny square of concrete that had pretentiously been called a patio when the property had been listed in the Renborough Chronicle two years ago. She always seemed better prepared for the spells than Lucy.

  Sipping a sugary tea and waiting for the painkillers to kick in, Lucy watched Jess dust her hands off and walk over to the tub of borrowed items.

  ‘I’m guessing it doesn’t matter which bits I put where.’ Jess placed each of George’s belongings on a corner of the star.

  ‘Shouldn’t I be doing that?’ Lucy moved to stand, but her legs were uncooperative.

  ‘It’s fine. Anyway, you were the one who took them and you’re sitting right next to the pentagram. We’ll soon know if we’ve done it wrong because the locket won’t change.’

  ‘Good point. Now what?’

  ‘Not sure,’ said Jess, hands on hips and surveying her handiwork. ‘It didn’t say anything about saying any magic words or how long to leave them. Guess we’re done.’

  Chapter 40

  Despite the lovely weather, Lucy drove to work on Monday for two reasons. Firstly, she had to wait for George to leave and then sneak back into his house to return his belongings. And secondly, she didn’t have the energy to walk, probably because she’d barely eaten anything the day before.

  As soon as she stepped into the office, Adam called her over.

  ‘The Black Widow is out on the road with Daniel tomorrow and she wants you to go with her. Don’t ask me why. It’s going to leave us a man down in the office, but she implied it was for general note-taking. I made it clear I wasn’t prepared to let Connor go, but then note-taking is more of a girl…’ He paused. ‘Note-taking wouldn’t be his thing. By the way—’ he was shaking his right hand to try and remove the piece of Sellotape that had stuck three of his fingers together ‘—I meant to ask how your elderly neighbour is getting on?’

  ‘She’s doing okay. It’s kind of you to remember.’

  ‘Look after her, Lucy-Lou. You never know how long they have left. And just tip me the nod if you need any more time off.’ He removed the offending tape, scrunched it into a ball, and then tried to shake it from his left hand.

  He was a kind man, underneath all the bluff, Lucy realised. Perhaps that was what attracted Karen.

  Wearing another of her sister’s tailored suits, Lucy was waiting in the office promptly at eight the following day. Decidedly Duplicitous Daniel swung his company car into the car park five minutes later and Sam emerged from Richard’s office, where they had been deep in conversation since before Lucy had arrived.

  ‘I’ve got a notebook.’ Lucy waved a spiral reporter’s notepad at Sam. ‘And some pens.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘So what sort of thing do you want me to note down?’

  ‘Lucy, I think you can make that decision for yourself, don’t you?’

  Why did she always feel about thirteen years old when she was with Sam? Perhaps she was trying too hard.

  ‘Are we good to go?’ Sam asked.

  ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘Let’s see how Daniel spends his days then, shall we?’

  Daniel, it seemed, was far busier than either of the two ladies had anticipated. Sitting in the back of his company car, Lucy hid in the shadows and listened to him talking about the various aspects of his job, and then his plans for the day. If he was to be believed, he often didn’t get home until gone seven.

  Initially singing along to every tune played on the Radio Two breakfast show, half an hour in Sam politely asked if the radio could be turned down or off. Preferably off.

  ‘Of course, m’lady. Your wish is my command.’ But five minutes later he was absent-mindedly humming the Thunderbirds theme tune.

  ‘So where first?’ asked Sam, possibly to stop the humming.

  ‘I’ve got a couple of independent toy shops lined up this morning, and then we need to head south so that I can assess a claim for water-damaged stock. If we have time, I’d also like to call in on some newsagents. I think the new range of Pocket Money Toys would appeal to them.’

  ‘And how many calls do you make in an average day?’ Sam continued her questioning, an open folder on her lap.

  ‘It varies, depending on which area I’m covering. You have to take into account travel time, but generally I would try to see about seven customers. If I’m in a big town I can see more. There are three independent toy shops, several large chains, and a handful of general retail outlets that buy from us in Bedford town centre alone.’

  Lucy diligently wrote down, ‘Seven calls a day average,’ and then looked up from the notebook, feeling nauseous. She would have to remember the conversations from the car and write them up later or she would make herself travel sick, but she wanted to make sure she gave Sam a full and detailed report.

  J M Toys, their first call, was a large, old-fashioned toy shop with an eclectic window display and an air of tradition and respectability. It had a Hamleys feel about it as you walked in; a wooden train set was set up on a low table for children to play with and an enormous stuffed teddy sat in the far corner of the shop. According to Daniel, the bear had been there since the Seventies when the shop opened.

  There was a high counter on the right and a pretty dark-eyed girl sat behind the till point. Her coal-black cornrows swung from side to side as she talked, the brightly coloured beads clicking as they collided. She recognised Daniel and smiled, picking up the phone to call her boss from the back of the shop.

  Lucy walked over to a display of superhero fancy dress costumes and started to look through them, feeling excited and nervous at the same time.

  ‘Graham is a good bloke. Usually uses us, unless it’s something we can’t supply, like Lego. Carmichael’s offered him the same discounts, but I like to think we have a more personal touch. It’s all about the networking, Lucy.’ Daniel sauntered over to Lucy, as they waited for Graham to appear.

  A bespectacled middle-aged man appeared from a doorway to the right of the till point in an open-neck shirt and green chinos.

  Daniel shook down his cuffs and adjusted his tie. ‘Watch and learn, ladies. Watch and learn.’ And he walked over to the man and gave him a hearty handshake. ‘Graham, how’s the lovely Melanie? The twins must be looking forward to starting secondary school in September. You’ll have to dig out some recent photos. I bet they’ve grown.’

  Graham’s face beamed. ‘They really have. Tommy’s goalkeeper for the under-twelves next season. And I’m back in Melanie’s good books after your idea for our anniversary. Thanks for that – worked a treat.’ He winked at Daniel and then looked over to Sam and Lucy expectantly. Sam was already striding towards the men with her hand outstretched. Lucy lagged back, unsure of her role in all this.

  ‘I have two of Tompkins Toy Wholesaler’s most delightful ladies with me today. This is our extremely competent new general manager Sam Mulligan. And this vision of loveliness is Lucy from the sales office.’

  Graham shook both their hands and steered them to the door marked private at the back of the store. ‘Lucy? Were you the one wh
o sorted out the Hear Me Growl Tyrannosaurus Rex mess a few weeks ago?’

  ‘Yes. Sorry about that.’

  ‘Nonsense. Regardless of where the error was made, you sorted it quickly and without fuss. And it’s not the first time you’ve helped us out of a hole. Keep your eye on this one, Sam,’ and he winked at her. Lucy smiled, stood a little straighter and a little taller.

  ‘Oh, I am,’ said Sam, without the hint of a smile.

  Despite feeling under scrutiny from the ever-watchful Sam, Lucy enjoyed her day. Lunch at a country pub had been on the company, even though she’d been scribbling notes down through most of it. Her respect for Daniel had increased, despite the humming. It seemed his little pranks were not confined to Adam but were weirdly welcomed and even encouraged by some of the customers. Mind you, Lucy was discovering that the people running these toy outlets were little more than big kids themselves. It was a happy section of the retail world, and Daniel, with a trick up his sleeve and a song to woo the ladies, was well liked. And a damn good salesman.

  Standing in the staff car park at half past six, Sam and Lucy watched Daniel pull away.

  ‘You did well today, Lucy,’ said Sam.

  Lucy didn’t feel she’d actually done anything, other than trail around and look interested, but she was pleased to hear Sam’s words.

  ‘I enjoyed it. It’s good to see a different side of the company. It helps me understand how all the departments work. I’ve certainly got more respect for the reps now.’

  Sam nodded. ‘Look, we never did organise that drink.’

  ‘Sorry. I hadn’t forgotten.’ But she was rather hoping Sam had.

  ‘How about grabbing one now? Are you up to anything tonight? If we meet in town, we can both drop our cars home and walk in.’

  ‘On a Tuesday?’

  ‘Yes, Lucy. Let’s live dangerously and have a drink on a work night.’

  ‘Okay, give me an hour, there’s someone I need to pop in on first, and then we can hit the town,’ and she looked down at the locket, thrilled her new boss wanted to spend time with her outside of the work environment, and feeling she could conquer the world.

  Chapter 41

  Sitting in the garden of The King’s Arms, Lucy slipped her mobile back into her pocket as Sam approached the table with a bottle of house red and two wine glasses on a circular metal tray. Unable to persuade Jess to join them, she was entertaining her boss alone. It would have been a terrifying thought only a few short weeks ago, but she was almost looking forward to it.

  ‘Just a small one for me,’ she said, as Sam poured the first glass.

  ‘Sharing a bottle is hardly debaucherous behaviour, Lucy.’

  ‘I’ve recently had a bad experience with alcohol in front of a particularly unimpressed young man. Not my finest hour.’

  ‘And you like him, this man?’

  Lucy grinned, not bothering to deny it. She couldn’t admit the truth of it to Jess, sensing she would somehow be disappointed with her, but with Sam she felt at ease. Despite her authoritative air at work, social Sam was a different beast. Her face was full of smiles and her shoulders were less hunched.

  ‘Ah, I did wonder. You’ve been noticeably perkier at work recently.’

  ‘Have I?’ Lucy didn’t think George had anything to do with her perkiness; she wanted the locket to give her confidence in her work life, more than her love life. Getting herself a boyfriend had only ever been a by-product, although quite an appealing one of late.

  Lucy smiled and placed her hand over the locket.

  Taking a sip of wine and avoiding Sam’s eye, Lucy asked whether she had anyone special in her own life, wondering if Sam would be prepared to share such intimate details with her.

  ‘Not for a long time. And when there was, I put him very low down on my ridiculously long list of priorities. Only appreciated him when he was no longer there. It’s not that I need someone. I can be me and I can be fulfilled without a partner, but I want someone. There’s a subtle difference I didn’t appreciate until recently. So, tell me about your man?’

  ‘Not mine.’

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘No, not yet. But soon.’ Lucy took another sip of the wine and felt it slip down, warming as it went.

  ‘Great attitude. What’s the plan?’

  Resisting the urge to say, ‘Perform a string of dubious spells so the magic of a mysterious Victorian locket can trap the poor sod into falling for me whether he wants to or not,’ she said, ‘Wear him down, I think.’

  ‘Good plan.’ Sam smiled.

  The pair talked about friendships, family, careers and knitting, but Lucy wasn’t quite ready to present Sam with the nativity idea. It was a collaboration with Adam, still in its formative stages, and she wanted to get it right before pitching it. Sam was, however, keen to hear about the Nicely Knitted Celebrities, impressed Lucy had set up the site and how successful it had become, and expressed an interest in ordering a Poldark. Honestly, Lucy thought to herself, I should have called the site Nicely Knitted Poldarks.

  After a pleasant couple of hours at the pub, Lucy walked along the river and back into town, which was her quickest route home. As she headed along the high street, she saw a badly parked car in one of the disabled bays outside the cinema. There was an older lady in a wheelchair and the back of a man bent forward trying his best to untangle the strap of a black leather handbag from the wheels.

  ‘You…twit. I told you not to… Hang it on the back.’ Her speech was slow and deliberate.

  ‘I’m doing my best, Mum,’ the man replied.

  Lucy felt sorry for him as he struggled to lift the wheelchair without tipping out the occupant and wanted to see if there was something she could do.

  ‘Can I help?’ Lucy asked, now level with them.

  The man turned and the blue glow from the neon signage of the cinema caught his face.

  It was Adam.

  The colour drained from his face and his eyes momentarily flashed wide. Realising he couldn’t bluff his way out, he cast his eyes downward. Lucy’s heart went out to him. She didn’t want him to feel embarrassed because he was out with his mother, and thought it sad he never talked about her: whether she lived locally, or even the fact she was in a wheelchair.

  ‘We’re fine. Thank you.’ His response was curt.

  She didn’t want to intrude on his personal life, but the strap detanglement was a two-man job.

  ‘Don’t be…silly, Adam. Let this young girl…help or we’ll be here all…night.’

  ‘Hi, I’m Lucy. I work with Adam.’ She put out her hand to introduce herself and gave the white-haired, rosy-faced old lady her biggest smile.

  ‘Ah, he never talks about work. Nice to…meet you, Lucy. Now…do you think you could help retrieve my handbag? Men make such a…fuss over the simplest of tasks.’

  ‘Of course.’ Lucy tipped the chair forward slightly and Adam was able to liberate the strap.

  ‘I’m not complaining really. He’s a good boy. Not many men his age…would move in with their mother…after a debilitating stroke…and look after them.’

  Chapter 42

  Before Lucy had taken the key from her ignition the following morning, Adam was hovering by the driver’s door and trying to catch her eye. He even lunged to open the car door but thought better of it. Taking a step back, he waited for Lucy to gather her handbag, knitting and lunch, and exit the car in her own time.

  ‘Lucy…’

  ‘Good morning, Adam.’

  ‘About last night…’

  Lucy pressed the button on the key fob and it gave a cheery beep.

  ‘I mean,’ he continued, ‘our private lives should stay that way, don’t you think?’

  Lucy took a deep breath, pulled her sunglasses down from the top of her head to rest on her nose and swung her handbag over her shoulder. She stood in front of Adam and bowed her head slightly to peer over the rim of the sunglasses. She wanted to make sure he was listening.

  ‘I totally agree.
I wouldn’t dream of discussing your personal life with other people, but would expect you to extend me the same courtesy. I wouldn’t tell people if you’d accidentally administered something to a friend and had to drive him to A&E. Or gossip if you’d been caught in an embarrassing situation in the stationery cupboard that was not your fault…’

  Adam swallowed hard. ‘Ah, yes, see your point. Unforgiveable. I hope you won’t hold my indiscretions against me?’

  ‘Of course not, but I would like to discuss a couple of other things whilst I’ve got your attention. I don’t like being the one sent down to the Tardis to do the photocopying all the time,’ she said.

  ‘No, well, Pat could do that. Or Connor. Seems unfair that it’s always the new girl, eh?’

  ‘And perhaps it would be a good idea to let Sam know it was my idea to split the ClickIn order up to get it done in time? I hope you aren’t going to take all the credit if the nativity idea comes off as well?’

  ‘Of course not. I was just trying to demonstrate we were a team and all that. But you’re right: I’ll mention how it was you who took charge of the order and how we’ve worked together with this idea to get the company publicity. Perhaps we can talk about it some more, polish it up and present it together.’

  Her slightly raised shoulders slumped slightly and she gave him a genuine smile.

  ‘Thank you. And as for your mother – I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you opened up to people at work. You are doing such a kind and thoughtful thing and it can’t be easy.’ She thought about her own situation and how the coming months would only get more difficult with Brenda’s care. ‘I really admire you,’ and she reached out a hand to touch his arm and then walked towards the office, without any rolling, flipping or handstands in her stomach at all.

  It was an important day and Lucy wanted to be taken seriously. She chose clothes that made her feel confident but that were businesslike, and took time over her hair and her make-up. Mr Tompkins arranged to see her first thing to talk about her idea for the wine promotion. She slid into her chair, unaware of the admiring glances from her colleagues. Connor ran his hand nervously through his hair. He had a girlfriend but it clearly didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate a good-looking woman when she was in his vicinity.