Steve’s Year

Chapter 2

Eloise

Revision 20

Contents

Back to School                                                                                                 3

Weekend at Steve’s                                                                                        69

A Degree?                                                                                                    124

Holly’s History Lesson                                                                                  159

Meltdown                                                                                                     188

Danni’s Weekend                                                                                         226

Oxy What?                                                                                                   255

The Show Must Go On                                                                                  272

End of Chapter 2 - Eloise                                                                              298

Back to School

1st September

And now for Steve there was time for at least one or two reflective moments. 

Where had the summer gone? But the state of the company was something more tangible that he should resolve. The recent personnel issues which were important to individuals were also an indicator that the company was not fully effective. Face it Steve, you've not set this up the way you want it. Sure, it was operational. Products flowed out of Production, and money flowed into the bank. But it was ticking one step at a time. Tick -problem, tock - solution, tick - problem, tock - solution, whereas it should be humming with continuous confidence. Getting Components working was what had taken the time, but how could he ever have delegated that? He hadn't known how to do it so he couldn’t define it. He hadn't had the time to find someone who did. It was, he concluded, the best option and the decisions were taken based on the information available at the time. What else could he have done? - give up, close down and go home? And home! Yes, his new house. That had been another roller coaster, but that was going to be ok, hopefully soon. And Geneviève had been right - he hadn't had time to take a holiday. The new house would give her the base she needed. She could have friends round. Maybe they could stay over. And she had got so interested in so many new things - trees, boundaries, car mechanics, driving, and she hadn't even started on the major project of 'her' house hidden in the forest.

He gazed out of the window watching the activity on the apron. Another 20 ton arrival manoeuvring towards the warehouse. Another delivery van heading out of the gate, hopefully with an invoice in hot pursuit. Sally walking towards him in the old building with a tray of coffee from the cafe, presumably another sale in progress. Why wasn't there a coffee machine in that meeting room? And who were all these people that Terry seemed to have acquired in Logistics scurrying around like ants. They must be temps running off headcount. But if they were needed, then they should be permanent and on the structure, not snuck in under the radar to keep the show on the road. 

He heard a quiet clink behind him and turned to see that Ruth had appeared sometime, but he wasn't sure how long she'd been there. He turned towards her with a broadening smile 

“You are definitely a candidate for the most gorgeous girl in the world” 

“Steve, it's only a cup of coffee. Oh, and a biscuit” 

“Talking of coffee, can you make a note to get a coffee machine for that small sales meeting room on the ground floor. Or better still, ask Sally to get one” 

But it wasn't just coffee. Or even coffee and biscuit. It was this kind of pro-active support at every step that had made all this possible. She didn’t wait until she was asked. She thought about it and usually was right.

And now the summer holidays were coming to an end. They hadn't been away, and it was back to school for Geneviève for another year. But at least she got her holiday in the Ardeche at summer half term.

He found that he’d finished his coffee and wandered out to the warehouse avoiding what looked like a mass migration of stock from or maybe into it. 

“It's to maximise Si and Luke's time, Steve. They're the experts in this stuff, so I've got these guys picking off the shelves and carrying over to maintenance and packing and unpacking so that they can concentrate on the technical bits” 

“Do you have any budget for all this, Terry?” 

“I think we’re ok on that. At least Cheryl thinks so. This stock has been here for years and Cheryl's been writing it down. Most of it is in the books at zero value, but once it gets checked out as working and still useful, then it can go back into stock at a value and that compensates for the cost of the staff. The real value is that we know that what we've got actually works. The rest of this stuff is from Components. Supplying dodgy sub-assemblies to those guys causes quite some friction, they're very sensitive about their throughput and I don't like getting blamed for their failure rate at Jacks QA”

This didn’t sound quite right to Steve, but he wasn’t sure which bit of it he disagreed with most and until he did, he wasn’t going to argue.

School was actually a light relief for Geneviève. She’d got so much into her car renovation that she’d hardly spent any time in ‘her’ house preferring instead to stay in the workshop. All her activity in the wood was so much fun and there was so much that could be done with the responsibility of establishing the boundaries making her feel so grown up. But no. Welding, greasing, bolt replacement all took priority.

Except for later in the evening, now that there was space for her piano. Oh! and what a piano! Steve had always said he’d buy a proper piano when they had enough space for it and now, oh look at it. This new, professional standard instrument seemed to make her sound so much better almost overnight and she resolved to play it every single day despite everything else. She found it relaxing if she played something she knew, and wind-down time before bed was ideal.

She hadn’t paid too much attention to the news that Brook Bridge Comprehensive School had burned down during the holidays, but now in assembly it seemed the whole of that school was jammed in here as well. But this Engineering Project competition that Julie Edwards was explaining sounded right up her street, although she suddenly realised, she had no idea how she’d fit that in as well. Julie was one of the more popular teachers, but she gave them no comfort in her invitation to an after school meeting on Thursday.

“But” she was saying “I have been informed that certain undesirable characters are likely to be loitering at the park gate, and I strongly recommend that you are met by a parent or guardian if you are leaving the premises later than the normal time”

The room was already rammed when she got there. Mostly boys, and some of them she knew, but that was to be expected

“Quickly everybody. Just find a seat and sit down. There’ll be an opportunity in a few minutes to get yourselves into teams”

But the general view was to ignore that idea with people milling around as they arranged themselves looking for missing team-mates. Geneviève moved with the crowd until she was at the far widow and another mass movement saw her sitting down rather involuntarily. The girl she nearly sat on gave her a wide smile and a small shrug, but Mrs Edwards was trying to get started.

The competition was open to teams of no more than four and the subject was ‘Flight’. No more restrictive, just ‘Flight’. They had about ten weeks, and the prize for the winners would be fifty pounds. The girl next to her let out a short gasp as the number was announced, but Geneviève’s angle was it just sounded like another fun chance to focus on something practical.

“Now, I know that some of you are not in teams already, so now is your opportunity. Then we’ll register the teams and participants and then I’ll see as many of you as want to in the metalwork lab next Tuesday which will give you access to equipment that you may not all have at home”

The groups already formed lined up for registration and Geneviève turned to the girl next to her

“Are you in a group already?”

“No”

“Me neither”

They deferred registration and instead adjourned to Yossas café at Geneviève’s invitation to discuss a few ideas.

Holly had been sent here from Brook Bridge and while she knew quite a few of the folk from Bridge, they were mainly folk she’d rather avoid. But she and Geneviève laughed a lot and bounced around some ideas for their project and quickly found that they had just clicked in together and seemed to have a shared sense of fun. 

That Saturday, Geneviève  found her way over to Hollys little terraced house in Morgan Terrace

“Sorry its so small, but it keeps the heating bills down”

“Its ok. It’s the same size as our house in Station Road. Except we’re supposed to have moved. Trouble is there seems to be some doubt about whether we’ve actually bought the house or not. So we might have to come back. Its all rather fraught”  

“I’ll not talk about it then. I don’t want to upset you”

Instead they drew some diagrams and the concept started to morph into a possibility.  

[cue She’s Got the Love by Khymera]

But Steve was concerned about the warning Mrs Edwards had given. If there were rogues and villains hanging around, why not do something about it? But he decided he’d rather not take the risk and resolved to meet Geneviève from school for a few days and then maybe just on the days she’d be out late. This return to the school term all seemed so straightforward and reintroduced a certain stability that was conspicuous by its absence at both his Riverside and his Central sites. But a short discussion with Ruth was all it took to make that space in his diary.

“Was that your dad here yesterday? Holly was asking. He seems like a nice guy” 

“Yes, and he is. He's a great dad.” 

“Hmmm. Wish I had a dad” 

“Haven't you got one then?”

“No, But sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. Like, I don’t talk about it”

“I’m sorry. But Holly, you could tell me, if you wanted to”

Holly shrugged. She’d been wanting to tell someone about it but had never had the confidence that it would stay confidential.

“He left. Don't know why. It was a couple of years ago now. But! Oh. Geneviève. You mustn't tell anyone. It's not you know, a public subject” 

“That's ok. Secrets safe with me. But sometimes things like that – they just help you to understand someone. And if you share something like this it helps you cos you know you’ll be able to talk about it in the future if you need to” 

The following day panned out like a replay. Holly got to the gate first, and retreated back into the playground. Steve arrived, and Holly decided that that was safety enough. 

“Hi”

“Hello. Are you waiting for your mum” 

“Yes. Geneviève will be along in a minute. I saw her in the corridor, don’t know where she's got to” 

“Is this your mum now?” he asked as Eloise and Geneviève arrived at the same time from different directions.

“Have you girls decided on what you're going to build yet?” asked Steve. 

“Yes I think so. We've got a design. We just need to build it now. But we're not telling anyone what it is in case they pinch our ideas. But we're definitely working together on it.” 

“Well maybe you should meet my dad. He's an engineer”

The introductions were made quickly as Holly veered off at a tangent

“…And oh, Geneviève just before I forget. You know that tube we need, the fat one. Well I found one. It's just lying around doing nothing, so I think I'll collect it tomorrow and we can build round it” 

With the two girls now engrossed again, Steve had taken a step towards Eloise 

“They seem to be sorting this out very well, all on their own. That's good.” 

“Yes, but from what Holly tells me there’s a huge amount of work to do” 

“Yes, they'll be spending a fair bit if time together” 

“They won't mind that. They seem to have become best friends already” 

“So maybe we could spend some time together too?” 

“Pardon?” 

“With the girls expecting to spend a lot of time together, I thought it might help if we knew each other a bit better too. I was thinking you might like to have dinner with me tomorrow evening?” 

There was not too long a pause before Eloise broke into a smile 

“I'd love to. But what about the girls?” 

“Maybe I could bring Geneviève over to your house, and you set up a baby sitter. And then I'll take her home when I drop you off. Or they could stay on their own if you think they’d be ok together. You sort out that end of it and I'll sort out dinner, Ok? 7 o'clock?”

Interlude       -

When you look around the room

Do you see who’s in the mirror?

The one to break an offered heart

Invited out to dinner

Dave 2019

Following the initial panic, Eloise was ready early and was watching out the window, waiting. Her road was narrow. None of the houses were far enough from the road to have driveways and once there were cars parked both sides, there was only room for one down the middle. She watched as the car pulled up outside, and Geneviève jumped out but there was someone behind him. She headed for the front door as Steve disappeared down the road. 

“He'll be back round in two minutes” Geneviève had said and sure enough Eloise stepped onto the pavement just as he pulled up again. 

“Thought we'd stay quite local. I've booked a table at the Cricketers. Hope that's ok” 

“Yes, that's great. Its ages since I've been to the Cricketers. Probably a couple of years ago. Actually, I think I’ve only been there once” 

“Ok, if it's no good we can always just grab some fish and chips and find a park bench to sit on. Like you, I haven’t been there for a while, Oh at least nine months. It's under new management. It was just about to change last time I was there, so I thought I'd let it settle down a bit” 

But it was not as either of them remembered it. The space was cramped due to the number of tables even though there were only a few people there. They were placed on the next table to a loud plus sized couple already well into their second bottle of wine.

 “Perhaps” Steve suggested “they're both deaf and that's why they need to speak so loudly” he whispered. But in addition to that there was a continual banging and crashing of pots and pans overplayed by the thumping beat of something more tribal than melodious pounding out of a sub-woofer in the kitchen and overpowering the underpowered tweeters playing something romantically unheard front of house. 

In order to hear each other they needed to get close up across the table and eventually Steve simply moved round to sit next to her. Personal conversation was interspersed with marginal comments on this other couples conversation. But it made them both laugh and the evening zoomed by. 

Neither of them wanted to be late, and the drive back was quite short. He stopped outside her door 

“If you agree to come out with me again next week, I promise I'll find a quieter restaurant” 

She broke in a broad relaxed smile

“I'd love to” 

[cue Out of My Mind by St Etienne]

Tuesday afternoon after school and Holly and Geneviève headed for the park. They’d done some work on the tube that Holly had acquired, and planted it in the ground in the middle of the east side grassy area. This was away from the main park although they could still hear the boys playing football. Geneviève unpacked her two bags of powder, and Holly produced a small capsule made out of two yogurt pots glued together and painted with portholes and an astronaut peering out of one of them. 

Geneviève commented that it was well cute as Holly placed it down the top of the tube. 

“Now all we need to do is light the fuse, stand back, and viola, our space capsule launcher is complete. That should count as something that flies for Julie”

There was a hesitant fizzing before the smallest of pauses and “KA-BOOM!!”

Holly shrieked and shielded her face turning away as a storm of earth and small stones pebble dashed her body. The fiery remains of the plastic tube still well alight landed on her dress partly melting the side of her skirt before she flicked it off in a panic. Geneviève had turned away as the shower came her way and now turned back to see Holly still partly alight and her skirt already suffering terminal damage as the material smouldered defiantly.

“I think” suggested Geneviève quickly “that we should be somewhere else right now” and they disappeared out through the east gate just as some inquisitive footballers appeared from around the trees. 

Back at Holly’s house, Geneviève tidied up the minor damage to Holly’s leg and her hand where she’d whacked the burning tube off her dress, and they surveyed the remains of her school uniform. 

“Maybe I could take it in to sewing class as a project” she suggested helpfully to her mum later that evening

“Oh, Holly. That was new only two weeks ago for you at Long Meadow. Whatever have you been up to now?”

“Its just part of our engineering project….”   

But her mum was not happy, even when she explained that Geneviève had a spare dress at home which was too short for her, but as Holly wasn’t as tall, it should be ok.

Old Goofer was the gate monitor and wasn’t at all impressed with Holly’s even shorter floral pattern that was as far as it could possibly be from regulation uniform that she wore in to school the next day

“Holly! What are you wearing?”

“A dress sir”

“Why?”

“To cover up my underwear, Sir  – although sitting next to Des Warwick in Geography I sometimes wonder why I bother”

“Holly! Go home now. And get changed”

“Sorry sir. There’s no point. I accidentally set fire to my school skirt yesterday. But I’ve got a new one meeting me here in English, so I’ll be ok after third period. Sorry, gotta rush or I’ll miss registration. Then I really will be in trouble”

“As if you weren’t already. Report to my office at lunch break”

“I’m glad to see you’re properly dressed, although I suspect its marginal on length” as she tried to stretch it downwards just enough 

“Set fire to it, you said. I think that requires a little expansion. Not smoking were you?”

“No sir. It wasn’t planned that way. Its just the rocket launcher we were building just exploded”

“The what?”    

“Rocket launcher, sir. Its supposed to launch our space capsule. I don’t know why it failed yet. I’m hoping for better luck next time”

“And perhaps you could keep your school uniform out of the way. Or maybe build something more reliable than rocket science”

“I don’t think I should take my dress off on the way home. That might just cause more interest, and then someone else might get hurt if we get it wrong again”

“Holly! You should certainly not run around the streets improperly dressed. And you should refrain from making incendiary devices of any kind. Now off you go before you miss the bell”

She caught up with Geneviève in Yossa’s caff after school where Holly explained that apart from her mum being less than pleased and Old Goofer instructing her not to remake the device, the main issue was that the fat plastic tube had melted.

“And I guess your dad went a bit open loop as well” 

“As much as he ever does, so no not really. I took him back to the park to have a look. But maybe we do need to go back to the drawing board.”

They were no farther forward when Thursday evening zipped in and Steve managed to park nearby. 

“Mum will only be a few minutes” Holly said as she answered the door, “come on in. I’d offer you a drink – except we haven’t got any” 

“No problem, Holly. And its good to see you’re still in one piece. That’s an impressive crater in the park. It looks as if a meteorite might have landed there”

“Thanks Mr Bergstrom. That’s what we’ll tell folks if we ever get asked about it”

“The issue you’ve got, Holly, is that you’re missing a few vital components. In particular you need a base. Otherwise when your fuel ignites it all leaks out around the end and gives you the effect you had. Think about the difference between your design and a cannon”

“Oh yes. That’s what we should have been making in the first place”

“I don’t think so darling. I really don’t think you should try this again” said Eloise appearing from the staircase.

“I have to agree with your mum. What you two actually managed to make was a bomb. And you really need to stand a lot farther away if you’re going to set off bombs in the park. Geneviève, I really can’t recommend it”

“No, daddy. We decided we’d go back to the drawing board. Although…” she said looking considerate “…Really, it was quite successful. As a bomb”

Steve turned the car south and headed at some speed onto the bypass and then out on the coast road. They talked about the ‘bomb’ incident and while Eloise was more concerned that Holly had come so close to serious injury, she was also concerned that Steve didn’t seem to have exploded at Geneviève.

“Oh, Eloise. They both know not to do this again. I think its shaken them both up. And I’ve said they must discuss the new project with you or me or even both of us. I can’t see any benefit in going ape now. The battle’s already won”

“Well, there’s no such excitement in the store this week” Eloise was saying as she related the few points of interest at her work, until they pulled off the narrow sea bound lane up the side of the Smuggler’s Inn and stopped abruptly at the gate

“Oh no! Maybe its closed” she suggested. But Steve gave his name into the gatepost microphone and they were in

“They’re so fed up with day trippers just parking here and walking off to the beach that they sealed it up. You need a reservation to get in now. And they charge a deposit so those same offenders don’t waste table bookings as well. Maybe they should just not let people out!”

As promised the restaurant was quiet. And it was also candlelit. And romantic. And expensive. Eloise felt her sensibility melting away as she gazed at the dessert.

“Oh Steve, look at it. It should be hung on a wall, not served on a plate!”
 “Surely not” he replied flatly “It would surely melt, drip off and make a big mess all over the floor”

With some time left, they walked down to the rocky cove. And she rested her head gently on his shoulder with his arm squeezing them closer together on the return.

Steve tried diplomatically to raise the subject of her husband as they drove back. But clearly the hints were too diplomatic and all he found out was that she hadn’t seen him for over two years as she changed the subject back to the girls’ project

“You will help them, won’t you Steve. Its your thing isn’t it”
 “I’ll do what I can, but aerospace isn’t my thing. I’m much more down to earth making sausage machines”

The girls were virtually asleep together on the settee as they got back. Impulsively Steve pulled her in closer “And two very sleepy little girls” he whispered as he scooped Geneviève up and carried her out to the car, which also meant that there wasn’t the opportunity to say goodnight as they might have liked.

Cue The Barber’s Guitar by Jimmy Thackery

 Next morning she was flustered at breakfast. 

“We didn’t really get the chance” she said in response to Holly’s direct questioning

“I’m sure he’ll be picking Geneviève up on Tuesday” she said hoping to cheer her up.

And it didn’t get any better at the store when Brenda said there’d been a phone call for her, but they couldn’t find her.
 “No, I was in accounts – did they leave a number?”

“No, seemed to be all in a rush at that end” 

Eloise successfully hid her excitement. And found herself being continually distracted by replays of the evening. She’d never been to the Smugglers. She’d never been to such a plush restaurant. She’d never been to one with a gated car park. And she’d never felt so dizzy that her head was acting like a helium balloon to help her float across the floor as she did when she was with Steve. And that was a worry. However would she cope when it all ended?

There was no less excitement the next Thursday than the previous one or the one before that. She ‘borrowed’ a new dress from the store and felt wonderfully encouraged. Holly shared her excitement and together they built up the event.

She watched for Steve’s car from her window, ready to rush out as he appeared so that he could stop and not hold up any other traffic, or at least that was her excuse for behaving like a 17 year old.

They drove inland this time in contrast to the Smugglers last week. 

The Mill Pond Inn was a restaurant she’d only ever heard of. It was too up-market for her to have actually been there. Its not that Nick, in his day, had been short of money. On the contrary, he was paid a good salary. Its just that fine dining simply wasn’t on his menu. But now the whole opulence of the Inn – the ante-room overlooking the pond itself, the mill wheel turning behind an open mesh cage on the far wall, the widely spaced tables in the dining room overlooking the valley, tables discretely interspersed with giant pot plants, gentle candlelight and more waiters than customers. And Steve. It was all so far removed from the daily life that she’d become used to - checking every penny, checking utility usage, skimping and saving to pay off whatever expense Nick came up with next from somewhere unknown in the Far East. It made her forget that side of everything and lose herself in dreams of what life might have been like.

[cue Histoire Idéale by Rose]

And the delight of just being with Steve. The walk after dinner along the side of the leat to where it escaped from the stream was magical. The unexpected kiss by the waterfall that tried to say a lot more than thankyou for having dinner with me. 

“A week ago I wasn’t sure you wanted to make this date” he said quietly “and now I've had such a wonderful time tonight”

“I'm just a little scared” she offered in apology “I’m just not used to going out with guys”

But that was just a loose disguise for the elation of the increasing possibility that this whole affair could just continue next week and ….

And then, still buzzing she’d float in to her house again and exchange places with Geneviève who would be up late if she wanted to play any short pieces before bedtime which was already overdue for a school day.

Holly was almost asleep on the settee, but managed to produce a Cheshire cat grin when she sat down beside her.

But the next morning the fairy tale was over and it was back to her precarious position over the financial barrel imposed by her absent husband in a cartel with an unsympathetic bank making sure she suffered as much as was mentally possible.

She cried on her way in to work. It was so unfair. It shouldn’t be like this and the dualism was overpowering her.

[cue Black and Blue by The Secret Sisters]

The next week, Steve had left Geneviève at home on her own. Holly had been invited to stay with her friend Alison at a birthday sleepover and Steve had thought he’d take advantage of this to relieve the time pressure

It had been a good evening. The restaurant was good, if rather pricey, but it was set in its own grounds. They were thinking about leaving when the band started playing soft rock at a low volume from their perch in the far corner. It was too good an opportunity for Steve to miss and Eloise pressed herself close in to him for their entire half hour on the dance floor. The longer walk around the manicured lawn added another dimension to the evening but now Eloise seemed to have become rather distant and he hardly noticed the formal garden as they approached the car. He held her hand, but she seemed reluctant to do anything more intimate despite the progress the previous week. 

He'd asked her twice what was needling her, but without any sort of definitive answer he decided that any farther pressure was probably unwanted. 

He beamed over as they stopped outside her front door. 

“Thursday?” he asked almost rhetorically. As he expected the usual tap kiss. But instead she moved back “No. Steve, I .. I can't” 

“Eloise? Why?”          

“No, Steve. I can't. I just can't” 

She quickly opened the car door and scurried towards her front door. Completely stunned Steve drove home on autopilot and drifted upstairs. Geneviève was asleep but he slipped his arms around her anyway. She started to wake up

“Daddy?” she called softly, and then a bit more awake “Daddy! Are you all right?” 

He hugged her as hard as he could “Oh my, at least I've still got my precious Geneviève” 

Now she was struck by the realisation and slipped her delicate arms around him even though she felt he was squeezing the life out of her 

“Oh, Daddy. What’s happened? She hasn't? Has she?.. .. Why?” 

“Darling, I have no idea” he whispered as they shared a tear. “I have absolutely no idea.

Steve made it into the office the next day but had some difficulty settling down at his desk. He wrote of few notes about Components and his update on the likely timeline for hitting full quality targets and production but left it incomplete to take a walk around the site. Ruth had brought him coffee earlier, but had decided to leave him alone with whatever it was he was thinking about as it clearly didn’t include her. She caught up on her own work and even found time to double check the diary. There was a lot going on. Components was not making the expected progress. It wasn’t helped by the lack of a general manager to take charge of the day to day running, but Steve was reluctant to hire anyone. The balance was critical and there was still a strong memory of the old Cave Brothers issues. But he also knew that he couldn’t give it full time attention. The quality of output was improving, Jack was making sure of that. But production rates were unsustainably low and simply getting everything done more quickly was proving to be an uphill struggle. Lisa was doing a good job. Nominally in charge, she would have preferred to be running Finance. But the challenge was there and she wasn’t seen as a threat or an adversary by the production workforce and that was the compromise Steve was trying to keep. Sure, she wanted him to spend more time there and take more direct control, but Steve reckoned he could see a better picture from an increased distance. So he held a clear view of the future plans and direction and timing without the picture being blurred by the day to day detail, while she made sure that the whole operation continued to work.

Steve wandered around the Riverside site looking for improvements to make and eventually ended up in R&D. It was largely deserted with Luke and Simon mending ex Cave Brothers stepper motors. 

But this too was unsustainable. Without that motor they would need a full re-design and that would take 6 months. They needed a more modern range. But the existing products were selling well, they were reliable and there were no surprises in production which is the way Gerry liked it. 

Steve made it through till about 4 o’clock and decided to throw in the towel. He also had a little girl to look after, he reminded himself. And Ruth was only too pleased to get an early release for the weekend.

Saturday morning was marginally more upbeat. It was his birthday and Geneviève had a card for him – and a 25 year old bottle of malt. There was a card in the post from his next door neighbour in Station Road and a large envelope from the Land Registry.

He was determined to spend most of the day with Geneviève, and she seemed to tune in to his disappointment over Eloise. The morning disappeared as he helped her with her car showing her a number of techniques for persuading recalcitrant parts to co-operate. Lunch was quiet, and then they poured through the details of the property registration. That at least was something and the house was now officially theirs. All Steve had to do now was contact Previn and check that he still wanted the money transferred to the same numbered Swiss account. 

“And I’ve got a special dinner planned for us. And you can help me cook it if you like!”

“Of course I will. At least, I’ve still got you”

“You’ll always have me, daddy” she said oh so much more seriously than Steve would ever have expected.

Monday morning, Steve was unusually quiet, but Ruth didn’t press him too hard on why and tried hard not to speculate, instead looking for an opportunity to help, like being even more selective at sifting out calls she thought he wouldn’t want, delivering extra cups of coffee, unexpected biscuits and delaying unnecessary visitors.

Steve had dropped back into thinking intensly about his work the way he always had when he was seriously upset. Having checked that there were no major issues, he turned his attention to the obvious gaps in his organisation structure and pencilled in some names. Then it was over to see Gerry 

That at least was successful. Gerry was thinking on the same lines regarding R&D, and Steve had a reasonably clear idea for a new range of equipment that would expand the company. Gerry quickly came up with a few names to run an initial design exercise and that was that. The new initiative was underway. Reminder to self. Get Ruth to put it on the agenda for the next Board meeting.

That evening he helped Geneviève with her car again until she broke off to play her piano and he turned his attention to the probable problems with his new designs.

Gerry bundled into his office early the next morning more than compensating for Steve’s diminished enthusiasm. He’d had a long chat with Trevor and had arranged that he start in two weeks’ time at the end of his current contract.

Trevor would do the initial designs based on Steve’s ideas. The plan was that these would be completed by Christmas but during that time they’d all get a better idea of how the detailed design should be completed and the production line created. This may not be Trevor’s speciality, but clearly the continuity would be useful if he looked like a likely candidate.  He had a little girl to look after as well, he reminded himself. And Ruth was only too pleased to accept an early exit.

But the activity had not gone unnoticed by Jacqui in HR. The R&D department had been on the organisation chart for years and had been allocated a budget each year, but right now there were no names. Jason’s job was ‘production line improvement’ and while that constituted some product development and some research, he wasn’t involved in anything as extreme as new products. 

Jacqui’s niece had just finished her Engineering degree and was looking for a product development job. She was over the moon to be invited for interview and Juliette checked out her initial qualifications, experience and paperwork. Next stop for her was Gerry. His view was that by getting in more people, there was more chance that the department would get established and actually come up with something tangible. As if Components wasn’t enough to be going on with as Matt had commented at the management meeting. But he also knew that new products were needed and that the previous attempt had been a miserable failure. And he also knew that if he didn’t support the initiative he’d clash head on with Steve. And anyway, this was different. This was Steve, and Steve was so much more in touch with reality and what the technical issues would be. And not just that, but Steve was staying out of the recruitment side of this. He was leaving that to Gerry. Steve’s contribution would be as needed on the technical side without interfering on the personnel side. And right now he didn’t feel his input was strictly needed at all. If Gerry was going to run this new department with its risky new initiative, then he should be responsible for getting the right people to do it.

And by the end of the day, the R&D department had doubled in size. 

Gerry’s justification was that it would give time for Amelia to become familiar with the existing range and the specific issues that would be encountered in the new venture.

What Gerry had not thought through was who was going to be available to help Amelia understand the company, the product range and the existing issues and she found herself in the workshop with Luke and Simon whose full time activity was mending things. 

Steve rescued her for a brief interview on day three to introduce her to the structure of the company and the attitude and behaviour that was expected. This came as something of a shock to her. Following her relatively specialised degree course she was expecting a specialist job, but here was the CEO saying that flexibility was key. Just because it wasn’t in her job spec was no reason not to do it – whatever it was. And Amelia was not happy. 

And this situation only got worse when Trevor arrived the following week. 

Ruth collected him at the gatehouse and Steve explained the situation. A new range was needed and Steve spread several diagrams out on his table just to give him a view of what he had in mind. The assignment seemed to be what Trevor was expecting, and these diagrams came as a pleasant bonus giving him a head start. The downside was that there was essentially no support team and he was hardly impressed with Amelia as she knew nothing of the existing product range, very little about the company and less than nothing about the expected new range.

He was intense and would have been thoughtful if he had been able to focus on people rather than his need to produce a prototype and channelled Amelia into being useful even if her technical expertise was underutilised. But for Amelia, it was a job, and that at least was a start.

Overall Trevor seemed unperturbed and quickly picked up a good idea of what he was supposed to be doing. Steve parked him in the maintenance building that he had already earmarked for R & D and suggested to Jason that as a by-product of the task they could work out how the existing product line could be adapted to reduce the reliance on the specialised ex Cave Brother’s components.

It was Tuesday afternoon and Ruth was in Steve’s office when she picked up the phone

“Hold on. I’ll just transfer you Geneviève. Steve, it could be your daughter but she’s asking for Mr Bergstrom. She normally asks for daddy. But I think she’s crying.”

Steve picked up the handset.

“Geneviève?”

“Mr Bergstrom. Its Holly”

“Holly! What’s up, has something happened to Geneviève?”

“No, no she’s fine. It’s me. I’m in trouble, big, big trouble, and I need someone to help me”

“Ok Holly, now let’s just take a second and hold back some of these tears”

“Will you help me, please. Please Mr Bergstrom, you must. You must help me” 

“Ok, Ok. Ok. But you need to tell me about it”

“I can’t, not right now”

“Ok I’ll meet you at Yossa’s café after school”

“No. No At the school gate. And don’t be late”

Steve hung up the phone and looked back at Ruth. 

“Ok” She said with a sigh of resignation “Change of plan?”

“Yeah” breathed Steve. “Just push the Ops meeting back to 5”

“They won’t be happy” warned Ruth

“No? Well just remind them we’re not running a friggin’ democracy around here”

There was a group of older boys hanging around the gate when Steve got there. He did wonder how they managed to get out ahead of everyone else, but that was nothing to do with him, and Holly appeared, hurrying across the playground. 

“Hey Holly”

“Can’t stop” Holly replied without breaking step. 

“But Holly, you owe us. Today. An’ I’ve got you more stuff too”

“I don’t want it” she called without turning to look, and very quickly added “Hi Daddy” so loudly that everyone could hear.

Holly all but jumped into Steve’s open arms, and they walked off quickly as he held a protective arm round her.

There were new tears in Holly’s eyes as she sat down with her coffee and a giant donut.

Steve, looked across the table at her with his eyes asking for an explanation.

“Please don’t be cross, I just need you to help me.”

“Me? Have you asked your mum?”

She just shook her head 

“Mummy’s just a wreck. She does nothing but cry. I even make the dinner because she just…. well, just can’t”

“That’s bad. That’s really bad” 

But Steve resolved not to dwell on it, at least not right then.

“Ok!” he said more cheerfully, “what sort of trouble have you managed to land yourself in?”

Holly gazed at the table. 

“I..” she started, but then stumbled over the next words “ .. I think.. I think I . Oh I don’t know where to start!”

“Ok, so maybe its something to do with these guys at the gate? The one who called to you?”

She nodded.

“Ok, so what business are they in?” although he had a good idea already with the mention of more stuff. “Maybe they’re supplying weed?”

She nodded again “but its not just that”

“Ok, so you start at the beginning and we’ll follow the story to the problem”

She was taken slightly aback by the encouraging tone, and was relieved that it wasn’t an outright admonishment. 

She hushed her voice to a soft whisper, nodded, and took a deep breath.

“The last time mummy was out with you, - well, the next day after that, she got back from work and she just burst into tears. I didn’t know what to do. I tried. I made a cup of tea. And I gave her a cuddle. And I made some dinner but she didn’t eat it. Mr Bergstrom, I tried but nothing worked. I couldn’t help her. She went to work the next day, and the same thing happened that evening. And the next Monday. I couldn’t take it. I got all messed up.”

She paused gasping for breath before continuing “Those boys by the gate… They pretend to be your friend, especially if you’re wound up or freaked out or anything. They invite you down to the park where they hand out stuff. They’ve got a big supply of weed and they hand it out to everyone. Even if you don’t take it you get affected by the smoke anyway and its all like a big happy party – to start with. Well, once everyone is high enough, the guys… well they do what they want with any of the girls that’s, you know, out of it”

“So, you think you might be pregnant?”

Holly was shocked “No! No, it never got that far away. No, the thing is, the weed isn’t free” 

“I thought you just mentioned the payment method?”

“No, its £2 a stripe, and they give you time to pay. But then you build up a big debt and they don’t let you off”

“So what do they do?” Steve asked slowly becoming increasingly fearful of the answer

“They take you along to where there’s a big car parked at the other side of the park. And you have to, you know, … do it, with a friend of theirs”

“Except it isn’t actually a friend of theirs, is it”

“I don’t know. I’ve not been there. At least not yet. But that’s what’s next. Unless I run away or hide or something”

She looked up and across the table at him with her big pale blue watery eyes

“So, what do we need to do?”

“Can you take me away somewhere? Maybe you could hide me at your house cos they know where I live”

“Can’t you just pay them off? I mean, how much do you owe them?”

“But it’s huge! I haven’t got that kind of money. I actually don’t have any money at all”
 “So how much is it?”

“About £30”

“Ooh babe, that’s quite a lot of weed! Not much coke or acid really, but quite a lot of weed”

She shook her head. “Its not that much, Its nearly all interest. Its 20% a day”

“Ouch, that’s a lot”

“Yes. And that’s what catches everyone out. You think you’ve got time to find the money and by the time you do, its doubled”

“That is a lot of money babe”

“I know, but mummy won’t be able to find that anywhere. I .. I asked Genny what to do. She told me to phone you”

“Well, Geneviève was right. But that’s more money than I normally carry about. We’ll have to work out how much you owe”

“They might not accept it. Its overdue and I know they want me to…” she lowered her voice “…its making me feel sick thinking about it”

“Is that why you’ve got your legs crossed?”
 “That’s not funny! It was only 2 quid when I started, It would only have been £2.40 the next day, and now....” she collapsed into gasping for breath

“But at least I’ve told someone – even if..”

“Look, you said it was about 30, yes. And 2 when you started. When did it start?”

“Before half term”

“Which day”

“Tuesday”

“Ok, at 20%, that’s 25, but it will be over 30 tomorrow. Oh Holly!”

“Maybe.. maybe I could pay the penalty with you.. if you gave me the money?”

“Holly! Don’t go saying things like that. You’ll get us both arrested” he hissed at her

“Sorry, I just…”

“Ok. On the way home I’ll get to the cashpoint and get some money. I’ll give it to Geneviève in the morning. Then you go and pay these guys off. Ok?”

“Oh, really? Oh! Thankyou. I’ll pay you back… somehow. I will… promise”

“No, No you won’t. You don’t need to. And I don’t want you worrying about that instead. But there is a price”

“What? What do I have to do? I’ll do anything you want me to” she asked rising to a panic

“Its not what you’re thinking. That sort of stuff is unacceptable in our society. Its ok in some cultures and countries but not here, so don’t worry about it. What you have to do is promise to be more careful, and to stay off the weed”

She smiled “I can do that. At least, I can for you”     

“Did you say your mum wouldn’t be able to help you?”

“No, apart from being a wreck, we haven’t got any money. Not a penny. Not even sure we’ll get dinner tonight”

“I’d like to help you out babe. But your mum would only be suspicious of where you got the money from. And its not for me to interfere. Its just a pity your mum can’t look after you”

“That’s a bit harsh! She’s the only mum I’ve got”

“Yes, Yes it is. I’m sorry. Look. I’ll get your money to Geneviève. It might be worth asking her to go along when you go to see your mates in the park. But lunchtime would be better than after school”

“They’re no mates of mine. They’re just pure scum”

“Ok. Yes I agree on that. .. .. But. No more, right? There’s better things to do with your life”

She nodded smiling “Right”

“Oh Holly, Listen, we both know weed’s not so bad. But that’s not the point. Its just the start. These guys are really pushing Junk or Acid or Coke and then you really are on the slippery slope. – Even without their, eh, side-line. And Holly, try to stay out of trouble”

She nodded again as they turned to leave. She slipped round to his side of the table and gave him a hug “Thankyou”

“But” Steve said finally slipping his arm around her shoulders “If you do get into trouble, call me before its too late”

“But you’re not going out with mum anymore”

“No, but this isn’t to do with her. Its just you and me, and that’s different”

She stretched up and gave him a peck on the cheek

“And make sure I know how you get on. Phone me or tell Geneviève to let me know”

It hurt having to say all that. He was desperately busy at work, but if he hadn’t been he would have been desperately missing Eloise. She was clearly in some other kind of trouble now, but it was so out of his reach.

Back at home, Geneviève had the dinner on the table when he got back at 8.

“Did Holly get hold of you?” she asked nervously but was incredulous when he explained Andy Walker’s business model to her.

“I mean. How much of that is actually legal!”

“Pretty much none, but the old bill isn’t going to react in time to save Holly“

“But she’s got her mum”

“Yes, but from what Holly was saying, Eloise is having some kind of wipe out, and that’s what’s pushed her over the edge in the first place”

“So, I need to catch up with Holly during the morning and arrange to meet at lunchtime” she said after Steve had explained the plan “and I think I should go with her”

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t get dangerous, although there’s no reason why it should. I mean, the guy’s getting over thirty quid for single stripe” Steve thought out loud “but it may depend on whether he has to disappoint any clients. Anyway, I’ll give you a little extra, just in case there are any added extras that we don’t know about”

“I’m so proud I can rely on you, I knew you’d help her. When she came to tell me I thought she was shivering. I think a couple of the teachers noticed as well”

“Oh, poor Holly.. .. She’s so lovely”

“Lovely? Daddy! You cannot be in love with Holly. She’s only 14”

“I know, but she needs someone to look after her. So many people think kids that age can look after themselves, and the truth is, they just can’t. You were still growing up at a year per month at that age and we talked about everything. Nothing, no subject was out of bounds so these issues just didn’t become a problem. Anyway, you must let me know how it goes”

Holly was still shaking as they headed towards the park to find Andy. The money was already in an envelope so that they could spend as little time as possible on this transaction. 

“Another supply?” asked Andy as they drew near “oh, and you‘ve brought a new customer with you as well”

“No thanks Andy. I brought you the payoff” 

But there was no hint of trouble, no discussion or argument. He simply took the envelope and looked inside. 

“Is it all there?” he asked clearly not intending to count it

Holly nodded  

“Good. Good doing business with you” he said with a smirk but looking genuinely pleased with his sudden increase in wealth “And you know where to find me next time”

It was Monday again, and life was getting back to normal – or at least what passed as normal life after Eloise, and Steve was waiting at the school gate. Somewhere there was hope…..  somewhere, although Steve was having some difficulty thinking just where it was hiding.

Holly was out first, and stopped beside him with a weak smile. 

“Your mum meeting you?”

Holly nodded, not sure what to do. Maybe she should start walking slowly and hope to meet her just down the road, but minutes came and went and finally Geneviève arrived.

‘Your mum not here yet?’ she asked with some concern.

Holly shook her head. 

“I could walk home” ventured Holly eventually

“Hmm but you might miss your mum if she comes in from a different way”

“But we can’t leave her here on her own with that motley crew over there” put in Steve with a cursory nod towards Andy, Jake and the other regular bullies who were at the park gate dealing from a full sack of assorted death enhancing substances.

“That’s why parents are encouraged to meet kids coming out late”

The impasse was broken by a hurrying Eloise appearing from the far end of the avenue.

“I’m so sorry” she started “Oh! Holly, are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Mr Bergstrom’s been looking after me.”

This was the first time the two of them had met since the breakup and the air was tense and even a little frosty.

“My…. My car broke down. Just on the exit from the one-way” 

She looked forlornly at Holly “we’ll have to go back there and see if we can push it onto the pavement”

“Is it blocking the road?” asked Steve avoiding all pleasantries. Eloise nodded.

“Well, we’d better go and see about it before the rush hour starts and you become the most popular person in town”

“I’m sure we’ll manage. I mea…” Eloise protested.

“I doubt it” interrupted Steve flatly “C’mon” he headed back towards his BM.

Holly gave out a long sigh of desperation as she sat in the back with Geneviève who simply shrugged and held out her hands in resignation. She too felt that the four of them were a natural match as a family, but clearly the front bench did not agree.

Steve pulled over just behind the stricken Fiesta. 

“Keys please” 

He poked about under the bonnet. The lights were working fine, so no problem with the battery. It turned over, and the gearbox and brakes weren’t seized. Must be electrical. He took off the distributer cap and fired again. Plenty of sparks there, so even if a plug or lead had gone it would fire on the other cylinders. So .. fuel blockage. He checked the fuel gauge – no reading, maybe its broken. He went back to the BM.

“Any chance it might just have run out of petrol?”

“Well, it was running low”

“When was that?”

“Last Wednesday, I think”

Steve got back into the BM. Fuel. There a petrol station on Railway Terrace, that’s probably nearest.

Steve sent Geneviève to buy a fuel can while he filled the BM, but he’d finished that before Geneviève got back. He went into the kiosk to find out what the delay was ‘What d’you mean you can’t sell her a petrol can’

“Not if she’s under 16”

“It’s a can, there’s no age limit on selling tin cans! Ok just add it to the bill for pump 3. I’ll fill this and be back”

“Oi, you can’t take that outside, you’ve not paid for it”

Steve dropped his keys onto the counter

“Look, there’s a 50 grand BMW out there says I’m not going to run off with your lousy can. Ok?” and walked out to fill it despite the protests.

But back in the kiosk he couldn’t help but notice that the girl with the old Chevette at pump 4 seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time.

“The BM there at pump 3...” he picked up his keys. “...the fuel can...” she scowled at him “...and a gallon in the can, filled by someone who was over 16”

“Some people”, he said back at the car, “just make things difficult for the sake of it”

The traffic was heavy back through the town centre, almost as if there might be something blocking the road and it was stop start as they approached the obstruction. Assorted silent insults were looked in their direction as Steve drew onto the pavement. Geneviève got out with him, and the Fiesta struggled into firing up a cylinder or two. It was intermittent, but at least it was running. He left it spluttering 

“Eloise, you take the girls and my car back to your house. I’ll take your car. It needs a bit of coaxing to stay running. Go On! I’ll see you back there”

“I’ll come with you, offered Holly quickly.”

“Ok. But, Geneviève, can you go with Eloise. Don’t want her to get lonely do we!”

Steve and Holly headed back to the petrol station keeping the revs up and as the engine warmed up it ran a bit more smoothly, although Steve was still a little nervous at turning it off at the pump. What if it didn’t start again? He looked around the forecourt. It was getting busier, not helped by the old Chevette that he’d noticed before that still seemed to have been abandoned at pump 4.

 “What’s up with her?” he asked Holly nodding his head in the direction of the older girl in school uniform in an increasing state of distress, standing to one side of the checkout as they looked round, waiting in the short queue that had formed

“She was there when we were in half an hour ago.”

“Don’t know. I don’t know her” Holly said

Steve left the queue

“Hey” he said to her by way of introduction “tough times eh?”

She nodded, staring at the floor  

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

She raised her head briefly, then bowed it again shaking it slowly.

“Are you sure about that?” he coaxed

‘‘I… can’t pay my bill. They’ve stopped taking Electron. I .. I tried to phone my mum, but she’s on shift, and dad’s away on a site. And now I’m out of change to try anyone else. Like, my Auntie only lives two streets away, but she..” she nodded venomously towards the checkout operator  “… she won’t let me go there. She says if I leave here she’ll call the cops – even if I leave my car here. And if I get arrested, I won’t be able to go into nursing and I’ll lose my prefectship and...oh my!”

She dissolved in tears as Holly slipped her a comforting arm.

“I don’t know you, do I” she asked through the tears

“I don’t think so, I’m Holly Beresford. I came up from Brook Bridge this term. I’m in year 10 so there’s no reason for us to bump into each other much I guess” said Holly hoping a cheerful chat might help, 

“And your name is?” enquired Steve

“Amanda Denver. I wish I recognised you!” But instead she dissolved back into full tearful mode.

Steve’s turn came round at the checkout. “Come over here” he beckoned Amanda slightly more sternly that he had intended 

 ‘So” said Steve to the vampire on the till as Amanda joined him “That’s pump 2 for the Fiesta over there and whatever’s owing on that Chevette on pump 4”

“That’s an extra £12.28”

“Whatever”

Amanda looked on in amazement, turning to delight as she realised what was happening. He handed her the receipt “That’s your get out of jail card”

“Oh! Oh My! I can’t believe you just did that!”

“Oh, and..” he pushed a ten pound note into her hand “…keep this, preferably in your shoe. It’s for desperate emergencies only. New handbags don’t count”

“But, I don’t know you, I don’t know how to pay you back”

“You don’t need to” 

He turned towards her “I don’t want you to. But some day, maybe even if its ten years’ time, you’ll bump into someone who needs your help. And then maybe you can pass on the favour”

“Thankyou” she spluttered, still wide eyed. “I don’t know what else to say”

“You don’t need to say anything. You take care now”

Steve went back to the Fiesta. “C’mon Holly, lets hope this starts” 

He flashed Amanda a final smile as she headed for her car “Thankyou, thankyou so much, I might even get to work on time as well!”

“I can’t believe you did that” said Holly “I mean that’s well shrill!”

“But who else was going to help her?”

Back at the house it was de ja vue on the waterworks. But this time it was Eloise. 

“You can’t go running around town without gas” he said to her crossly, and then less aggressively “It fries the valves! It was a bit rough to start with. Maybe it was a speck of rust in the carb due to running the tank dry, but whatever it was has worked its way through. It’s ok now, seems to be running ok, not great, but ok. But you pass that station pretty much every day!”

“Sorry, Sorry. I’m sorry” Eloise retorted, equally aggressively “I wanted to but I was hoping it would last till payday”

“They do take credit cards” 

“Not mine” retorted Eloise wildly

“Why not?”

“Because it's maxed out” she yelled at him “And every time I pay anything off, Nick maxes it out again. So I have to keep it maxed out to stop him putting even more on it.” 

She stopped abruptly, holding back the flood and excused herself. She fled from the room bursting with tears, and Steve was sure he could continue to hear her crying upstairs as he apologised to Holly.

“Don’t say sorry. It’s not your fault. She’s just a wreck. Like I said last week. She’s been like that since…” Holly stopped realising where the sentence was going 

“I could make a cup of tea?”

But Steve had noticed the pile of letters on the mantelpiece. He flicked through them while Holly was in the kitchen. Then he picked up the phone and one by one worked through the stack. 

“That'll help a bit “he said to an inquisitive Holly. 

“I’d better write paid on these” she said filing them loosely in a drawer.

“Mummy has tried to cancel that card” she said going back to Eloise’s outburst. 

“But because it's in joint names, it needs both of them to do that” she shrugged in hopelessness “So that’s just impossible. I tell you Mr Bergstrom, if I ever see my father again, I swear to you I'll kill him with my bare hands. I'll rip his throat out or something. I..”

“Oh Holly, Holly calm down baby. I know. It's understandable. And one day, maybe I’ll let you into the secret of how I understand this. But hate is not a good thing to carry around with you. It can creep out and eat you when you least expect it. You need to set it aside and live your own life. Sometimes, you just need to move on”

Holly was quiet. But Steve continued. “I think I might have something approaching a plan”

“Holly, Do you know your parents dates of birth”?

“Yeah, think so”

“Good. We're going to act out a short play. Each of us will take a part or maybe two, and maybe by pretending to be someone else we'll see if we can get this sorted. Right, here’s the scene. The three of us all work together in a small company. That is Nick, Eloise and Holly Ok? - Geneviève, you're playing Eloise. I’ll play Nick, and me. Holly, you’re a stressed secretary. We’ve got all of our accounts in a mess because Nick and Eloise keep putting business expenses on the wrong cards and you have to sort it out. So you phone Barclaycard and ask them to close this account with Nick and Eloise on it and then you ask to re-issue a new account to Eloise. By the way, she’s your boss not your mum. You also need to listen carefully. The girl in the call centre will ask some questions, probably date of birth, so you need to tell us the answers when we need them. Once you make the call, the girl will probably want to talk to us. Got it?” 

“Where's the script?”

“We haven't got one. We’ll make it up as we go along. I'll whisper in your ear if you get stuck. Holly, you're on first.”

Holly dialled   

“Hello, Barclaycard, how can I help you this evening?”

“Hi, we're getting in a bit of a muddle here. I was hoping you might be able to help us”

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, what seems to be the problem?”

“Well, there’s a personal card with two names on it and a lot of our business expenses are being put on that card by mistake, and I have to spend ages trying to balance all the accounts” she looked hopefully at Steve for approval and he nodded her to continue

“Oh dear”

“So I was hoping you might be able to cancel the card which has the two names on it and then open a new card with just one name. That way folks here won't get mixed up”

“Ok. I understand. I’ll see what I can do. But I have to make it clear that I would need to speak with both the named users, and then the balance needs to be cleared before the account can be closed”

“Oh well. The people are here”

“Ok. What's the card number? And the main name on the card?”

She read the number, the names on the card, the expiry date and gave the address

 “And is Nicholas Beresford available to speak to?”

“Yes”

Holly bit her lower lip and tentatively handed the phone to Steve. She heard him give the address.

“Ah data of birth. Em..” he stalled while Holly pointed to the envelope she’s written on

“Ok. That checks. But there was a new card issued on this account only a few weeks ago. Are you sure you want to close this account?”
 “Yes, its because we keep getting in a muddle”
 “Ok. I understand. That’s fine. I'll have to talk to the other cardholder as well I'm afraid. Is she there?”

“That's Ok”

He handed the phone to Geneviève. “She needs to talk to you as well Eloise” he said in a muffled voice as if calling her from some distance.

Geneviève answered the same questions, and yes, this was the plan.

“Well that’s all fine but like I said to your husband, I'm afraid we can't close the card while there's a balance outstanding on it. And I’m afraid it's against our policy for you to pay one card by using another. I don’t suppose there’s someone else there who would be able to help you with that?”

“Oh of course. Oh dear. Nick, the balance needs to be cleared before she can close it. I’ll pass you back to Nick.”

“Hi Nick here again. We need to clear the balance you say?”

“That’s right. We can’t close an account that still has an amount owing. And I’m sorry, but our policy prevents us taking payment from another of your own cards. But what I could do is put a stop on both cards until the balance clears”, she offered helpfully.

“What about if someone else paid it? “

“Well, yes if they’re there”

“Yes…He’s my business partner.  He's called Steve Bergstrom. He's Danish so please speak slowly to him. I’ll put him on”

“Halloa”

“Hello Mr Bergstrom?”

“That’s me!”

“I understand you might be able to clear this balance so that Mr and Mrs Beresford can close this account”

“Ove yevs” Steve said I a very false Scandinavian accent “How much it be?”

“Well, the card is at its maximum of £750 but there’s interest of £22.61 and an administration fee of £10 pounds so that’s 782.61 in total. That would clear the card and enable us to close the account”

“That be k. I give now card number to pay, k?”

“Ok” she said eventually “that transaction has gone through now. So I will close this account. Did you say you wanted to open a new account?”

“Yevs but not be me. Be Eloise”

He returned the phone to Geneviève

“So, since this is part of the same call and you've clearly had a card with us before, there's no problem opening a new account. Is it just one card and just in your name?”

“That’s right”

“At the same address”

“Yes please”

“So all the details are the same as before”
 “Yes”

“Excellent. Done”

“So that will be in the post tomorrow with additional account details by separate cover in the next few days. Now. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No thank you. Thank you for all your help, you've been brilliant.”

Geneviève hung up and they all looked at each other with various levels of disbelief and satisfaction. 

“Can I breathe again now?” Holly asked breaking the silence.

“I can't believe what I'm hearing. How did you manage to pull that off? Do you think we'll get away with it?”

“I don't see why not”  

“Why not?” regaled Geneviève “Why not is that well dodgy Danish accent!”

“Go get your mum, Holly” Steve said. “Some of us could use a drink right now”

“And” added Holly “some of us are getting hungry, though I don't think we've actually got any food, except maybe more beans”

Holly returned with a sorrowful looking Eloise as Steve turned away to look towards Geneviève instead

“What about we all go down to the Harvester. Yes, we'll go down the Swan. That'll save any cooking”

“And me doing the washing up” added Holly.

Eloise hardly spoke. Her nervous depression was in danger of becoming infectious as they walked to the restaurant. 

The Harvester wasn't a Harvester, it was a Toby Inn. The service wasn't service, it was a shambles, and the menu was limited. Conversation was sparse to start with, until the waitress arrived.

“Amanda!” exclaimed Holly “Are you ok now?”

“Yes thankyou, and thankyou again for helping me out”

“You still look a bit stressed” said Steve

“Yes, there’s only me here. The other two haven’t turned up”

“Good job you did” joked Steve “Or we’d be waiting all night!”

Holly explained and Eloise seemed to calm down a bit, which gave Steve enough time to figure out how to steer the conversation to the girls’ project. Geneviève took the hint and avoided talk of money. 

Holly was getting quite enthusiastic about their airship concept. And both girls had collected enough sense to avoid raising the subject of the Steve Eloise relationship, or lack of it – at least for the time being. 

So is there a plan asked Eloise without much enthusiasm. 

“Kind of – Thursday we draw what it looks like. And mark each bit with what its made from. Then Saturday we build. We’ve got most of it planned out in our heads, but we need to write it down, so that we can discuss it better and agree it”

“Maybe” suggested Geneviève to Steve “you could have a look and see if we’ve missed anything vital?”

Holly and Geneviève described the concept in detail as they ate, with Holly annotating the conversation by pushing her chips into different shapes to illustrate what she had in mind.

The walk back was significantly less downbeat. Steve was with Holly checking that the bullies that had tormented her over the previous week were leaving her alone now they’d been paid off, while Geneviève talked about fabrics to Eloise who had already made a few notes. Holly had mentioned this before, and Geneviève found it re-assuring that Eloise had actually thought about it. But being with Geneviève also meant that she could avoid any embarrassing discussion with Steve in front of the children. 

“That was one of the best evening’s ever” said Holly as they huddled awkwardly by the front door while Eloise fumbled for her key, but everyone else just looked nervous

“So long” said Steve as Eloise turned the lock.

“You will be able to help us, won’t you” insisted Holly.

“I’ll see how you get on and what help you might need” replied Steve evasively “Its your project not mine. But I’m sure if you ask Geneviève, we’ll figure something out” 

Holly was deflated. She was hoping for more commitment than that and maybe a bit more direction, but clearly, it was not to be. 

“I’m tired now” she said sadly 

“You go off to bed then” said Eloise standing by the living room door “Its late and its school tomorrow.” 

Holly looked appealingly at Steve “Do I get a goodnight kiss?”

Steve leant down and kissed her gently on the forehead        

Eloise picked up the moment. Maybe all was not lost after all!

“Oh!” remembered Geneviève “I meant to collect those notes you were talking about on fabrics for the project”

“I’ll get them” offered Eloise as Geneviève followed her through to the kitchen. But alone with Steve, Holly was more direct 

“How come we all had such a good evening and you paid out all that money when you don’t want to go out with mummy anymore?”

 Steve looked quizzical and Holly continued sadly “Mummy was so happy when she was getting ready to go out with you - really bubbly and fun, and now all she does is cry. And she’s so nice when you get to know her” 

She raised her head to look at Steve with tears bubbling in her eyes. 

“Mr Bergstrom, I’m so thankful you helped me. I really was on the slippery slope. But I don’t understand. How come you did all that, and everything tonight and Amanda and.… I just don’t understand?”

Steve put his arms around her. “Holly, baby, sometimes there are things you try not to say. And then sometimes you get pushed into a corner and you have to give the explanation after all”

She continued to look perplexed and near to tears

“You see, Holly. It wasn’t me. It was your mum that said she didn’t want us to see each other anymore. It wasn’t me. I thought everything was going ok, and then when we got back to your house she just announced it was all over”

“Really! Oh No!” she gasped “But that’s unbelievable. But no. No. That explains why Geneviève said that you’d cried”

“Yes”, admitted Steve. “Big boys don’t cry. Except when something really, really bad happens. And then, not for long because the rest of your life carries on even if you don’t really want it to”

She fell back against the wall with a thump and a mighty sigh, staring at him, trying to tell if it was true.

“I should’ve figured that….” she said as her voice trailed off

Steve leant forward and kissed her again on the forehead as she closed her eyes. 

“So long baby. Never know, I might bump into you again”

“Bloomin’ right you will! - You better had!” she insisted throwing her arms around him just as Geneviève returned. 

“C’mon Geneviève. Don’t want to be too late. School tomorrow, and I’m pretty busy as well”

Eloise found herself tongue tied as they stood by the door. She caught Steve’s arm “Thanks for .. well .. I mean .. everything”

Steve raised a wry smile and nodded “Sure” he said flatly

Geneviève was quiet all the way home in the car and until Steve was sitting on the edge of her bed saying goodnight. 

“Its really tragic” she gazed blankly up at him “Eloise is really, really upset”

“Eloise is! Stone me little girl! I know someone else who is as well” 

“Oh daddy, I didn’t mean you weren’t – and Holly is as well. I mean its just I don’t understand why she’d do that. And then tonight. We all had such a good time after the walk to the pub right till the end and then she didn’t even say anything. She had every chance and…”

“I don’t understand either. I was thinking that maybe we just don’t need a woman like that. And in any case, she started this, so the ball’s in her court. I can’t just call her up and ask her out again – not now. Geneviève. She’s killed the trust and that would spell failure”

Geneviève found it hard to hide her disappointment and hugged his neck. But, she consoled herself, she’d catch up with Holly at school tomorrow.

Now, having made her mind up, Holly slept surprisingly well and woke in fighting spirit. She got ready uncommonly quickly and sat down for breakfast as Eloise minded the toaster.

“Now!” she opened “you know what you’ve got to do today” she said putting on her determined face while Eloise was feeling down and sorry for herself … again.

“What’s that honey? Is something on today that I’ve forgotten?”

[cue What’s the Matter with You – Elles Bailey]

“Yes!  Today is the day you phone Steve. You tell him the biggest thankyou for everything he’s done yesterday. And for such a good evening. And for buying us all dinner. Then you tell him how sorry you are. And how upset and ask if maybe he’ll forgive you and give you another chance” and then only slightly less vehemently “Oh mummy. Can’t you get him to come back? I don’t know how… “ 

Maybe she’d said enough or maybe not. Eloise nodded like maybe she’d been told off by her mum. This, it seemed, was a strange role reversal. 

“Mummy, I don’t think he’ll phone you. I thought he’d dumped you, the way you’ve been a wreck for the last fortnight, and I know I should’ve helped you more. But.. but then when I look at how kind he’s been to us, and what he did for Amanda. And Mummy, I don’t understand why you did that to him when its you that’s so upset” 

They said no more on the way to school, but both managed half a smile at the gates.

It was quiet in the shop early morning. It seldom picked up till ten or half past. But somehow the morning rolled on and it was only when Eloise thought about what she’d say to Holly that evening that gave her the impetus and courage to dial Steve’s office. 

“I’m sorry he’s in a meeting, can he phone you back?”

Eloise was devastated, and suddenly flustered. “No” she heard herself say “That’s not really practical. I don’t know where I’ll be. I mean,..”

“Ok, maybe I can tell him who called?”

“Oh yes .. Just say Eloise called to say thank you for a lovely evening”

“Oh! Eloise! Hold on Eloise. I’ll interrupt the meeting. Maybe he can call a recess. I’ll only be a minute”

The minute seemed forever, with Eloise getting ever more nervous that someone would bundle in uninvited with some trivia, and she’d have to cut the call short. But then there was Steve’s voice on the line. 

“Bergstrom”

“Steve? Its Eloise”

“Eloise!”

“Steve, I just called to say thankyou for fixing my car and for taking us to dinner”

“S’ok.  I couldn’t leave Holly at the school gate alone, and yeah, I don’t think you’d have pushed the car very far on your own”

“I think you’re right… Listen, Steve, I was thinking…. maybe we can meet up”

“Meet up? Like you haven’t done enough damage already. Like maybe yesterday you noticed I was still standing and you want to do something about that?”

“Steve, please. I’m sorry. I need to see you, even if its just for a few moments”

“I’m busy, Eloise. I’ve got a life or two to repair. And I’m having dinner with Barbara this evening anyway”

Eloise’ heart sank “Just a few minutes, Steve. Please, so maybe when you’re on your way home to Geneviève. Look, anywhere you say, and any time and I’ll be there”

“Look, Eloise. I had just built some trust in you. I thought we could move forward. Everything was fine. Then, out of the blue, no warning, no discussion, no disagreement no quarrel. Just destroyed. Snap. Everything we were building, all gone’’

“Steve I’m sorry. But we can start again”

“Maybe you can. But me. Why would I”

“Steve, Listen, if you’re at the Royal Park …”

“We’re at the Cross Keys. I’ve got to be back with Geneviève by 10”

“Yes Ruth, tell them I’ll be 1 minute”

“What?”          

“Look Eloise, I need to go. I’ve got a presentation to the Board in minus 1 minute. 

I gotta go”

Interlude.

You always knew you'd got there

But you never knew quite when

It all seemed like a fantasy

That comes and goes, and then

Just at the moment you thought you'd win

In the fading light of time

You snatched defeat from victory

Just as you crossed the line.

Dave Oct 2018

He put the phone down, breathed a long sigh and picked up his papers. Ruth caught his arm on the way out and squeezed it with a sympathetic smile

“I’ll bring the coffee in in ten minutes so they can have that while they discuss the decision.”

“Oh, Ruth, baby. Why aren’t you 15 years older?”

[cue Far from the Edge by Elysion ]

Eloise’ conversation with Holly over tea was almost productive. 

“I phoned Steve”

“Great!”

“No, not great”

“Mummy!”

“He’s having dinner with someone called Barbara this evening. But, I’m going to try to catch up with him later on, after you go to bed”

“What? Tonight?”

“Yes just before ten”

“Well, that’s a start”

The minor encouragement from her daughter didn’t prevent a sense of imminent foreboding as Eloise sneaked into the lounge bar at the Cross Keys Inn. Steve wasn’t there. In fact, no one was there. 

[cue If There was a Way – Rosie Flores ]

It was completely deserted and even devoid of bar staff. She perched up on a bar stool so that Steve would see her easily - if he was still around that is - and kept watch through the open doors to the hotel lobby. Eventually a long thin waiter appeared bar side. 

“G & T please. And do you know if Steve Bergstrom is still in the building?”

“Yes, he is, and is this on his tab?”

More relief from Steve she thought, even if he didn’t know about it, yet.

A long slurp from this even longer gin eased her nerves, but it was gone 9.45 when Steve finally appeared in the lobby with a half empty glass in his hand.

 He turned to face her directly

“Look, I’ve gotta get back to Geneviève”

“I know, but I needed to talk to you Steve. I’m.. I’m so sorry I made such a huge mistake”

 Silence 

“And I want you to give me, and give us, another chance”

Silence. 

Eloise was beginning to panic at the lack of response

“Steve, Can we put Thursday back in the diary. Please”

Silence

“Or tomorrow, or Friday,…. Or Any day…” but now she realised she was crying again. Oh no. This wasn’t in the script- making a fool of herself wasn’t going to help

Steve frowned

“I’m with Barbara again tomorrow. At the Royal Park”

“I could walk over. I finish shift at 8. Its evening opening” she added irrelevantly.

“Look, when you say you want something, you need to consider if you also want the repercussions and implications. If you don’t, you don’t really want it in the first place. It takes time to build up trust, just the same as a reputation in a business. And only seconds to destroy it completely”

Eloise stayed quiet

 “Why don’t you call me tomorrow? You might have changed your mind….. And I might have changed mine. Now, I gotta get back to Geneviève”

He sank his drink, turned, smiled coldly and was gone.

But Steve was distracted the next day. Wasn’t this the chance he wanted? and did she really want to mend this relationship that she had fatally fractured? He’d cut her off rather sharply last night. Surely that opened the door to a phone call to say sorry?

“I understand Barbara’s booked to stay over again tonight, in case the meeting drags on late” Ruth was saying, but Steve was shaking his head

“I’m not giving Barbara more than half past seven, maybe eight, probably less. I guess it might be polite to let her know” he replied “I think this could be the last meeting. I’ve had it up to here with them”

“Just make sure you don’t lose the rag. Keep cool”

“Easier said than done”

It was later in the afternoon that Ruth picked up Steve’s phone again

“Its Eloise again” she announced.

Eloise paused and listened hard to make out any sounds at the other end.

“Just a sec” said Ruth trying to listen to two conversations at once. Eloise held her breath she could just make out Steve’s voice at the other end of the line

“Ruth, what time am I seeing Barbara tonight? Six thirty?”

“Yes, that’ll be enough time I think I’m through with these guys”

“Yes, you said”

“Must be right then” 

“We could do tomorrow instead” Eloise interrupted franticly still trying to decipher the muffled voices at the other end

“I told Barbara that you’d be bailing out at seven thirty. She said she doesn’t know of anything that could possibly be more important”

“Well maybe one day she’ll wake up and discover she’s actually alive and part of the human race. But I doubt it’ll be any day soon. Eloise! – I wasn’t sure you’d call”

“Of course I’d call. Because I really do want us to meet up again - even if its only for a few minutes”

[cue The Way You Want It – Fair Warning]

“I’ll be finished at the Royal by 8. Maybe we can catch a drink. I suspect I’ll need one but I’m on borrowed time from Geneviève”

“Oh Wow! Yes. I can make any time, any place if we can just meet up together” 

She was shocked at herself as she listened to what she was saying and it left Steve in something of a quandary. Did she mean that?

“Ok but I can’t stay very long”

Decisions made, Steve headed for the Royal Park Hotel. Struth! This was a waste of time. Its just a matter of how to say exactly that without causing too much offence.

The meeting dragged on. Seven, half past, getting on twenty to eight.

Steve got up from his chair for emphasis. 

“Look”, he said, walking slowly round the table. We’ve been talking, for over 4 hours now. And I haven’t seen any sign of conciliation on the Union side. So let me summarise. At Three Rivers, we run a successful business. We pay top quartile wages. We have a team-spirit attitude. When the chips are down, everyone chips in together, and we all proved that during the ‘Event’ back in April. We pay bonus when we can afford it. If anyone has a suggestion or problem, all the executives doors are open. So far you’ve been unable to tell me how all this would improve with union membership.”

“Steve, Its as we’ve said all along, we would be there to safeguard all these things you mention. There’s no point in the workers coming to us after they start getting exploited because you’re suffering a downturn or whatever”

“But, lets be clear, there is no safeguard. If the company suffers a downturn, then everyone is in it together – same as when the times are good. And in a downturn, there’s no shekels in the coffers anyway. I just can’t see where the Union is going to magic up new sources of income to pay the wages. In the event of a downturn, I expect everyone to put in the extra effort, just the same as everyone benefits when we’re on a roll. But in any case” he said with some mounting frustration “we’ve been through all this before”

“We can go round this just as many times as you like” said Barbara flatly

“Oh good – So now, there’s something we might actually agree on!”

“What’s that?” she asked suddenly puzzled.

“That we should go round just as many times as I want”

Gerry ran his fingers through his receding hair. He’d had enough and now there was no real prospect for progress. 

Steve sat down again, to reduce the emphasis. 

“So I’ve come to a conclusion”

“Conclusion? We can’t have. We don’t even have a basis for an agreement”

“Whatever” dismissed Steve “I have spent enough time talking to you guys to reaffirm that there is no place in Three Rivers for Trade Union recognition. There would be no benefit to the company, the workforce, our customers or our significant number of dependants both direct and indirect that rely on us and trust us to continue trading profitably to provide them with their livelihood. We run our company to the best of our ability to ensure continuity of supply, employment and career progression. This is a successful formula that is best left to experienced executives without parochial interference from representatives simply fighting a single corner rather than taking all aspects of the situation into account. 

So, that said: These meetings are now concluded as no farther dialog is either beneficial or desirable”

 He rose out of his chair putting his jacket on. “But I thank you for your time and input which has enabled me to be certain that this is indeed the most appropriate outcome.”

He nodded as a thankyou and headed for the door

“Where are you going?”

“The bar, where else? And I’ll happily buy you a drink, although I do have another appointment in a few minutes.”

Barbara and McCauley smouldered in frustration as Steve left the room tailgated by Gerry.

“There’s only so much Marxist propaganda one can stomach” said Steve as the beer arrived “Which is ok in communist countries. But here the only way to survive is to go with the capitalist flow”

“What about the repercussions?” asked Gerry

“You’ve got a whole team production meeting tomorrow. What about inviting everyone else in the company” 

“Ye ees” he mulled hesitantly

“And give them five minutes on what we’ve been discussing. Tell them how well off they are. That’ll get us in first before the union communications and it will reinforce our position as an open management regime”

Outside at ten past eight the dark rain had eased to a heavy drizzle. The lights of the cafés and hotels melded with the colours that danced through the puddles every time the traffic lights changed. He peered through the gloom. If she was coming, it would be this way, and the car was parked down here somewhere. He walked slowly and loosened his tie. For sure, he reflected, some companies need union participation, but not his. And maybe there was a place after all for dumping something or someone unceremoniously. He allowed himself a wry smile. And Eloise? Maybe Holly had slipped her some of that weed she’d been given. No, maybe not. But what? Then again, what did a second chance for Ellie actually look like? Take up where we left off? Not a chance. That was the wrong place to be. And the wrong direction. It had to be different.

He’d reached his car and stopped to lean on the next lamppost.

Eloise was in a panic, and stressed. Her heart rate was through the roof. She slowed only to catch breath, with the tears mingling with the raindrops forming droplets of dilute makeup that slowly dripped from her face.

Steve was sure it was her. He raised a thin smile but was a long way from playing Heathcliff to her Kathy.

She slowed as she approached, now realising that he was there and waiting for her. She gulped in air trying to regain composure. She had a plan – if he was there. And now that he was, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t know what reception she’d get. The rain wasn’t in her plan, and that reminded her that it wasn’t all down to her. She stopped right in front of him still gasping for breath. He reached out his hands and slowly she reached out to take hold of them. She dropped one of them to wipe the tear from her eye but immediately returned only for him to drop her other hand to wipe the next tear from her eye. The shared action made her smile and she took the last step towards him reaching up for a short kiss. The relief! She couldn't quite believe he was waiting for her. She gazed up at him quivering slightly. She’d almost convinced herself that he wouldn’t be here. But there he was. Waiting. In the rain

“Is that what you wanted to say?” he asked gently

[cue The Tears I cry – Krypteria]

She nodded fearfully then shook her head, blinking the rain from her eyes. 

“But no” she said slowly. “That’s not what I wanted to say’

“Its wet out here – we should find somewhere drier”

“I wanted to take you to the Rose Bar. Its a 1920s themed cocktail bar. Its almost always quiet. Maybe then I could tell you what I wanted to say?”

He tapped her arm and she joined him in crossing the road.

“If it’s the one just off West Street then we can cut down by the river. It’ll be under the trees and slightly drier”

He grabbed a glance at her. This was her giving him a second chance as well, but she was crying in full flow now with the amber lights reflecting on her cheeks.

 “I got here as soon as I could” she said as they reached the riverside path “Oh Steve I was so scared that you wouldn't be here. I had to cash up twice. The takings are down again and I don't know what the future is there. But then you were here waiting for me. I know its so much more than I deserve”

The rain seemed to have taken a break but her coat was still soaking wet as they walked towards the river and he pulled her closer. She sensed a glimmer of hope but it failed to reduce any of the pressure despite Steve speaking gently

“I don’t know what I did wrong. You never gave any explanation. I thought everything was working. I thought we were getting on each other’s wavelength and we were having some fun, and looking after the girls and balancing all that with work, and maybe even hoping that it would, you know, progress. Maybe it wasn’t fast enough, maybe tooo fast. I don’t know. Hey, only you know that. I thought we were building trust. Whatever, I got it wrong and you killed it”.

Interlude.

Somehow again I'm down on my luck
 Round in the groove, stuck in the muck
 Give me a dollar, lend me a buck
 Don't leave me stranded, out for a duck.

Dave 2018 

The response was delayed as they walked up the narrow West Street steps to the river bridge.

“We were, Steve. But I just got really scared. The previous week I’d cried all the way in to work on Friday”

The waitress was dressed as a flapper girl replete with the original mini skirt and feathers which gave them an external focus to reduce their own tension and the chat was frivolous for a few minutes

“Steve, I just found it so difficult. When something looks too good to be true it always is. Being part of your life for the evening was so wonderful, and then going back to my own life was so depressing. Holly was being difficult and the bills were piling up and maybe my job’s in trouble. It all just stacked up. And I couldn’t face being dumped on top of all that. I knew I wouldn’t survive”
 “Dumped, Eloise? I…”

“No, I know Steve. But. But. Every guy I’ve ever gone out with has dumped me. Even Holly’s father. We were 22 when we got married. Holly arrived a year later

11 years after that, he gets up one morning and comes downstairs with a suitcase. I thought he was just going for a few days on a business trip, like he often did. Then a couple of days later his boss rang me to ask where he was. A couple of days after that Nick rang when I was out. He just left a message on the ansafone saying he’d gone to start a new life in Malaysia – by the way he’d said ‘its not you, I’m not with another woman. I’m with a guy’. 

But it was me. Holly was all that kept me going. I nearly lost my job, His income dried up. I had to sell the house because I couldn’t afford the mortgage on my own, and then I found out it was in negative equity. I’m just getting back on my feet, and he empties my bank account on flights to Thailand. I thought I was passed that stage in my life, but no, yet again I was just a temporary muse till something better happened, I wasn’t of any value. I was just.. .. disposable.

And then us. I really, really, really couldn’t do that again. Just how long did I have before being dropped like a hot rock again. I just felt I’d rather break up than it all happen again. I couldn’t face it happening again”

“You mean, that if you don’t have anything you’ve got nothing to lose”

“What I mean is that if you don’t have anything you’re not a target for someone stealing it from you and you don’t have to worry about it when you need all your energy just to survive one day to the next”

Yes, he thought, she does want to get back together, but its like I said to Geneviève once bitten twice shy – on both sides.

“But it did happen again” he said “because you made it happen”
 “Yes…. but living in two worlds was one more thing than I could do. But Steve what I didn’t realise was how much it would affect me”
 “Ok, doing it to me instead just backfired on you”

“I didn’t think about it like that. I didn’t do it to hurt you. I wasn’t out for revenge for the other times. Please Steve, you have to believe me. I did it to get out while I would still be able to recover and to go to work and look after Holly. Except… Except… I was too late” 

“That all makes some sense, except the last bit – like a fairly terminal case. Like we both screwed up, big time”

“Yes, But the bigger issue ..”

“… bigger issue…?”

“…was that…. There are two things I’ve been dreaming of. One of them is meeting someone kind and gentle to have fun with and the other was being able to climb back above the poverty line. Those two things that I wanted more than anything in the world had been hiding in plain view and I just didn’t see them until it was too late and it was that realisation that finally just finished me. It was to stop me getting hurt again and then I’d done all this to myself. I was just a breakdown case”

“I know, Holly told me. But she thought it was all down to me”

“No, no Steve. it wasn't you, it was me. It was all me. I got it all so wrong. I made the biggest mistake of my life. Now the only thing I want is to turn the clock back and try to make up for it. What was it you told me when you realise you’ve gone wrong – I need to go back to the crossroads and take a different path. I just pray you’ll be at that crossroads waiting for me. I'll make it up to you somehow……”

She gazed over at him tearfully. But for Steve, it wasn’t about history. For him, like the Last Tango in Paris, the future only starts now. He hardly acknowledged the admission, but gave out a short laugh. 

“Maybe we’re just behaving like a pair of 18 year olds…..”

But the waitress interrupted them offering them a menu

“I completely forgot. Are you hungry?” he gasped

“Not really, but if you want to…”

“No, there’s been buffet and grazing food on the table since 6 o’clock”

“I guess we’re very similar in many ways, but in some things we’re just different, and that’s good too”

“I’m not a big fan of history” said Steve rather more wistfully than he would have intended “Situations are never the same twice. I think that’s why we’ve talked so much about work and the girls. Its about how we handle unexpected events and our outlook on life more than where we’ve been and what we’ve done”

“But history is the key to the future. Someone’s past tells you about them as a person”

“Maybe. And maybe not. It might tell you what they used to be like, but the particular incident may be out of character. And if it was a mistake they made they might have recognised that and changed so that they don’t do the same thing again”
 “Oh, I suppose so. And its feelings and emotions not the memories of the past or plans for the future that tell me that I want to be with you, but just a little background might help me. But please Steve, don’t build my hopes if I’m really just another hot rock”

“I guess we’re both quite private people. ….I don’t talk about me at work, and at home there’s no need to talk about me to Geneviève”

They noticed that the rain had eased and decided to forego another cocktail and instead walked back along the river path.

He pulled her in closer as they walked on along in the dim glow of the sparse path lights that were more decorative than functional.

“I’m Steve” he said almost without warning “I was born in Norway but my parents moved to England when I was 11. We lived in the Cheshire countryside. I graduated from St Mary’s in London in mechanical engineering. I was doing all right, and I married Veronique when I was 23 and Geneviève was born two years later” 

Steve paused and Eloise’s heart jumped dreading the next bit. She’d tried to not think about Steve’s wife, but Geneviève was the proof that he must have had one. But she just knew that he was going to tell her anyway

“Veronique was killed in a train crash when Geneviève was 12. Some homosexual had a tiff with his boyfriend and parked his car on a level crossing. 17 people were killed. Fortunately, he was one of them, otherwise I’d still be inside for murder. Geneviève and me have been on our own since then. We were both completely shattered by it. I took Geneviève to Perth – you know, Western Australia, to stay with my cousin for a few weeks, but I had to come back for various reasons and I returned to work but in the end Geneviève stayed in Oz for over 6 months. She went to school out there, but the syllabus is different so she wasn’t up with her age group when she came back. That’s why she’s in the same year as Holly. We don’t talk much about that. It’s a bit like Geneviève was created at secondary school and anything before that was someone else.

When I got back to England, I recovered by throwing myself into my work. Without Geneviève, I was working 18 hours a day, so no time to dwell on the recent past events. I did quite well and now I’m at Three Rivers. 

We moved house recently. Its been a bit of a trauma. It’s a bargain for sure, but the hoops I’ve had to jump through are… well…it’s the sort of thing that if you knew what it was going to be like you’d just never start. Its all sorted now, but only a couple of weeks ago, but up till then it could have gone either way. It’s a long story, but its all to do with the vendor being just marginally the wrong side of the taxman and having to sell his house to get rid of his UK address so that he could avoid paying tax and of course, he left the country in a hurry. What that meant was that I was sorting out both sides of the deal. It got to the point where I wasn’t sure anymore who owned what and who owed who what. It was an enormous gamble but its nice now, its over in Apple Grove”

He paused “Its hardly a life story, but does that help?”

“Yesss. Oh Steve, I should never have been so negative.”

“Its all about trust, isn’t it?  .. Look, suppose we put Thursday back in the diary”

“Yes!...., That’s tomorrow!” and then more quietly. “I did say anytime at all if there was a chance you’d forgive me”

“Tomorrow? Oh grief! Geneviève will skin me. I’ll have to think of something. Ok. What about the Three Horseshoes on the high street. 7 o’clock? At least I’ll be able to get her an early dinner before I disappear again”

Back at home, Geneviève had been trying to stay awake as he finally sat down on the side of her bed and was desperate to know how it went. She lifted her head from the pillow with as much excitement as being half asleep would allow and waited for the news. He didn’t look upset, so it couldn’t be that bad

“How did it go?”

“Well, there's the bad news and the well, the news”

“Bad news! Oh no, So what's the result?

“Oh, the result is I've finally booted the Union into the long grass. It’s the only way.”

“That’s good news daddy, But not that, daddy. Eloise?”

“Well the bad news is I'm going to be out again tomorrow. The news is….”

“You mean more good news?”

“Maybe, depends on your point of view. But the news is I'm going out with Eloise tomorrow. I know its hard on you…”

“Oh daddy. That's fantastic. That's the best news I've had all year”

She threw her arms around his neck.

“Pooh. Oh Daddy! You’re soaking wet!”

“Yes. It was raining when we met. But don't you go getting too excited. We'll see how it goes. I'm not giving it better than 60/40 against”

“Daddy, it will go brilliantly”

“I'm glad you're so sure”

“Of course it will. I know that’s what you want. And have you any idea how much trouble she'll be in from Holly if it doesn't?”

“You know, Geneviève, sometimes I think there may be some truth in the conspiracy theory.”

But back at her car, Eloise had slumped over the steering wheel with her head in her hands. She was shaking, she was relieved, she was elated. Maybe she was even hopeful. She was exhausted. She needed to take ten minutes before even attempting to drive.

At home Holly was asleep, and Eloise crashed out trying to figure out what she should do next. Tomorrow would tell, but now she was absolutely certain what she wanted and she also felt the battle was not yet won.

“How’d it go” asked Holly eagerly at breakfast.

Eloise looked puzzled and Holly continued trying not to splutter her toast all over the table “But you met Steve last night, right?”

“Yes, yes I did, it was after late opening”

“Yeah, after he saw Barbara”

“How d’you know about that?”

“I’m not supposed to. Its confidential, but Gen was a bit pissed by it. She doesn’t get annoyed very often, but this did”

“What do you mean its confidential? Why would going out with someone be confidential? If it was they’d stay in”

Now it was Holly’s turn to look puzzled.

“Mum! He’s not going out with her. She’s a Union rep. She works for Allied Engineering. They’re trying to get into Three Rivers now that Cave Brothers has gone down the toilet. Except you mustn’t tell anyone. Like Brenda, I mean her bloke works with Steve, right? And the union meeting is unofficial. That’s why its outside hours… and not at the works. Otherwise it would be official. And that’s what’s upset Gen”

Eloise felt her jaw drop open

“Not going out…?”

“Nooo. Gen says he’d rather go out with a rabid python – not that I think he meant you of course”

“I should hope not!”

“But mummy, don’t tell anyone cos I’ll get into trouble with Gen. But I thought you ought to know”

Eloise felt a renewed drain of anxiety from her body. Not going out with her. An unwanted business meeting. After all that! One less stress. 

And she was still trying not to hyperventilate by the time she got to work and sat down at her desk. But that made sense. That’s how he was able to meet her after having dinner with Barbara, because it was a work meeting, not a social one. 

“You ok? I hope you are!”

“Oh, Hi Brenda. Yes.. Yes. I’m ok. Although…” she hesitated  “…. hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me”

“A what?”

“No matter”

The evening came around with huge anticipation. Holly had fussed over her mum’s hair and makeup, and twice vetoed the dress she wanted to wear

“For goodness sake mum, you’re manager of a fashion department and you want to go out looking like Mary Poppins.”

 Eloise was deflated, but she also knew Holly was only working in her best interests, and in any case – she was right.

The Three Horseshoes was heaving as she edged her way forwards. Steve was neatly squashed in at the bar just ahead of her and waved his tenner at the barmaid

“Pint of Old Fellows, G and T please.”

“Oi! There’s a queue!”

“Yeah, and the guy buying the beer is at the front. Right?”

The complainant frowned and mumbled

“…and whatever that guy wants” Steve continued as the barmaid returned.

He stuffed the change in his pocket without counting it and turned to Eloise.

They found space at a table near the door with the large group preferring to stand round the bar.

“Who was that?”

“I’ve no idea, but I don’t want anyone getting bent out of shape, and he’s with one of our café staff”

Eloise gave a short chuckle. What a way to start. With Steve giving random guys free drinks just to keep the peace.

Eloise reached her hand along the table to touch him. “I’m so glad you turned up.  I did think you might not”

“Me! Its you that said you didn’t want to go out any more” 

“I know, but I was wrong. I’ve cried every night since that day”

“I want to rebuild my life, and..” she hesitated and bit her lower lip  “… Steve, I want to rebuild it with you… If you’ll give me, give us, another chance….”

Cue Every Note by Mystery

But the guy with the drink had appeared at the table.

“Thanks for this. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude, but I’d got a bit fed up waiting ten minutes”

“That’s ok”

“You’re Steve, yeah? I’m with…”

“Alice” Steve interrupted “yes, she works in our café. You know, her bacon baps are something worth working the back shift for”

“Yeah, she’s a good cook. I’m Jon. I’m an HGV driver. Alice said you’re looking for one”

“Yes, we are. Its mainly delivering the machinery we make so its all round the country. Occasionally overnight if the delivery is to the North or Scotland. But that said, you’d be expected to deliver anything that needs delivered – like you need a flexible attitude. But the advert is internal only at the moment. We need to see if anyone is interested in switching into that from somewhere else in the company. Although I doubt it. Then we’ll post a new advert up asking for nominations – that’s like recommendations from our current staff. So at that point Alice could suggest you. If all that fails, we put out an advert in the Gazette.”

“Magic. Thanks for that. I’ll wait for the notice, then. Maybe see you after that.”

‘Maybe, the interviews are with the Sales Director”

“Sales? That’s a bit different”

“The delivery guys have direct contact with the end customers. They’re mainly delivering the orders that sales take and they’re the first impression the customer gets of us after the salesman. We can’t have a separate transport division for half a dozen guys. Its not Production, and its not back office like Finance, so its Sales or Field Service. Field Service is organised very differently. They’re all home based, so Sales it is. That way they get full control of the customer before Service takes over”

“Struth, that’s a different angle. I’ll remember that. But, hey, thanks for all that. I’d better get back”

“Yes, before she finds another new guy”

“He gasped – you know about that stuff?”

“I know nothing” Steve said raising both his hands in the air.

Alone again, Eloise was much more relaxed. This was Steve as she’d remembered him and she leant over onto his shoulder as she smiled quietly to herself.

“Now”, said Steve “we could just stay here and get quietly ratted together, or we could take a walk by the river. The air would be cleaner.”

“And the language” added Eloise 

They walked slowly together

“Yesterday” Steve began “you hinted you had other problems that were worrying you. You want to tell me?”

“No, I shouldn’t. I’m trying desperately to persuade you to go out with me again, not put you off”

“But these external pressures are one of the threats” 

She heaved a big sigh

“Yes, and yes there were. Steve, I’ve got big financial problems and I’m not sure how long I can continue to cope with it. Every time I pay off my credit card, Nick puts more on it and maxs it again. I guess he must have just found his card…”

“Or contacted Barclaycard and said he’d lost his and could they get him another”

“Could be, I guess” 

“More than could be – definitely was’’ 

“How do you know that!”

“The girl in the call centre mentioned it”

“‘Call centre? When?”

“Monday. When we talked to them to cancel that card”

“You did what!!”

“We cancelled that credit card. Did Holly not tell you? Holly was meant to tell you”

Eloise developed a shiver 

“No. Not at all”

“Yes, Holly mentioned in passing when I asked her why you were daft enough not to put petrol in the car when you pass that station every day”

“But how? They have to speak to Nick”

“Well, at the end of a phone line no-one knows who you are. So.. so we staged this little play. I was Nick. And me, and Geneviève was you. Holly did some brilliant introduction and link work for us, and voila. Card cancelled, new card issued just for you. Should be at your place already”

“Oh Steve! That’s amazing. Thankyou so much. Without that pressure I‘ve got some chance of…..”

“And there’s more?”

“Yes, you see the account I pay all the bills from is also a joint account. I pay in every month by direct debit to save up. But recently, he cleaned that out as well. I didn’t know he could access that. I can’t go on subsidising his lifestyle. It’s not fair” she tailed off dissolving into tears.

“That explains the pile of red bills on the fireplace”

She nodded tearfully “And I tried to explain to Holly that Christmas was going to be almost nothing this year. I expected her to go ape, but she went quiet instead and just nodded in resignation and hid in her bedroom”

“When was that?”

“When? Oh, em, just before half term”

Steve nodded, largely to himself. That figured. That fitted the timescale and also gave him the additional straw for the camel

“I’m thinking maybe I could work in a bar in the evening to try to make up, but .. oh Steve, I’m running out of energy and its not fair on Holly”

Steve kept quiet. She was opening up about so much and that was good.

She turned to him and stopped walking.

 “Steve. I’m sorry. I’m rabbiting on and…”

“..and you’re doing such a good job,  I’m just letting you. Its always fascinating listening to an expert! Although I suspect that your financial problems may not have been in your original script”

 “No, definitely not, And now I’m so worried and I tell myself, Oh Eloise, when you realise you’re in a deep hole, for goodness sake stop digging!”

Steve gave out a short laugh

“Ok, but I think I’m beginning to understand which should make everything simpler in the future.. Until now, I’m pretty sure I didn’t”

Future? That was the most hopeful word she’d heard for oh so such a long time. Her heart missed a beat and she tripped over a loose stone on the path. Steve caught her, which brought them even closer together.

“Sometime soon”, Steve said “you need to sit down with as much paperwork as you can muster, and a nice bottle of wine, and go through the money trail”

“Money trail”?

“Yes. Start with your salary. Where does it get paid into. Then standing orders coming out – where to. Then and direct debits – where do they come from and go to. This isn’t to work out if you afford everything, it’s to make sure that the money you do have is all in accounts you control. And close down the ones you don’t”

“Easier said than done. The bank won’t close joint accounts unless both halves agree”

“Yes, we had that with the credit card. But you can keep money out of them. Oh, and I’ll supply the bottle of wine for you. That’s my contribution”

“Thanks, but I think I’d sell it and put the proceeds towards the electric bill before I get cut off”

“Cut off? That’s not going to happen”

“I think it will. Next Thursday to be precise”

Steve shook his head and held his hands out in despair

“No, no no no. Did Holly not tell you anything!”

“I don’t understand?”

“You mean that red bill from South West Electric?”

“Yes”

“The one that was on the mantelpiece?”

“Yes”

“But I paid that – last Monday”

Eloise stopped and grabbed his arm “You paid it?”

“Yes, over the phone, on my card. Fortunately you had a day left before the phone got cut off”

“But it’s still working”

“Is it? You haven’t phoned me” he joked with a broadening smile

“You never gave me your number!” she retorted in exasperation 

“Strangely, it’s the same one Holly uses to phone Geneviève”

“But the phone bill?”

“Yesss. That’s paid too,…”

Steve was intending to say much more but was stopped as Eloise smothered him with a hug that turned into a kiss right there in the middle of the riverside path.

“Steve you’re.. ..  I don’t know more than just amazing. But it must have cost a fortune. And that you did all this for me.” 

Steve shook his head

“No, its all for Holly really” but Eloise didn’t believe him as she held his arm.

“Is that your hand, or is it a tourniquet? My fingers suddenly thinks my arm has been amputated” 

Music was drifting sporadically through the light breeze, increasing as they wandered upstream

“Oh look” she exclaimed as they rounded the corner at the edge of the park “The funfair”

Steve hadn’t paid much attention to the posters all round town for the traditional Steam Fun Fair that would be in town for a week

“I haven’t been to a fun fair since I can’t remember when” said Steve as they stopped at the candy floss stall. Suddenly Eloise had a giant pink fuzz on a stick in her hand. 

“And that’ll be a mere one pound sir for the pretty lady” said the operator. Eloise burst out laughing. 

“That’s quite some sales technique”, she said as they moved on for a ride with the kids on the waltzer “Big Wheel?”

But Steve shook his head as they bypassed the rollercoaster as well. “As an engineer, I tend to look at the way these things are built. Round and round not far off the ground is one thing, but all the way up there with two out of three bolts missing from the structure? Maybe not”

 She strained her eyes to focus on the central pillar and maybe, if she persuaded herself, she could see some missing, but maybe not, they moved through the other stalls watching the others in the crowd. He steered her away from the rifle range. 

“I had an unfortunate incident earlier this year involving a gun or two”

“Are you going to tell me about that?” 

“Some day. But not now”

The coconut shy moved the conversation on and they grabbed a burger. 

“Good price for a burger” said Steve “Pity about the size.” as he surveyed it with distain. “But these guys have always operated like this. You come to expect it.”

“Yes” she said suddenly shrinking in to herself. Steve’s concerned look made her continue “I just had this flashback”

“Oh yes?” he encouraged “Bad?”

“Hmm very”
 “Do you often get flashbacks?”
 “No, I always try to forget the worst bits. I don’t think I should tell you”

“I think you should” he teased

She walked on considering this and taking a big sigh

“I was at a fairground with a group of girls. We were on this ride and the guy just kept looking at me. He came over when the ride finished and said I could have the next ride free. Of course, my friends moved on and he looked a pretty cute guy, but when the ride finished again, he suggested we go for a short drive in his car. He handed the ride to his mate and led me across to the lane. Its funny the really stupid things you do before you realise what’s going on. I thought it was strange he drove off in the direction of the canal, because that’s where the lane ended, He suggested we get in the back seat and I said ‘what for’ he said ‘that’s what we came here for’ and its only then that the penny dropped. I dived out of the door and fled across the bridge. He didn’t follow me, I guess he just went back to wait for the next unsuspecting innocent.

I sometimes wonder what would have happened. But I expect I’d just be dropped like a hot potato five minutes later, or maybe I’d be travelling the country with three children under 3 by the time I was twenty.”

“Yes, with you in the caravan and him on the scout for the next victim”

“I guess so. Its just a bit of my growing up that didn’t quite happen” 

“Everyone has those, at least I think so. I think its up to parents to try to reduce them, you know its their responsibility, you can’t expect kids to grow up properly just left to their own devices”

“I guess so, what about you, did you have any of these?”

“Well, I’d never have had the nerve to do what your fairground bloke was up to. That sort of thing just wasn’t done, or was it just that I didn’t know about it?”

Steve thought for a few minutes, but they’d got to the other end of the fair now.

“Ok”, said Steve, “That was the fair, maybe its time to find some food in a country pub?“

They headed back towards the high street car park. 

“Like if we’d known each other when we were 18 maybe?” said Eloise grinning excitedly.

“We can only try” said Steve

“I do remember…” he said as they walked “…one particular event. I was younger than that. I don’t know, must have been 12. I’d not been in England very long. Most of the kids at school were ok but a few were the kind of guys you avoid. At that age you assume everyone else would avoid them as well. But….

Anyway there this girl who was really popular. I guess I had a crush on her as well but of course, I was too shy to say anything. I was walking home one afternoon, and I’d got the courage from somewhere so I was following her up the lane as it was getting dark. She was ahead of me by some distance and I was walking quicker to see if I could catch her up. I was pretty close when suddenly one of the older boys I’d always try to avoid jumped out from behind a  tree right in front of her. He just went straight up to her and just lifted her skirt up as far as it would go, and just stuck his hand out and grabbed her. She let out a short scream and then was quiet. I’d nearly caught up to them by then, but they turned away and headed off together down the side path. I could clearly see things were not improving as they walked away but she didn’t seem to be complaining. I saw them together a few times over the next few months and he was always mistreating her, so I guess they were an item after that. Maybe before. I don’t know. I remember being mortified because I’d already made my mind up about her. But then an older boy down our road told me girls never like nice guys. They always choose rough guys. He says they find them more exciting. He reckoned it was something to do with primeval instincts that rough guys were better able to hunt for food and defend their families, even if they treated everyone badly. I tried hard to disbelieve him, but he’s been proved right so often”

“I don’t know about that” she replied sadly “but I don’t remember anyone ever trying to lift my skirt. Maybe...” she continued with more than a note of disappointment “….maybe I missed that bit out as well”

 
 It wasn't long before they left the lights of the town behind and felt the darkness close in on them, broken only by the soft red glow from the dashboard.
 Steve’s left hand was resting idly on the gearstick. He looked down at it a number of times before deciding to move it over onto her leg, caressing the sheer denier of her black tights. She put her hand lightly on his by way of encouragement as he crept slowly up. They both glanced over watching her hemline creep upwards until he reached the top. Steve kept check on her. Was this part of what she felt she had to do to get back together, or was she really interested in moving this relationship along with a mighty shove? Now in the groove, Eloise moaned quietly and breathed his name. 

“Steve”, she whispered, “if you keep doing that, you’re going to have to stop the car”

“Ok, there a pretty quiet looking lane just ahead. And we're not short of time, for once.”

“Oh! Good choice” she murmured. 

They bounced along the lane for a few hundred yards and pulled off into a field gate at the edge of the forest

“You know, you can’t turn the clock back”. 

Eloise nodded, “I know, but you can try to re-create, even though the world has moved on so very far”

So there they were. Two born again 18 year olds in a clumsy fumble in the back of Steve’s car and finally, Eloise lay back, elated after the exertion. 

“I would never have thought’ she said pulling herself closer in towards him. “Holly was so particular about what I wore tonight. After all the choices, she’ll wonder why I forgot to iron it”

Steve laughed, “You looked gorgeous when you got to the pub, and you still look gorgeous now”

“Oh yes?” she taunted, “and which one do you prefer?”

“Both of them. But for completely different reasons”

Eloise was crestfallen and sounded disappointed too with a quiet “oh… oh well”

“You see, you always dress so beautifully and clothes can be so tantalising, just the thought of undressing you, but then, with less clothes on……But look, if we’re going to get anything to eat tonight short of a kebab, we’ll have to get a wiggle on. I think the Pheasant is only a couple of miles along here somewhere, but they probably won’t do food after 9.30”

Dressed again, Eloise reflected on the incident. She hadn’t made love for way over two years, but she could never remember it feeling like this. Maybe she was too young and reserved before she met Nick, and then him being a poofter would have been different as well, but then how was she to know?

Now with Steve that clumsy fumble was wonderful. Maybe ask him if he’s really hungry, or if we should just find another deserted field gate. She was tingling all over and Steve caressing her leg again as they headed for the Pheasant sent a different message through to her brain – With him making her feel like this whatever would she do now if she failed.

Quite a few people were leaving the pub as they got there. The local beer crew was assembled noisily round the bar, and the young barmaid apologised that the kitchen was just closing

“Maybe, suggested Steve, there’s some stuff left that the chef hasn’t managed to eat yet. Just a small plate would be good”

She re-appeared almost immediately with a large oval platter with chips, and scampi and chicken and a small piece of pie

“Chef says you can have the whole plate for a fiver”

“That’s very generous of him” said Steve, just as chef appeared from the kitchen

“Is that ok?” he asked in a gruff, but not menacing voice. 

“Its great” said Eloise which encouraged him to break into a wide smile. 

“Perfect day, then. Yes!” he grinned, and then continued at Steve’s questioning look, “it’s a perfect day when I cook exactly the right amount of food. No waste, see” and was gone. Now duty bound to eat it all, they sat in a corner munching their way through it. 

Well fed and tired, Steve drove her home and double parked blocking the street outside her house. She remembered to say thankyou for such a wonderful evening but caught her breath in a sudden realisation before she blurted out anything else. She wanted to ask, even if hesitantly, ‘what’s next’ but the answer might be nothing. There was no certainty that there would be a next time even if that would be impossible to handle . She’d played all her cards and this might simply be the end. Instead she bit her lower lip hoping desperately for inspiration on the right thing to say.

But Steve was thinking too. That was quite an act to follow. For a lot of blokes the objective would have been met. Mission accomplished. But that wasn’t what he was about. Her heart began to sink as he turned to face her more directly

“Eloise, I’ve just loved being with you tonight.” 

This took her quite by surprise. She wasn’t expecting any comments that positive as he continued quietly and rather too seriously

“I think you have too and I do think we ought to see each other again”

“I was just scared” she offered in apology. “I found myself so much between a rock and a hard place and so scared of getting hurt again and getting too involved with you. I thought I’d just get over it and it would just pass. But, Steve, I just can’t because… because I’m….” 

“Sometimes you need to take the risk” he interrupted “Sometimes you need to focus on what it will be like if it pays off. I didn't want to get hurt, but then I don’t want to be alone either. Things can get really scary when success is just within grasp. Sometimes you just need to keep your nerve through to the end. In anything you do”

“ Steve, we both know the history, but you can’t possibly know just how much I want us to get back together. I don’t want this to sound like emotional blackmail. I’m just trying to be honest with you like I should have been in the first place.”

She paused with more tears forming as she searched for a reaction in his eyes. 

“Maybe we could do something next Thursday” she offered in anticipation, suggesting a return to the previous pattern.

“Ok” he agreed gently “Let’s put that in the diary. But maybe you could phone me tomorrow? I mean, I’d phone you, but you’re hard to track down if you’re customer side”

“I could plan to take a break at 10.30”

“I’ve got a meeting at 10.30, but just before means I’ll definitely be in the office. I’ll have a think”

They shared a tap kiss, which is all Eloise would dare, considering how twitchy the net curtains were in her neighbourhood  but it meant much, much more to her

“See you soon?”

Next morning she was bubbly for the first time in weeks and it raised Holly’s spirits as well. It was even with a bit of a smile that she asked

“I don’t suppose you know anything about a new credit card that is supposed to be turning up for me?”

“Oh!” gasped Holly suddenly realising “Oh my! We cancelled your old one. You know the one with …..”

“Yes, I know the one, and..?”

 “Ooops. Did I forget to tell you?”

But Steve was faring equally badly in the office

“So, who were you with last night then?” opened Ruth as he hung up his jacket looking blank

“Come on” she teased “I need to know, even if I don’t tell anyone. You wouldn’t want your PA to look foolish being the last to know, would you?“

 “Sounds like the sharp end of the gossip mill” said Steve critically

“It is” she stated, still teasing “I know it wasn’t Barbara, but I’ve been thinking about this and I think it may have been Eloise. The one that’s been on the phone. She’s the one you broke out of that meeting for, so I’m concluding its Eloise” she probed.

She moved over to him and seductively took hold of both his lapels “Eloise? Right?”

Steve laughed weakly

“Ok, let’s put it this way. Eloise may ring up later, and I do need to talk to her”

Ruth smiled “maybe she’ll make you less like a bear with a sore head. Like the last couple of weeks”

“Roooth!” he gasped, surprised that she’d been so direct “Oh, I’m sorry. Ok, check the diary. We should have time. I’ll take you out to lunch. We’ve come so far in the last 7 months and it’s about time I said thankyou again and we just caught up with each other”

Eloise was nervous about the phone call. What if he didn’t want to see her again? What if he thought a phone call would be easier than face to face. What if he’d reconsidered the whole thing when he said he’d have a think? She felt a small tear trickle down her cheek at merely the thought. Maybe she hadn’t been positive enough when he suggested another date. C’mon girl, what had Steve said yesterday? Something about being scary when success is in sight!

As usual she didn’t get straight through. There was something about that office that his direct line was always interrupted by someone. She held her breath as she held the line.

“Eloise!”

“Hi Steve, I wanted to make sure I said a big enough thankyou for yesterday evening”

“Yes, it was a great evening. Sometime we should do all that again. Maybe the next time the fair is in town”

“I was hoping we might see each other again before that!”

“Yes, me too. I know we’ve got Thursday, but how about something this weekend, if you’re not too tied up. Geneviève and I have been franticly working on the house since the final papers came though. But its habitable now.”

Eloise hit the next high on the rollercoaster.

“Holly has a big match on Saturday morning, but apart from that…”  Keep your nerve she told herself. Don’t lose it now.

“Ok. I was thinking”  he interrupted her runaway negative thoughts 

“Saturday. After you pick up Holly from hockey, you both come straight over to my house… For the whole weekend, just you and me and Geneviève and Holly. The four of us spend the weekend together and we'll see how it works out. Because, like you said it not just you and me, its you and Geneviève and me and Holly. And Geneviève and Holly as well. It may sound like a big step, but its just a real live game of happy families”    

“But what about…”

“No buts” Steve interrupted “If we don't try, we'll never get anywhere, Eloise, you can't stand still at that crossroads. The world moves quietly on around you even if you don't want it to. You have to move in one direction or another. But then you need to keep a check on how it's going and have the nerve to say stop, it's not working, go back to the crossroads and try a different path. The thing is Eloise, if it doesn’t work out, then we’ll find out sooner rather than later, and in the end we’ll console ourselves because we tried everything we could”

She gazed at the phone. Was she hearing this right? or just dreaming, and now … now that success was in sight there she was again wracked with self-doubt. Make a decision girl, just say yes, she implored herself. Decide. Just say yes, Just for a change! Just like you did when he first asked you out.

“Hello? Eloise, are you still there”

“Yes” she whispered.

“Is that yes you’re still there or yes you’re coming for the weekend?”

“Just a hint… I do prefer girls that say yes. But its got to work naturally.  So tomorrow, just bring a few clothes and we'll see how the weekend unfolds for the 4 of us”

“Yes. Yes please...” Don’t say anymore she told herself. I was just surprised, and stunned and “Oh wow! Sounds fantastic” she suddenly found herself saying with more enthusiasm than she ever dreamed she would “Ok” she continued, regaining composure “but we can't come straight away. Holly won't have had a bath or got ready or anything. She’ll be covered in mud if this weather keeps up. And…”, she hesitated, biting her lower lip in indecision. “…she’ll want to look her best for you”

“Well we've got a bath, we've even got a shower, and a towel. I told you we traded in our cave during the summer and now we’ve got the new place pretty much sorted out. We’re over in Apple Grove now. The Briers in Primrose Lane”

‘Wow. Really? Ok. Yes.  But, Steve, don’t tell Geneviève, not yet. I don’t want Holly finding out before the match. It would be too much of a distraction for her”

“Ok Eloise. You, Holly, my house Saturday morning. I’ll expect you around 11 after the match. Look, I gotta go, I’m under pressure to get to more meetings on time. I’ll see you tomorrow”

And there he was, gone.

Eloise felt she’d been steamrollered, but also felt the stress draining away. Ok she said to herself, now tangibly relieved. Ok. Decision and commitment made. No more excuses. And back with Steve, like she’d never been away. Except for the emotional scars on herself, and on Holly, and probably Steve as well. And there was still a question mark over …. Oh Eloise get a grip, she told herself. This is the rollercoaster that Steve didn’t want to go on at the fair.

That evening, she packed a change of clothes, and a dress for the evening, and the same for Holly. They’d have to be up early because the face off was 9 o’clock.

Steve had already collected Geneviève from Duncan Erdmann’s manor-house as Eloise waited with increasing concern for Holly to leave the field. Toulouse had been delightful and Duncan and Lorraine were so pleased that she’s found something that she really enjoyed doing, even if she found her regular tutor a bit scary. She had fun at the keyboard with Geneviève. They played games on it, and variations on the music and Geneviève sometimes made the piano make unexpected chords which made Toulouse laugh. And on top of all that, she’d just found out what the weekend plan was and now was franticly thinking about all the things she wanted to show Holly and how ever would she fit them all into just one weekend

Holly, however, had no reason to hurry and was surprised as a girl from the opposition seemed to be purposefully heading her way almost marching across the field 

“Hi” she said with a broad smile as she approached “I’m Daniella” 

Holly shrugged “I’m Holly”

“Hi Holly, I’ve just been given this” 

She held out the player of the match trophy for her to see

“Yeah, I noticed”        

“Holly, look, I know we won, but there a couple of things I wanted to say”

 Holly continued to frown

“Some of the girls came here today expecting to win by 5 or 6 nil based on the league so far. We didn’t, and most of that is down to one person on your team, and that’s you. Player of the match is always given to someone on the winning team, but I think you should have got it. In fact I’d give it to you right now, if I wouldn’t get strung up. Some of my team are well annoyed”

“Hey, thanks for those kind words”

“No problem, you played like, outstanding. And, well, sometimes I just think its nice if these things are recognised”

Holly nodded. “Thanks Daniella. Actually, we were expecting a 4 or 5 defeat, so we’ll mainly be pretty pleased just 2 - 1 down. But the match was over-defensive. Not sure what it would have been like watching it”

“The second leg is over at our place in only three weeks. I can tell you there’ll be a lot of worried faces on our side”

“I think we’ll just do our best and see how it goes. I just hope we can do as well then as we did today. Being away from home is always harder”

“It should be a good match. I’m looking forward to playing against you again. Fact is, I don’t like walkovers. I prefer a proper game. I’m in a rush now, but maybe we can catch a shake or a coke after the next match? We’ve got a really nice café over at St Lukes”

“Sure, that would be great. See you then.”
 

Weekend at Steve’s

Finally Holly appeared from the club house looking muddier than expected and tangibly increasing Eloise’s blood pressure

“You know you're meant to be doing your engineering project this morning?”

“No we’re not. We canned it last Tuesday cos we thought it would be unfair considering the way you were on Monday evening”

Eloise changed the subject 

“Who were you talking to?”

Holly was in the middle of explaining, when she suddenly noticed they’d joined the bypass. 

“Have you got lost, Mum? This isn’t the way home”

“No, but it’s the way we’re meant to be going”

“Where to?”

“Steve’s”

“Geneviève’s? What? Now?”

“Now”

“Now! We can’t go now – I’m not ready. I need….. to get cleaned up. I need to get changed and dressed and washed and… I can’t let Mr Bergstrom see me like this!”

“Steve assures me that he’s seen you when you’re not at your best and he’s prepared to take the chance”

Holly held her head in both hands and moaned quietly in despair 

“What!! So we’re going straight over there? Mummy, I’m covered in mud!”

“Steve says he’s got a bath, and even a shower. Oh and he’s also got a towel”

Holly moaned again

Eloise nervously announced the plan. “Actually, we’ve been invited for the weekend”

“The whole weekend” 

Holly’s attitude suddenly sparked up

“Wow, can't believe it. That brilliant. A whole weekend with Gen! Oh mummy, we get on so well together”

 Holly paused. “But I've not got any clothes or anything, so we’ll need to go home and get cleaned up”

“No you don’t. I’ve packed some for you”

Listening to herself, Eloise suddenly recognised the decisive, almost forceful tone that Steve had used with her. It was the right thing to do, and for the same reasons.

“I don't know what we're going to be doing” she continued “but it doesn't matter. We’ll figure it out when we get there”

“But mummy, how can I make the best impression if I can't get ready properly”

“Steve wants you to come as you are. That way it’s a bit more real than just a scene from a movie. Anyway, do you know where Geneviève lives?”

“No-o-o” Holly said slowly shaking her head. “I know Alison went to a party at her house down near the station. That was funny, it was as small as ours and there were so many people there it was rammed. They couldn’t all get inside the house at the same time. Good job it wasn’t raining. But anyway, I think they’ve moved now”

“Well, yes they have, and Apple Grove is completely different. Its way out of town, quite rural really. I can’t remember seeing any small cottages last time I drove through but there must be some somewhere because it’s so old”

“So we don't know where we’re going” mused Holly

“I thought you’d know because you were meant to be going to do your project!”

“Well, yes. But we canned that on Tuesday so I never found out exactly”

“Oh great. Ok. So I know its in Primrose Lane. That can’t be too hard to find and I think Steve said it's called the Briers”

“I know its got a green gate”

Holly sat in contemplative resignation as they passed the Apple Grove village sign

“Maybe I can get dressed up for dinner” she said returning to the dropped subject.

Eloise smiled, starting to relax. “I’m sure you can. I’ve brought you a new dress just in case. Its from last year’s stock. They didn’t sell very well because they tended to be rather funny sizes. It’s silk and its a beautifully delicate shade of pastel blue. I just thought you might want to give it a try”

“Oh wow! Thanks mum”

“I mean, I know you said you wanted to look your best for Steve. No?” Eloise chuckled inside, maybe for the first time for weeks.

But now they were in the village with Eloise’s little Fiesta making progress towards the other side. 

They slowed to a crawl as they nervously noticed the sign for Primrose Lane and turned off the main road up the side of the Cider Press pub. After the few terraced houses opening straight onto the pavement the road soon opened out into a wide new crescent of large detached houses set behind open plan manicured lawns.

 “It can’t be in that terrace back there, because its got a green gate” said Holly

“Well, it can’t be up here because none of these have gates at all”

Oh my! She thought, look at the size of these gardens. This must be what makes Apple Grove so hugely expensive. But look, there’s a boy there mending his bike in that driveway. 

They stopped to ask him with Eloise suddenly nervous that they were in completely the wrong part of town. 

He looked about Holly’s age and looked up inquisitively as the car stopped beside him. 

“Hi” said Holly “Do you know a girl called Geneviève?  Geneviève Bergstrom?”

 The boy continued looking at her. 

“Not sure” he said vaguely “Don’t think so. Which house does she live in?”

“Is there one with a green gate” asked Holly

“Oh, the big green gate! Didn’t know anyone lived there”

“She’s not been there long”

“See those trees beyond the end of the street. Well the green gate is just past the third tree on the right. Its huge, can’t miss it”

“Thanks, Sounds like something out of the Hobbit”

He chuckled “Harry’s the name. See you around maybe?”

“Hmm. Maybe” she said with enough encouragement to attract a raised eyebrow from her mother. 

The road surface turned to muddy puddles at the treeline, but there it was, the green gate. An undersized plaque at the side read ‘The Briers’ and a large green button on the other side invited a big push from Holly.

They watched as it rumbled open revealing a driveway that curved around some skyscraper sized rhododendron bushes. As Harry had said, it was huge. It was bigger than huge and Eloise edged the car forward nervously creeping along wondering if they were in the right place, half expecting an irate gardener to evict them at any moment 

“Maybe they’ve got a flat here or something” suggested Holly 

“Steve didn’t say much about the house, just the trouble he’d had in buying it.”

They stopped as they got to the front door and Eloise spotted Steve’s car just as Holly spotted Geneviève with a huge whoop.

“Look, its Gen. She’s on the balcony” but a moment later she was at the front door with a big hello for both of them and a  “C’mon, I’ll show you your room” leaving Eloise suddenly alone. She was still looking around, lost, taking in the surprise as Steve appeared from left of the hall. 

“Look mummy, there’s a huge hole in the ceiling” called Holly as she appeared at the internal balcony above the hallway. And look at that light, pointing to the giant chandelier hanging above the atrium feature “it’s awesome”

“Hi” said Steve softly “welcome to our humble abode”

“How much of it is yours?” called Holly still on the balcony

Steve looked blank ‘How much? Well, strangely, the two of us manage to occupy all of it. In fact, I’m not sure there’ll be room for you as well!”

But Holly had disappeared again, charging off for another explore

“She was expecting your house to be quite small” explained Eloise, and right on cue “Mummy! Come up here and see. I’ve got my own room here, and its got its own bathroom too”

“We’ve got another special room for you too” called Steve “But we’ll look at that later” as the two girls fled out through the kitchen and disappeared into the garden. Now alone together, Steve turned to her. Welcome to our house. She fell into his open arms with a long kiss as he just held her gently. 

“I’d hate to think that the first room you saw was the kitchen, so let’s get a drink in the living room before we make a cup of coffee and take a look round”

He led her through the double glass doors on the left. There were four settees, several occasional tables, half a dozen arm chairs and some oversize speakers quietly playing something quite gentle that she didn’t recognise. And a full sized bar, built in to one wall that they migrated towards.

[cue Rise by Apocalyptica] 

“I know you think I should have invited you before, but the house wasn’t really ours till 3 weeks ago and its only just ready now, so I hope you’re not disappointed”

“Disappointed! Steve, its magical. Its unbelievable. Is there a big garden as well”? Is that whole long driveway yours?”

“Big? Yesss, you could say that….”another quizzical look “we’ll have a look round, at the risk of sounding like an estate agent”

He poured her a small gin

“What is it friendship is based on…” he asked rhetorically handing her the glass “…Alcohol, sarcasm and inappropriate behaviour, isn’t it? Well --- gin, at half past 11 in the morning, and I think we’ve had some of the sarcasm already. Not that there won’t be more.”

She drifted across to the window and looked out, mesmerised, at her little old car parked right outside between the front door and the grassy driveway island with its fountain bubbling in the middle. 

“Oh my goodness!” she gasped as the shock permeated and she gazed around with her eyes eventually resting on him as she broke into an excited smile. She felt completely at a loss. Stunned. He took her free hand and led her back out to the hall, to the study, poked their heads into the dining room and then headed out through the utility room into the garden. I’ll get your case later he said, but one thing first, I’ve made up the front East bedroom for you. I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything that’s inappropriate” 

“No? Really?” she taunted still unrecovered

“No. I want you to be inappropriate totally voluntarily”

“This is just delightful”, she beamed  as they walked slowly round the rose and cottage garden outside the kitchen “and the driveway is amazing”

“We’ll miss out that side of the house right now” he said waving his arm to the right “There’s not much there except the garages and those giant rhododendrons and you saw them on the way in anyway. Its just kept tidy, that’s all. But up at the top of this path here there’s a large pond just beyond the trees”

“Are the trees all yours as well?” 

Steve nodded “Yes, there’s quite a few of them”

“Quite a few? Is this a bit of the impending sarcasm? How many is a few, in this case?”

He gave her a big squeeze “I don’t actually know. Geneviève will have a better idea”

“Ok, so approximately. I mean there’s…“ she counted roughly unable to concentrate on exact numbers “at least sixteen in that avenue up to the rise. I mean, we don’t even have room for one tree, so that’s already a lot, rather than a few to me”

“Well, ok, my last estimate – I mean I’ve never counted them, but…” 

“But? But?” she coaxed becoming increasingly intrigued by the procrastination continuing to build the suspense. It surely can’t be that hard!

“Ok. There’s a lot of them. They extend from the top of the avenue where the pond is all the way left, over the hill and all the way down the valley…” He glanced over towards her to gauge how much attention she was paying  “…and then up the other side, and over the top of that hill and down to the river. But Geneviève spends a lot of her time there. Its more her domain. There’s a whole lot of interesting relics there. Some are from world war 2 when the whole area was sealed off and then abandoned following some incident”

She heaved a huge sigh and nestled into him trying to take it in. The description of its size was threatening and she was looking to him now for protection “What’s through the archway?” she asked as she made it to the edge of the arch and peered through

 “What’s that!” 

Her eyes widening in disbelief as they walked out onto the grass as Steve continued 

“You get to the forest area down there on the right, and over the cattle grid. But if you look beyond that across the valley you can see the rest of the trees...”

“So how many is that!”

“We can’t be precise. Being exact is really quite hard because we don’t know where the boundary is, at least, not exactly. And there’s an area beyond the far gate to the lane that we’re not sure if its ours or not”
 “And as an estimate!” gasped Eloise now gazing blindly into the middle distance across the valley 

“A lot of them are really densely packed. But so far, we think there’s about 300 thousand”

Eloise choked “3 what? ….. thousand?” she echoed. “That’s huge. That’s more than a whole forest! Steve! I can’t even visualise that”

’’Oh, I think you can! You’re looking at it right now. But the real number could be twice that. Oh, and what you’re standing on is the West Lawn”

“West lawn? You are joking! How big is it?”

Steve shook his head. “I don’t know exactly. Maybe 5 acres. But it takes 4 hours to cut it”

“You don’t push a lawnmower around that do you?’

“No, on both counts’

“Both counts?”

“Yes the lawn mower isn’t pushed, it’s a ride on, and I don’t do it. Ah, there’s the lawn mower now”

Holly was headed their way piloting a mid-sized John Deere on full throttle and a trailer with Geneviève in it bounding across the lawn towards them with Holly yelling like a maverick cowboy

“Mummy! This is awesome” as Geneviève shouted instructions on where the brake was and don’t forget to use it

“I’m just going to show Holly the woods” announced Geneviève as Holly finally found the brake 

“Ok, lunch is half past twelve. Don’t be late. If this weather holds, we’ll get a couple of blankets and just have a picnic here on the lawn.”

“And if not” continued Geneviève as Holly sped off and veered wildly down the gentle slope “it’ll be the summerhouse by the lake, right?”

And they were gone

“Lake?”

“Pond. Lake. Its jolly wet if you fall in whatever you call it. Its farther up from where we were looking earlier. That’s what feeds the stream that runs through the valley”

“Oh Steve, I need to sit down”

“Conservatory then”

He steered her back towards the house and up the wide steps onto the patio

“Steve, this is a tropical greenhouse”

“That’s right, the conservatory”

She gazed upwards, bending her neck increasingly backwards as she looked up towards the glass roof. It must be twenty feet high

“Is that the upstairs landing?”

“Yes, that’s how the hall and the landing are so bright. Its having this glasshouse as an end wall on both levels”

But Eloise was still gazing at the plants that were actually touching the roof.

“I’m…. I’m speechless. I’d think it’s a dream or all a hoax, which I wouldn’t put past you, but I can’t think why you would, or how you could ever set it up”

“No. No hoax I’m afraid. This is where we live” he said, sounding apologetic “Its ok isn’t it. I mean, you do like it don’t you? Although I can understand that you’re a little surprised. Geneviève was too when she got back from her holiday in France and I brought her here instead of Station Road”

“I’ll bet she was!”

Steve looked at his watch “I need to sort out the lunch – then maybe we’ll take a look upstairs? You can stay here if you want”

“No, I…” 

Back in the living room the stereo was pumping out ‘You don’t know’ by Billy Fury

Cue Close to Midnight by Savoy Brown

Eloise stopped and held Steve’s arm. She slipped her arms round his waist and started to move slowly round the room, like it was the last waltz at a sixty’s high-school hop.

Track finished, they headed for the kitchen tracking down the source of the waft of freshly baked bread. 

“Its easier” he explained “just cooking it in the bread maker than continually buying it. Its great for sandwiches, though there’s a technique to slicing it when it’s still hot and so soft”

Eloise looked around. Its got everything, hasn’t it? It just looked so well equipped, and enough workspace to have everything out ready to use.

Sandwiches made, he showed her round the rest of the house and brought her case in.

“Where do you want me to put this” he asked rather pointedly.

Eloise took hold of his arm with a flirtatious smirk. “Well, I was thinking, your room maybe?” At least that’s what I was thinking. Now there’s no maybe about it

He threw a couple of travel blankets at her and lunch was served on the lawn. Geneviève and Holly arrived by tractor looking even more muddy than even Steve was expecting. 

“What happened to you?” exclaimed Eloise at the state of them.

“Oh, Holly was helping me move a tree I’d cut down. But we slipped. Still, I’m making progress”

“Progress into what?”

“There’s something stuck up there in the tree tops, and I want to get a closer look. But the forest is so thick it’s hard to move at all. Even when you want to cut a tree down, there’s nowhere for it to fall.”

Lunch looked like a success as the sandwiches disappeared, the cake disappeared the drinks disappeared the grapes disappeared and the conversation stalled until Holly asked 

“Are we going out to dinner?”

“Dinner! you haven’t finished lunch yet!” admonished Eloise

“I’d thought not, actually” Steve said slowly with a hint of mystery.

“Oh, and mummy bought me a new dress specially” she retorted, clearly disappointed

“Holly, don’t be so rude!”

“Well, in a way, you are out to dinner. I mean you’re not at your house, and I expect Geneviève will want to wear something special because you and your mum are here. But tonight I thought it would be fun to cook dinner together”

“Us – you mean you and me?” Geneviève asked her dad

“Not quite. I thought maybe we could all participate. Two of us do the starter and dessert, and the other two do the main course” 

“Hmph. I don’t know much about cooking moaned Holly so I think we’re the losing team, mum”

“I was thinking that maybe you and me would team up” Steve replied “and Geneviève and Eloise”

“Well that sounds like a good idea” said Eloise “I’m up for that”

“That’s just so you’re not on the losing team” accused Holly

“We’ll see” said Steve “but its not really a competition. So after lunch we’ll get together in the kitchen and decide what the menu should be. Then we’ll check to see if we’ve got the ingredients, and if not we have to go shopping”

“So can we make the starter and pudding?” asked Holly.

“Ok” agreed Eloise “but I’m looking forward to something you’ve made rather than just found in the freezer!”

“The other thing we need to do this afternoon is homework”

“Oh what!”

“Yes. If you do it today, there’s the potential for us all going out tomorrow. Maybe go down the coast a bit if the rain stays off”

“And what are you and mummy going to do while we do homework?” teased Holly

“I’m sure we’ll think of something”

Eloise raised another quiet smile, listening. The banter between Steve and Holly was wonderful. She couldn’t have expected anything so good. That was probably her worst fear - that Holly and Steve might not get on.

Steve took hold of Holly’s hand as they headed back towards the house “We’ve got a little extra surprise for you, Holly”

“Is it inside?” she asked eagerly

“Not exactly. It’s more, as you get in. Its kind of, on the way. It’s a special treat as I know just how much you like being muddy, and I was expecting this after hockey this morning. Now that you’ve been to the woods its even more appropriate”

“I didn’t mean to be so mucky. I didn’t know we were coming until after the match. We didn’t have time to go home. Mummy said it would be all right”

“Of course it’s all right, but we do need to get you cleaned up. So you need to go round to the side of the house. Just beyond the herb garden. Geneviève, can you take Eloise through and quickly make sure everything is ready”

“I think I’m getting nervous about this already” 

Eloise looked intrigued “I was going to say I’d be surprised. But I’m not sure anything will surprise me ever again after this morning!”

Steve led Holly round through the cottage garden to the far corner of the house. 

“This is the entrance” he said nudging her towards the door and turning the handle

“I’m not sure about this” she said “It could be the entrance to the dungeon”

“Only if you deserve to go to the dungeon. Do you?’

“Or maybe the entrance to the third underworld!”

She turned to him as she pushed the door open “Aren’t you coming as well?”

“I’d love to. But I don’t think that would be appropriate, as this involves you taking all your clothes off”

“Wellll” she said as if considering that as an option, and looking at him with her head on one side

“What’s inappropriate?” called Eloise faintly from somewhere on the other side

“Steve coming through with me” she shouted back, although now quite confused where anyone actually was. 

On the inside Geneviève explained it to Eloise.

“Through here” she explained “is a wet room. There’s a door into it from outside. That’s where Holly is, I hope” she said in an increasingly loud voice.

“Yes, but I don’t know where I’m going”

“Ok Holly, you have to get undressed. Then put all your clothes in the red basket to your right and push it into that cupboard.”

“But I won’t have anything left to wear”

“You will have”, said Geneviève reassuringly. “Now walk forward slowly, and ..”

A shriek came through from the inside

“Ahhhh! I’m all wet. I’m soaked Oh.. Ah.. there’s jets of water coming at me from all sides. Ohh and the top, and the sides and everywhere”

“Good” said Steve from somewhere behind her outside the door “Its for especially muddy people. It’s a good job you took your clothes off”

“Is Steve still with you?” called Eloise suddenly concerned

“No! I’ve lost all my clothes. They’ve all disappeared into a black hole in a red basket. But, actually, this shower is pretty awesome when you start getting used to it”

“Ok” said Geneviève “as you come out through the next door, you’ll find a rack of towels on the right, and there should be a robe or two there as well. Then the next door comes out next to the staircase and you can head upstairs to your room to get dressed again”

Holly missed most of that, drowned out by the noise of the shower, but came to roughly that conclusion on her own

“I think I’ll put on that new dress mum got me”

Back in the kitchen, the menu was set to make shopping unnecessary

“I don’t know about cooking” Holly reiterated to Steve

“We’ll be fine. I thought you’d been cooking the dinner for your mum recently”

“Yes, but it wasn’t complicated. But I don’t want mum to find out I’ve left it all to you”

“That’s ok, because you won’t. There’s plenty for you to do”

“Like?” 

“Like whisking the egg, chopping the onion. I think maybe you can make the cake”

“What!”

“Its ok . I’ll tell you what to do”

“That’s ok, I guess”

“Might even manage words of one syllable”

She frowned at him “hmm. I still think that shower was a mean trick to play on me. You could have told me what to expect”

“Oh, I don’t think so. Where’s the fun in that? But that’s what it’s for. It’s for when you get really muddy. But I think you were fantastic, the way you went along with it and I did say to your mum that we had a shower especially for you, and a towel”

“Yes, she said, but she didn’t say it was that special! Are you always going to play jokes on me like that?”

“Probably”

She thumped him playfully and changed the subject

“Mummy and Geneviève are planning something complex with chicken and pastry I think”

“That’s good. I’m planning something complex for you to make with meringue”

“Ohhh” she groaned “I’m not sure I’m looking forward to this any more”

“Of course you are. You’ll be fantastic.”

“I don’t feel very confident any more”

He crouched a little to be more at her level.

“I know this is all very different from what you’re used to, but I think we’ll make a great team”

“Do you, really?”

He put his arms round her and lifted her off the floor in a bear hug.

“Yes I do” he replied as a broad grin returned to her face

“We’ll make the dessert when you need a break from homework. The starter, we’ll make ten minutes before we need it”

“I’m glad someone’s confident”

Over in the other camp, they decided to pare back the ambition in view of the amount of time it would take.

“You don’t want to spend all afternoon in the kitchen” Geneviève was saying

“No? But it’s the opportunity to cook something really special for your dad”

“Yes, but there’ll be other times”

“Will there?”

“Of course there will. Loads of them”

“I wish I shared you optimism. If its not brilliant this time I might not get another chance”

“Of course you will. And next time. And the time after that”

Eloise welled up. First Holly and Steve. She never realised how well they would get on. It’s like they already knew each other. And now Geneviève! 

It was late afternoon when Holly bounced into the living room still wearing the blue dress. It seemed to change her from delightful little girl to a sexy young teenager and Eloise clocked Steve’s reaction.

“Don’t you go having too much fun in the kitchen now” she whispered to Steve.

“I can’t believe you said that” Steve joked and followed Holly.

He talked her through the steps in making the prawn starter, and the meringue cake “…. no, no, separate the eggs first into the yolk and the white. Otherwise you’ll end up with a sweet scrambled egg rather than a crispy meringue….”

Cake in the oven, they returned to the living room while the main course team took over the kitchen. 

 Giving out a big sigh, Holly slipped carefully onto the armchair trying hard to pull her dress down far enough to be acceptable – even to herself. She’d noticed the disapproving frown from her mum as they passed in the hall.

“What’s up baby?” asked Steve. 

“I don’t know...”  Steve gave her a more intense questioning look, as if to say, oh yes you do

“Well. I’m worried about this dress. I know you said you thought it was great, and that’s good, but I don’t think mum thinks it’s quite right”

“Well, she packed it for you”

“I know. She bought it specially and I don’t want to upset her by not wearing it, but I do keep growing as well. And I wanted to wear something special for you. Still, I think mum thinks it’s too short and I don’t want you and mum to fall out over it. Maybe I should put my black verity on. I’ve got that with me as well”

He went over to give her a cuddle 

“I was so looking forward to looking special for you. Every other time I’ve been in my school uniform. I told mum we had to go back this morning and get my clothes”

“It’s a really pretty colour”

“Yes, and a really soft fabric. But I guess it’s, well, its just too small”

“You know about fabrics and materials then?”

“Yes. We do all that – and sewing – in home economics. I like that. And I’m quite good at it – not like maths. I’m hoping that Geneviève will explain some of it again even though she thinks I understand after she explained it twice before, but I don’t really. I just don’t want to disappoint her, she’s so patient with me”

“Look, Holly. I’m not a fashion designer, I’m just an engineer but I’ve got an idea. Come on”

He got up and led her by the hand across the hall and into a room they’d not been in before. “Oh before we start, go and ask Geneviève if you can borrow a pair of black tights”

‘Second drawer next to the wardrobe’ came the call in response and by the time she got back, Steve had retrieved a long mirror from amongst the clutter and made some space around the old sewing machine. “Oh, that’s a nice Singer” as she noticed it.

“Right, tights on. Now stand up on this chair so I can hold this up better. Can you see the mirror? Ok good, so here…..” he held up a piece of black material, “What we do – remember this is only an experiment it might not work….” 

He pinned it loosely to the hem of her dress and stood back. Then he dimmed the lights just a little. 

“Oh wow!”

“Is it working?”

“Is it!”

“So all you need to do now is just cut this to the right length to go all the way round the hemline, make it about this wide. Put a hem on it if you want and then sew it onto the bottom of the dress. Overlap the blue on the outside to hide the join.

And voila! Six inches longer. So no issues from mummy, and it still looks as pretty. And its still as comfortable and silky, and you won’t waste all the money mum spent on it”

“Can I use that machine?”      

“Of course, it’s quite old. It was Geneviève’s mummy’s, but it still works. It was the best there was when we got it”

Steve stayed with her for a few minutes helping to fold the material along its length for cutting and hemming.

“I’ll leave you to do the rest on your own” he offered “Probably twenty minutes till dinner” Holly looked disappointed, but then suddenly realised Oh, yes – of course! as the door closed behind him and she took her dress off ready for sewing. Probably right, she thought. Don’t want mummy coming in and finding Steve here after I’ve got undressed.

Now back in the kitchen he finished off the dessert and got the wok warmed up for the last five minutes to cook the prawns.

Holly appeared in time to carry it in on a tray as Steve dimmed the lights. “Its more romantic” he bluffed in explanation as Eloise asked if Holly had made it

“I helped” she replied, 

“Yes, she chopped the onions and the garlic. It was a team effort. But her main contribution was in making the cake for dessert.”

Holly took the empty dishes out and was just on her way back as Eloise was bringing in the chicken they’d prepared. The brighter lights of the kitchen made her look twice. Now she noticed the alterations, but decided not to interrupt dinner too much. She was intrigued and wasn’t sure what had happened. But it would have to wait till after chicken. 

Holly brought in the cake. Steve had filled it with lemon butter cream, and Holly cut into it. Except now she was standing up straight, leaning confidently across the table to pass the plates and beaming a huge smile that announced happy, relaxed, and not nervous about comments from mum about visible underwear. 

“I can’t believe we made this!” she announced

“Neither can I” added Eloise “and there’s something else I can’t believe” 

“What’s that” asked Geneviève already starting her slice “This is amazing” she enthused 

But Eloise was concentrating on something completely different “Come on” she said not being able to wait a minute longer. “Stand back so we can get a better look.”

Holly twirled and the heavier hem fell quickly back into place. 

“How did you do that?”

“Do what?” asked Geneviève

“Twirl again” said Eloise

“Oh wow! That’s amazing too. And that’s what you wanted the black tights for”

It was Steve’s idea, admitted Holly

“But Holly did all the work sewing it together” Steve added.

He poured four liqueur glasses of Cointreau to end the meal.

Holly looked for approval from Eloise but Steve simply continued

“This is a very special dinner. It’s the first one we’ve all had together - at home”

Holly immediately tipped a good half of it down her throat, then equally suddenly gasped desperately for air as it took effect.

“Slowly!” coached Geneviève, just moments too late “Sip it - it lasts longer”

“Which is good, because after that there’s the washing up, and its twice as much “

She felt six eyes looking at her expectantly.

“One volunteer is worth 10 pressed men” coaxed Eloise

“Ok, so where’s the other nine?”

“Come on”, said Steve.

 “I’ll show you a shortcut. It’s called a dishwasher. But its important that we all join in and help do what needs to be done. That way we all get time to ourselves to do whatever we want”.

But the day had taken its toll, Geneviève and Holly were both exhausted now. Was that hockey match only this morning? Everything in the world seems to have changed since then. She gave her mum a big hug as she slipped down under her duvet. Yes, its been a big day.

“But you’re not disappointed in me are you?”

“Not at all. Oh Holly, I’m so proud of you. And I’m sure Steve is too. And I definitely want one of those skirts. Maybe we can make it together...” 

But Holly was already nearly asleep.

Steve left Eloise in the living room as he went to have a quite chat with Geneviève

“Something in particular?” enquired Eloise

“No, just whatever she wants to talk about. Although she may be too tired tonight”

Alone now, she glanced around the room still trying to take it all in. She looked across the long coffee table to the large green settee and the doors to the hall beyond. The wide patio doors to her left as far round as she could see, the glass wall to the conservatory, a couple of modern art pictures on the wall and the bar over on the far right just before the front window. 

It was all a fairy tale and so so different to what she was expecting. She was now even less sure about almost everything, but Steve was sharing all of this with her. She’d planned a surprise for Steve just before bedtime, but with everything else so different she was now concerned it might not be appropriate. 

Steve re-appeared through the doorway before she came to a conclusion and poured two glasses. He sat down next to her but she soon wriggled round to be side on, leaning on him while he leant on the armrest

“Was that a good day?” he asked  “Are you glad you came?”

“Unbelievable. I can’t get over it. I’m in shock, or a dream or something. I had no idea about this house. Its just, well, everything”

“It was tough work getting it all sorted”

“Yes you mentioned that”

“It belonged to an Aussie. If you ever want something done full on, get an Aussie to do it. Anyway, he’d been doing some lucrative deals – I’ve no idea what – and the tax man was on his case. He was desperate to get rid of his UK address so that he could claim not to be a resident, and avoid the tax”

“Must have been a lot of tax”

“Yes, I understand it was a couple of million. So he reduced the price of the house, but that strangely put most people off thinking maybe there was something dodgy or maybe it was a misprint. But for some reason he trusted me. I think he just ran out of alternatives. But I also think that he was in the position that if he’d found someone to give it to he’d have been better off. But it was bizarre. I was like a double agent, you know, working for both sides because he’d left the country by then and was worried about being arrested if he came back, so I was handling his side for him as well. But the deal completed, and here we all are”.

The conversation lapsed for a moment as Eloise looked around the room. “Is all the furniture new as well?” 

“No. We had virtually nothing in Station Road, the house was so small. So, actually, most of this was here when we moved in. I mean, he hardly had any time to ship himself out, never mind tables and chairs. I remember asking him if this or that was included, just for information and he just said ‘if its inside the boundary, its included’. Although Geneviève did find a jewellery box that he said he’d lost that looked valuable, so we shipped it over to him”

“What? In Oz?”

“No in the States, he’d moved to New York. I don’t know, maybe he was dodgy in Oz as well. But he was ever so grateful. He sent us a card saying it was worth over half a million dollars”

“I’ll bet he was! I’m jumping out my skin grateful that you paid off my credit card, I can’t imagine what I’d be like if that much just showed up in my post”

“Yes, but that card was getting to you. I just thought it would help take the pressure off”

She nodded “And then next week I’ll be able to pay some of the bills, and maybe there’ll be enough left over for Christmas – even if I spend all next year paying it off” 

But it’s really the relief that it shouldn’t happen again. And now here with you. Its all a dream coming true. Yes? She craned her neck to look round at him. “You ok?”

“Yes, I’m just appreciating the view”

Eloise jumped, and almost as quickly pulled the top of her blouse together

“Don’t be so shy. And such a spoilsport. Anyway, what’s this about paying bills?”

“Yes. I’ve just got a few red bills”

“Like which ones”      

“Well, I know you paid the phone bill because that was immediate, but there’s also the rates and the water”

“So where are those bills?”

“They were on the mantelpiece”

“Once upon a time they were in the post office” Steve mocked

“Oh!” she moaned becoming a little flustered. “I didn’t see them there. That’s probably why I forgot about them”

“Maybe they’ve gone to see their friends in the drawer. ‘Yes Water, you can go to the ball, I mean bill’ There might be a whole bill party going on in there and no-one would ever know”

“Steve! This is serious, and you’re being silly”

“Woah slow down babe. Now if you’d checked the drawer you’d see that Holly has written paid on all these bills”

“Paid? Steve, you didn’t?”

She let go as she twisted round and the gap reopened. 

“That’s better” he said in response

“Never mind the gap”

“My sentiment exactly” he interrupted as she breathed a hugely excited sigh

“Did you pay all the bills – you didn’t tell me!”

“yep. I admit it”

“When? How?”

“Last Monday, on my card, on the phone – which was still connected at that point”

She rolled over, landing on him with a huge hug

“I thought it would be a nice surprise when Holly told you”

“Oh Steve! How do I ever thank you for this?”

“I have an idea or two!” he muttered “But it just seemed to me to be a way of getting some of the distractions out of the way, and then maybe you’d have a clearer head to think about the future and maybe think about me and maybe even about us.”

But Eloise shrank internally. Oh my!  Why couldn’t she just have asked him for help rather than dump him so cruelly. There were other ways of solving that problem and he’d seen that. She hadn’t.

She rolled back to her previous position on the settee, feeling tingly and bubbly excited and relieved. She sensed that he was looking over her shoulder again, and caught his eye as she glanced back up. She pulled her top open a bit more

“It is possible to have a relationship that isn’t focussed on the bedroom?”

“Yes, with your granny, maybe! And even if it was possible, why would you?”

“Ok” she admitted “but there’s got to be more to it than that”

“Absolutely, but it’s a good start”

“Sooooo?” she prompted

“So, its time for bed?”

She rolled back around, with the most inviting smile Steve had ever seen.

“Do you want to check the girls are all right. They were both almost asleep when I checked, and I’ll go round and make sure we’re all locked up”

Eloise fled upstairs and peeked quietly into Geneviève’s room , then Holly’s, then into Steve's bedroom. She didn’t know how long she had, but the last few minutes had convinced her to go through with her plan. She even surprised herself at the speed she managed to get changed. Now, hair into pleats – no, no time. Have to be a pony tail. There! Finished and sitting on the bed.

Steve slipped in through the door “So the girls are both aslee….” his voice tailed off. 

She nodded as she stood up, and watched as Steve walked slowly towards her gazing into her misty watery blue eyes.

” Steve,” she whispered, holding both her hands out to him “I can’t imagine your 12 year old crush looked much like this, but.. .. I did try to recreate it”

Steve gazed towards her, the white shirt, the school tie, the blue checked pleated skirt, the pony tail and last but not least, the lollipop.

“And just to complete the picture…” he reached out and gently lifted her skirt as the smile on her face became even wider “You” he said “have got to be the most gorgeous girl in the whole school”

“I’m glad you think so, but I think I’m the most stupid, the most cruel, and the most desperately thankful that you still want me back”

They fell together “I thought” Steve whispered “that you didn’t want to base our relationship in on the bedroom”

“I thought we agreed that it shouldn’t be the only thing, but in any case, it’s a good start”

No one was up early the next day. The sun was slow to stretch above the horizon and was unseasonally warm when it finally did, but there was no-one from the Briers there to meet him.

Breakfast, when it eventually happened, was chaotic with the three girls not really knowing whether to wait or go ahead, to ask or get things themselves, to cook or just take cereal with everyone trying to be way more polite than was necessary. Some semblance of order broke out as Steve arrived and eventually everyone sat around the breakfast bar with an up-beat anticipation for the day ahead.

“Anyone have a plan for today?” asked Steve.

“Thought we were going down the coast” said Geneviève.

“Only if everyone wants to”

“I want to” piped up Holly

“Sounds good. We haven’t been south for ages”

“Ok, let’s try to be in the car in half an hour”

“What are you wearing?” asked Holly as she met her mum on the landing

“Jeans and a shirt and my black cardigan. Aren’t you wearing your jeans?”

“No, I’m going to wear my blue dress. Now it’s a better length I want to get the use of it before I grow again. And a pair of Gen’s thick tights…”

Oh, ok. I see. Another big effort!

“….and anyway, Steve says there isn’t a girl alive or dead that looks better in trousers than she does in a skirt”

“No! Is that right?!” 

“Well yes” defended Holly “Its ok for you to be just the natural you, mummy, but I know the real me is simply not good enough”

Eloise was genuinely stunned. She felt herself shrinking again into her inner self doubt. Holly was taking this whole weekend as maybe she was on trial for some undefined and undefinable crime. She, on the other hand was just relaxing and trying to be natural. Holly was being perfect because she was considering every second as if it was pivotal.

The thing is, she reflected – maybe it was. She was struck with sudden panic. Maybe they were on trial. Well no: no maybe about it. They were! That’s what Steve had said when he invited them – ‘lets just see how it goes’. Yesterday had been so perfect she had lost the thread. Now maybe she had to pick it up again. She’d brought a heavier autumn midi skirt with her which she thought might be more appropriate for the countryside around Apple Grove, and now decided to change into it.

“I thought you were in jeans today” commented Steve

“No” she said rather too quickly “The sun’s out and its not blowing a gale. Thought this would be more appropriate.”

The drive out of town was uncannily natural. Just mum and dad in the front and two young teenage girls in the back. But it was a big first in so many ways. None of them was used to being part of a family of four, or even going out for the day with more than two people. But natural it felt, and even Holly started to relax a bit.

The waves that were breaking over the rocks as they clambered down from the car park receded through the shingle with a menacing gurgling. They walked slowly along the water’s edge jumping occasionally to avoid a wave catching them but it washed away Eloise’s nervousness. This too was just natural as Steve held her hand and the girls played around the water’s edge like a pair of 8 year olds. 

“Geneviève hasn’t had anyone to play with like this” Steve explained “She’s had to grow up so quickly” 

“It’s such a shame, I’ve tried to protect Holly against that, but you never know. Maybe I’ve held her back too much”

“They might just balance out and meet in the middle”

 Talk turned to schools and whether Brook Bridge would re-open, and if it did if she’d transfer Holly back there – or if indeed there’d be a choice. 

The ebb tide had revealed the sand around the headland 

“We won’t get back” warned Geneviève “The tide’s already turning”

“Yes, but there’s a café in the next bay, and then we can take the coast path back along the top of the cliff”

They all lingered around the rocky headland. Steve and Eloise watching the girls poke around in rock pools and avoiding the incoming waves. 

The café, when they eventually got there, had changed a bit from Steve’s recollection. There was now a small sea research centre there and there were breeding tanks for every manner of local sea creature. Holly was fascinated. This wasn’t on the school curriculum, and the short explanations were actually understandable. She bubbled about it to Steve saying this was something she’d never have done with just her mum.

Eloise was with Geneviève on the walk back when they cleared the headland and cut back onto the sand.

“You alright?” asked Eloise tentatively.

“Hmm, yes. Great, thanks. Oh, and well… thanks for cooking with me yesterday”

“Why thankyou Geneviève. I enjoyed that too. Cooking’s been a bit of a nightmare recently”

“What? All that financial stuff?”

“Yes. It did all get to me and I have to apologise, but yesterday with you was just perfect”

Geneviève slipped her arm through Eloise’s as they walked some way slowly along the beach, jumping as the odd wave made an unexpected attack on their ankles

“Your dad seems to get on really well with Holly”, she said changing the subject

“Yes”  

They both looked along the beach. 

“Hmmm. Although...” Geneviève opened up “...she did tell me that if you weren't going out with him, she would”

Eloise laughed, “I'm not sure that's practical”

“No, I agree. I mean, actually I don't think I ask for much, but I'd prefer my new mummy not to be a year younger than me”

Eloise looked over to her pleasantly surprised and then suddenly petrified. Geneviève was so direct on what this was all about. Well, yes, of course that’s what’s at stake. That’s what she had in mind for Holly, only in reverse. But with Geneviève thinking this way? And presumably that meant Holly was as well. Yes, of course she was. That’s why she’s being on her very best behaviour every single second of the day. And then it slowly dawned on her. That’s why Holly has been on her case from day 1. Oh my! Everyone knows what’s going on except me!

“Your dad thinks it's really important that we get on well together”

“Hmm. Yes. I think it's really exciting. But we are getting on ok, aren't we?” asked Geneviève suddenly doubting herself 

“I thought so. Oh, is there some doubt? Is there a problem, I really enjoyed cooking with you yesterday. It wasn’t just a necessity to stay alive. It was fun and.. , and discussing the menu! It's a long time since I've done ... Oh but that's just me isn't it”

“Well, it is really about you and dad. And me and Holly will just tag along”

“That's not what your dad was saying. He said it's not just him and me. It's me and you and you and Holly and Holly and him. And after I’d thought about it, I must admit I think he's right. He told me last Thursday that if we were both 18 again we'd just go and have fun, but we’re not and we've got other responsibilities”

“Yes, daddy's trying hard to get that balance right”

“Yes, I can see that now, but he's been quite hard to get to know”

“Oh, Eloise! He's really great when you get to know him! I think…. I think it's part of him just trying to get everything right..... For me”

“And I'm trying to get everything right as well, for all of us”

“But Eloise, the danger is that we all try so hard that we’re all just actors on a stage and we all fall in love with each other's characters. And then when we leave the stage we wonder who we all are” 

“And that's why he's so difficult to get to know?”

“It's so that you don't just give the answers he wants to hear. He just wants you and Holly to be the real you, and then so much has been up in the air recently. Like the house – we only got the final papers a couple of weeks ago and its still unclear where the boundaries are, especially in the woods ....”

She tailed off, but Eloise continued “it sounds a little like you're talking from some experience?”

“Not really, but one time, a long time ago, I overheard part of a conversation. Daddy had just mentioned motor racing, and she said oh I love motor sport. He said do you prefer touring cars or formula 3, and she said what's the difference”

“Oh I see. You know, quite a lot is now falling into place now. So you could let me into a few secrets”

“Like?”

“What's his favourite food? When we've been out for dinner he has something completely different each time”

“His favourite food Eloise is anything he hasn't had to cook. Which is why I make some of the meals”

“You're not giving much away!”

“But I don't need to” she replied softly. “Everything is working out so perfectly already because its not about just doing what daddy wants. Its all about doing what you want, and if that’s also what daddy wants then it’ll work. If its not, then it won’t and we’ll all go back to the drawing board“

Oh my! Such brutal honesty is so refreshing and oh so frightening

“Yes. Like that tip from Holly” she confided “She says that your dad prefers girls to wear skirts than trousers”

“That’s just him. He’s always said that and I think he’s got a point. He told me that I didn’t have to wait till I got to the glass ceiling before playing the feminine card. So I just play it all the time. You see, me! I don't even own a pair of jeans, or trousers. And without exception, I find it an advantage. Of course, he won’t tell anyone what to wear. Its just he’s biased in a certain direction which means he’s more tolerant and sympathetic in those cases. The girls at his work figured that out ages ago”

Eloise however had not figured that out. But that might be, she reflected, because she’d always worn a dress when she was meeting him anyway

“Actually, I remember another conversation I wasn't meant to hear. Daddy had just said there was no future for them. There were loads of issues with her anyway like she wanted all the windows open even when it meant we had to put on an extra jumper, and daddy said, ‘you don't cook do you?’ And she said ‘No why would I, you can do that!’ So much for a partnership! And anyway he said you never wear a dress. She said. Steven, it's a man’s world, one must dress for the part. She even managed to get his name wrong”

Geneviève giggled, and Eloise laughed “but it still doesn’t help me figure out which side you're on?”

“But there aren’t any sides. Its not a competition with winners and losers. But me? I try not you take sides – on anything. Daddy says if you can't decide which side to be on, be on your own side. But Eloise, we're all on the same side, aren't we? I mean, you were as upset as daddy when you...you know, had your break. And now you’re back together you’re both happy as beans again. Oh! But,.. It's nothing to do with me. You have to reach your own conclusion”

“Oh dear, I was hoping it would all be more emotional than clinical!”

“Oh mummy! But it is. It's just I don't want you or daddy doing something just because of what I think. Daddy says growing up is about collecting a sufficient base of data about experiences so that you can come to a sensible conclusion on your own, and the danger in being young like me is that you don't know enough to know that you don't know. So I can say what I think and that’s valid. But it might be wrong and when I find that out I can change my mind. Except in this case it would be too late”

Eloise blinked hard. But decided against asking her to repeat that, but Geneviève slipped her arm around Eloise's again. It must be so hard trying to stay out of something that would have such a huge impact on you. And if it all goes wrong, your only defence is, it wasn't my decision. Why would you put the children through all this? But, at that age, how could you do anything like this without them?

They watched the sun disappearing towards the horizon from the top of the sand dunes, and the light had faded to a glow by the time they made the car.

“Its getting chilly” said Eloise

“Yes, but the visibility is so good with the clear air” said Steve

“Yes, even though its getting dark, you can see all the way to the other side, its so clear” 

“I must be” said Holly “I can see all the way to the moon” 

But without the warming rays the autumn evening chill was getting well established as they set off with the car headed south again, away from town.

“Eloise” said Steve “in the glove box there’s a notebook. It should be open at a page with the number for the Kings Shilling. Can you phone them and see if we can get a table for dinner. Its about twenty minutes away” 

“Yes” she had said, “We’ll definitely be out by 8.30 because we have to get back. Its school day tomorrow.” 

And that was dinner set up.

“Thank goodness for that,” said Geneviève. “I was beginning to wonder whatever I might get on the table, especially when we’re going to be back quite late”

Eloise was quiet. This could be her job. But for now it was Geneviève that was playing hostess. She felt desperately sorry for her. Only 15 and already keeping house as well as going to school. Her main hobby seemed to be playing the piano, but she also had a real interest in practical engineering. Oh, maybe it wasn’t such a bad life. She didn’t seem to mind, and it seemed comfortable. Maybe she’d just got used to it. At least money didn’t seem to be an issue. Certainly not the way it was for her and Holly. But, as Steve had explained, it was precarious. The higher you fly, the farther you have to fall and the bigger the shock when you hit the ground. And maybe she didn’t want to take that risk. Maybe she should just keep close to the ground, and bounce when she fell, like she had before. Maybe she just wasn’t up for the risks in achieving more than she’d ever dreamed of.

The Kings Shilling was set way back from the coast in a hidden little village. The food was beautifully cooked, and heaped onto the plates in traditional rustic style. Conversation over dinner was all about the last two days, the differences in the ways they lived and how all sorts of things would be better if they all just lived together. Most of it was from the girls with Steve just listening. Eloise thought she’d been positive, but, she reflected, Steve had been a lot quieter than usual, or than expected.

She returned to those thoughts on the way home. Home, she thought. I don’t even know where that is anymore. Yes of course I do. The invitation was for the weekend, not forever. But Geneviève was talking about forever, not just a day or two. Holly was thinking forever. She tried to frame the question to Steve, but found that whichever way she tried, she felt he might misinterpret it, or the reason behind it. And oh! It was just too complicated. Everything was going so well, why interrupt it now? She looked round to see Holly’s eyes gently closing as she leaned her head against the side window, and Geneviève was quietly watching the world go past in a contemplative world of her own. 

[cue That Was Yesterday – Perfect Plan]

“AAhhh!“

The shriek woke everyone from their own world of thoughts as Holly screamed, gasping suddenly for breath and shattering the silence. Eloise spun round and Geneviève reached out her hand, catching Holly's arm as she sat bolt upright. And almost immediately sank back down.

“Sorry. Sorry, sorry everybody. I.. I had a thought”

Steve slowed the car as the traffic allowed.

“Like a nightmare?” asked Eloise urgently

“No. Not really, its just  … . a thought” replied Holly with a note of panic

“You’re ok now” Geneviève said “We’re all here with you now” 

She squeezed her hand, and held on to it as Holly fell back in her seat

“Can you tell us what the thought was” asked Eloise 

“No, no its ok. I’m ok. It was just a thought. Sorry for the fuss”

“But you…”

Eloise felt Steve touch her hand and dropped the question.

“Its ok Holly, we’ll take you home. Maybe you and Eloise should stay at our house tonight. We’ll have to be up early to get ready for school, but ….”

“I’d like that” said Holly

“Would you feel safer? You know.. against the thought?” suggested Geneviève.

“No, no its not that. Its its its… its ok”

Steve watched her in the mirror, and wondered just which thought scared her the most.

Geneviève switched on the reading lights for her and closed her eyes. Steve and Eloise exchanged glances, but everyone was tired and with school and work early tomorrow, conversation was sparse and hushed as Steve concentrated on making progress through the slower traffic.

That evening, Steve left Eloise sitting in the living room trying to work out a schedule for the next day. He kissed Geneviève goodnight and was now sitting on the edge of Holly’s bed. 

“One day, he said, you’ll tell me what the thought was, but for tonight you come and find Geneviève, or me and mummy if it comes back”

Holly sat up sleepily

“I haven’t ruined everything, have I?” she said with an increasing panic

“Of course not. But the scariest part of anything is when its nearly completed”

Back in the living room Steve poured out a couple of drinks and they folded themselves into each other.

“I just want you to know, whispered Steve, that I’ve had the most wonderful weekend. I had thought we’d discuss it, all four of us, over dinner, but somehow it didn’t seem appropriate”

“You said, we’d just see how it went”

“And”

“I don’t want it ever to end” 

“I think you ought to go and tell Holly that we’re declaring the weekend a complete success”

“Really?”

“What? Really a success or really tell Holly?”

“Really tell Holly”

“Yes. Because she’s really worried about it”

“I know, she doesn’t want to go home”

“And what do you want, Eloise?”      

“I don’t want to go home either. But I suppose there are practical issues to think about”

“Well, maybe you should have a chat with Holly, and me with Geneviève tomorrow evening, and then on Tuesday we’ll see where we go next. Whatever happens, we should keep Thursday in the diary, just in case …”

Sensibility would have dictated that they discussed the future, but they were both tired, both afraid of saying something too much or too out of place, and instead they cuddled in on recently neglected physical activity.

“Careful,” said Eloise quietly “I thought you said Holly should come and find us if her thought comes back”

“Hmm, I agree. Don’t want her getting jealous. Do we?”

“I can’t believe you said that.”

“Towel time”, announced Steve all too loudly

“Tow… what” squeaked a bleary Holly

“Towel time” repeated Steve “Its when I bring you a lovely soft warm towel for your shower, but I throw it at you if you’re not out of bed”

“But its only 7 o’clock”

“And you’ve got to go home and get changed and go to school”

“Oh, oh dear. I forgot.”

Eloise left as soon as they were ready and Geneviève finally managed to catch Holly at break. 

“What’s the plan?” asked Holly with anticipation

Geneviève shrugged and held her arms out wide in despair “I have no idea”

Holly’s smile vanished “But everything went so well. It wasn’t my thought was it? Please say it wasn’t! After I tried so hard all weekend, and then I let everyone down while I was asleep. Its unbel….’

Geneviève was shaking her head “….I really don’t think that’s a factor. There’s just no plan, although I think Thursday is on”

“Thursday! That’s hardly progress. That’s back to where we were”

“Oooohh” groaned Holly “just wait till mummy gets home tonight”

“I think the plan is that you talk to mummy this evening”

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that!” she barked crossly

“I’m sure I’ll talk to dad tonight. Maybe they just didn’t discuss anything”

“Well why not? What could possibly be more important?”

But Holly had to delay the launch of her attack. Eloise was late back. She’d been shopping, but at least that meant there was food on the table. Holly sat down to watch TV, but her mum seemed preoccupied by something else. Holly was nervous about making a big fuss as she still wasn’t convinced that her thought hadn’t contributed. It was getting on towards passing bedtime on a school night when Holly eventually raised the question.

“Yes” said Eloise encouragingly, “I’ve been thinking about the practicalities”

“Of…?”

“Of… of.. of moving too fast. Holly, its a big step. We can’t just drive over there with a suitcase and not come back”

“Why not?”

“Because we live here”

“So we’d live there instead”

Eloise racked her brain for a good logical argument and found to her dismay that there wasn’t one.

“But it might take a turn for the worse”

“Mummy! How could it? After the last two days? It just couldn’t be? Geneviève is so cool – And Steve! He’s gorgeous. And you’re going out with him again! And you’re happy again! Sooo! How could it possibly be anything but perfect?”

“But…”

“We’ve lived other places before. Mummy, if we go at your pace its not just you that’ll be drawing a pension before you sort yourself out, it’ll be me as well”

“But we’d have to decide what to take”

“We don’t have to take anything. They’ve got everything there! And anyway we can always come back for a second trip” 

“But there are practical issues too”

“Like?”

“Like…. Like you won’t be able to watch as much TV. That remote was about the only thing that had any dust on it”

“But that’s because they’re so busy doing other stuff – they don’t need a TV. I mean, Geneviève doesn’t have enough hours in the day what with her car and her piano and cooking. And all the stuff she‘s doing in the woods”

“So what is she doing in the woods?”

“She’s still not found the boundary and there’s something strange as well. Don’t know exactly, but she says there’s something stuck up in the tree tops. Its completely covered in ivy and stuff, so its hard to tell, but she’s working her way towards it by chopping trees down”

“And does that interest you?”

“Well yes. Its like taking part in something, not just watching others do stuff. TV is just watching other people. Its living life as a spectator. It’s a second hand life! Mummy, sometimes I listen to Gen talking to the other kids. Its like, she knows stuff cos she’s done it, not just seen it or guessing at it. Like, Alison was talking about going to Spain to see her nan, but she didn’t know if she could travel alone and everyone was guessing and saying you should be able to and it’d be unfair if you couldn’t. And then Geneviève says, yes you can. Its called an unaccompanied minor and you get special treatment. And Alison says how do you know, and Geneviève says because that’s how she got back from Australia. And someone says, but you have to change planes or refuel or something and Gen just says, yes twice, Singapore and Dubai, but its just like changing trains. She’s not bragging or boasting or anything, and she says it quite quietly, and only when she’s invited. You know, she’s really quite shy, and quite lonely too. But she says things which are just facts, not like guessing. And then in physics we’re doing moments and weights and balances, and Old Goofer says ‘can anyone give me a practical example’ and like Gen says, yes, and then explains how she uses that in stacking the tree trunks she’s felled with her chainsaw!

And I want to do stuff. I don’t just want to watch stuff if there’s the chance to do it. And there’s that chance with Steve and Geneviève” 

Eloise drifted back to her own childhood. Not so much television then, but not much opportunity either. Her early years were dominated by rules and regulations, and punctuated with discouragement, failure and rebuke. She thought back to when Geneviève and Holly nearly blew themselves up and Steve just told them how to do it properly rather than chastise them for such a dangerous experiment.

Her thoughts continued through the night making her uncomfortable and waking her up at random times. She looked across to the other side of the bed half expecting Steve to be there, and then dreamily musing what it would be like if he was and she could just reach out and touch him, just to prove that someone she loved was there and to reassure herself that there was actually still something worth living for.

The next morning Holly’s words were still going round in her head.  Not only did she have to admit that it was true then, but also that it was still true now. Holly was growing up and getting older. Steve wouldn’t wait forever and the rest of the world was moving on

“Come on! We’ll be late for school. I’ll phone Steve and see what they think.”

“OK! So we’re going back, right?”

“Yes, but only if we’re invited!”

Eloise phoned Steve’s office twice, only to get no farther than Ruth, which she was hardly surprised at, but she also wanted extra time to think about the financial side. This was a new concern that was now the ace in the hand that was looking for an excuse to delay. She couldn’t discuss this with Holly, but how was she going to afford it all? It wouldn’t be right just to expect Steve to pay for everything, and she might not even earn enough to pay half the mortgage, never mind anything else. For sure Holly had seen and recognised the difficulties especially recently, but she wouldn’t be able to help – she didn’t have anything or do anything to give up, well except Hockey, but that didn’t cost much at all. She put her head in her hands and let her elbows fall to the desk and let out a huge sigh. Its all too much she said almost to herself as Brenda bundled in.

“Hey, what’s this? All too much?”

“Oh Hi Brenda”

“Can’t be too much for you, girl. You’re the only one in this whole place that realises what’s going on!”

“Brend’ I wish I knew what was going on. Maybe I could do something about it. Did you want something?”

“If its not too much - to talk about the new entrance layout?”

Oh! But at least it took her mind off her personal life

Now with that sorted, it was another box ticked, job done and on to something else. Like thinking about Steve.

After school, the girls met up by the gate discussing what to do, and had by default decided to walk back to Holly’s house to continue the discussion. 

“Did mummy give you any sort of clue?”

“Yes, but it depended on getting an invitation’’

“Well of course you’ll get an invitation, that’s already given”.

Geneviève still didn’t know if there had been any developments, but just then Steve pulled up beside them.

“Have you talked to Eloise” asked Geneviève eagerly “No, I’ve been out all day. Not good, but sometimes these things are unavoidable”

“What do you think, Holly”

“Mummy’s now waiting for an invitation!” she said with growing exasperation

“Ok. So I’ve put two decent sized cases in the car. We’ll take them back to your house and you can pack some stuff and come over for a few days. And we’ll see how it goes.”

Back in the office, Steve spent the rest of the afternoon in Production on the Clarke’s order difficulties. 

“Anything I can do while you’re out?”

“No, Ruth, I don’t think so. Oh, except if Eloise phones again, tell her I’m cooking for 8”.

“I think that’s a time, not a number of people” she embellished to Eloise “Sorry Steve’s not in. he’s had to go over to Production again”

But 8 was good, plenty of time. Except now she found out that Peter wanted to see her after the store closed. 

He had never been the friendliest of people, but this evening he was positively hostile. Eloise’s way of dealing with him was to try to keep calm and present facts rather than opinions, and she tried to keep criticism of anyone to a minimum. Often she came out emotionally bruised and blamed, but that was better than leaving the meeting in tears and determined to leave. But that was then and this was now.

Peter’s issue was the financial position and she considered herself something of an expert on that subject

“We need to increase the revenue. You need to sell more!”

Eloise paused trying to think of a polite way of progressing the discussion. She glanced at the doorway with the door slightly ajar with a momentary notion of simply running through it only to catch sight of a recognisably distinctive pair of light tan shoes with the rest of the body hidden. But she’d hesitated too long

“There’s almost an entire shipment of stock in the basement. Why aren’t you selling that?” he accused aggressively

Eloise was only too aware that there was a mountain of it, but it was a subject that was seldom discussed.

“We’re all selling as much as we can!” she replied calmly “We can’t sell to customers that aren’t there. And they need to want to buy something. And yes, you’re right Peter. There’s a shed load of stock in the basement, but its because no-one wants to buy it. We don’t knock on doors trying to sell it, we rely on people coming in here and seeing something they like. We have some control over the way we display it, but beyond that and a friendly hint, its up to the customer. I displayed all that stock when it arrived but had to move it out to make better use of the presentation space”

“Don’t you try telling me its down to lack of space”

But this was just an attack. There was nothing constructive here at all, and its not fair just to point the blame. But it did make her start to think about the real issues that Peter had clearly missed completely.

“Its not space, Peter. We can replenish at a moment’s notice! But that stock in the basement is unsellable. The procurement process has to result in clothes our customers want to buy, not the cheapest, or what’s available in the Far East, or what was popular last year in Malaysia. We need quality fashion at a price people in this town can afford. And if that’s not what we’ve got on display, then it will end up gathering dust in the basement”

She didn’t know whether Gio was still earwigging or not, but it was Peter that was responsible for buying it in the first place.

The discussion went round in circles and it was later than she thought when she finally escaped. It was nearly 7 o’clock by the time she got away, but she’d said what she believed, and had given him food for thought. And that was enough for one evening.  

“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed as she hurried from the store “Look at the time!”

Luck changed as she pulled up outside her house and shoehorned her little car into the only space left.

“Holly!” she called, as she hurried into the small front room, and nearly bumped straight into...

“Geneviève! Oh But we’re meant to be at your house for dinner in just over half an hour.”

“Yes, and you’re going to stay a few days, aren’t you?”

“Are we?”

“Of course we are. You were only waiting for an invitation, right? That’s what we said this morning. And now we’ve got one. So I’ve packed some stuff”

“You’ve what!”

“All you need to do is take us all over there”

“Oh what!!

“Mummy” said Geneviève tentatively “I’ve packed some clothes for you, and I’ve got your make-up bag and some toiletries. I hope you don’t mind. When it started getting late, I thought that was the best thing to do. After all, it could all just be unpacked again, if you were really cross with me”

“Of course it can….” joined Holly “… when we get to Daddy’s”

Eloise checked her watch again. It was half an hour across town on a good day and they had nearly thirty five minutes.

The two cases were heavy as they inched them down the narrow staircase, and with two vanity bags as well….. They dropped the back seat of the car and wedged in a large case. They turned it round – and surveyed the possibility of getting the second case in. Not to mention three people.

Geneviève looked at it from different angles. 

“I think” she figured aloud “that the larger case will go diagonally in the back. That would give us about half the back seat for Holly and me, and the smaller case goes in the front with mummy…”

“And the vanities?”

“Might have to have them on our laps”

The plan worked up to a point. And with a lot of pushing and groaning and giggling, they squeezed themselves through to crouch in the back of the car   

“Come on mum, I think there’s still room for you!”

Over at the Briers, Steve was ready to serve dinner as they drove up. He greeted her with a huge kiss, but was immediately puzzled by something that was missing. 

“Eloise, you haven’t forgotten something have you? The hint is, its got four legs?” 

She felt the stress drain out of her again. Would it always do this when Steve teased her? She hoped it would

“Oh they’re here. But I don’t think they can get out of the car” 

Steve turned his head as far sideways as it would go to peek through to the girls crouching like stowaways surrounded by luggage

“Do you two want your dinner out here? I think I could just about get a bowl through that gap there!”

Steve listened briefly to the muffled protestation, then extracted the luggage into the hall.

‘Wash your paws. Dinner will be on the table in two minutes”

Holly helped Steve load the dishwasher and then disappeared with Geneviève to complete their homework in the study, but it wasn’t that long before they bundled back into the living room. 

“So you decided to come back” Steve opened

“I think it was you that said ‘sometimes you just have to get on with it’ ”replied Holly

“Em. yes” said Eloise, finally unable to completely contain herself.

“Mummy’s still worried about practicalities” explained Holly.

Steve gave her a squeeze 

“But she’s right Holly. There are some things that need to get sorted out to help us to ‘just get on with it’. Like, what time do you need to get up tomorrow?”

“Oh? I don’t know? Same time as Geneviève maybe?”

“That depends on how quickly you get ready. And what about getting home? Have you got your bus fare?”

“Oh? No. I usually walk”

“Ok, But that will take you at least two and a half hours. And that’s assuming you don’t get lost. So lets just sort out these practicalities. Assembly is at 8.30, so you need to be at the gate by 25 past at the very latest. We normally leave at quarter to eight to get there for quarter past. Except when I need to be in work early, in which case Geneviève takes the bus from the end of the road at twenty to. So what time do you need to be at the store Eloise?”

“8.30. But being early wouldn’t hurt”
 “Ok, so tomorrow, I’ll take you to school. We’ll leave at quarter to eight while mummy leaves early. Then maybe the next day, she can take you both. Holly, you need to get the number 34 bus to Red Post and walk up the lane, or the 37 which will stop at the Cider Press but only if you ask the driver. So you’ll need your bus fare. Oh, and here’s two pounds as well”

“What for!”

“Its so that it jingles in your pocket and we can hear you coming, just to give us a warning!. And you need this…”

“Oh….”

“… otherwise you’ll be sitting outside in the porch until one of us gets back. So that’s your key, your money. You did pack your school uniform?”

Holly nodded. 

“Now, what else do you need for school this week? Just you? So what else is on your schedule?”

“Nothing, not till hockey on Saturday”

“Ok, so we’ll see if its more appropriate for mummy or me to take you there. Geneviève has her piano lesson at 8.30, so I may take you after dropping her off. What time’s the face off?”

“Its usually 9 o’clock.”

“And where is it?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’ll have to check in school tomorrow”

“And…” said Geneviève finally joining in “…I’m cooking tomorrow. So you don’t need to worry about that either”

“So, that’s it till next week’s schedule. Yes?”

“Everything sorted Holly? Good”

“I expect Geneviève will want to play some piano before bedtime”

“I’ll go too, and just listen”

Which left Eloise propped up against him on the settee while he frowned at his papers for work next day.

Holding the pages while he read them only took one hand, while the other was free to wiggle its way inside Eloise’s clothes. It tickled a bit, but it was soft and gentle and amazingly soothing. She felt she ought to not like this, but it was bringing a smile to her face. She flinched a little in surprise, but managed to turn enough to give him an encouraging smile. This had never happened to her before. Her memory drifted way back to before Nick and the few dates she’d been on were a frantic tangle of arms and legs irrespective of how far it went. Nick had never shown this sort of interest in her and two years ago she found out why. And now Steve was content to take quiet pleasure in simply caressing her gently and softly, which they both knew was ultimately seductive.

[cue Debut by Melanie Laurent]

Through in the music room, Holly pulled up a stool to listen. Geneviève managed to glance over with a smile to her but was a little surprised that she seemed to be staring at her rather than just watching. And it was a contemplative stare too. She tried not to let it put her off, but a few mistakes crept in where she had to restart and repeat a few bars to get the continuity. Still contemplative, Holly returned to the living room with the manual from the sewing machine, curled up in a large armchair and read it intermittently while glancing up at Eloise and Steve. Eloise had her legs stretched out on the settee and was leaning against his right shoulder and Holly simply watched them from across the room, so natural together. Why, she wondered to herself, had he not been here for the first fourteen years of her life? But it made her feel warm inside to see him there with her mum, and she reminded herself, he didn’t mind her calling him daddy.  

“I can see a very sleepy baby over there” said Steve as he saw that the excitement of the day was overtaking her.

“I’m too tired to go to bed” she replied.

Slowly Steve steadied Eloise so that she didn’t fall on the floor, then went over to Holly, picked her up in both arms and carried her upstairs. He laid her down on her bed and let go, but Holly was hugging his neck and wouldn’t let go. There were tears in her eyes as she finally put her head on the pillow.

“No crying now. Its not all bad.”       

She shook her head with a wide smile “No, I was going to say you don’t understand, but actually I think you do”

“Come on, you. Big sleep and another new day tomorrow” he kissed her forehead.

“You get ready for bed, and mummy will be up in a minute to say goodnight”

Back downstairs, he just caught the end of the conversation 

“Holly? She’s fine. I think there’s just a little too much excitement” Eloise had said

But Geneviève continued the theme when Eloise had gone to kiss Holly goodnight.

“She not herself daddy”

“No? but things are suddenly very different. She’ll be ok. We’ll just have to make sure we keep her pointed in the right direction” he hesitated “if that’s what you want?”

But it was only when he gave her her own goodnight kiss that she continued the answer. “Daddy, what I want is for you and Eloise to be happy and that means happy together. I saw what you both were like when …No I’ve said too much. Actually, I think I’m looking forward to the change. Even if I do have to share my daddy”

“And you’d get a new mummy, if that’s an advantage to you?”

“Between me and Eloise, there’s enough to look after both of you, I’m sure. Even if Holly takes a little more time in the short term’’

“Yes, especially as she’s got three people to look after her now.”

Next day, breakfast was less chaotic, and they all managed to get round the table together for a few minutes, even if it did mean that Eloise wasn’t going to be any earlier than usual

“Oh my goodness! “she suddenly exclaimed “What day is it?”

“Wednesday” said Holly flatly, “Do you want to know what month it is as well?”

“No, I need to pay the electric or we get cut off tomorrow”

“Holly. Do you know what happened to that pile of letters on the mantelpiece back at Morgan Terrace” demanded Eloise 

“What? All those bills?”

“Yes, those letters”

Holly frowned “Steve paid them all so I put them in the drawer”

“Steve paid them? What, all of them? Steve?”

“Ooops” said Holly biting her lower lip “Did I forget to tell you? Mummy, I did write ‘paid’ on them”

 Steve held his hands up in innocence “Ellie, I did tell you. Remember? On the riverbank?”

“Oh yes, I remember now”

In some ways, she thought, the extent of this change had not sunk in yet.

Throughout the day Eloise had floated above the floor around the department. It was still only sinking in that she’d got her invitation and that someone fantastic seemed to be in love with her, and that the financial troubles that had nearly destroyed her and Holly over the last two years had all but disappeared at the same time. 

Brenda had asked her a number of times if she was ok, and each time had turned away shaking her head.

School, however, was almost normal. By afternoon break Holly was realising that, even if she didn’t like them, some things helped her to know where she was. 

“But you don’t even like geography!” Geneviève had exclaimed

“No, but it reminds me who I am” replied a wide eyed Holly “If everything is different, I might not even be me anymore!”

And then it was home time. She walked with Geneviève to the bus stop. 

“Usually, I’d try to get my maths or English done on the bus, but maybe today I can just point out a few things along the way, so you know where you are when you do the trip on your own”

[cue Je te Deteste by Joyce Jonathan]

“We put Thursday in the diary” said Steve at breakfast

“We used to have Thursday every week in our house” said Holly, bundling through the open door 

“Yes, replied Steve, but Eloise and I put it in our diaries just so we wouldn’t miss it out by mistake and drift straight from Wednesday to Friday”

Holly hesitated for a second “wouldn’t be that bad, I’d avoid double Geography”

Eloise shook her head. This sort of thing was becoming the norm. And it was wonderful.

“So” Steve continued “do you think we should go out, or stay in babysitting”

“Babysitting! I don’t think that’s necessary!”

“After all” joined Geneviève “we’ve got a combined age of 29, and that should be enough to look after ourselves for a couple of hours”

“How many do you call a couple?” probed Steve

“Well, two or three” Geneviève replied innocently.

“Hmmm. I’m thinking anyone going on a date with you will certainly be in for some fun”

Geneviève’s mouth dropped open, but she only gave her dad her old fashioned look rather than reply, while Holly failed to stifle a giggle.

That afternoon Geneviève left Holly to get home on her own as she went to her French Horn lesson. And Holly reflected on even more changes. Not that she was complaining - at least not too much. Suddenly she had some money in her pocket, although she’d spent so long without any that she wasn’t sure what to do with it. And she also had her bus fare. There were so many things buzzing round her head that she wanted to do, and most of them she wished she’d started a long time ago. And not just that, but Geneviève had started yet another class – French Horn indeed!

But for now, Holly decided that she just wanted to settle in a bit and hopefully she wouldn’t have to keep a check on herself every single second of the day. Surely daddy knew she wasn’t perfect from when she’d asked for help, but that didn’t mean he’d forgive everything. But she’d have to keep a tight rein on herself. Alone in the house with a well-stocked cocktail bar and a biscuit tin and three quarters of a sponge cake in the fridge. But she also had the opportunity to get some homework done and build up some points for that.

Thursday evening was here and Steve picked Eloise up from the store. They were less concerned about avoiding rumours now, and she was feeling much more settled. 

They drove out to the Pheasant and settled in at a quiet table. Service was slow, bordering on non-existent, but that suited the mood slowing the pace and relieving them of the burden of finding somewhere else to go when they’d finished eating to make way for the next sitting.

As usual Steve was more interested in the future than the past. Eloise was bubbling over as he bounced ideas and plans for things they could all do together, and eventually they got around to their traditional Christmas. Eloise was less enthusiastic talking about their last two Christmases, but Steve seemed convinced that they’d all have the most fantastic time this year

“Talking of Christmas, are you having an office party?”

“Probably, although I think it could be in danger if the results are that bad. But you will come with me won’t you?” she added with a note of panic

“Only if I’m invited” he teased “I just hope it doesn’t clash with our works conference – You will come with me, won’t you?”

“Hey! Is that normal? I mean is it open to partners?”

“Well, I know it’s a long term commitment..” she thumped him playfully “.. because it’s a whole six weeks away, but yes. Partners, wives, husbands girlfriends, boyfriends, significant others, they’re all invited. Except goats”

“Goats?”

“Yes, No goats. Two years ago one of our sales team said he wanted to bring his goat. Nanny goat it was. Claimed it was his significant other and partner”

“Partner!”

“You really don’t want to know, really you don’t. But the issue blew up out of all proportion and caused Jamie to specifically ban goats from attending. He used to be our MD. Jamie that is, not the goat. I never did find out what the goat was called. But Jamie issued an edict to the whole company banning goats and it caused no end of speculation”

“It sounds quite bizarre”

“Yes, but do you want to come?”       

“I’d love to” she gasped. “I’m excited about it already”

In fact, she reflected later, this was a really significant step forward. It would mean meeting his close work colleagues. And this was a longer time frame than they’d ever had – even staying at Steve’s was ‘a few days’.

And that was a sure sign of something longer term, as if moving in with him wasn’t indication enough!

 “Its on the 23rd . It’s the last full working day before the break”

“Mine is the 20th, which is the Saturday. That’s because Sunday is the only day we’re not open”

“Yes, we just have forecast updates and team planning meetings and things the next day, then that’s it. I’ll save the date and wait for my invitation”

“So what’s this conference? Sounds a bit formal”

“It’s not that bad. There’s a number of department updates, but we try to put these in words people outside the plant will understand, and we encourage partners to come along and get to know a bit more about what’s going on. I find they’re more supportive that way, if things get rough – as they occasionally do. But we have a conference instead of a party because technically, conferences are tax deductible. Parties are not”

“How is it I knew there would be an angle on it!”

That night, it was just gone 3am when the scream woke Steve and Eloise. He jumped clean out of bed and headed for the landing.

“Stay here by the phone” he told Eloise “I’ll shout if I need to”

It sounded like it came from Geneviève's room, but a careful peek round the door showed her still fast asleep. He crept over to make sure she was still breathing. Strange, a shriek that could wake the dead but had no impact at all on this sleeping beauty.

Holly's room was altogether different. She was sitting bolt upright clutching the duvet.

Steve crept over and folded her up in his arms. “I'll be right back” he said ”I'm just going to tell mummy not to panic.”

“I'm sorry, sorry sorry, sorry” quivered Holly.

“Oh daddy, it was the thought. It came back. I couldn't help it.”

“Do you want me to get mummy too?”

“No. Mummy wouldn't understand”

 [cue Enshrined in My Memory by Avalon]

“Oh daddy, I can’t tell mummy. She doesn’t know about this, and she wouldn’t understand”

“Oh really? And you think I would?”

“Yes I know you will. And you know what its about”
 “So maybe you ought to tell me about it”

“Oh ok. Its not very long. I’ll try to make it quick”

“I’ve got time, you know I’ll always have time for you” 

He loosened his tight hug on her and replaced it with a comforting arm around her instead.

“Daddy, its not the first time I’ve had the thought. I’ve had the thought four times now”

“So what happens?”

“I’m walking in the square in town” she started in a breathless whisper “when I bump into Andy. He tells me he’s got some stuff for me and I take it. Then later I see him and he tells me I’m over the 30 pounds limit so I ask him which car I have to go to. It’s a big wide white car and there’s an old fat bald man there with a wild scary smirk, and then I feel him inside me, and I know he’s made me pregnant. Mum hates me, and she hates me more and more every day and I can’t stand it. I get bigger and bigger and my friends all tease me then one by one they’re not my friends any more, and mum gets on my case every day and I know what a disappointment I am to her after everything she’s done for me and all she’s been through, and I run away from home with only a blanket and my purse. I’ve nowhere to go and it gets dark and I sit down under a big tree, but the wind is cold, so I lie down under a hedge and go to sleep. And when I’m asleep a snake comes and bites me in the neck and I wake up when he bites me and I feel I’m dying. And as I die, I’m suddenly happy again because I don’t have to live with the guilt and the pain any longer. And then I’m sadder than I’ve ever been before in my whole life for my poor mummy that has been through so much just for me to let her down like this. I start to cry and cry more and more and more until I scream because I’m so sorry I’ve let mummy down so badly and that wakes me up…”

Steve squeezed her in closer

“But that’s not going to happen” he insisted in a whisper.

“But Daddy” she sobbed “that’s what would have happened” 

She buried her face in Steve’s chest as he hugged her as tightly as he dare.

“We’re not going to let anything like that happen, and mummy’s going to be so proud of you because together we’re going to get you out of any trouble that finds you. Now you go back to sleep, and remember, you can always talk to me. You did before and we found a way out”.

She nodded tearfully and laid her head back onto the pillow

“We’ve done it once. We can do it again if we need to”

“I’ll try so hard to be a good girl”

“I know you will. But if you’re not, you need to talk to me. I might be cross at first but I’ll always help you. Promise”

He leant over and kissed her forehead

“That’s what makes you my daddy”  

“Why don’t you think about your engineering project airship instead? That’ll point your mind in a different direction. And sleep on the opposite side. That will redirect the blood pressure in your head and make sure you don’t have the same thought again tonight”
 

Airship

And now at last after so many delays, it was build day for the airship.

They laid the various bits they'd collected out on the large dining room table. Balloons, string, wire and an old rectangular basket made out of fake raffia that had once contained chocolates.

The drawings were quite precise, but bending the wire to contain the balloon so that they looked like an airship rather than a hot air balloon was proving difficult

“It just won't stay where it's put” complained Holly as the balloon escaped for the umpteenth time. 

Eloise sat down with them and Steve decided it was tea and biscuit time. Now with that added distraction, Geneviève looked to him for some helpful suggestions 

“I think you're starting with the wrong component” he said, picking the balloon off the floor. “I think you should make the frame first”

He picked up a length of their thin wire “That way you can concentrate on getting the lattice in place without worrying about the balloon escaping. He bent three wires together and fanned them out to the start of the shape as Holly watched. Geneviève twisted a few more and the shape started to emerge. 

“Why don't you tie some loops onto the basket so that we can attach it to this frame” she said as Holly looked quizzically at it 

“But we'll never get the balloon in now. None of the gaps are big enough for it” 

“You'll have to put it in first, then blow it up” said Steve 

“But we've only got one. And it's blown up already” 

“I'm going shopping in a minute so that I can cook some meals for next week” announced Eloise “I'll pick up some more balloons at the same time” 

Geneviève offered to go as well, and, she pointed out, Holly still had some homework to finish. 

But Geneviève also put two new components on the table when she got back.

“This helium will give it much better lift than just hot air. And air will cool down so quickly it will hardly fly at all” 

“Ok. But what's with the aeroplane? We're supposed to be building it not just buying it” 

It doesn't work. Look, the nose and this big bit of the wing are all damaged. But what I thought was that if we took out the motor and propeller, we could make it move and not just lift off the ground. We might be able to use the rudder as well for steering” 

Holly fitted the balloon just before lunch and to collective amazement the machine lifted off and floated up to the ceiling. That was a serious milestone. It worked, although Geneviève considered it to be too simple to actually win. But it was enough to meet the brief and if they didn’t want to do any more they didn’t need to.

Now that they’d thrown lunch down their throats she disappeared with Holly into the woods last seen hurtling round the perimeter of the lawn in the John Deere. There was something that Geneviève wanted to check and Holly was up for any excuse to charge around in the tractor.

It fell to Steve and Eloise to finish putting away the shopping. She handed him the items one by one and Steve marked them off on the menu for the coming week. It all seemed so terribly organised, but then if you were as busy as Steve and Geneviève then maybe you needed to be. You just didn't have time to consider what to have for dinner every day, and whether you could afford it. Or try to be in the supermarket when the day’s reductions were being marked and that defined what you were going to eat.

But it didn't take long “what do you want to do now?” she asked carelessly 

as he broke into a broad smile 

“What? Anything?” 

“Yes” she said with a twinkle thinking she was catching up with his train of thought “so long as it's not too fattening” 

They moved in closer to each other. Steve knew exactly what he wanted to do with her. She was like a magnet that just drew him in. Eloise was no less elated. Someone who wanted her, wanted her to have fun, feel good and the spontaneity was electric. 

“Bedroom?” she murmured 

“No, right here, right now” 

The spontaneity left her mind spinning and her body glowing even as they walked hand in hand up the hill towards the lake. Steve could feel that Eloise was relaxed, calm, de-stressed and had something on her mind. They stopped at the water’s edge watching the ducks at the far side as she turned to face him with a more serious expression 

“Steve, about what just happened” 

“What? In the kitchen?” 

“Yes. There's just something I want to make sure you know. You see... Oh, I shouldn't say this, or maybe it's just I won't ever be able to say it again….. But you already know that I didn’t have many boyfriends before I met Nick. And then I spent the next 12 years with him and we know what he turned out to be. So my sense of normal is rather out of focus. It's only now that I'm with you that I realise that there's so much more fun and elation and pleasure and happiness that I didn't know existed. And it makes me realise that I've got a huge amount of catching up to do. Especially if it's going be spontaneous like that” 

“Ellie, however much catching up you want to do, just drop even the slightest hint or suggestion and I have no doubt you'll get the right response from me. And I’ll try to remember this for any time we’re alone together in some remote place” 

The airship build continued the following day adding the motor and fuel tank and rudder and electronics. Test 2 – and it was a comprehensive failure. The whole thing was just too heavy. Holly was staring at it as though she was willing it to suddenly take off on its own as a rare occurrence of spontaneous levitation while Geneviève took the rest of the plane apart.

“We can either forget the engine and stuff, or we can build a bigger frame and use more balloons” she said eventually “But look, here, Holly see this actuator? That could be interesting as well, except we’d need an even bigger balloon”

“But that would be more fun!” 

“Yes, I wondered what that other button on the controller was used for”

“But if we have a frame that big, it will either be really heavy or the balloons will escape out through the holes”

“Ok. So what about we use the wire to make the frame with big holes, but you use a piece of really light fabric as a sort of lining. So the wire gives it the shape and strength, the material keeps the balloons in”
 Hmm. Something like -  really light?”

By the time they were finished, the wire frame had been reduced to a minimum, with a cross mesh of thread and a lining of pale pink organza

The result was rather larger than they had anticipated, but it rose slowly into the air. It went forward and turned right and left and the height was controlled by a length of party ribbon that they had to hold on to. 

But Steve agreed as he and Eloise inspected the final product that the controlling mechanism to adjust the flying height would increase the weight by too much, and they had no intention of another complete rebuild.

“I’m really pleased about their airship” said Eloise on the settee that evening. 

“Hmm, yes. A bit better than building a bomb” said Steve as Holly came in on her way up to bed

“Yes” she said wistfully “because I still remember so very long ago a little girl showing me the damage that their first attempt caused”

Holly smiled weakly “But mummy, its our project that brought you and daddy together”

And once again, Steve noticed that Eloise was crying

[cue Piano concerto no. 2 in F major by Shostakovich ]

Amelia

Monday morning again and Eloise was on the school run. Steve looked out across to the works entrance and everyone arriving for another week. Most of them looked happy but he noticed a notable exception. Amelia had joined the company at the wrong time. Ok it was the right time for her because she needed a job, but Gerry had hired her in anticipation of the R&D department existing and that meant she was at something of a loose end. Gerry’s plan was that she’d learn about the existing product range and make sure that none of the negative points were transferred to the new range. But that would have meant someone would have to spend time with her. Except that all available resources had been sucked into getting the Components operation up and running and that meant Amelia had been largely on her own. On a few occasions, Steve had sent her out with the local field engineers, but their focus was on getting machines back into production rather than explaining how they worked. And now that R&D was operational, it was nothing like she had expected. This job, she convinced herself, was just not working out. Ok so she could live at home and that saved some money, but it was repetitive, it was boring, it was just admin. If she’d wanted to be a clerk she’d have left school at 16. But now she had just turned 22. The numbers said she was grown up already! But she still felt so hugely far away from being grown up when she was with any of the senior management and if there were any directors there! Well! she’d just clam up completely.

But, this job just wasn’t going her way. She’d tried to raise the problems with Trevor, but he was so focussed on design issues with the new product range that personnel and even less, personal issues completely bypassed him. She didn’t want to be unhappy at work and it was all compounded by the fact that everyone else on the site seemed to be smiling and bubbly and enjoying every second of it.

Now at lunch time she was still distracted by her thoughts and was late to the café. It was busier than when she normally went. She’d seen on the schedule that Field Service were having some sort of meeting with the Production teams today at the works, so now every table was busy. Except she only noticed after she already had her tray and was now blocking the pay station looking round for somewhere to sit. 

“Come on babe, get a wiggle on” someone she didn’t know said from somewhere behind her. She drifted forward, with her brain still fuzzy from her depression. She headed for where some guys were just leaving and without recognition asked if she could sit there.

“Sure, I’ll just move these plates to the side till Allanah can get out here and clear a few”

Now sitting down she looked over at the man clearing space for her. Oh my goodness. It’s the boss. Its Steve, the CEO. But she was there now and there was nowhere else to escape to.

“Amelia, how lovely to see you. How are you getting on? You’ve been with us about 6 weeks now. Isn’t it? Two months maybe?”

“Yes” she managed to mumble as she nibbled her lettuce

“How are you getting on with Trevor?”

“Ok” she managed, but with a whole lot less enthusiasm than she would have wanted.

“That’s not hugely encouraging. Or am I just interrupting your lunch?”

“No, I mean, sorry, I didn’t mean to sound discouraged”

But the conversation was interrupted by Jack bundling over in a hurry

“Steve! Oh, sorry am I interrupting. This’ll only take a minute”

“That’s ok Jack. Now calm down and tell me what’s up”      

“It’s the QA, Steve. They’ve decided to cut out the third interim check on the QSSM4”

“Is that the last one before final assembly?”

“That’s right”

“So there must be a reason for this”
 “It takes about five minutes. I guess they’re trying to improve throughput”

“Yes, and rightly so. But it’s a balance is it not. If everything has been done correctly, it will pass, to the extent that you needn’t have bothered with the check”
 “But if it hasn’t, it will fail and in that case it will fail final QA which is even more difficult and expensive to rectify. For sure it would improve output if we canned the check, but you could say that about all QA”

Amelia half listened to the discussion hardly understanding a word of it. QSSM4? What on earth was that? But was hijacked again by her own reservations. Jack was hardly older than her. Ok so he had a baby daughter and that meant he ought to be more responsible, but that just made her feel worse. So this guy can just rock in and interrupt the CEO and she was quaking in her shoes like a third former in front of the beak. And she hadn’t even done anything wrong.

“Ok” Steve was saying as she finished her salad “Talk to Lisa. Get her to specifically monitor the failure rates from Production on those units, and the return rates over the next two months, and then see which is financially more beneficial. But she also needs to factor in the customer impact of a failed unit on site. She may need to talk to Matt about that before making a decision”

Jack seemed disappointed “Ok, boss”

“Don’t be disappointed, Jack. I know more than anyone how much effort you put into setting up these QA procedures. But I also know how much effort you put into training the production guys. And if that training is being successful then they should be getting it right and if they’re getting it right, then we should be able to back off some of the QA and improve throughput. And that improved throughput will increase wages at the end of the day. So in my book, that would be a measure of your success”

Jack broke into a smile “I guess. Ok. Thanks boss. I’ll get Lisa on the case and if the fail rate goes up I’ll kick ass to get that check back in”

Amelia was lost in watching and listening. This guy was interested. He knew what was going on, but not just that, he was sympathetic with the effort Jack had put in, but still wanted him to feel good about the outcome. She’d hardly noticed that he had turned back and suggested that they vacate their lunch table to some engineers who were waiting and move to the riverside.

This wasn’t a command or an instruction, this was just an invitation, although she knew what the topic of conversation would be. Then again, was this not the opportunity she’d been looking for? Scary though. 

“Come on then” he said although she couldn’t actually remember agreeing.

Somehow she found it easier outside in the sunshine. It was less crowded and there were other people around talking quietly in their own groups interspersed with the odd raucous laugh, and she’d been invited and… and now he was asking her what she was really doing in R&D and she was finding it easier to just answer the question. 

“I spend most of my time writing up the results of failed tests so that Trevor can go back and see what he’s already tried”

She tried to sound up-beat 

“It's probably only temporary, but it would be nice to think that there's some real product design in there somewhere for me” 

“I hope so. It's really quite disappointing that you're not enjoying working here. But I can understand why” 

“Yes, I was hoping it would be more, well, interesting. Maybe even some production line design” 

But try as she might, she simply couldn't hide her disillusionment. Steve was looking a bit more pensive now and she was suddenly in a panic that she may have given too much away through her body language if not with actual words. 

“I don't think I should have said anything” she apologised 

“On the contrary. When you're asked a question its only polite to reply. Ok what are we going to do about it? You say you haven't discussed this with Trevor?” 

“No, I should have, but he's so engrossed in the new product design” 

“Yes, it seems to be taking longer than expected, but if he's doing it all himself that would account for it. What about Luke? Is he designing anything?”
 “No, he’s supposed to be there, but he usually pops back to maintenance and fixes more broken stuff. I think he feels he’s achieving something that way”

“Really. Can I suggest you talk to Trevor. I don't want him to think that you're just going straight above his head.”

She looked perplexed 

“What I suggest, but it's only a suggestion, is that you say you bumped into me at lunch and I was asking about progress, just by way of conversation. Tell him that, while I didn't say anything specific, I looked as though I expected a bit more progress. Then you can suggest that he gives you a particular piece of design work to speed things up. Of course, writing up the results is important, but it needs to be brief and at the time. Its not supposed to be a documentation exercise that you catch up with after the event. No-one’s ever going to read it until there’s a product failure and even then it’s a definite maybe. Amelia, I'm sure you're doing it very well but, like you, I think there’s more to life and more important things to do”

“Thanks, Mr Bergstrom, but I really don't want to fall out with him. He's my boss” 

“Hmmm. Fair point. Also, if he's got all the designs in his head, chopping off a chunk to give to you may not be that feasible” 

 “I know there’s a lot going on especially at Components and rewinding all those dead motors, but are you on top of what Trevor is doing?” he asked as he caught up with Gerry later that afternoon

“To be honest, Steve, I’ve largely left him to it. As you say, there’s a lot else going on. Actually, I’d prefer if the new designs weren’t finished till March. Give us some time to sort out todays problems before we start building a new product range”

“Yes. But it seems its not really making any progress and Trevor’s doing it all himself. He’s supposed to have prototype help from Luke….”

“ …but Luke’s still clearing the motor backlog”

“No criticism, Gerry. Luke’s doing a good job and it needs doing. I think Simon on his own would keep pace with the demand. But the point is, there’s not enough design to need a prototype fabricator.”

“Maybe it was the wrong time to hire Trevor, Steve”
 “Maybe Gerry. Its not our style to just hire someone, give them a rough spec and forget about it. But that’s not the issue. There’s supposed to be a team with Luke and Simon, even if those guys have to break out to fix some stuff as well. But I get the impression that you or me interfering in it won’t solve the issue. He’s either a guy who’s a team player and manager or he isn’t”
 “And in this case it looks like he isn’t”

“He’s got Amelia as well and she’s doing nothing of any value and getting bored but if the team needs an admin person they should get one. I don't want to sound critical, but for my part I don't want to be paying graduate training rates for something that should be done by an enthusiastic school leaver. It's not what she’s here for and I think that may be the cause of her disillusionment” 
 

A Degree?

The next day was a day off for Eloise although she’d not been looking forward to it. In fact she had been dreading it, but if it went well or even passably well, the implications were monumental. This had been scheduled for a long time, since before she met Steve. But now with Steve it was even more important and that served only to raise the pressure. 

She imagined she’d be all on her own, in a very alien environment with unheard criticism all around. She wouldn’t know the protocol, and might very well get flustered and blow the whole thing. But the second weekend at Steve’s had given her a new calm confidence. No, she wouldn’t know the process, but then .. .., how many people would? Its not something you do every day.

But she did know what she wanted and she had a script, or at least as much of one as she could, not knowing the format of the event. And she had her timeslot booked, although she also knew they had a habit of being delayed. So.. .. no going back now.

Steve had dropped the girls at school so now she only had to get ready and be there for 10 o’clock.

A pleasant enough young policeman showed her where the entrance to the courtroom was. He wasn’t the friendliest guy, but then maybe you get suspicious of everyone when you deal with villains all day long, especially when his post was inside the courthouse.

Nervously she checked the sign next to the door, but inside there was no-one there. She checked her watch and needlessly adjusted her hair and skirt. The room was more like a schoolroom than a courtroom. There was no terracing like a theatre, no gallery for the press and spectators, no high bench for the judges. Only a long table with two chairs behind it, a smaller table off to the left and chairs set out in rows each side of the central aisle – aptly like a registry office wedding. 

The side door opened

“Will the assembly please be upstanding for….” 

Eloise looked around – looks like she constituted the entire assembly. She turned to see three people enter the room as she stood up. They took up positions at the small table, the opposite side of the aisle and behind the long table at the front.

The court was declared in session. Judge Thackeray introduced himself and Mr Sylvester as, nominally, the attorney for the defence. However, Judge Thackeray said, as the defence is entirely absent, I shall use Mr Sylvester, with his agreement, to advise the court on any matter that appears appropriate. 

“Now, can someone remind me where we are with this case?”

“As only the nominal solicitor for the defence, I suggest that we take the summary from Mrs Beresford” proposed the man across the aisle.

Eloise stood up hesitantly, surprised at being given the freedom to set the scene. And go, she told herself. Just think what Steve would do.

“Good morning Lady and Gentlemen. My name is Eloise Beresford and I am here to request a decree absolute in the divorce from my husband Nicholas Beresford. I have already presented the papers and what evidence exists to this court, and this is the subsequent hearing”

“Thankyou Mrs Beresford, but could you also now remind us where we got to on this?”

This was rather more informal than she’d expected but she’d been asked to continue

“Your honour, the summary is this: On the morning of 15th of August 1995 my husband Nicholas Beresford packed a small case as if to go on a short business trip, which he did quite often, and without a word left the house he shared with me and our 12 year old daughter. He has not been seen or directly heard of since. A few...”

“I’m sorry, Mrs Beresford, you said not directly heard of. Could you explain that?”

“Certainly, your Honour. To the best of my knowledge, no-one in the UK has seen or heard of him. However, he has, on more than a few occasions, put expenditure on the credit card that is in our joint names, indicating he is somewhere in the far east, Thailand or Malaysia”

“I see, and how does he pay this card off?”

“He doesn’t. Under threats from the bank, I have to pay it – its in joint names and so we are both responsible – except he is nowhere to be found. I have no choice in this”

“I see. And child support payments?”

“Non-existent, your Honour. Not a penny in any shape or form, for any kind of maintenance for me or my daughter”

“Note that, please, Mary. Do continue, Mrs Beresford”

“Thankyou – a few days after he left, his boss phoned me to ask where he was – I replied that I was going to ask him the same question. Two days after that I got a message on the answering machine from him saying he was in Malaysia, but was with a male lover, not another woman. Nothing has been heard from him since. I had to sell the house as I couldn’t keep up the payments on my own, and that resulted in a negative equity debt, which I have only recently managed to clear. His employers made a number of enquiries to try to track him down, but to no avail. Their objective was to determine if they should replace him at work, which they did a month later”

“May I ask if, prior to his departure, you had a history of arguments or discord?”

“Not at all, your Honour. I was too easy going, so I mostly went along with whatever he said. That seemed to keep the peace. But I had no warning that this might happen. He hadn’t been staying out late or getting mysterious phone calls or anything that you might associate with someone finding a new, well, .. .. partner”

Judge Thackeray turned to the other gentleman

“Mr Sylvester, I trust you have familiarised yourself with this case?”

“I have, your Honour. And in usual circumstances, I would present a case of there being a lack of substantive evidence. However, I, as I hope you appreciate, am not in the habit of wasting the courts time. And in this case, the entire lack of evidence returned through the efforts of Grays and Sons who were Mr Beresford’s employers and represents an audit trail of their investigations, plus those of the police, after Mrs Beresford reported him missing, point to a deliberate and complete disappearance. In addition he appears to have avoided contact, payment of dues under English laws, and abrogated all sense of responsibility to his dependant daughter. As such, I am at a loss to establish any feasible case for the defence”

“I take it you have studied the papers that were submitted”

“I have, your Honour, and that forms the basis of my comments”

“And I am prepared to accept your analysis and conclusion” 

He turned to address Eloise “As you may imagine, I preside over dozens of cases of desertion each year. In most cases there is a defined reason for the disappearance, and often, significant evidence of the defendants whereabouts. In other cases, I have been known to ask if there is a possibility of foul play being afoot. However, in your case there is some evidence of the defendant being in the Far East, although untraceable without expensive and, some might say, excessive efforts, and it appears that there may be a specific reason for his leaving suddenly. So my verdict is that this court should issue a decree absolute for the dissolution of your marriage on the grounds of desertion. Mary, please prepare the document for signature and seal. Now, Mrs Beresford, do you have any farther business in this courtroom?”

“Possibly, your Honour. May I ask a question?”

“Of course”

“Well, my husband, sorry, ex-husband, and I have two bank accounts in joint names. The bank is refusing to close these accounts unless both of us agree in writing. This, as you have seen, is not possible. I think these accounts represent a significant risk, and at the very least a significant worry that he will run up an unauthorised overdraft again that I will then need to pay. I have already suffered this with a joint credit card. Is there anything the court can do to put pressure on the bank to help me?”

“Hmm. Technically, half of the money in these accounts is still his, but I understand your concern. How much money is in these accounts? Are we talking of a lot of money?”

“I have already suggested that the whole amount be transferred to him, in a holding account until such time as he claims it. But as to the amount. A ‘lot’ depends on how much you have to start with. The less you have the more significant it gets, but in pure monetary value there is a total across both accounts of £37.15”

“I see. Mr Sylvester?”

“Your Honour, while I appreciate that £37 may be a significant amount in Mrs Beresford’s circumstances, I suggest that it would pale into insignificance when compared to the amount unpaid and therefore still outstanding in child maintenance. I would actually go so far as to suggest that any identifiable assets be requisitioned and transferred to Mrs Beresford in lieu of said outstanding debt”

“Fair point. Mrs Beresford, are there any ‘identifiable assets’ “

“Not that I’m aware of, Your Honour”

“Hmm, pity. Although, I suppose I could issue a court order to close these accounts and transfer the proceeds to you, considering the amount outstanding in accumulated debt. Mary, do you have a template for this?”

“Yes I do, your Honour. Its actually not that unusual in fraud and money laundering cases, although you yourself may not often see these”

“No. Quite. And is there anything else the court can help you with”

“Thankyou your Honour, but no. At least, not that I can think of. But I would like to say I really appreciate this. It clears a huge worry, and lets me progress with a new life. Thankyou”

Signed and sealed she slotted the precious envelopes into her handbag, and headed for the library. That’s where she could get the letter to the bank photocopied. She handed it to the librarian. “Copies are 50 pence each, so that will be a pound please”

“I’ll just check I’ve got that she said instinctively. Having spent two years accounting for each and every penny, having a pound in her purse was by no means guaranteed.  

“Are you all right” asked the librarian with increasing concern as Eloise looked into her purse.

“Yes-yes. Yes I’m fine. I’m sorry. I thought I’d be putting my loose change together for you, but..” the librarian had leaned across to see what was wrong with the purse and was looking puzzled “.. but, it looks like my boyfriend has put some money in my purse for me”

“I wish my boyfriend was that considerate.. .. and generous. In fact, I don’t even think he’s got that much money”

Eloise did a mental count of the notes, and gave out a huge sigh of relief as she slowly descended the stairs back to the lobby. But she was now buoyed up by events. She was on a roll. Get to the bank!

The cashier was as unhelpful as ever, and Eloise was both dreading and looking forward to the imminent encounter with the manager in equal measures.

“Mrs. Beresford” he started patronisingly “You asked me about this before, and I told you then that you needed….”

“Yes I know,” she interrupted 

“…well do you have an authority from your husband or not” he retorted, annoyed at the interruption

“Ex husband” she corrected “and no” 

He glared at her for being there wasting his time “In which case I am unable to…”

“Perhaps you would care to read this” she said flatly handing the copy to him

He scanned it with mounting annoyance

“You wouldn’t want to be in contempt of court now, would you” she taunted

The cashier counted the 37 pounds into her hand, and she handed back her chequebook and card.

“And what about your.. .. ex-husbands chequebook and debit card?”

“That” she replied moving towards the door “is for you to sort out with him. And Mr Hartley, I do not expect to hear from you or your bank ever again”

She clicked the door shut and heaved another huge sigh. 

Back in the street she wandered aimlessly towards the square. That was the main business of the day, and a total success it was too. Then she remembered the forty pounds Steve had put in her purse, and the extra 37 from the bank, and maybe it was time for a coffee and a cake. She tried hard to remember the last time she had bought coffee at a café, but failed miserably. She sat quietly planning what was next. Shopping, food for dinner. Then back to the house to cook. ‘The house’, not her house, not Morgan Terrace, not hers and Holly’s house. This was back to Steve’s and the whole idea made her tingle from one end to the other. It made her smile, it made her frightened that it might all disappear just as suddenly as it had occurred. Just, she thought involuntarily, as she had once destroyed it. She thought through her shopping list. This was her chance to create a special dinner. This would be her celebration – her contribution to making everything work.

“Is this seat taken? Do you mind if I sit here”

A man of roughly her age was standing next to her with a plate of chicken salad and chips.

“No, not at all, please” she waved her hand as a welcome.

“Normally, they have waitress service, but she’s helping in the kitchen right now, and I’m in a bit of a rush. You on your lunch break?”

Eloise looked around. The whole café was busy with a lunch plate in front of nearly everyone. Strange that she hadn’t noticed it filling up, but then her own little world was such a nice place to be right now.

“No, No I’m on my day off. I just dropped in for coffee and lost track of time”

“Pity. I mean, I was going to suggest maybe we meet up for a coffee after work. Have a bit of a chat, Pick up a drink later”

Eloise was a little stunned and hesitated a moment. She looked up and smiled at him

“If your girlfriend said she was going into town to do some shopping, what would you do or say maybe?”

He looked surprised and slowly finished his mouthful

“I’d say ‘buy something pretty, but don’t spend too much’ ”

She nodded as she rose to leave

“My boyfriend slipped £40 into my purse and didn’t even mention it to me. I think I’ll stick with him. But thanks for the interest”

That, she thought as she wrapped up her beef wellington, hasn’t happened for so long she couldn’t remember. But it just showed her there was still a whole big world out there. And then all thoughts of the guy in the café disappeared as Steve arrived almost unnoticed in the kitchen and slipped his arms round her waist. She found herself melting again and it felt wonderful.

“Thanks for the donation” she said eventually, “But I didn’t spend any of it.”

The girls arrived equally suddenly

“Something smells good, Mum” opened Geneviève but Holly was more suspicious. “Mum’s cooking something special – there must be something going on” 

Six questioning eyes descended on her

“Well, yes. Although the only disappointment is that I’m so transparent. But I will tell you about it over dinner. Now. Who’s going to set the table? I suppose we’ll need four wine glasses?”

“I went to court today” said Eloise once everyone was eating.

“Court? I thought that was something to do with the queen?”

“No, not that court, the magistrates court …”

“I didn’t even know you’d been arrested!”

“Holly! Shush, and a very nice judge issued my decree absolute”

“Brilliant – well done you!” Steve was saying.

“I didn’t know courts issued degrees. Is that like a law degree?”

“No, Holly. A decree – not a degree. You get a degree after going to university. A decree is a formal legal statement that’s issued to specifically announce something. You get them a lot in fairy tales where the king decrees that everyone in the whole land should attend a banquet, or something. And in this case, the judge issued a decree saying I’m no longer married to you father”

“Oh Wow. That means you can get on and marry Steve and make him my real daddy!”

Geneviève nearly choked on her pastry as she tried to stifle a giggle

“What?” asked Holly, slightly forlorn as silence suddenly overtook the other three.

“Sometimes” rescued Geneviève “there is a more appropriate time for saying or doing something rather than when you first think of it”

“Oops. Sorry”

“Come on Holly, you’re missing out on the rest of the beef”

“Yes, and that doesn’t happen often”

“And” continued Eloise trying desperately to ignore the fact that she’d gone bright red “the court also issued an order to the Bank telling them to close the joint accounts. So I don’t have to worry about that any more either. So it was a good day”

“And worthy of a celebration” added Steve

Dinner took longer than usual, and it was late when Steve and Eloise finally took up their position on the settee – Steve thumbing thoughtfully through his papers for the next day, and Eloise mulling over her ideas about rearranging the racks near her department entrance and if moving them around would make any significant difference or only raise false hopes.

As usual, Steve had slipped his free hand inside some part of her clothing, and now was caressing the upper part of her thigh.

She leant back to see if she could see him without turning round completely.

“You like doing that, don’t you?”

“Y..Yes, but you like it as well”

“Yes, it shows me you care enough to want me”

“Its much more than that” Steve returned “It’s the excitement of the possibility that I might end up in bed with such a gorgeous girl. But there’s also an ulterior motive. You’re a free agent again after today. The whole world is a new open book. So have you got a plan of what you want to do?”

She bent her neck backwards to try to look at him, “Well, after what’s been going on for the last 20 minutes, what I really want to do is go to bed with you!”

“Ok. Any plans after that?”

“Yes, I .. .. I want to stay with you for ever and ever...” she stopped, thinking suddenly she may have said too much in the euphoria of the moment, or was it the third glass of wine.

“Of course its not easy putting together a plan without everyone else”

“I can’t see anyone raising any issues, can you?”

“Except you, maybe”

“Me?! I thought you knew I wanted you to stay?”

“Yes, I knew you wanted to go to bed with me!” she teased with a broadening smile.

“Absolutely! But I’m greedy. Theres so many other things I want you to do …”

“…Cook the dinner!” she interrupted

“yes, that as well. And go out with me so that we can make memories together and go on holiday with me and Holly and Geneviève, so that we can all enjoy each other’s company and I want you to be mummy to Geneviève and I want to be daddy to Holly because she fills in the gap I missed with Geneviève because she had to grow up so quickly she bypassed that age, and I want to spend Christmas with you – because Christmas is for .. .. families”

[cue Circles by Dare]

Slowly she swung her legs off the settee and swivelled around towards him. Steve tried to wipe the tears from her face, but to no avail and Holly bundled into the room before she could speak

“Oh wow. That took ages. I’ve only just finished that lousy English homework.. Oh, mummy, are you all right”

“Yes” she smiled slowly

“But you’ve done far too much crying these last few weeks”

“Yes, I agree Holly, But I’m so happy”

“Happy?”

“Yes, Thursday is back on the calendar, and, Holly, Christmas is back on the calendar as well!”

Ruth’s Dilemma

[Cue Jenny’s Eyes – Last Autumn Dream]

It was first thing the next morning that Trevor was looking for Amelia. This was unusual and her immediate fear was that Steve had had a go at him. 

“Hi” he said sitting down sideways on a chair next to her “I caught up with the boss yesterday at close of play.” 

Amy's heart sank. Oh no. Now she was for the high jump 

“He said if we need an admin assistant we should use the regular HR process to seek approval and get one. I’m not sure we can justify an admin assistant as well but I think I’ve found a way round that - and then that would release you to take on verification of the design so far”

“Pretty much anything would be better than writing up notes of failed tests” she replied regretting immediately her tone and the venom it contained. 

The morning had drifted on leaving Ruth behind as she answered the phone on autopilot. 

“Me!” she gasped, waking up to the request. 

“Steve, I’ve got to go down to R&D to see Trevor about his admin assistant position”
 “Ok. I knew he was looking for some help in that area”

But following the meeting with Trevor, she was not so sure. In fact she was all of cross, confused, perplexed and uncertain of where she now stood.

Steve ambled back in looking relatively relaxed and not as if he was about to rush off again imminently. 

“So,” she began anxiously “you might have time for me to take you to lunch?” 

Steve stopped suddenly, noting the noticeable tremble in her voice and turned around, worried. This was a very different person. This sounded like a very different Ruth. 

“Ok. Where are we going? The cafe?” 

“No” she said sheepishly, but rather more seriously than Steve would have liked. 

“I'd like to go out” 

“Walk down the river to the Three Frogs?” 

“Mmmm. Maybe. No.” she said continuing without enthusiasm “I'd like to take you out to the Highwayman, but.... “ 

“Ruth, you don't have a car” 

“No, she said vaguely” 

“I'd have to borrow one” 

This was totally uncharacteristic. She hadn't thought this through at all. He slid his keys across the desk towards her 

“There. A car for you to borrow” but he slapped his hand down on them before she could pick them up “on condition that you tell me what this is all about” 

Clearly Ruth was upset, but Steve had no ideas beyond that. He knew she’d been down to see Trevor but assumed that it was to do with filling in the HR form where the only thing that Jacqui had made mandatory was its complexity. What could he possibly have said to her to destabilise her to this extent. Or maybe she’d had a phone call. But she was intent on taking him out even if she had to borrow his car.

Six hours later the Highwayman would have been heaving as a popular evening venue, but now at early lunchtime it was almost deserted. She returned to their table with a pint of Oddfellows and her vodka tonic, which Steve had managed to hear through the all-pervading stillness she’d ordered as a double. Silently she passed him the menu with Steve becoming more convinced that she would start crying any moment with only the slightest provocation, but he decided his best bet was to let her take the lead and try to pick up the clues that she would inevitably drop.

All sorts of possibilities charged through his mind as she went to order food. What was the worst scenario he should steel himself for? Was she leaving, to have a baby maybe – but surely she’d have mentioned a boyfriend. Maybe her mother had had a relapse and she needed time to look after her. But oh my! Oh Ruth, please don’t tell me you’re falling in love with me. That would be worse than you leaving.

But now she sat back down looking very much like she may have just heard that thought.

“Steve” she said very weakly “Steve, when I first started working for you I had no idea what to expect. I think I said at the time that I’d got off to a bad start and that you’d got the wrong impression of me. But everything moved so fast that I think we both forgot about that. And I got to a point where you were my friend. I trusted you the way you wanted me to. 

But now. I’m between a rock and a hard place. You always said if anything was wrong I just had to talk to you, but now if I tell you what I think is going on, and its true I’ll be so devastated that I… I don’t know. But if its not true, you’ll never forgive me for not trusting you ….  And you may never trust me again. But if I don’t say anything and just hope its all a bad dream I won’t be able to concentrate and whatever happens next I’m going to lose - maybe everything …”

Their food arrived and Ruth ordered another round from the waiter. Steve stayed quiet and used eating as the excuse. He could say that he’d look after her whatever happens but with some of the scenarios that may not be possible. But he couldn’t stay silent for ever and now it was making things worse

“Everything seemed ok this morning” he opened tentatively “And then you had your meeting with Trevor, and I’m having some trouble even imagining what he could have said that would cause this level of chaos”

She took a deep breath “Amy’s pressuring him to give her some proper work. And that means he needs admin support”

“Yes. I thought you went down to help him with the forms? He’ll have to convince Jacqui and then it goes to the board”

“No, Steve, that’s not right. He wants me to do it. He wants me to be his department secretary. You see, he’s been through the HR system and I’m still registered there as a floating resource, and that means I shouldn’t be in any department for more than 6 weeks, and its been way more than that. And he says that you’ve had that long to update the system and clearly haven’t. And he says, who sent me to this interview anyway, and that was you. And we never did get around to formalising anything, even my salary, and now… now I think you’re wanting to get rid of me” 

She stopped abruptly and gasped in some air “So you see, if its true I might as well die right here, and if its not true you’ll lose confidence in me for not trusting you, and in that case I may as well join R&D, and if it is true, then it looks like I’m stuck with R&D anyway”

The waitress came over to clear the plates and Ruth ordered another round as Steve considered this limited information.

This Trevor is causing more problems than he’s worth. I should have known there would be problems with someone that devious. Have to be more careful leaving that sort of thing to Gerry! But the first thing is to pour oil on the immediate troubled waters

“Ruth, there is nothing wrong with coming to a conclusion which is based on the information you’ve got. It may well all be circumstantial evidence, but what you get to is a logical conclusion. But that doesn’t mean its right because there may be other factors that you don’t know about at the time”

“Yes please, another vodka”

“Not for me thanks, one of us has to drive back!”

“So what do you want to do, now that this alternative has come up? Once upon a time you said to me that you’d like to move to R&D.”

“So it is true!” she slurped half her new drink spilling a little in mild panic

“No, no its not true. What I’d like to say is what a good boss should say and that is I wouldn’t stop you going if that’s what you really want….”

“…But that wasn’t as general admin! They need a 16 year old numpty for that”
 “Can I tell Amelia you said that?”

“Steve, please, don’t tease, not now. I want to stay. I want to stay more than anything, but Trevor has the process and the rules on his side, according to the documentation”

“Maybe no one ever told him that I don’t have much regard for process and rules, especially rules. Of course a good boss would support you if you wanted to move. But I never claimed to be a good boss either and I might just put a few incentives in the way to persuade you to stay”

“Steve, can I stay? Please”

“Ruth, I want you to stay.”

She blinked several times gasping for breath as the alcohol overtook the excitement and she slurped the rest of her glass.

“I want you to stay as much as you want to stay and probably more. Tomorrow I’ll sort out all the formalities that we missed out till now, if that’s what you want” 

“Yes!

“One of the first things I told you was just how much I love girls that keep saying yes”

“But I don’t feel so good now”

“Nothing that the hair of the dog won’t cure”

“Thank, yeah I’ll ‘ave a vo’ka tonic”

Steve did a quick calculation but decided that his numbers must be wrong. Or maybe she had a separate digestive system just for alcohol.

“Look, Ruth, we've been through the mill since April and we're only just beginning to get the ship on an even keel. I've no intention of giving up as captain, and I've every intention of retaining the existing crew. Notwithstanding the odd mutiny” 

Steve now had some trouble with the next sentence, most of which was slurred to the point of incomprehensibility but the essence was that she at least knew she was making a fool of herself

“ is not mootny” she said, but Steve decided it was time to pay her bill, and pour her into the car, 

“Note to self. Tomorrow, remind my PA to remember to remind me about important things that get left out when all hell breaks loose”

“I knew t’ would be my faul’ “ 

“No its not your fault. We knew some stuff would fall through the cracks and come back round to bite us. We just didn’t know what. But now, considering the state of you, I'm going to take you home” 

“yes pleaz! But it sounds inapp.. inapp .. inproprit!” 

“Not that kind of take you home – although… now you mention it … No, I'm taking you back to your house and then I'm going back to the office and I'll see you tomorrow, perhaps it might even be in the morning and in a fit state to sign your life away” 

Back at the works, Steve tracked down Jack. 

“I was thinking, Jack. What we need is a technical audit of that production line. The plan at the moment is to tackle the issue from a financial perspective” 

“Yeah, I talked to Lisa and that's all gonna happen” 

“Good, but we should also look at it from a technical perspective. You know Amelia don't you” 

“Kind of. She was at your table when I interrupted. We've met, but that's it” 

“She did a production line audit module in her degree course, so she knows a bit about this kind of thing and will know how to do it. You know the process and what should be happening, so maybe if you two work together on it. She’ll bring the theory, you’ll bring the practicality and we'll see what you two come up with” 

Over in R and D, Amelia was on her own. Apparently Trevor had gone over to HR when Jack got there and introduced himself.

“Were you listening to what I was saying to Steve at lunch the other day?”

“Kind of. But I didn’t want to eavesdrop”
 “Ok. So in Components, they’re settling down a bit and they’ve decided to back out some of the QA checks. That’s ok if everything’s done properly, but if not there’ll be field failures and that’s bad all round. The current plan is to make financial checks, but what we also need is a production line audit and Steve said he thought you'd done a course on that”

“Hey! How about that! Sounds brill”

“Cool!  Steve’s plan is that we use your theory and I know how its supposed to work and we work together on it””

“Has anyone spoken to Trev yet?”

“Doubt it. He’s pretty hard to get hold of”

But at that moment the room filled up. Not just with Trevor but Steve and Gerry as well

“Jack, I see you found Amelia. Have you brought her up to date?”

“Yeah, just doing that. She seems up for it”
 “Up to date? Up for what?” asked Trevor suddenly suspicious

“Amelia here...” began Gerry “did a module on production line audit for her degree, and we need exactly that over at Components. So it makes sense to use our internal treasures rather than fork out for expensive consultants. She's only loafing around doing admin here anyway”

“Yes” continued Steve to prevent Trevor saying anything else “Jack, you’ve got Lisa doing these financial checks, haven’t you, and we’ll continue with that”
 “Yes, boss, but I’m checking out with Matt on the implications cos she’s right busy”

“Ok, that’s good if you can take pressure off Lisa. Ok, we continue with that, but if you and Amelia work on the process side as well and see what you two come up with. Then we can see how it matches up with the financial perspective as a cross check. If it works it would give us a model for the future instead of involving consultancies. I used to get really wound up if a consultant came in at ten times my wages to do something that I was perfectly capable of doing and was never given the chance. If we've already got the expertise and are just not using it, then we’re not giving our people the best opportunity” 

“Ok. Sounds like a move in the right direction” said Gerry

“When's it kicking off?” 

“Starts tomorrow. If production has taken a wrong turn we need to know about it sooner rather than later. No advantage in waiting for returns coming back in from Field Service. And Amelia was saying you're looking at alternative admin solutions anyway”
 “Yesss. I was looking for Ruth just now, but I couldn’t find her”

“Good. Amelia, check in with Jack and I'll look forward to the progress report. As always if you need anything I can help you with, you know where to find me” 

At her house, Ruth was faring slightly worse. Her mum had phoned Annabelle who had popped round after work to make sure she was all right. Or rather, to make sure she was in no serious danger of exacerbating the situation. Ruth had just woken up and her head felt like it had imploded while her body felt like it might just turn itself inside out. Annabelle stayed with her till late when she woke up again, this time a bit more comprehensible.

“I can't explain it. It's all just one thing led to another and there was an obvious conclusion. Except it was wrong, I think. But I've blown my credibility with Steve. And we need that trust just to do our jobs together. Which means I'll have to move on anyway. I knew I was between a rock and a hard place, and it's all that Trevor's fault. He's just a scheming slimy bandit” 

“Listen Ruth. It can't be a total lost cause. You got on so well, you were having such a good time. I was getting to thinking you were in love with him. Listen, just wear that special dress you bought” 

“What, the one I wore to Jennifer's party? The one some guy was watching and walked straight into a low door and knocked himself out cold?” 

“Not some guy! That was Tom. Remember Tom? that wanted to get engaged but instead you decided to dump him. But yes, that dress. If he doesn't change his mind with you in that dress, it really is doomsday” 

Steve had his own issues back at his house and it was time to look after Holly too. He wanted her to have something tangible as well as a safe home and, hopefully, a loving daddy

“And Saturday, young lady, I think you should go shopping with mum”

“Tescos?” she asked with as little enthusiasm as she could muster

“No, I think you should go into Exeter and see about getting some new hockey kit and get some practice in it on Saturday ahead of the match against Eastern Region. And while you’re out, I'm going to take a look at mummy’s car. Make sure it's all running smoothly. I'm nervous it will just stop somewhere.”

But thoughts of work were still charging around his head. Of course Eloise was so much better suited to be Geneviève’s new mum than Ruth was, and of course it would cause all manner of problems if they lived together and worked together and Geneviève would definitely have some problems with such a young mummy replacement. So she was right – but it was still a good tease. He certainly still wanted her as his PA, and that meant thinking carefully about rebuilding the trust and the most appropriate incentives. He churned the whole episode over in his head. Maybe he could ask Eloise, but decided that their relationship was still too fragile to go into the detail. So, what would be the best way to get back to a proper working base with Ruth? That kind of emotional trust takes months to create and seconds to destroy. Red roses? Maybe? Or should they be yellow! Or just get on with rectifying the shortfalls that have been left for the last six months. Bottle of Vodka? No, she had one of them at lunchtime. Chocolates? Invitation to Dinner – with Geneviève – no, no, no Steve you’re going the wrong way there….

Next day, Ruth felt better, but not completely recovered. She put on the dress as Annabelle had instructed but wasn’t totally convinced that it was suitable for the office being both low and high against opposite ends. However, a more focussed rummage through her wardrobe came up with an alternative. Not quite so extreme but more floaty when she moved, and a silk scarf round her neck fastened with a brooch would complete the effect, which she then hid under her long coat. 

At Riverside, Steve wasn't even out of his car before Jacqui collared him. 

“Steve, what's this about Trevor getting additional admin support?” 

“Is he? Has he got any budget? Its increased headcount, but if he can justify it to you, then he can bring the proposal to the next board meeting” he looked over at her trying to look perplexed 

“That's not quite Trevor's take on things” 

“Well, as always, I'm open to new and innovative ideas” 

Now it was Jacqui's turn to look perplexed 

“I was looking for Ruth yesterday, but I couldn't find her.”

“No, she took the afternoon off at short notice. It'll just come out of her annual leave.” 

“No, I wasn't worried about that. I wanted her to clarify a few things for me” 

“Like?”           

“Like, does she know how much she's meant to be earning? I checked her file and there’s no updates at all this year. She's still on the same salary as last year”

“Is she? I know we discussed putting that up to what Simone was getting and then reassessing it when things settled down. But it was all a bit fraught at that time” 

“Oh dear, maybe I missed that. Oh look, there's Ruth now. I'll just catch her. 

Ruth! Ruth! Have you got a few minutes? I tried to catch you yesterday, but I understand you took the afternoon off”

“Yes, but I'm just hoping I can get it all sorted out today” 

“Yes, well I hope everything turns out ok for you, whatever it was. However, I think I've had a bit of an omission. Back in April, although I don't want to remind you too much of that, when everything was kicking off, I discussed your new salary with Steve for you working in his office rather than as floating admin. However, it was never finalised and I must apologise for that. However, do you remember what you agreed with Steve on salary, because I don't think it's ever been updated?”

“No, not really. He did mention that it might be the same as Simone, but I don't know what that was, but I had some back tax issues as well around then and its been so busy ever since, although thankfully not so morbid. Steve and me haven't had a chance to sit down and talk it through”

“I seem to remember that Steve was going to make some ‘interim gesture’, as he called it”
 “Yes. I don’t know the detail but I know I’ve been getting quite a lot extra each month” 

“Oh! Do I remember? At one point he paid some of that himself and claimed it back? Maybe that was around the time he paid the weeklies himself. Oh, I think Cheryl does some sort of direct transfer. Oh Ruth I can’t remember”

“I think we’ve all been trying to forget!” replied Ruth empathetically

“So -  Oh! It makes it so difficult when people don’t stick to the process – but that would have been in lieu of a formal agreement, like a holding state till something was sorted out!” 

“Yes, I think so. But I really must get this sorted out. You could say it's actually my job to remember to remind him to do these important little things, so on that basis it's my own fault” 

“Oh Ruth, I think that's rather harsh with everything else that was going on. You went straight from that into the Components disaster. But I'm also sure that Steve will not let you lose out” 

Her head was beginning to hurt again. How come that whole thing just kicked off today? Why not tomorrow or last week?

 She tried to think of what she'd say to Steve by way of apology, or if maybe actions would speak louder. She reminded herself that the very first thing she'd say was 'sorry', and then... and then... she didn't know what. She pushed her door open and tried to focus on her in-tray, but instead focussed on the sparkling crystal vase with a large assortment of coloured roses placed safely at the far end of her desk. She stopped abruptly. Oh my! I do hope that's not from Trevor. But before she could speculate farther, Steve had arrived. Almost as if he’d been watching and waiting.

“Hi, how are you feeling today?” he said as gently as he ever had.

“Steve... Steve” she repeated, holding the moment “I'm sorry”.

She paused as she bowed her head even though she desperately wanted to read his face for clues. “And how am I feeling? Disappointed - in me. Foolish. Scared” 

“Scared?” 

“Mhmm. of what damage I’ve caused and what happens next” 

“First we need to know what you want to do” 

“Steve, I don’t want to leave. I ...I don't know what else to say that doesn't sound silly. Like I said before. If I'm in a big hole I should stop digging” 

“Ruth, if you don’t want to go, then you’re not going – end of story. I thought quite a lot about this yesterday evening and there’s nothing that we can't sort out today. But your question was what happens next and what happens next is that you take your coat off, we get some coffee and reschedule today’s activities. So its re-schedule, then I think we should talk a bit about you. I want to push everything else aside and make time for you. Today we’ll fill in the assorted forms that Jacqui needs and tie up all the loose ends. And only after that will we get some work done, maybe. Oh my! .... Ruth! you look gorgeous.!” 

“Thankyou. I didn’t know what else I could do to make an extra effort. I was hoping you'd like it and it would.... help. Oh! Like I told you, everything else I'm going to say will be silly” 

“I doubt it. But later this morning, say 11.30 I'm taking you out to lunch and we're going to do your initial review. Ok so its 6 months late, but we’ll fill in all those forms as well and tick all the boxes and make sure everything is up to date. That’s the way we're going to avoid any future problems“

“But there’s a lot scheduled for today already” 

“And how much of it will wait till tomorrow, or the next day? Any well run company should be able to run for at least six months without someone at the daily helm” 

She smiled recognising the phrase

“But that, unfortunately, does not include us!” she completed with a wider smile remembering that that was one of the very first things he'd said to her the day she started in his office. 

“I really must disagree with that!” said Jacqui coming in at just the wrong moment. “In fact, I think its quite an extraordinary turnround in the company’s fortunes with Steve at the helm” 

“Yes” said Ruth getting up “I agree entirely. It was a bit of a de ja vue joke. I’m just hoping he wants to keep me on. I think I’ve let myself down recently”

“Come, come Ruth. Nobody’s perfect all the time. Oh, but I see you're dressed up for the occasion! Or is there something special going on today? And Steve, you really need to do Ruth’s review which is way overdue. When is that Steve? I'm putting something out this morning telling everyone to complete any outstanding reviews by the end of the week before we hit any more problems”

“Its today, Jacqui” 

“Oh! so you two will be offsite again together” 

“Yes. And who wouldn’t when the lady comes in looking like that?” he commented innocently 

“Hmmm” mused Jacqui, but Ruth just smiled concealing a rising hope 

“So, I wanted you to have this. It relates to Ruth's review, so it looks like I got here just in time. But there's also something else.” 

“Do you want me to leave?” 

“No. no need. This involves you to and it will save any Chinese Whispers if Steve has to tell you separately. Trevor came to see me yesterday about raising an admin vacancy” 

“Not surprised, because I told him that Amelia was needed in Components to do some real work. She has some specialised expertise that we ought to leverage rather than pay consultants. If she and Jack can come up with the right answers it’ll save 10 grand in consultancy and that’s a lot of money in Components” 

“Yes, quite. So I introduced him to the process which includes getting approval from the board. Well he already had someone in mind for this non-existent vacancy and he’d already made himself familiar with the process. I reminded him that most intermediate staff are on 1 month’s notice and that any internal move would be subject to a suitable replacement being found, in place and trained. Naturally he asked how long that might take. I’m afraid I gave him rather short shrift by saying no one would know until they started looking and so far I’m not aware that they have. So he turned his attention to the availability of a floating resource.

Now Ruth, I have no real interest in who said what, who gave which impression or who misunderstood whom etc etc. What I will say is that you are far too valuable working with Steve in this office to go anywhere else in the company right now. I sincerely hope that you are not too unhappy here, and if you are, I’m sure Steve will find a way to do something about it and if not that, then I’d hope you felt able to talk directly to me.

Having said all that, as HR Director I have the responsibility of ensuring that any personnel changes in one department do not adversely impact another department, and in order to discharge that responsibility I have the authority to veto any internal staff moves. Naturally, like you Steve, I try to limit my interference in the daily functions within a department, but in this case I am obliged to inform you that I have exercised that authority”

Ruth broke out into another relieved smile” 

“Really! Oh Jacqui. Thankyou so much!” 

Jacqui smiled and turned to leave “And don't forget that memo about Ruth’s review” 

Cue Kiss the Mountain by Auri

“So I don't have to go anywhere?” 

He narrowed his eyes and squinted at her 

“That's more like Ruth. Are you sure you don't want to take on being mummy to my 15 year old” 

“No! Now stop it. We've been through that at least twice! And you've got Eloise to do that anyway” 

“Oh yes, and I've sent Gerry a gentle reminder that Trevor's bonus is only payable if he gets his designs agreed before Christmas. The copy is in your tray for distribution and filing” 

“I thought the Highwayman would be good for lunch. That will give us a quiet relaxing environment to discuss the details and I'm reliably informed that they do a fine range of vodka there” 

“I suppose I deserve all this teasing” 

“You sure do! And more” 

“But if you're going to come into the office looking like this, I’m just glad at least I put a flower on your desk....” 

“So it was you. Oh! Oh Oh thankyou” 

She opened her arms and slipped them round his waist. “Maybe I'll start believing you're not trying to get rid of me” 

“All we need now is for Tristan to waltz in unannounced” 

Ruth let go quickly “oh, don't remind me!” 

“So, if you’ve decided to stay already, lets find something more fun to do this morning. I don’t want to discuss the main issue until lunchtime. What about the Christmas party?” 

“I could do that” she volunteered       

Steve outlined what sort of thing he had envisaged, table layouts, provisional venue and menu, the formal bits that were necessary and the need to call it a Conference rather than a party for tax purposes. And to make sure to keep Gerry, Keith, Matt and Jacqui in the loop. 

11.30 came up before they realised and they headed out 

“Actually, I've got a table booked in the Old Farmers Arms. I thought maybe we'd give the Highwayman a miss today” 

She pushed back in the car seat and relaxed. Wasn't that just Steve? He'd know she'd be embarrassed at the Highwayman and wasn't it just these things that made her want to go to work with him every day when she woke up. And what about Jacqui, charging in like a white knight and running a coach and horses straight through the problem punting it off into the far undergrowth. And Steve was right. They'd sort out the details over lunch. And in any case, what would it be like having a daughter only 9 years younger than her. After all, he was a whole 15 years older than her. Don't be silly girl, you’re on the verge of the best of both worlds spending the days with Steve, and still have evenings and weekends with someone like Tom. Not actually Tom, just someone like him. Well, a bit like him. Or maybe not very much like him. Or even not like him at all, but not Steve.

“We'll get a bit of this formal stuff out the way before ordering, ok?” he said placing the HR forms on the table “That way we won’t get mayonnaise all over it” 

She raised a short laugh and he looked over for an explanation “I’m just imagining you presenting the form back to Jacqui, but dripping in beer”

“It might be worth it just to see her face! Ok maybe we’ll try to avoid that. Look, I’ve completed most of it already. But don't expect a list of all the mistakes, errors and things you've done wrong, because if there were any, we'd have sorted them out at the time, not leave it till now” 

They agreed on the job title and description and the salary that Steve’s suggested was nearly double what she was expecting, 

“But” Steve said “I want you on 3 months’ notice”

He turned the form round for her to read

“Steve, that’s so kind putting these things on my official record. But you ought to put something in the negatives box too. Jacqui sends back forms that don’t have that filled in”

“Ok. What about… Refuses point blank …”

Her face fell. What on earth was she failing so miserably at that she didn’t even know about!

“… to take on any responsibility for my daughter”

“No Steve! You can’t put that!” 

As always, there’s a level of humour, teasing her. Ok occasionally its misplaced, but it always reduced the tension

“Ok” he said raising his pen “Negative point. Will make finding a suitable replacement well nigh impossible”

“Oh Steve. Stop it. I only try to do my best, but you saying things like that just sets the bar higher and higher!”

“Ok, but there’s also that memo from Jacqui” Steve glanced down it as she looked on expectantly 

“Ok. Its addressed to me, but its about you. So its only fair that you should get to read it”

She gasped and scanned down the page 

“I've not seen this before, so it could say anything… “
 “So we’ll both be surprised together…”

“ ‘Steve, As you know my immediate reaction in April to you moving Ruth to your office without reference, notice or any accepted protocol was less than enthusiastic. 

However as the circumstances unfolded and the scale of the problems became apparent, it quickly became clear that it was the right thing to do. Over the following days and months her emotional resilience and the support that she gave you and indeed the rest of the senior team was outstanding and has proved the case on so many occasions since then. 

While there is no doubt that you have steered, if not rescued, the company from disaster more than once in the last seven months, I think you would have found it significantly more challenging without Ruth's help and support. 

Having also spoken with Matt, Keith and Gerry I can speak for all of us in that we have come to regard Ruth not so much as a senior secretary, but more as a valuable member of the senior management team itself, and we would ask you to recognise this during her review. 

Jacqui”

He looked over at her “so now you know” as she lowered the memo. 

She paused trying to take it in “I'm stunned. I'm trying not to cry. You've no idea how long it took me to do this makeup this morning and I really don't want to smudge it. But Steve, I've only done the things you asked me to. And a lot of my contact with the senior guys is when I walk round a P1 notice for some other bad news, or take notes in the management and board meeting” 

“I don't want to remind you of specific incidents, but I think if you look back you’ll find plenty of times you’ve helped out the other members of the team. Ok, as you say, there’s been more than your fair share of bad news. But I think its more about how you do it. It's the sympathetic smile. It's taking the time, its empathy and understanding of their individual situations. Its taking on whatever needs to be done, like personal shopper for Tasmin. It's connecting with people, like reading the announcement to the finance team. Who else would have just done that? No ifs, no buts, no questions, just do it because it needs done” 

“Like dancing on the boardroom table!” 

“Yes” he replied gently “Like asking you to dance on the table” 

“That interview was weird. But each of these pieces has fallen into place now” 

“So, do you want to sign up for another seven months?” 

“Only seven!” 

“No. I’ve defined it as a permanent position, although how long that is, is anyone's guess” 

“I do! Is that the right answer?” 

“It’s the right answer. Its just I asked the wrong question!”

“Oh! Stop that! I’d thump your arm but you’re out of reach!” but she knew now it wouldn’t take long to get back to where they were before

“If its what you want. I think I've made it clear that I want you to stay” 

“I do want to stay, I just....” 

“So that's decided” interrupted Steve “and hopefully that's the last we'll hear about you moving. But there are two other items on the agenda for this meeting, and the next one is to clear up all the loose ends from yesterday. So lets do that without getting too emotional about it” 

She nodded “I just picked up the wrong end of the stick. And the clues just aggravated it. And then Trevor added it all up for me. I couldn't believe that you'd do that, but the evidence proved otherwise. I wanted to talk to you about it over lunch but then thinking about the consequences just took over. And like I said yesterday, if it was true I'd be so devastated, and if it wasn’t then you would think that I didn’t trust you and didn't talk to you about it and that would mean you'd most likely sack me and that's why I was between a rock and a hard place” 

“So you just got ratted instead” 

“I know. I'm so sorry” 

“Oh, don't be sorry! You were quite amusing really. Especially your reaction when I said I was taking you home”

She gasped in trepidation “What did I say? I can’t remember” but Steve juts gave her a lascivious smirk. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him, but he’d already moved on

“And its not all your fault. I should have checked that your file was updated. I sent through some provisional details, but I think that may have got lost when Lucy left suddenly, but there was a lot going on at that time. There's so much that has gone right in the last seven months. Ok, we've made a few mistakes as well. But overall, we're both in a better position than that day you first came up to see me. And the company is stable and looking forward to a phase of investment, and progress and prosperity. Yesterday was just another of those bad days. Jacqui thinks you're emotionally resilient enough that even though it rocks the boat, you just carry right on rowing as though nothing had happened, and soon there's a new calm and stability. Come on, time we got back. People will begin to talk!” 

“As if they aren't already”      

“And the final thing before we get back.” he said as they headed back towards town, “is that because some of this should have taken place six months ago, we'll be back-dating your increase to the date you started” 

“But that's .. that's about half a year’s salary. Because you’ve nearly doubled it and ...” 

“Yes. So watch out for it in this month’s advice. I don’t want you going into meltdown when you see the tax bill. It'll sort itself out by next April” 

She left the office late that evening. Sure enough it all seemed sorted out. Jacqui had stuck her oar in and she was on her side too. And Steve - Steve, as always just being, well, Steve. 

She walked slowly across the footbridge into town with a contented smile as she headed for the Blue Boar. Annabelle was at the bar trying to find more space on the tray she was loading. 

“Celebration?”

“Yes!! I passed my CIMA exam”

“Cinema exam, Bella? I didn’t know you were doing media studies?”

“Not cinema, numpty! CIMA – Chartered Accountant – at last”

“Of wow! Well done! You take that over, what's left to get” 

“Just my vodka and coke and whatever you want” 

Ruth paid the bill and carried the last two drinks over 

“Ruth, that's Clifford. And over there, Barry. You know everyone else. This is Ruth. Is that bill still waiting?” 

“No, I paid it. Well over 20 quid, is that what you were expecting?” 

“Yes, but we were all going to chip in” 

“That's ok. Its my contribution to your celebration” 

“And you're back on the vodka. I tried to phone you earlier. Apparently you were out to lunch - again” 

Ruth slipped her coat over the back of a chair and sat down to some interesting looks. 

“Relax at last!” she said “Sorry, I came straight from work” 

“What sort of work is that? The way you’re dressed I’m guessing you’re in fashion or something?” asked Barry 

“I’d hate to think I was out of fashion!” 

“No. I meant for your job”

Well of course you did you numpty. Just checking your intellectual level

“At least I’m not out of fashion with my boss, as I thought I might be, thank goodness. I'm just a secretary” 

“Not quite, Ruth. You’re way more than just a secretary. And…” continued Annabelle with added emphasis “…This is the girl who only yesterday I had to go over to her house around teatime to make sure she was still alive and didn’t need stomach pumping at A & E after her lunchtime session. And then she's out to lunch again today and in the pub again tonight. Where was it at lunchtime?” 

“Oh, Annabelle, that’s a bit unfair. I was at the Old Farmers today” 

“Going up market as well! That’s why you're looking like a fashion model. I don't know Ruth. The rollercoaster you’re riding on at that work of yours. You should bottle all that excess adrenalin and sell it. And..” she turned to Barry “Its all so secret she can't tell you anything about it” 

“I can! I went through all the issues that caused the problem yesterday when you came over”

“And most of it was unintelligibly slurred”

“Hmphh. Anyway, its all sorted out now” 

“Till the next time!” teased Annabelle

“What work do you do Barry?” asked Ruth in an attempt to divert the attention.

Having now got the evening started, the group quickly moved on through the next two rounds and the conversation loosened up. With some of them now on the dancefloor, and some at the bar Ruth was now alone at the table with Clifford. 

“I was going to ask you about your work. You must've been quite late out” he said “but I guess you don’t get to tell me” 

“No. I'm just a secretary. I do admin type stuff. And anything else that comes along and that needs doing and that’s what keeps it interesting” 

But it was still Thursday and Thursday was back in Eloise and Steve’s diary despite Holly’s hope of missing double Geography

“By the way, where are we going?”

[cue Catharsis by Apocalyptica from the Cell-O album]

“We’re going back to the Smugglers Inn”

“That’s where we went on our second date!”

“Uh huh”

“Do you think that they’ll still have that lobster on the menu”

“I guess so. Unless they’ve reprinted it, or wiped it clean”

Eloise thought back to that evening. She’d been buzzing like a teenager. This really amazing guy had just suddenly invited her to dinner, and she’d just as suddenly said yes. And the evening flew by. And the next week he took her to this place with the most wonderful food she’d ever had. And Holly had been such a help in getting her ready. It had been magical, and the walk along the shore after dinner, and then whiz back in time to get Geneviève back home for school-day bed time. But that was then, and this was now. And it was such a world away in only a couple of months. The rollercoaster that Steve didn’t want to go on, and the fact that she’d cried more tears in that time than in the previous three years, including when Nick disappeared. She leaned back into the soft leather.

She gazed over at him as he concentrated on the narrow lane in the big car.

He glanced back “you ok?”

“Yes” she said dreamily “I was just thinking that there was no where on earth I’d rather go, and no one else I’d rather go there with”

“It doesn’t look like it’s changed much”

“No but I think we have. I mean, the last two weeks in particular”

“I think it’s been a dream come true”

“What? All of it?”

“Absolutely!” except… except for when I remember the two weeks before that. That scares me. Sometimes I break out in a cold sweat just thinking about where that nearly went”

“That’s interesting. ... Because that’s kind of what Holly’s ‘thought’ is about. It’s about what nearly happened and it’s the consequences of that direction that makes her wake up screaming”

“So why isn’t that a nightmare?”

“Because.. .. Nightmares start with a random point and contain random things that might happen and even things like types of creatures or ghosts that don’t exist, and often they’re a whole bunch of different events all mingled into one. The ‘thought’ starts at a specific point or event and continues in a straight line from there with real people and real events that would have happened if someone else hadn’t intervened. Holly says a nightmare is random and happens to you when you’re asleep. A ‘thought’ is deliberate, although you can’t stop it when you want to, and it’s a direct continuation into what would have happened”

“Can we do anything for her?”

“No. Just love and attention, and let her know that she can talk to us if she gets to a place like that again”

“I didn’t know she’d been in that kind of place before”

“No? Ok it was in the – what did you say – the previous two weeks. You know, the … gap”

“Oh! Oh my poor baby. So that’s all my fault as well. And there’s nothing I can do?” 

“I wouldn’t. She’ll get over it and I think it’ll pass, so I don’t think we should exaggerate it”

“But you knew about it, so you must have helped her, even …..”

“But that was then, and this is now, and it’s a different place”

“Yes” she said perking back up “The last two weeks have been amazing?

“So what’s been your absolute highlight?”

“Oh Steve! So many. I can’t just pick one …. I mean – just everything. I think the house was the biggest surprise. But possibly the highlight was on the beach on the first Sunday. Yes, it was when Geneviève called me ‘mummy’ for the first time. To me it was a bit like when Holly first said ‘mummy’ just before she was two”

“I didn’t think you took the children’s approval that seriously?”

“I didn’t to start with, but looking at it now, its absolutely essential”

“I think it is, but its hard to explain that in the beginning”

“But you’ve been looking for a new mummy for Geneviève for ages”

“That’s a bit harsh! It would be great to find someone who could do that. But you can’t just set an advert: wanted: New mummy for my 15 year old. Previous experience unnecessary. Duties include making sure she transitions from a delightful young teenager into a delightful young lady. Also a bit of cooking, washing and cleaning. Must also be happy to sleep with her dad…. I mean, people just don’t have CVs like that. I’ve tried to put the emphasis on Geneviève rather than me. But if something is going to happen, it has to get a wiggle on because another year and it will really be too late. She’s at a critical stage, just the same as Holly” 

“It all sounds dreadfully clinical” 

“I’m not so sure and I think that may be one of the issues. If it was clinical, then it would be a case of CVs at dawn, bidding for a four year contract, fixed terms, with a possible two year extension”

Eloise was taking this in good spirits “and you’re saying that’s not clinical!”

“But that’s the point. It’s not clinical. It’s emotional. And that’s because I want you. And I want you to take on all this other stuff as well as just me”

Eloise stopped eating “But… But I thought it was me that wanted you to take on me and Holly”

“But that’s the point, Eloise. That’s another reason why you are….”

She looked over and gasped trying to think what might be next

“..why you are ... simply ... perfect”

“There’s just a difference between where we both started from and where we are now”

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Just everything you’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks. I want you and Holly to stay with us, and we all help each other as a team. You play the position of mummy, I’m daddy and the team game is happy families. And it all just works because everyone wants it to, so its not an act or a strain, its what we want to do”

“You mean, just one normal mum, dad and two teenagers happy family?”

Steve just nodded “Look, I know this is all an unholy rush and that’s what makes it seem clinical, but Holly and Geneviève are on a short fuse”

“I know, Holly’s at a critical stage. I’ve been so worried that she’ll get in with the wrong crowd. I think having a dad would help a lot, Steve, especially if it was you. I really do want this job, even if my CV isn’t perfect. Geneviève is amazing. I think I had always wanted Holly to be like her. Holly is all but in love with you. And the bit about, well, sleeping with her dad – that… that’s actually a bonus. There’s such a lot of catching up I want to do, especially if its going to be with you”

“In that case you’re hired. But I also know you are still nervous about something”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s the look behind your smile”

Eloise sighed “There’s no hiding place, is there. Steve.  Maybe being so transparent has always been my failing. Look, I’m just a little worried about money. I don’t earn very much and I’m nervous that I won’t be able to contribute my fair share”

“Yes, I know you’ve had a rough time financially. I’ve tried to help”

“I know!” she said urgently, “And I will pay you back, I promise. I .. .. I just don’t know when. And that’s all part of the problem”

“Eloise, I don’t want any money back. As far as I’m concerned, it’s gone. All that happened during the .. you know, gap. It was an investment to give you a break so that you might think about us instead of worrying about all that. So it’s finished and you have to forget about it and not let it bother you. Moving forward, I have to pay all the bills anyway, and buy food, so all that’s left really is running your car – and you do that anyway”

“And what about the mortgage. It must be huge on a house that size. I mean, you do have a mortgage, Geneviève let it slip”

“Yes, I do have a mortgage. It’s useful because it’s a whole lot easier increasing an existing loan than taking out a new one if you happen to suddenly need a couple of hundred thousand. But it’s just a token. Costs about forty pounds a month” 

Eloise sat back in her chair. She’d finished her lobster and it was equally as perfect as the first time. “So there’s no problems?”

“Not until you invent some new ones” he teased

“Oh, that’s not fair!”

“There are no debts between us. There’s no big mortgage or anything to pay off. I think Holly is gorgeous. You get on well with Geneviève. And…” he continued after a pause “…once upon a long time ago you nearly said you might even fall in love with me”

“Yes” she admitted softly “So that just leaves.. .. you”

“Oh, I think I can probably put up with you” he said with a broadening grin

“Why did I not meet you years ago!”

“Probably because you were married and wouldn’t have encouraged me to invite you out” 

“It’s all so magical .. .. “

“So you and Holly are going to stay at the Briers and you and me suddenly have two girls each instead of just one”

“Well, Holly will have no problem with that”

“And? Or is there another but?”

“Steve how’d you get to know me that well in so short a time? Its an and. Its: and I won’t have any problem with that either. I love it. Its everything I ever dreamed for and so much more” she took a deep breath and a big sigh

“I’ll do anything to keep this dream for ever”

“What? Anything? .. .. Illegal? Immoral? and fattening?”

“Well” she laughed “not so sure about the fattening” she continued the theme

“But anything that’s not too fattening?”

She looked into his eyes “I’m wondering what trouble I’m about to get into by saying yes?”

“Stop worrying about it. Just say yes, it makes things so much simpler”

Again she felt the remaining stress draining away from her. The meal was finished which was a shame because it was so beautiful. This was the start of a new Eloise. A more relaxed, positive, ambitious, determined, in control of herself Eloise. And all she had to do is trust Steve to help her. It all seemed so incredibly easy.

“We should go for a walk along the beach” she said as they headed outside. It was cold, but not raining unlike the last time they were there. Steve felt her shiver and wrapped his coat around both of them. She looked gorgeous in her short dress and coat, but it didn’t really suit the weather, at least not this late in the evening.

“Maybe we should cut this short” said Steve “it’s a bit chilly, and there’s an outside chance that the girls will be waiting up for us and we should get home”

“Like a good mummy and daddy!”

Eloise was expecting to break the news to Holly the following day, but now as she and Steve went to check on her as they went to bed, there she was sitting up on her pillow with her eyes only half closed 

“I don’t think we’ll be going back to Morgan Terrace” Eloise said largely through excitement 

“Not go back? What? Ever? What about our stuff?” retorted Holly surprisingly loudly and with surprising concern, now wide awake

“No, I mean not to live there. We’ll live here instead” she completed with a tear forming in the corner of her eye. Holly jumped across the bed and launched herself at both of them throwing an arm round each of their necks.

“I might cry as well mummy”

“We’ll go over with Steve and Geneviève sometime over the weekend and move everything down here.

“Go where with dad and me?” asked Geneviève catching the end of the conversation as she appeared from the landing having heard voices.

“We’re going to move mummy and Holly over here tomorrow” as Eloise watched a huge grin expand across Geneviève’s face “Oh wow, that’s fantastic…” 

But Eloise was crying again.

[cue You and I by Tarja]
 

Holly’s History Lesson

The end of another week was drifting into view for Eloise. Tomorrow they’d complete the move and then Steve had promised Holly that she’d take her shopping as well. Note to self, get something little for Charlene for looking after the department – again. 

And now it all seemed settled as Holly poodled into the living room. She’d been doing something with the sewing machine but was looking perplexed. Maybe she was nervous about leaving their own little house for good.

Eloise extended her arms towards her and she plonked down on the edge of the settee where she and Steve were parked as usual at that time of the evening. What’s up babe? asked Steve. She shrugged vaguely. 

“Are you not looking forward to this?” asked Eloise more directly.

“Oh oh yes!” she replied almost in a panic “Its amazing. Its everything”

“There’s a but isn’t there” said Steve quietly as he and Eloise shuffled round to make space between them 

“You know we’ll do something about it if we can” assured Steve.

She looked up at her mum “well, she began ‘ its. Its…ohhh”

Steve got up from the settee and returned with three small liqueur glasses of Cointreau.

He handed one to her “You’re getting to be a big girl now. So we should all be able to sit round quietly and talk things through. No-one gets upset because we just accept that sometimes people have different views, different perspectives, or are starting with different facts that give them different opinions. And we just have a quiet discussion and listen to each other as well as take our turn to talk. Everyone gets to change their mind if they want to, and then we agree on what should be done. Now, in this case, you know something’s not quite right, and we don’t know what it is. And we can’t really help you until we do.”

Eloise flashed a look of some surprise in his direction, but it seemed to be doing the trick.

“Well, the thing is...” she choked on too big a sip from her glass “…the thing is, I’ve got all these things that I’m going to do when I’m grown up”

“Like?”

“Like to be able to sew properly, and bake cakes and play the guitar and know all sorts of stuff. Geneviève! She knows how to use a chainsaw -  Ok! I know I don’t want to cut down trees, but she does, and so she just does it. She’s not waiting till she’s a big girl. She’s only a year older than me. And she is already doing all these things. Mummy, have you heard her playing the piano?” 

[cue Chopin nocturne No.20]

“I never heard of a nocturne before, but she’s awesome. I haven’t even started learning guitar yet, and now I find out that if you really want to be good, you need to start when you’re six or seven and I’m twice that. I’m only 14 and I’m already too old. And I don’t know how I’ll ever catch up”.

She stopped suddenly, nervous of what the reaction would be.

“Well…” began Steve slipping an arm around her neck “…you’re right that you shouldn’t wait till you get older to do anything.”

“Even…”

“…just remember some things are actually illegal”

Geneviève appeared right on que “Daddy, I think I might be ready for my grade exam in a few weeks. I know its expensive, but Howard said …..Oh dear, am I interrupting something?”

“No” said Steve rather more gently than he had anticipated. “But I think it might be appropriate to explain something to Holly…. And Eloise too. And you’re right, Holly, to want to do it now. But there’s a reason how Geneviève is so focussed on just getting on with things. But its not a very happy tale”

Geneviève sat down on a chair. The enthusiastic smile had disappeared from her face and she sat forward on the edge on the cushion.

“You see Holly, just after Geneviève's mum was killed, we were both very upset. It was just at the start of the Easter half term at school, but I suggested that we take a bit of a break, somewhere completely different. So I contacted my cousin, actually I think he's a second cousin but no matter, but I hadn’t seen him for at least 5 years. He's in Perth, and I asked him if it was a good place to chill out and could he recommend a hotel and maybe a car hire company and so on. Well, Olaf was having none of it. We would be staying at his place. He said he had a rambling farmhouse with extensions build on everywhere and outbuildings and barns, and he said he'd make sure there was a car for us, but he would personally meet us at the airport.

Well, when we got there it turned out, he had twin 6 year old boys and an elder boy of ..what?”

“What, Chesney?” joined Geneviève “He was 14 when we arrived. Not much different to what Holly is now.

He was amazing. Everywhere he went he took me along, to meet his mates, play football, go swimming, everywhere. He was so proud to be in charge of looking after his little cousin from England, and he did such a good job and we had an amazing time.”

“So that's where you learned so much stuff”

“Partly. Not all his friends were as well behaved and as polite as he was, so as a younger girl in a strange environment, I had to grow up and learn fast just to stay out of trouble. But, I learned fishing and horse riding, and sometimes we stole the 4x4 and sneaked out into the outback for some off road stuff even if I had to stand up to reach the pedals properly. Of course, the driving age was 17, but Ches claimed if we stayed on the ranch it was private property”

“Anyway” continued Steve “everything was going ok and we were doing ok too. We were supposed to be staying for three weeks, but about 12 days in Olaf called me to the phone. He says down the phone, ‘if yous lookin’ for Steve I can put him on right now’.

It was a lawyer from Oslo. He'd been trying to track me down in London and England in connection with a code of wills he was dealing with. He'd given up trying to find me so had moved on to the only other relative he knew about which was Olaf and phoned him. You see…. “ Steve paused and Geneviève got up nervously, and knelt on the floor beside him holding his arm. 

“You see…” she took up the story “…there had been a major avalanche and land slide. Some said at the time it may have been set off by a Russian fighter plane breaking the sound barrier, but whatever caused it, the avalanche completely destroyed daddy’s home village... And.. And everyone in it. His mum, dad, gran and grandad, his sister and her husband and their baby. There was no one left. Most of them were never even found.

Daddy had to go back to Norway to settle everything.”

Now the room was silent. You could have heard a pin drop onto the carpet, and Holly was near to tears as she peered towards Steve.

Steve picked up. “So I said to Geneviève that it wouldn't be much fun in Norway, and we decided with Olaf and Ches that she should stay for a while longer, and if I got through quickly I'd fly back out”

“Ches was ecstatic when I told him I was staying. He said he would take me to school with him and they sorted out a place for me, so I could see what it was like, and I was having a good time, and I didn't much fancy sitting in solicitors’ waiting rooms, and anyway, I don't speak much Norwegian either”

“Well, sorting everything out took much longer than I expected, and the time for Geneviève to come back came around. I talked to Olaf and he said that Geneviève was having such a good time there and really enjoying herself, which is what we all wanted, in the circumstances.

I said it would be better if I sorted out somewhere new to live in England before she came back, so she stayed. I told him he'd better look after her because she was all I had got left so he said you'd better tell that to Ches. He put him on and I told him as well”

Geneviève picked up the story again.

“It was as though the gravity of it all had just hit him square between the eyes. Like, when daddy was there it was different. Now the responsibility was all his and he just took up the task as a full time job. So while daddy found us a new house and he found a new job too, I went to school with Ches in Australia. And instead of staying 3 weeks, I stayed six months. But I had to come back. This is where daddy was and not just that, but Ches had developed this major crush on this girl in his class and had this increasing conflict of interest. I was sad to leave but I missed daddy terribly. I felt I was hibernating in Australia, and I had to get on with my own life, not just be Ches’s shadow. So I got on a plane and came home”

“But you see, Geneviève didn't just learn how to ride a bronco, she learned to get on and do things rather than just talk about doing them. She didn't want to disappoint Ches in front of his mates and had something to prove - to Ches, to his friends and to herself that she wasn’t just going to shrivel up and be a victim. So she just got on with everything”

“Yes, like playing the piano. There was one point where I was determined to get this Mozart piece perfect and I just played it over and over again trying to make a few less mistakes each time. After about three hours, Olaf came in with a large trolley jack and without saying anything at all just hoisted up the piano and wheeled it out to the barn. Ches just grinned and shrugged and Olaf managed a wide grin and went back inside”

“So?” prompted Eloise

“So I just carried on in the barn till I got it right. After all, he'd gone to all the trouble of moving it for me”

“But that's all so tragic. Oh Steve, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say”

Steve managed a thin smile

“But that's why Geneviève can just get on with things. And that’s why she’s so grown up. And that’s how she managed to catch the right planes to fly halfway round the world and end up in the right place all by herself. She took all these things one step at a time, even if the steps were very close together”

“And I did everything because no one ever told me I couldn’t or I was too young or anything”
 “But she’s also missed out a lot of the childhood fun”

Steve breathed a heavy sigh which almost broke the lingering silence.

“And yes, Geneviève, if Howard thinks you’re ready and you think you’re ready, just get him to book it”  

“It’s expensive, Daddy. But it needs to be booked two months in advance so that you have enough time to practice the set pieces. The nearest place we can go is Bristol, but Howard says we’d be better in London”

“If it’s in London, maybe we should all go, and we can have a look round while you’re being tested”

Steve turned to Holly and gently brushed away the tears streaming down her face. She looked up “Its always mummy. But this time its my turn” 

“But the point is Holly, you can do the things you want to as well. I can’t rewind you so you start your guitar at six years old, but you can start any time you want. You just need to decide what it is you want to do and we'll find someone who can give you a head start or at least point you in the right direction. Like a couple of hours sewing tuition after school. Maybe when Geneviève's at piano. Or guitar lessons?”

“Can I? Really?”

“You just have a think about what you want to do and we'll make it happen. Is that a plan?”

“Wow, yeah. Can I do sewing and guitar?”

“Yes. You just need to think about when you're going to do everything. You know, try to fit around all the TV you need to watch. And its not just lessons on the guitar. You need to find the time, and the inclination to practice what you’re supposed to be learning”

Holly screwed her eyes up in a frown and made a face at him. This was exciting. This was even more than she could have hoped for. This was…ooohh. She knew she only watched TV because she had nothing else to do. And of course so that she could join in the chat at school. Geneviève tended not to do that, but then Geneviève was much more respected for what she did say because it was real, not just gossip about fictional characters. But where to start?

“Do you want me to ask Howard if he can recommend a guitar tutor?” asked Geneviève

“Yes if you don’t mind. What about sewing?”

“Why don’t you come with me to the library on Monday after school? I usually go there before piano. Its so much easier than coming home and then getting back over to Redmond. Actually, Monday its French horn and that’s this side of town, but it’s still easier. They always have notices and adverts for all sorts of courses. That’s where I found my car maintenance class.”

“Oh, has that started?” asked Steve

“Daddy, its being going six weeks. Its nearly finished!

She turned to Eloise to explain “Its at five o’clock, so I can do that and still be home before daddy”

 Moving out that weekend was something of a non-event. Neither of them seemed to own very much. Eloise looked desolately round the small house disappointed at just how little she actually owned. She’d worked so hard these last fifteen years progressing her career in retail. And for what? A couple of photographs, a few mementoes, a pair of jeans that she might never wear again. And absolutely nothing of any commercial value.

She was still just gazing at the meagre collection when Steve slipped an arm around her 

“Nick’s taken everything I ever had. Maybe I didn’t realise before. But it’s the end of an era” she said sadly

“Maybe its an era you’d be glad to see the back of. But you’re a free agent now. You’re free of Nick now anyway so you can start again in any direction you want. The choice is entirely yours”

“If its all up to me…” she started resolutely “… then I’m staying with you!”

She turned her recovering face towards him folding herself into his shoulder as they heard a rumble coming their way

“I’m through” announced Holly bundling in from the stairs “I guess that’s the advantage of not having anything”

Unpacking took Holly just as long, but Eloise spent time re-arranging the clothes in her wardrobe between glancing out across the west lawn beginning to look forward to life, living and choice rather than being dictated to by necessity – even if that was, in its own way, easier.

And then just to kick off on the right note, it was shopping time with Holly.

Late that afternoon, Eloise turned the car homeward. They hadn’t really been shopping together for over two years and it saw Holly coming home with a complete new hockey kit. She’d got the boots she’d always wanted, new shin guards and a new, modern, ‘more springy’ stick. Eloise was just content that she had a credit card that actually worked and that she had a realistic chance of paying it off when her salary came in at the end of the month, even if it all also included a rather sweet sounding six string.

For Steve, this was a start but he’d also wanted to schedule another day out for the four of them to emphasise the family aspect. 

Sunday morning, the weather was more variable, but arguably better than should be expected for mid-November. Steve’s plan was to keep doing family things so that everyone got used to the idea of a 4 person family to avoid any tendency to revert if anything rocked in to upset the applecart. 

But fun was rained off early and spirits heading back to the car took a bit of a soaking. This wasn’t serious, but it was less than perfect. They were beginning to dry out in the car on the way home when Geneviève looked over towards Holly only to find her looking back at her

“I think I like having a sister” and Geneviève leant over and gave her a hug.

Steve glanced over at Eloise “I like Geneviève having a sister too” and Steve heaved an internal sigh of relief. His hope was that it would all work because everyone wanted it to and contributed in their own way. And this was exactly the kind of contribution that would ensure success. It wasn’t all down to him and that was another relief. 

The girls had started to do some homework as Steve got an early dinner ready and now with Steve serving, Eloise returned to the dining room. She was now dressed in a dry yellow dress and some minimal makeup looking like she was about to host a cocktail party 

“Goodness! You look fabulous” Steve gasped being caught off guard 

“What's the occasion?” asked Holly innocently 

“Shh.” hissed Geneviève “mummy's trying to make up for it. She left a window open while we were out and a lot of stuff upstairs got soaked by the rain” whispered Geneviève while Eloise disappeared into the kitchen to get the vegetables 

“But dressing up won't help it dry out, unless you wear a towel” 

“No, but mummy's looking especially pretty so daddy isn't so cross with her” 

“Do you think that would work for me?” 

“Holly” said Steve joining the conversation “if that was your plan, you'd spend your entire life getting changed” 

“I’m not that bad!” she remonstrated ”Am I?” but Geneviève had already collapsed into laughing as Eloise put the tray down and Holly decided that eating was more important. 

Steve finished drying up the bedroom as Eloise cleared dinner and Holly and Geneviève were installed back in the study to finish their homework. 

“You’ve still got some doubts about work, then?” Steve said as he poured her another small gin in the living room

“Yes. But it’s across the whole store”

“The whole economy isn’t doing well anywhere. We’re doing all right at TR, because we can sell new machines offering efficiency payback. But if folks aren’t walking in through the door, well…”

“I think fashion is one of the first things to go when things get tough. And there’s nothing we can do really”

“I guess maybe Brenda could stand outside with a sandwich board”

“I’ll suggest that to her tomorrow. But don’t worry. I’ll credit you with the idea” 

“Eloise, look, I need to read some papers before tomorrow. I guess it could get up early…”

“No, no, that’s ok. I might just read that magazine over there – the wildlife one. Or maybe I’ll just lean on this shoulder. Especially if….”

She lay quietly beside him with a thousand thoughts running through her head while he skimmed through the wad of paper he’d pulled from his briefcase. She wasn’t really reading the wildlife magazine, but her mind was careering through the day’s events so far and her whole brain seemed to be spinning. Just the ambience, the warmth from the fire, some quite tracks she didn’t quite recognise on the stereo, and the girls in another room doing their homework. At her house – no, her old house -  they only had one room. And being with Steve like this was just perfect. She snuggled into him a bit more as her whole body tingled from one end to the other.

It was about half an hour later he sighed and put his papers aside. 

“You’re a fashion department. Right?”

“Yes, and probably the most comprehensive one in town. The other shops are more specialist”

“Ok. So why don’t you run a fashion show?”

 Eloise put down the magazine.

“Do what?”

“Run a fashion show. That promotes sales of clothes, doesn’t it?”

“Well. Yes. I suppose. But it takes ages to organise one of those, and expensive too. I doubt if Giorgio would spend the money”

“Hmm. Maybe not. But then… “ 

He gently laid her down on the settee as he slipped out without explanation.

“Break time” he announced at the study doorway

“What time?”

“Break time, time for something completely different. Yes. I want you both to run upstairs and put a different dress on. Doesn’t matter which one. And then come back to the living room. You’ve got …. three minutes”

“What’s the rush?”

“No time to explain”  

Back in the living room Steve stood by the door studying his watch as Eloise propped herself up against the arm of the settee wondering what on earth was going on

“You just walk slowly towards Eloise, do a little twirl and walk back again”

Eloise sat up suddenly intrigued as Steve commentated 

“Next on the catwalk is Geneviève. This evening she’s sporting a longer green number beautifully suited to those boring works conferences you never wanted to go to in the first place. The matching cardigan is easily removed in the event you feel the need to garrotte another of the executive speakers. Thankyou, Geneviève.

Holly is next for your delectation. In complete contrast, Holly’s scarlet red mini is exactly what you need to secure that next promotion, providing the interview board is not entirely female” 

Eloise gave a round of applause as the three of them bounced onto the settee.

“And now” Geneviève announced holding her fist in front of her face like she was clutching a microphone “Daddy’s going to announce what all that was about” she completed with increasing incredulity

“We were discussing the possibility of doing a fashion show, you know, to boost sales in the ladies-wear department. Eloise suggested it might be too expensive or be too difficult to organise. I was only demonstrating that something could be put together for no cost and in about seven minutes start to end”

“Yes” said Holly “but it’s not quite the same as doing it for real”

“Oh, I don’t’ know. Maybe you could audition as one of the models”

She dug her fingers into his ribs again

“Have you two finished your homework before I interrupted?”

“No, nearly. Come on Holly I’ll show you that maths. Its not that bad once you get the point of it”

With the girls gone, Steve returned to the settee and continued. 

“So maybe you get some of those plinths you use in the windows for the mannequins to stand on, and borrow a roll of red stair carpet from the furniture department. I think getting the girls in the department to do the modelling would be a winner. Especially for the plus sizes. It would show how the clothes look on real people, rather than all size 8 or less. And I think you should cover the full range of sizes. It would make it more real. And then there’s the stock, which comes straight off the racks”

Eloise was looking interested, Steve made it sound so downright simple. And was clearly thinking about it.

“I’m just thinking that its something that marketing should be coming up with?”

“Yes” agreed Steve “they should, but they haven’t. As far as we know”

 “Also I don’t know how Giorgio would take it”

“Well, he’s the top man. The can stops there. So even if he rejects the idea, at least he’d know someone downstairs was thinking about it. That can’t do any harm”

“Except make me unpopular with my boss”

“Who’s that?”

“Peter, he’s Head of Apparel. I’m not convinced he knows much about ladies-wear although when I said this to Kirsty in Childrenswear she said she’s still trying to find out what he does know about. She just thinks he’s lost the plot!”

“Maybe he’s just leaving it to an expert! Well, think about it anyway. But if you are going to present the idea, you need to make sure its thought through. Not in total detail because that would be too much of a disappointment if its rejected, and also limits the opportunity for Giorgio or any other senior exec to stick their two pennyworth in”

The start of a new week in the store had gone as badly as Eloise had expected. The rain didn’t help, and customers were few and far between. She could see that her girls were putting on a brave face trying to be up-beat and encouraging and there was still some banter between Charlene and Brenda that raised a smile not to mention a few eyebrows. 

Eloise had time to think about so many things. If she didn’t have to worry about her bills, or whether she had enough money in her purse to pay for food for that evening. Steve had given her the freedom. He’d said she was a free agent, she could do what she wanted when she wanted with whoever she wanted. And in the same vein Geneviève had said she should do whatever she wanted to. The caveat was that if that coincided with what Steve wanted, it would all work out; if it didn’t, it wouldn’t but at least they’d know they’d tried. 

She wandered slowly round her floor considering possible options and into Menswear. Simon. He was a nice enough guy. Separated from his wife although she had no idea why, but still saw his little boy twice a week. 

“You all right Eloise?” he asked as he noticed her just watching him with her head tilted slightly to one side, but she just nodded and moved on. Maintenance, security, furniture, carpets. No. Something about all these guys said no. Just looking at them by way of speculation, never mind if they were available or not. It all just added up to the stark reality that she could never see herself romantically involved with any of them. 

Bradley, the carpet fitter? No, she really couldn't see herself leaning on his shoulder on a settee in the front room. And the conclusion was clear, as if she didn’t already know. She only wanted Steve. That first night on the settee had made her jump, and feel slightly embarrassed, but now thinking about it, she wanted to snuggle up to him while he read his briefing papers for the next day. She wanted that soft gentle hand to wriggle it's way inside her blouse, or under her skirt or whatever else she might be wearing. She determined that she'd remember to loosen her belt or waistband or bra catch or anything else that might encourage him. She was looking forward to that evening time on Steve’s settee. She was looking forward to creeping under the duvet with him or sharing the shower in the morning if they had a spare few minutes to play. And all these other guys, just as a random representative selection of all the guys in the world? No. And not just no, definite no. She simply couldn't see it. Her imagination just did not stretch that far. Even for the relatively well-off Frenchman who was heading her way right now. And in addition to all that, it was only Steve that Holly wanted as her new daddy.

Now. What else to do to make sure he felt the same way?

The drive back to Steve’s house that evening raised her spirits and the fact that Geneviève had already got dinner well underway was welcome, but a two edged sword. She was thankful that she could just sit down and chill out, but she also felt that she should be cooking. She wasn’t supposed to be just a guest. Maybe Geneviève was just being helpful or maybe she was protecting her territory? 

The evening saw her slumped with Steve on the settee while Holly muddled through her Geography homework and the soothing sounds of Geneviève’s piano drifted through the otherwise quiet house.

Steve talked a little about his union issues and finally they landed on Eloise’s fashion show.

For every question she raised, Steve seemed to be able to create a simple answer. Models? Department staff, and then volunteers from around the company for the missing sizes 

Catwalk? Dais from the window display stock plus red carpet from the Furniture department.

Advertising? Notices and posters around the store and a splash in the Gazette. That would be one of the few expenses.

Chairs? From the café

“Yes”, he said eventually” it’s a lot of work organising it, but it should be fun, it will show Giorgio you care about your work and the company, and it may even be financially successful”

Eloise quietly thought about it.          

“I’ve never done anything anywhere near like this before, Steve. Somehow I can’t actually believe that I’m even considering walking into my boss’s boss’s office and suggesting something that the company has never done before in reaction to something that isn’t really my problem”

“Ok. Right. Except maybe the last bit. It’s like the traditional question to company employees ‘how many of you are in sales?’ And the answer is ‘We all are’. Because everyone has a vested interest in ensuring the company stays viable. That’s people’s livelihoods. Executives don’t take that part of their job anywhere near seriously enough, but hey, I’m getting on my high horse already. You suggested earlier that maybe marketing should be thinking of this, and maybe they have, but I doubt if they’ve considered it in the way we have. You know, as a low budget internal, almost social event. And it won’t do you any harm to raise your head and say, I care about this, and I have a potential solution”

Eloise agreed “yes, but I’ve still never done anything like this before”

“And there are risks. You might not be best popular in Marketing, or with anyone else who thinks they should have come up with something. And it wouldn’t be the first time someone got shot for being right. But at least you’ll feel you’ve done everything you could”

“But I have to think of everything to make sure it doesn’t just fall flat on its face. And how do I know I’ve covered everything?”

“Ok, one way to think about it is to simply wind your calendar forward. Consider it’s the evening of the show. Imagine you’re walking in through the front door. Now, what happens? What do you see? What are you expecting? What would you like to happen at that point, as a customer?”

“Hmm. You know” she said eventually “I think I’m beginning to get this. You think it through like you pretend you’re actually doing it although I’m finding it hard. So it’s the night? I’m a customer. I walk through the door and … and what. Where are the signs? Where do I show my ticket? Can I get a coffee?”

“Hey, I never suggested you put on coffee!”

“No, you said, ‘what would I like to happen’ so I just thought maybe the café could set up a stall next to the catwalk”

“Ok ok, now you’re getting it. But when you first bounce it in to Giorgio, leave out the extras. They should only be put in after he’s agreed with the principal”

“That’s devious”

“Of course. But if you put it all down first off, he’s likely to get scared by the scale of the operation. Just like you did initially! Get him to buy into the concept, then once it’s a bit more organised, grow into the other areas, He might even come up with that himself, and that really would ensure his support”

Mountain Lion?

Tuesday was scheduled as the final trip to Morgan Terrace. It was just a quick visit after work to check that they’d taken everything of theirs and had left behind everything that belonged to the landlord. And it was left over from the weekend because Steve had said that they wouldn’t notice if something was missing until they’d completely unpacked. 

They’d finished. Until Steve said he’d like to poke his head up through the loft hatch just in case. Holly held the ladder as Geneviève and Eloise went back to the car.

“Say goodbye to it” Steve said to Holly, but she just grinned up at him. A pivotal moment thought Steve, something of a turning point until he saw Holly go almost white

“Oh my gosh!” she gasped     

“Holly?”

“Daddy, its my father. Its Nick, at the gate. He’s coming in”

“Don’t say too much, baby. Thank goodness your mum isn’t here”

Steve opened the door and ushered Holly outside

“Can I help you?” but the man sidestepped the question

“Holly, great to see you again. How are you?”

“All the worse for seeing you after all this time”

The man looked crestfallen. This was clearly not the welcome he was expecting

“Where’s your mum”

“She’s not here”

“So where is she, I need to see her”

“Ms Beresford isn’t here. Can I be of assistance instead?” Steve squeezed Holly’s arm, which she interpreted as ‘keep quiet’

“Who are you?” he asked rather more aggressively that Steve anticipated

“I’m Dorian. I work for the agents”

“The who?”

“The letting agents. This is one of our properties”

“Yes, ok, And Holly and her mother live here”

“No, I’m afraid not. They used to, but they moved out recently. Holly here had lost something and asked me if she could check the house again. Well, no one has moved in yet so I said, why not, considering the rough ride she’s had and everything”

“Rough ride?”  

“Oh yes. Terrible time. Some weeks her mother was left with less than a tenner to feed both of them. Ever since her husband legged it. Of course she had to sell her house, and then he kept racking up debts which she had to pay to keep out of jail”

“Keep out of jail?”

“Oh yes, if you can't pay debts, you end up with a term inside. Very unpleasant”

“Nah - that's not right. She's got the proceeds from the house - which she sold without even asking me! Which is what I’ve come for. My half of the proceeds from the house”

“You?”            

“Yes.. .. Me. I'm Nicholas Beresford, I might tell you before you're even more rude about me. Yes, I need the money because my credit card has suddenly stopped working”

“Maybe you didn't pay the bill”

“No, my wife pays that. Out of the proceeds from the house. You know, I was ever so pleased when I heard. I phoned the building society and they said the house had been sold and the account closed. So I thought, it was worth about 200 grand so there must be about 100 for me.”

“I don't think so” Steve coughed, shaking his head “Ms Beresford had to sell the house because she couldn't keep up the payments on it on just her wages. And there was no child maintenance coming in either. So the Nationwide repossessed the house and sold it. Unfortunately it was in negative equity as the market had taken a downturn and the sale didn't even make enough to cover the outstanding balance. So they took every penny from the sale and left Ms Beresford with more a two thousand pound debt which she had to pay as well”

“I don’t believe you! And in any case, you seem to know an awful lot about it - for an estate agent”

“Quite so, we pride ourselves on being an ethical letting agency, so if one of our clients falls behind with their rent, we invite them to discuss their finances with us to see if we can identify some way of re prioritising the available funds. In extreme cases such as Ms Beresford, we can even reduce the rent to save them from being completely homeless. Of course, one of the conditions of that is that she's agreed to repay the balance in the event of any missing funds turning up. And it looks as though they are. I mean, now that you’re here you'll be able to pay the backdated child maintenance, and all the money you stole from her by running up debt on her credit card”

“I should think not! I'm skint. That's why I'm here”

“Well” cut in Holly” it's a pity your boyfriend isn't here as well. He could stick his dick up your arse and stop you talking out of it”

“You dare speak to me like that!”

“You know” she continued unabashed “one thing that helped us through that period was hope. Hope that maybe you'd stop fleecing us, hope that maybe the bank would close the account. Hope that I might live to grow up without having to sell my body as a child prostitute. And it looks like that hope might just about be getting somewhere - With no thanks to you. You are just the worst scum of the universe. What you have done to us in just indescribable, and forever unforgivable. But there’s one thing better than hope, and that’s certainty. And I don't just hope you'll rot in hell for all eternity, I'm absolutely certain of it”.

Steve watched as Nick seethed with rage and unfathomable disappointment that his little girl should think and speak like that and Steve could feel him bubbling up to boiling point as the rant hung in the air. Nick was now so seething he was becoming volatile with tears of frustration speckling his eyes as Steve turned back to face him

“Could I have your contact details, an address maybe, so we can pick on the issues of the balance of debt?” asked Steve hoping it might push him over the top

“I should think not!”

“But legally, you owe us the balance. And of course the police have a warrant out for your arrest as well, CSA will have insisted on it.”

“Warrant?”

“Yes, for non-payment of child maintenance”

“You don’t have to pay that if you’re not in the country. Carlos says so, He knows about these things. Now tell me my wife's new address, so I can collect my share and be on my way”

“This Carlos of yours is mistaken, but I can answer your question. About forty quid, all in”

“what!”

“That’s it. You’ve already nicked everything else. And its ex-wife”

“What? And I have not stolen anything. It was mine to start with. And what d’you mean ex-wife?”

“Ex wife. I understand a decree was issued on the grounds of desertion”

“But what about the defence? I didn’t attend that!”

“No you wouldn’t. It wouldn’t be desertion if you’d showed up, would it”

“But that would mean I had no claim on her assets!”

“True. But in any case she hasn't got any. She's sold everything of value, and now she's found somewhere to live that costs her even less than this little place. All she's got is the hope that she'll get back the money you owe her”

“That's not going to happen” yelled Nick, finally losing it “I'm brassic, completely troughed. That’s why I’m here” 

“So how are you paying for your hire car, and lodgings?”

“On the new credit card that she'll have for me to replace the one that’s not working…. when you tell me her new address”

“Not gonna happen. As an ex-wife they won’t have issued a card for you. No, no card for you. Not even a birthday card”

“But.. But I … I don't know. In fact.. .. I don't know what I'm going to do at all. Everything was riding on this. Carlos’s skint as well. We’ll be destitute”

“You always were. You just wouldn’t believe it, so you resorted to extortion. Ms Beresford and Holly had to subsidise you, even though they had next to nothing. Maybe you could sell your body for medical research”

He handed Holly his car keys. 

“You go back to the car. I have another appointment in the next road, so I'll see you in a few minutes. Off you go now.

Well Mr Beresford, your ex-wife, I can assure you, has hardly two ha’penny's till payday. And her wages don't stretch to hire cars and hotels. Its all she can do to stretch to food and rent. And it's you that owes her, oh, several thousand pounds. Your share of the loss on the house is a probably eleven hundred, and then there's the warrant for maintenance. Actually, you’re gonna have to leave a dog at the hotel, and I reckon the car hire blokes will call the old bill when you return it if you can't pay. Then you'll be up for all these debts. O’ course, you could just leave it outside the gates with the keys in it and do a runner. I’ve seen that done before. You know, I shouldn't say this but you'd be better off skipping the country. Go out to Thailand or somewhere where you can live dead cheap, because you are right up queer street. But I’ve gotta go. Got another appointment you know”.

With that Steve squeezed past him and out onto the pavement

“Oi you, come back. I need that address off you”. 

Steve turned back to him and looked him up and down 

“You… You should think on what Holly said to you. You should think of the poverty and desolation that you have inflicted on that innocent little girl. You should consider that the psychological damage she’s suffering from will take years of patient love and attention to redress. And once you’ve done that you should pray to whatever god you believe in that he forgives you, because he alone has any chance of doing that”

Steve walked away, quickening step as he went, not knowing if Nick would explode or collapse, but was fairly sure it would one or the other.

Back at the car, Holly had got into the back with Eloise.

“Mummy” she said alerting Eloise with her serious tone “fathers turned up”.

Eloise was dumbstruck “What! Oh.. No.. What....” she wailed despairingly “What for?”

“He’s looking for money. Daddy's talking to him. But he gave me the car keys, and said he had an appointment in the next street. I don't understand because he knew the car was open cos you're in it.”

Geneviève turned round. “No, daddy would only give you the keys if he wanted you to use them. So the appointment is with us. Mum, you need to take the car round and meet daddy round there.” 

Eloise moved to the driving seat and set off “It's a bit bigger than my car” she explained, inching between the parked cars. She concentrated on squeezing past as Holly concentrated on trying to see if she could spot Nick and point him out. Geneviève thought she saw Steve turning the corner at the end, and the man in the white Sierra looked like he was waiting for the guy on the pavement who looked more than just distressed.

Take the road after, not this one said Geneviève, Nicks car is pointed the other way, so if we go round and come back up from the far end we’ll be going in the same direction and not risk meeting him head on.

They turned into the road and slowed to a crawl. 

 “Where to?” she asked as Steve hopped in

“I think we should head out for some dinner” 

“I second that” said Holly

“It's been a milestone sort of day, finally leaving Morgan Terrace. What about the Pheasant. It’ll be quite quiet this early”

They headed out of town. Eloise was trying hard to concentrate on driving rather than fuming over Nick suddenly turning up – not that she knew what had actually happened.

“It won’t take long to get there at this rate” commented Geneviève 

“Oh, sorry, am I going too fast. I keep thinking we might be being followed”

Geneviève checked the side mirror.

”No, no one there. It’s a white Sierra we would be looking out for. But no, at first I thought you might be practicing as a getaway driver, but really I think you’re trying to get to the Pheasant before that pair in the back start getting up to something!”

That caught Eloise’s attention. She glanced in the mirror, and then across at Geneviève’s mischievous smirk

“So” she said joining the theme “How would you feel if your dad was to have an affair with your best friend?” 

“Hey, that’s not fair” retorted Holly as Geneviève thought a moment

“I’d rather he had an affair with my best friend’s mum”

Eloise let a smile break out across her face

“You say the sweetest things sometimes”

Geneviève turned on the CD player and sang along with the track

Holly swung her head in time to the music

“But it’s all in French” exclaimed Eloise eventually realising several minutes later

“Mmm yes. French music can be so much simpler and more gentle than British music, softer minor chords, and there’s often a cello backing which is a whole lot more mellow. And it helps when you go to France, just hearing the language helps you get tuned in quicker. I like verse 3 best.

 [from La Liste by Rose]

‘T'aimer de tout mon être
 Je ne suis bonne qu'à ça
 Est-ce que ça te dé-çoit?
 J'ai rien trouver de mieux à faire’ “

“And that means?” asked Eloise, quite bemused by the whole episode

“Roughly translated..

Loving you comprehensively

That's the only thing I'm good at

Does it disappoint you that

I haven't found anything better to do”

The Pheasant came into view, but now Eloise was going through so many variations of emotion. Love for Steve, dedication to Holly, hate for Nick, admiration for Geneviève – how much has she missed out growing up so suddenly. 

“I’m so sorry” she said in panic after she had given their order to the plump barmaid “I don’t know what else to say. I’m so cross as well. Everything was going so well, and then he just waltzes in to spoil everything”

“Daddy, it’s not going to make a huge difference is it? I mean to us, the four of us?” Holly looked straight into his eyes, silently pleading. There was never any doubt in Steve’s mind, but those huge big pale blue eyes, now watery, always made Steve melt. They always nearly brought a tear to his own eye for no better reason than he wanted to hold her in his arms and protect her from everything forever. They looked so much like her mothers, and they made him melt as well. And the longer they both didn’t know that, the better.

He looked round at the three of them and across at Geneviève to see if she was about to reply.

“Sometimes, you can’t predict what’s going to fly in from left field. Like, you can’t change the past, and you can’t guarantee the future. No one said it would all be plain sailing, and we just need to stick together and continue to believe in our future together”

[cue Centennial Legend by Edenbridge]

“Oh!” Holly gasped a huge sigh of relief. “I was beginning to think maybe we should have got up to something in the back of the car”

“Holly!…” but Eloise stopped as tears formed in her eyes. Maybe this just served to reinforce what Steve had been talking about all along. She looked slowly round the table at each of them in turn, a smile spreading over her face and flowing out to the rest of her body. She noticed Geneviève motion a nod, and Holly picked up on it

“Oh dear! Mum’s crying again!”

Steve stayed quiet until Geneviève had shifted her chair along and reached out a big cuddle.

“Something else I think I said” he said softly across to Eloise “It’s not all about you and me”

Food arrived, and conversation paused

“If you think back, all the way back to, say, yesterday. We knew Nick still existed, there was sporadic evidence he was still alive. We just didn’t know where he was exactly. And now today. We know Nick still exists and there’s some evidence he’s alive…”

“..but not actually human..”

“..and we still don’t know exactly where he is”

“ So its largely the same” said Holly

“I don’t know, Holly” said Geneviève doubtfully “I don’t want to be too negative, but that’s like saying there’s a mountain lion roaming around somewhere, probably in the far east, but we don’t know exactly where. Now, however, we know it’s in our town, even if we don’t know exactly where. That’s got to be different”

“Fair point. So let’s go through the conversation we had with him” said Steve “That means everyone can tell the same story if he contacts any of us again. The important thing to me is that he has to believe that Eloise has nothing. No money No assets, nothing, and that he is the cause of the problem…”

“Daddy. What’s an asset?”

“An asset, Holly, is anything that you own that has a value. Any value. So if Nick gets any hint that she may have some way of getting him some money even if its by selling something, then he may well stick around and if he does he’ll be a continual nuisance” 

“But” said Eloise quietly in bed with Steve later “It’s true. I have nothing. Everything I have is actually yours”

“Hard to argue with” he replied, “but you’ve got Holly, and she’s wonderful”

“I sometimes wonder. The way she adores you. I think you’ve got her as well”

“But you know if there’s anything you want, I just need to find out about it”

“I know. But it’s hard to be so dependant after the last two years of fighting every day just to put food on the table”

“But you’ll rebuild. Once you get your next paycheck. And it’s all yours. No credit card bill, no utility savings, no rent. Not even a food bill. I think you’ll start to feel more confident when you’ve got a positive balance in the bank. Once you realise that the basics are under control you can spend time concentrating on something else. You can start living again, not just surviving”

“There’s a certain satisfaction in surviving”

“True, and we’ve both lived through it to tell the tale. And now it’s time to play Happy Families rather than Lone Island Survival. I’m hoping you’ll find that there’s more to life than survival”

“Are you sure you don’t want a contribution”

“There’ll be other family things to spend it on, including saving some of it. But the standard bills – its not worth complicating it”

It was the next morning that Nick showed up again. This time at the store just ambling in, as any customer would. Charlene noticed him first, pointing him out to the others. It wasn't often that such obviously gay men came into their fashion department. 

“That's not Nick, is it?” she asked “It's a long time. Only met him once at a Christmas do. He was ratted when he got there and got worse. Hmm, always wondered why he hadn't been more, how d’you say, interested, considering how far gone he was”

“Where would I find Mrs Beresford” he asked politely. Charlene studied his pure white suit. How come, she wondered, did Eloise manage to marry a queer, and have a daughter.

Brenda was reading her mind

“Just shows you how sexy Ellie is. She must have nearly cured him, then he relapsed”

“Yes, surprised she hasn't got another fella all lined up, if you know what I mean”

Unsuspecting, Eloise appeared from behind the sale rail.

“Ah Eloise, dahling, I need to speak with you.”

“Oh.. Bu.” she breathed in disbelief ‘oh, Bu..Bother’

“Well, there's nowhere here we can talk. Maybe later”

“Why don't you two pop down Vanda’s caff?” suggested Charlene unhelpful “We’ll cover for you for half an hour”

She bit her bottom lip, thinking. Thanks, good plan. She didn't want to upset any of them by rejecting their suggestion out of hand, just ahead of her fashion show that they didn't know about yet.

They walked in silence, and Eloise continued on to a little greasy spoon two streets back beyond the end of the shops. She sat down carelessly with two cups of coffee.

“No kiss hello? And now, no cake?”

“What do you want?”

“Well that's a nice welcome back for your husband!”

“Look. You walked out two years ago. No argument, no explanation, no goodbye. All you did was leave a message four days later. Then you subject me and little Holly to misery and poverty by raiding my accounts”

“Sorry, correction, our accounts”

“Not so. I had to pay for everything you put through that card. Some weeks we had nothing. One time, all we had for four days was beans on toast. Four days! And now you come waltzing back in as if nothing had happened. So what do you want?”

“For a start, my credit card”

“If you want a credit card, you apply for one. No way on earth will you be joint on mine.”

“But that's part of being married!”

“Fine. But we're not. Judge Thackeray granted a decree absolute on the grounds of desertion. And he issued a warrant for your arrest for non-payments of child maintenance”

“But all that comes out of my share”

“Your share of what?”

“For a start, the sale of the house. And the savings. They were in joint accounts.”

“Good. I'm glad you want your share of the house, because that means you own me one thousand one hundred pounds”

“What! That's what that estate agent bloke said yesterday. So where’s my 100 grand?”

“Your what?”

“100000? The house was worth about 200000 and you sold it, so my share is 100000 or thereabouts taking out various expenses of course.”

Eloise shook her head in despair

“The house sold for £190500. The outstanding balance of the mortgage was £192,700. So when the sale went through, Nationwide took every penny, and I still had to find 2200 to pay them the balance. There is no 200 000. There never was”

“But I phoned them. At huge expense to Carlos I may add. They said the mortgage had been paid off and the account closed” 

“Yes, you complete imbecile! Sold. Paid off and Closed. In that order. Not paid off then sold then closed. You… you idiot. You have no idea, and care even less about the misery you've caused. Whatever was there has all gone. And near everything Holly and I used to own. We've sold everything just to buy food. And do you know why. It's because some deluded pervert bought flights to Kuala Lumpur on my credit card that I had to pay. And no child maintenance coming in either. Holly cried when she sold her teddy bear. She'd always had it, all 12 years of her little life. And then you have the absolute gall and brass neck to come back asking for more”

“Well maybe just the cost of our hotel here, and the car hire? Maybe”

“No. No! You. Have. Taken. Everything. I ever. Owned. This is all I have in the world”

She emptied the contents of her purse onto the table spilling some coins on the floor

“Go on take it. You are the worst scum of the universe. You've taken everything I ever owned, that I ever had, that I worked and slaved for. So take it. Take it all. You have stolen everything I had. Take the lousy purse as well, that's it complete, unless you want me to strip naked and give you the dress off my back! There it is £14.23 and the purse. Now go back to whatever slime pit you've been living in. You stay out of this town and if you just happen to see me coming down the street somewhere, hide. In an alley. In a doorway, down a sewer, jump under a bus. I don't want to know why. I don't want to know who you've been with or where you've been. I don't want to know where you’re going or what you intend to do. You left my life in ruin, and little Holly’s too. Now you can leave my life again. And never come back”

She stood up. Neither of them had been too careful about being politely quiet and a number of other customers had been taking an increasing interest in the conversation. 

“I would murder you, but that would be more painful for me than you. You'd be dead, but I'd have to live in a cell and just thinking why I was there would remind me of you. And what would happen to poor Holly then. I hate you with all the demons hell can muster, and it’s not just Holly, I too am certain you will rot there for all eternity.”

Tears of frustrated determination fled down her face as she walked out. He looked round helplessly before turning back, silently burying his head in his hands. Then slowly he started to moan, rising to a wail and finally to a howl like a tortured soul crossing the Xerxes.

The manager and two staff arrived. 

“I'm sorry sir, but you’re disturbing the other customers and you'll have to leave.”

 With no resistance and increasing the wailing, he drifted towards the door and in a daze, on up the street.

A young man started to pick up the money on the floor, and the waitress joined in to restock the purse.

“Put it behind the bar. She might come back for it”

“Aye, sounds like she would need it too.”

Eloise took a longer walk back to recompose herself, and phoned Steve to let him know. That seemed like the expected option. She could just hear him now ‘Why didn’t you phone me?’ and he would have been right. She was much calmer. She could take it in her stride. She’d just have to keep up the pretence of being penniless until he stopped pestering her – if in fact he came back a second time, about which Steve had his doubts.

30 miles away, Martin Armstrong had had a good day. Now after an extended discussion it was gone 9 o’clock and he’d finally closed the deal, signed and sealed and 3 months of intense pressure had faded away. He’d taken an hour to grab a bite and write up the final details before he forgot and now the motorway was as empty as he’d ever seen it. Keep up a decent pace and he’d make his local for a late evening pint. He was buzzing and alert as he turned on the radio and watched the dial climb to 85 then 90. Keep the pace. Yes, at this rate he’d have time for two pints. Keep a check on the mirror, though. Don’t want to attract attention. Check the mirror and he smiled to himself. Check mirror again – whoa! What’s that? He backed off being careful not to touch the brake as the vehicle gained on him. Must be the bill going that pace, surely. But it kept to the third lane, flashed past with an entire lane to spare and was gone.

It was a short fifteen minutes later that he was sitting quietly shaking in the back of Bruce and Elspeth’s patrol car. He thought back to his call from his car phone. 

…Which service do you require? Police, and Fire brigade. We’ll need an ambulance as well, but there’s no rush for that. Aint no one coming out of that alive. You sure? WoHo! What was that! It was on fire. Its just exploded. Oh sh..

No, he’d said to the officers. The road was clear, I was in the inside lane making good progress. I checked the mirror. Saw this thing coming up fast. I mean, like real fast. – How fast - Well as I said, there was no-one else on the road, and I thought the same thing. Like, I wonder how fast he’s going - So? -  So I wellied it up to, I don’t know, maybe the dial got to ninety or a bit more, but he was still going away from me like I’m standing still, so I backed straight down again. I just thought, well if he’s in that much of a hurry its up to him. I thought I heard something like a bang, but I had the radio on. Next thing I come round this bend and there it is. Its in flames smacked right up against the bridge with wreckage everywhere. So I stepped on the anchor. Just coasting in, thinking what the heck do I do now. So I phoned you guys, and I’m on the phone to emergency and boom - up it went like a war zone.  - What else can you tell us about it? - Not much, white Sierra. Maybe a 2.3 to go that fast. He must’ve been doing a good 130. Assumed it was you guys when I saw it in the mirror. Anyway there was two blokes in it. To be honest, I thought they were having a fight. I only caught a glimpse as they went through – I mean, they were shifting -  but I’m pretty sure there was an argument going on.

Martin signed his statement and drove on. Slowly. He’d missed beer time and in any case there were quite a few other bridges on this road and he was absolutely determined to avoid every single one of them.

Meanwhile at the Briers the evening was a quiet calm. The issue of Nick turning up was being covertly side-lined by everyone. Steve considered it something of an irrelevance. Eloise after all had completed the dissolution and while he might be an irritation in the short term, it was nothing that couldn’t be handled one way or another. And in any case, Steve thought, having that irritation as a threat was another good reason for Eloise to turn to him.

Holly was muttering to herself about homework curled up in the armchair next to them as Steve browsed through his papers for the next day

The conversation turned to the fashion show. 

“We’ll get the pre-Christmas interim statement on Friday. I think I’ll wait till it comes out before approaching Giorgio, It’s supposed to tell the staff how the company is doing, so we know what we have to do to make our bonus”

“Of course!” said Steve “In retail your busiest period will be the run up. And the interim statement will focus this Giorgio of yours!”

“Yes, and it’s not looking good. So this fashion show idea is sounding more attractive”

“I know something else that’s sounding more attractive”

“What’s that?”

“You”

She glanced up at him with a wide-eyed smile

“Anyway, I’m going to take that as the cue to convince Gio. I’ve already decided to bypass Peter – though it is a risk” she speculated. 

What was needed now was a description of the event – detailed enough to present to Gio but not so detailed as to be over committal.

It was the following afternoon that a uniformed officer called on Eloise at the store.

“I’m WPC Redmond of the Somerset police. Is there somewhere we can talk?”

 Eloise was frightened. Was Holly in trouble? Maybe something had happened at Steve’s works? But she took her through to her small office at the side of the ground floor staff room.

“Mrs Beresford, I’m afraid there’s been a motorway accident”

“Oh no! – is it serious? I guess it must be”

“Yes I’m afraid it is. Mrs Beresford, I’m sorry. But your husband, Nicholas, was killed in the crash” 

She hung her head as a mark of respect and sadness

“Really!” said Eloise brightening up visibly. Beth looked up.

“Officer Redmond. Nicholas Beresford was the worst scum spawn that ever crawled the earth. I know there’s a saying that you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but he is the exception that proves that rule” 

“Oh. I see. Although I was hoping you might be able to help me with some other details, like who he could possibly be travelling with?”

“Probably his boyfriend”

“Boyfriend! Oh I see! Do you think that he would have been known in that community?”

“I am not familiar with that community. However, I would not wish his acquaintance on them, or anybody else”

Yes! Eloise sat down and recounted some of the sad tale, and yes I have got his parents address somewhere here. At least, the last known address. I want nothing at all to do with him, or the proceedings. The news will most likely put a bottle of champagne on my dinner table.

Not knowing what the reaction was likely to be, Bruce had decided that Beth would break the news alone and as planned, he now joined them. He’d been in the force for a good 15 years, and wasn’t easily surprised. But the pure level of indifference caught him off guard.

“The witness has some connections to the press” he said after the inevitable pause “I think we ought to break the news to your daughter before she hears it on the news this evening”

“Well, I’m rather busy with an event I’m organising, but I can’t see the harm in you talking to her” 
 

Meltdown

Over at Long Meadow Secondary School, everything went rather worse. Bruce and Elspeth weren’t expecting problems when Miss Sylvester brought Holly into the headmaster’s study. Her extraction from her English class was completely unexpected and spontaneously Geneviève had decided to tag along, although was told to wait outside.

Holly looked round in a panic “what’s up? I haven’t done anything – well, not serious anyway”

“Sit down Holly. And no, you haven’t done anything wrong” 

She plonked onto the edge of the chair next to Bruce and turned to him wide eyed as Professor Belvoir spoke

“Holly Beresford?”

“Yes”

“Holly, I’m sorry that I need to tell you this but there’s been a car accident”

“Oh dear”

“I’m afraid your dad has been killed”

Holly felt the whole room freeze, blood drained from her face and her head felt dizzy. She felt herself turning in slow motion between the faces in the room before letting out a demonic howl

“Noooo” she screamed at the top of her voice, franticly looking from face to face No No No, It can’t be! Not daddy. No! Not after everything we’ve been through!”.

She sank her head and started banging it on the desk, all the while raising her voice to a shriek. “You can’t do this to me. You can’t. Its not possible”

Blood dripped from her forehead as a cut opened up. Concerned for her safety, Eileen took hold of her shoulders but it made no difference. She continued with her denial with a wailing of “NO no not daddy” as if continually saying ‘no’ would purge the thought from her head. She turned to Bruce breaking from Eileen and threw her arms round his neck.

“Please tell me its not my daddy.” she pleaded dripping blood onto his shirt collar. 

“I need to find a bus to fall under, or a bridge to jump off” she continued slowly, getting up slowly and spotting the lethal knife left on the sideboard after Belvoir had confiscated it. Bruce followed her line of sight but she grabbed it before he could stop her and pointed it towards her chest, all the while shaking her head, “No, no no. it can’t be. Not daddy. Please, not daddy. If its daddy, I’m going to go and join him!”

Outside the door, Geneviève had reached her limit. Barging in to the headmasters study was the worst of crimes, but drastic situations required drastic measures and she bundled in unannounced.

“What on earth have you done to her” she demanded

Bruce turned from standing as close as he dare to Holly, not wanting to scare her into violent action

“Geneviève!”

“Bruce! What’s going on? Holly, its Geneviève!”

A pathetic looking figure lowered the knife “Geneviève? “

“Bruce, what’s going on?”

“Geneviève, there was a fatal car crash last night” and then added in defence “It wasn’t a problem with her mum. In fact, she was over the moon about it”

Geneviève slipped past Bruce to be next to Holly

“Holly, Holly calm down sis. It me Geneviève”

Holly slowly turned her head to her and sank down onto a chair, only to bang her head on the desk again

“Please tell me its not daddy”

Geneviève looked up. “Professor Belvoir, What’s happened to her?”

Belvoir looked at her seriously “Her dads been killed in a car crash”

Geneviève went white “What?” Then, with her own head in a turmoil she repeated with more emphasis “Her dad?”

“Yes”

“Can’t be. That can’t be right” she puzzled franticly as her brain went into overdrive. Last night, her dad. Doesn’t add up. Then suddenly quivering turning to Bruce

“Bruce! Holly’s dad? Not my dad?”

“I don’t think so” said Bruce suddenly nervous “although there was another man with him”

“When?”

“Late last evening. It appears that Mr Beresford deliberately drove his white Sierra into a motorway bridge”

“White Sierra! Oh gosh! Thank goodness for that!”

She sank onto a spare chair while Holly had reduced to a low sobbing “no no, not my daddy. Please not my daddy. Someone tell me its not my daddy” but almost immediately got back up to kneel down beside Holly.

“Holly.. .. Holly. Listen to me. Its me Geneviève” the room was hushed as Holly raised her tear and blood stained head from the desk, and a steady stream of blood trickled down her forehead onto her face and dripped onto the desk

“Gen.. Please tell me its not daddy”

“Its not daddy” said Geneviève 

Holly seemed to stop wailing. But was still shaking and choking back tears

“Holly, its not daddy” 

“You’re just saying that. Belvoir said it was”

“Professor Belvoir, I need to use your phone

Belvoir waved his arm and Geneviève dialled

“Ruth, its Geneviève. Can you get daddy to the phone right now”

No one wanted to say anything that might make things worse and there was a tense wait as Steve joined the line and Holly still had the knife and was still turning it in her hands

“Daddy, you must talk to Holly. We’re in Belvoir’s office”

“Holly?”

“Right now, I’m putting her on”

Geneviève stretched the handset cross the desk

“Daddy, It won’t stretch that far. I’m putting you on speaker”

“Holly, Holly”

“Daddy”

The faintest smile broke across Holly’s face

“Daddy! You’re not dead”

“Not that I’d noticed”

“Professor Belvoir told me you were dead”

“Well, he hasn’t told me – at least not yet”

“Daddy. Its my daddy. He’s on the phone. He’s all right.”

“Holly. You’ll be ok. Geneviève is with you now. And I’ll see you at dinner, ok?”

“Love you daddy”

Geneviève spun round to face Bruce and talk to the phone

“Sorry, daddy. But Nick killed himself yesterday, and Holly was told it was her dad. You have no idea the meltdown she’s in.. .. But she’ll be ok”

“All right darling. I’m sure she will now you’re with her. Who else is there? Is Eloise there?”

“No, just Professor Belvoir, Eileen Sylvester, and Bruce and Beth that we were driving with”

“Bruce! What’ya doing to my little girl then?”

“Sorry, Steve. I had no idea. Her mum was fine with it all. Its quite shaken everyone up. Just glad you’re not the guy that was with him”

“That would be Carlos. But I have no more information about him than that, except they were both penniless. But I can confirm, its definitely not me. I’m sure you guys will all be fine in a few minutes when your blood pressure gets back onto the scale. But Holly will be ok now. Geneviève, I’ll see you later”

“Love you daddy”

“Its all right Holly. Its all right now. Its Nick that was in that crash.

Holly looked up

“Nick!. Ha Hahah. Oh my goodness, oh my. All my prayers have been answered, its not daddy after all. Oh wow”

The bell had just gone and Eileen moved to leave on the lame excuse that she had a class to teach.

“I think we’re nearly done here” said Belvoir as she opened the door “Thankyou for helping with this”

Holly let out a huge sigh “I’m all right now” she said with renewed composure. “Wow! That was scary. Oh, you’ll want this back. Jake Maclin’s isn’t it? Yes, recognise it. He’s flashed this blade around the playground nearly as often as he’s flashed his willy”

“Ah Amanda” Eileen said as she stepped from the room “You’re in the wrong place at the wrong time again”

“Sorry, miss. I’m on truant duty and I saw someone hanging around about here” 

She poked her head into the office

“You don’t know Holly, do you?”

“Actually, yes I do. We’ve met a couple of times. Her dad is fantastic”

Eileen and Belvoir exchanged a startled glance

“Amanda, can you take Holly to the café and get her a coke or something to calm her down.”

“My daddy’s not dead” opened Holly

“I should hope not” said Amanda flatly

“I’ll see you at the gate” called Geneviève 

With Eileen and Holly gone, Geneviève sat down uninvited on Holly’s chair, and let out a big sigh.

“I think a little explanation may be in order?”

“Yes, Professor Belvoir. Oh wow. After everything else he’s done, and now this. I do hope this is the last grief he causes, even from beyond the grave. But she’ll be all right now. It’s the white Sierra I picked up on. That’ll be her biological father. Was he with a male partner?”

Bruce nodded “I’m afraid I was a bit unprepared for that. We needed to tell her before she heard it on the news or in the paper this evening. Geneviève, her mother was fine with it all”

“Yes, and if you’d said it was her father, she’d have been skipping round the room considering the amount of pain and suffering he’s caused in the last two years. But she treats my dad as being her dad’ 

“That may account for her being seen a couple of times with your father as well”

“I expect so. Can’t see why not, Professor Belvoir. We’re what you might call..” she hesitated for effect “... parent sharing”

Holly was almost silent on the bus back home. Geneviève sat next to her and held her hand. Eventually she turned to face her with weak tears running down her cheeks.

“Gen, I didn’t know I could behave like that. I don’t know what to do now. I’m not even sure I’m me anymore. What will everyone think? What’s mum going to say? I’ve made such a fool of myself”

“No, you haven’t. That was a terrible shock to get pulled out of class like that. But no-one’s going to be cross with you. It just shows how much you care, and I’m not sure that mum .. or dad actually appreciate that”

Back at the house Geneviève persuaded her to lie down in bed

“You just get some rest and lets see how much you recover by the time mum gets back” and once again Holly could see her daddy’s eyes looking down gently, but she felt very strange indeed and fell alternately into dozing and panic.

Steve was back next and poked his head quietly round her door but left her dozing. 

Eloise bundled excitedly into the kitchen presenting the champagne to Geneviève from her shopping bag. She turned as he came in “Good news” she beamed, but stopped short as she noticed the sombre glances that Steve and Geneviève were exchanging.

“I was planning a little celebration. Is something up?” and then “Where’s Holly?”

More glances

“Mum, Holly’s not very well”

“Not well? Why? What’s happened? Where is she?”

“I put her to bed when we got in”

“She’s asleep now” added Steve

Eloise was suddenly deflated. The excitement she had been looking forward to sharing had dissipated as she climbed the stairs to see her. She sat gently on the edge of Holly’s bed, but didn’t wake her

“She’s asleep” she said, returning to the kitchen. “Oh dear. Maybe my little celebration will have to wait – What happened to her? Has she told you the news? Does Steve know the news? Steve, you’ll never guess what happened last night!”

“Mum! Slow down a bit. Daddy does know. And I’m sure Holly will be ok to join the party. Its just. Well, the news didn’t go down quite as expected”

“But, But I expected her to be as pleased as me”

“I expect she is…”

Eloise waited for an explanation looking crestfallen.

“…But mummy, Holly was told it was daddy that had been killed”

“Oh my goodness!”

“Yes, Holly was pulled from class this afternoon. We didn’t know why, so I went with her to angry beaver’s office. There’s Eileen in there too, with two policemen. I had to wait outside. She nearly had a heart attack asking what she’s done to warrant the police being involved. Well, then, actually I think it was Belvoir, told her that her dad had been killed”

“But it was Nick. She’d have been overjoyed!”

“Well, yes. But she was told it was her dad, not her father. And she thought it was daddy and she went into a complete meltdown. Absolutely crazy, banging her head on the desk. And she got hold of a knife that Belvoir had confiscated and was in danger of killing herself. Anyway, after a few minutes I just barged in – I’ll be in deep trouble for that – and Bruce was there, and he told me. Well, that made me go white and cold but Bruce continued and mentioned the white Sierra. That’s when I twigged what had happened. So I calmed her down a little but. .. but she was so wound up she just wouldn’t believe me so I had to get daddy on the phone to talk to her. Except, by that time she was just shaking and moaning and ..Oh mummy, she’s got a big cut on her forehead where she thumped it down onto the desk.”

Eloise had sat down on a chair “I told the policemen to go over. I was so sure she’d be over the moon”

“Mum, she would have been if they’d given her the right message and I’m sure she’ll be ready for some dinner”

“Come on babe, let’s start some cooking” said Steve finally joining in “What’s in the bag?”

With dinner in the oven Eloise went up to see Holly again, slipping an arm around her and sitting quietly while Holly slowly woke up.

Now alone with her, Steve gave his daughter a big cuddle 

“Daddy, I’m not sure about this. It doesn’t seem quite right to have a celebration because someone has committed suicide.”

Steve nodded “Yes, and in general you’re right. But there are some people who are just evil whether it’s by nature, design or judgement. What I mean is, some people are bad because they were born and bred to be bad, some decide to be bad, and others are bad almost by accident because they just fail to think or consider anyone else. And the biggest contribution all of these people can make to the human race is to leave it. If you’re lucky, you might never meet any of them. But Nick was one of these. Maybe he was misguided, maybe led astray. But what he did to Holly and Eloise makes me cry just to think about it. Now he’s gone forever, they can build a new life without the fear of him returning to ruin it again, even if it is by accident.”

Geneviève wasn’t entirely convinced, but convinced herself that those closest to it would know better than her looking in from the outside

“Oh hi, mum. How’s Holly?”

“She’s coming down in a minute”

“I think the dinner’s nearly ready, so why don’t you finish it with dad and I’ll lay the table and then sort out Holly”.

Geneviève appeared in the doorway with a fearful, tearful Holly as Steve was serving. She almost jumped over to Eloise and buried herself in her open arms.

“Is there a place for me too?” she asked faintly.

“And why wouldn’t there be?” replied Steve trying to balance the fact that there was no problem, with the concept that Holly thought there should be

“I thought I might not be allowed”

“Come on, sit down”

“But I’ve been very bad”

“No you haven’t” said Geneviève “its angry beaver that screwed up. This just shows how much you care. And it’s him that’s been bad”

Holly looked up for the first time, and Eloise could now see the dressing that Geneviève had used on her cut, and something of a black eye coming up round the right side of her face”

“Is Frank Bruno ok?” asked Steve

Holly managed a weak smile. “I don’t know what happened to me. I’m not sure I’m really me any more”

“Yes you are” said Steve “But we all have different aspects of ourselves that only come out in extreme circumstances. Maybe you just didn’t know how much you cared. And this shows just how much our new little family means to you”

Holly nodded slowly “And mummy’s crying again”

Sure enough, tears were once again rolling down Eloise’s face.

“It’s just that I love all three of you so much, and now we can get on with a new chapter of our lives, and Holly and me can really leave the old one behind”

“Ok. But you be careful with those tears. You know that shirt of yours will become see through when wet”

Everyone laughed

“Daddy, trust you to come up with an inappropriate comment”

“How can it be inappropriate if it makes everyone laugh?.. .. Holly. A Glass of champagne?”

“Does champagne mix all right with mild concussion?” asked Eloise

“I guess we’re about to find out”.

It was after dinner that they all collapsed down in the living room

“I’ll write you a note about your homework” offered Steve

“Thankyou, and if I feel better tomorrow, I’ll have to say sorry to so many people. And I don’t know how to explain it. It’s quite complicated when you think about it”

“Holly, just think of it this way. In your family there are some very good guys and some very bad guys. When Professor Belvoir told you there had been an accident and someone was killed, he got the name slightly wrong and you understood it to be one of the good guys, when in fact it was one of the bad guys”

“It doesn’t quite explain going so open loop”

“Oh I think it does” said Geneviève “when you get hauled out of Old Roosters class and into angry beaver’s office and there two coppers there”

“You’ll be fine again soon. I’ll come into school with you tomorrow. And I’ll be asking Belvoir what on earth he thinks he’s doing” said Eloise “Does your head still hurt?”

“Not so much, but it would help if the room wasn’t going round quite so quickly”

She did go into school with Holly the next day. Holly had suggested a day off to recover, but Steve’s angle was that Friday was a good day to go in and sort out anyone who needed sorting, and that come Monday it would be confined to history, and that she could concentrate on hockey on Saturday without this hanging over her as a loose end.

Which also meant that the new life chapter could start on Friday evening when everyone was feeling a lot better, and even Geneviève had come to terms with the situation.

“And” Steve said “I’ll take you to hockey tomorrow. That gives mum the chance to sort out the Saturday staff ahead of the Christmas period. Of course I’m expecting you to do exceptionally well with the new boots.”

Starting the new chapter that Friday seemed even more appropriate to Eloise as she shared the interim results with Steve on the settee late that evening. They were worse than she was expecting, although she couldn’t think why the other departments weren’t nearly as bad as hers. The only consolation was that Menswear was equally bad.

“A couple of the girls were really disappointed when I told them. They rely on that bonus for their Christmas. Oh Steve, do you really think I can do a fashion show?”

Steve had persuaded Geneviève to tag along despite being a crisp day as they arrived at St Lukes. Daniella was waiting for her at the car park and was more than surprised to see her in a large new BMW. Her team was surprised that she spent the pre-match time with one of the opposition and Steve was not surprised that Geneviève was more interested in looking round the school than standing idly at the touchline. 

The game had started defensively but soon picked up pace and the training that Long Meadow had put in since the last match was showing. The score-line showed the teams equal with 2 all at half time but the big difference was that St Luke’s expected to be ahead. This equal score-line was a source of hope and encouragement to Long Meadow while it was a source of disappointment to St Lukes.

“It’s the new chapter” said Steve as Holly passed him returning to the field. She thought about what he’d said yesterday when they were talking about it.

“You can” he‘d said. “There’s nothing holding you back – just go for it and I’ll be right there with you”

Her mum had always encouraged her own personal achievement so that she could be proud of herself but this was different. Now she wanted to do her best so that Steve was proud of her. Now with Steve’s support from the touchline her confidence grew and her determination and concentration intensified. No way was he going to be disappointed in all the new kit he’d subsidised. And Go! Suddenly the second half took off with a bang. Immediately into St Lukes half and putting pressure on their defence within the first minute. St Lukes were rattled while Long Meadow were focussed. Holly’s marking opponent was Tamara who seemed to be trying to spook her by staring intensely at her. She’d clearly spent a long time doing her hair at half time but now looked more determined than pretty. Holly, however was on a high with these new boots. Having been used to her worn out shoes sliding around, and taking account of that in her moves, these gave the grip she needed for the kind of agility she knew she was capable of. She had the fitness, she had the concentration, she had the confidence and now she had the equipment. So many times she dummied round Tamara and into the dee; a back step to pass around the defender, a sidestep to make the interception. She was everywhere. She was sure she could hear Steve calling encouragement. Now she had the ball, the pass, the return to Jenny in the dee and into the net. The net! 3:2. Oh my! In the lead!

St Lukes came back with a vengeance on the restart, pushing forward, into the dee, off the goalkeeper. And again, through the defence, Holly sped back towards the goal, they were round the goal keeper, and Holly cleared it off the line managing to keep it just under waist height as it bounced into the St Lukes half. They traded attacks, but Holly could see the frustration building in Tamara’s face, or maybe she was just getting tired. Holly was back on a high. This was her match. Got the ball, cross to Jenny, back, out to Jill, across the face of the goal off Deb on the far right. Holly called for it and in it came as a bouncer right onto her stick inside the dee. She smacked it on the bounce. It shot out at an angle straight past the goalkeepers left foot, over the line, into the side netting, but … inside the goal. Holly jumped in the air. She landed to see Tamara biting her lower lip in pure fury. 4:2.

The restart was not good. St Lukes seemed to call on some reserve they had kept hidden for use in emergencies only, progress up the field, precision passing, concentration. A mistake by Jenny, off the goalkeeper, Tamara swiped it on the rebound as Holly dived out of the way of her flailing stick, but it was in the net. Jenny apologised to everyone as they repositioned for the restart. 

“No harm done” consoled Holly. 

“Nearly” said Jill “She nearly took your head off with that high stick”

“We’re still 4:3. up” said Deb. 

“But we can’t rest on that” exclaimed Holly. “We need another push forward.”

“True” said Jenny “If anyone’s got anything left!”

Restart, Jenny pushed forward, passed to Holly, more progress, out to Deb and the return as Tamara went for an intervention. Holly was at a stretch trying to catch the ball. Tamara took her stroke. She misjudged it and struck the ground hard. Her stick bounced high in the air as she failed to control it before it connected with her opponents head. 

Holly felt the thump vibrate through her body and hit the grass. Dazed, she closed her eyes, blinking hard and seeing not much of anything, her head spinning. Oh grief! Feels like too much champagne again. She saw a fuzziness that might be the ghosts of the team collecting around her. Some St Lukes players as well. Daniella was there, kneeling on the ground next to her “Holly! Holly! Speak to us!”

Holly looked up, trying to focus properly “Wow” she gasped “that girl should take up fencing”

“Holly, you ok? Look you’re losing a lot of blood”

“Holly, its Geneviève. Lets take a look at that cut. Geneviève cleared the blood from Holly’s forehead, and applied a new dressing, flipping her fringe back over it

“You’ll live” she said flatly and grabbed her hand to help her stand up.

“Its opened up that other cut again” whispered Geneviève “Its not that bad actually”

Holly nodded that she’d got the underlying message. The umpires were right there too “Are you ok to continue?”

“Sure” replied Holly still feeling a little wobbly “like she says. I’ll live”

Tamara was sitting on the field a few yards away keeping out of the way.

“Are you all right to continue?” asked the second umpire.

“Yeah. So long as I hit the right one of the two balls I can see”

Jenny and Deb broke out a laugh.

“No different from a Monday morning practice then” quipped Deb.

Restart again, Holly felt ok, but as Geneviève had whispered, the adrenalin would get her through to the end of the match.

Forward, and playing wide, Holly called for the ball. “Don’t just play round me, I’m OK!”

Round, out wide, back to centre, forward into the dee out again and return, and back to Holly inside the dee. She could see Tamara right in front of her as she caught the ball, dummy, backstep, second dummy, sidestep, whack!. Clipped the goal keepers right pad and spun over the line into the back of the net. Holly tried to jump, but found it just didn’t happen. 5:3 Back to the centre. Restart. St Lukes making progress. Final whistle. What? Final whistle her brain told her a second time. Her head hurt. She couldn’t see straight and she collapsed onto the ground and lay out flat.

The St Lukes team formed a quick huddle of their own, but were polite enough to send a delegation over to offer congratulations.

“And the player of the match is.. .. Holly Beresford” 

Holly heard her name, and looked up. Daniella pulled her to her feet. 

“Come on you! Trophy time”

Back at the dressing rooms, the St Lukes nurse cleaned up Holly’s forehead and applied a clean dressing.

“That” she announced “is quite some gash you’ve got there. If you feel funny in the next couple of days, get in to see a doctor. I’m surprised you haven’t got concussion”

“I might have, when the adrenalin wears off”

“Still joking?” commented Daniella as Tamara came over

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. But I think you were a bit low as well!”

Holly nodded. “Maybe, I was on a stretch. Although I can’t have been that low .. .. or I would have fallen over!”

“You did fall over” commented Jenny

“Yeah, but only after Tamara hit me over the head with her stick!”

Even Tamara had to smile, and held her hand out. Holly shook it and smiled back

“No hard feelings?” Tamara asked speculatively

Holly shook her head “Of course not. These things happen, especially when you get really determined.”

Tamara raised another smile

“You’re dad’s got that 740 hasn’t he?”

“Yes”

“You know its quite rare, there’s only about half a dozen in the whole country. Anyway, I think what he could do is he could sell that for enough money to pay the fees here for the next four years, and then you could come and play for us!”

Holly laughed. She had never even dreamed of actually attending a private school. It was just completely off her radar.

“Maybe you could suggest that to him” she replied as Daniella just shook her head

“Are you still up for a coke in the café?

“Sure am. But I can’t stay too long with daddy and Geneviève waiting for me”

“I think they’re talking to Anton – he’s the deputy head” Daniella turned to Tamara. “quick, now’s your chance to get your suggestion in” as Geneviève appeared at the door.

“Are you going to be a bit longer here”

“Not if we’re in a hurry”

“No, just if you are, we’ll pop over and see the science block. Anton’s really proud of it”

“Ok. You go look at it for me. You know if you’ve seen one science building you’ve seen them all”

“I think they’ll be looking at the equipment more than the building” corrected Daniella “It’s quite comprehensive”
 “Ok” conceded Holly, “that makes it more interesting”

A member of the staff appeared asking if her head was all right, or if she needed more medical attention.

“I’m ok. thankyou” she replied politely, and turning back to the table “I think I’ve got rather a thick skull. I’m sure that’s what’s keeping out everything the teachers say. Maybe now its got a hole in it, I might learn more”

Not so many girls were left in the café now, and Tamara excused herself saying that in that case it wasn’t all bad and a confirmation she’d see Daniella for lunch.

Now alone, Daniella confided that the morning had not gone to plan. She’d wanted more time with Holly, but with the events during the match, not to mention the outcome, it hadn’t worked out that way.

“The thing is, I mean it’s got to be a secret, but you can keep a secret can’t you?”

“If it’s important. But mostly stuff benefits from asking folks that know about it”

“Well, the thing is, daddy’s thinking of pulling me out of St Lukes. He’s not convinced it’s the best use of the money. He says we’d all be better off going on cultural trips like Milan or South America on the money we’d save. So I wanted to talk to you about what it’s really like at Long Meadow”

“Oh you poor thing”

“Well yes! All my friends are here”

“All my friends were at Brook Bridge, but it burned down during the summer and we all had to go somewhere else. That’s when I went to Long Meadow. You make new friends, but it’s a bit of a pain in the rear”

“But you could tell me some reasons not to go there, so I can talk to daddy”

“Well. Ok. For a start, there’s the boys. They’re always hitting on you and being a nuisance. And there’s quite a number of disruptive kids. I mean, I’m not particularly bright, but I don’t interrupt everything for folks that are. Then there’s the head - Professor Belvoir. I don’t think he gives a monkey’s about anything including himself. Whatever the problem is, it’s always someone else’s, not his”

“Oh, I don’t know!”

“If this was at our house” Holly confided “Daddy would call us all together, probably in the evening. He’s got this special tone of voice when he needs to talk to me or Gen about something serious. Anyway, the four of us would get together, and he’d pour out 4 glasses of Cointreau or Amaretto or something and tell us we’re all grown up, so lets behave that way. And we’d all be able to put our point of view, with whatever reasons and emotions as well, and then we’d discuss the best plan”

“Wow! So you’d be part of the discussion?”

“Oh yeah, and daddy would help us express our ideas if we can’t quite find the right words. And he’d do that even if he knew he was going to disagree. But he wouldn’t disagree until we’d made our point and he’d helped us make him understand it”

“My parents aren’t really like that”

“So oo, Maybe you could all come over. You could come to my house one day after school, and then when your parents come to pick you up, there might be a discussion about schools”

“Hmmm. That’s hardly keeping a secret”

“Well, no its extending it a little bit. But there’s no harm in trying to find out”

“I suppose so, its only research at this stage”

“Oh, look, there’s daddy – we can ask him now make sure its ok before you check out with your mum and dad”

Daniella walked back towards the car with them

“Daddy, can Daniella come over after school one day?”

“Of course. Any particular day?”

“Any day that you’ll be home early”

“Me? Why’s that?” 

“Because we need to have a discussion with her parents when they come to pick her up about why she shouldn’t be sent to Long Meadow instead of here at St Lukes”

Daniella felt like she ought to shrink into the ground

“Oh really? Well its always good to do your research into things before you make major decisions. In fact, I was hoping to find someone we could talk to about what life here is really like. It’s a lot of money, and the question is whether it could be put to better use”

Daniella perked up. Noticeably. Maybe Holly’s dad was open minded enough to do exactly as she had described.

“That’s exactly what my dad is saying” she said with sufficient resignation in her voice to elicit a sympathetic response

“Well, what I suggest is that we all get together over dinner and just express the various points of view for everyone’s benefit. I mean, your family’s circumstances will be different from ours, but the pros and cons of St Lukes and Long Meadow will be largely similar”

“Oh wow! There’s an idea”

“Well it’s worth a try, isn’t it? Daniella, you ask your mum and dad. All you need to tell them is that you were talking to Holly today, and that we would like to just have a chat about what life at St Lukes is really like so we can decide if it’s worth considering as an option. So, dinner at our house one evening next week. Four of us and you, and parents and, anyone else?”

She shook her head “No. Just me.”

Daniella headed back to the café for lunch with Tamara. She felt much more relaxed now. She’d shared the problem. Holly hadn’t exactly kept it a secret but her dad hadn’t thought she was being silly. In fact, quite the opposite.

The match hadn’t gone her way, but perhaps the day was.

“And how did the match go?” Daniella’s mum asked as she collected her after lunch. 

“We lost. 5:3”

“Lost! Oh my goodness. That’s a bit of a shock. And did you still catch up with your new friend. What’s her name?”

“Holly”

“And is she all right?”

“Hmm. She’s really nice. And she’s kind of all right. She scored twice but she got knocked out when Tamara hit her over the head with her stick”

“Oh my goodness. We can’t have that! That Tamara girl is something of a liability”
 “Yes, although Holly did ask her to explain what circumstances you’re allowed to do that and was it a new rule she hadn’t noticed”

“Sounds like at least she’s got a sense of humour. But she must go to Long Meadow doesn’t she”

“Yes. Actually, her dad is thinking of sending her to St Lukes. He’s looking for someone who can give him a view on what life is really like to help him with the decision”

“Oh! Really?”

“Yes, So he’s invited us all over for dinner”

“Really? What, all of us?”
 “Well, yes, you me and dad”

“That’s a novel approach”

“Sounded quite interesting to me”

“So are Holly’s family quite well off? I’d assumed not since she was at Long Meadow”

“Hmm. Don’t know really. Its confusing. Last time we played them Holly’s mum had this ancient beaten up little car, and this time her dad was there in this big new BMW. Oh mummy, It was funny. You should have heard what Tamara said to her. She said if her dad sold the car he’d have enough to pay the fees at St Lukes for the rest of her school life and then she could play for us instead!”

“She’s nothing if not a character, your friend Tamara. But sometimes I wonder how she always manages to get away with it.”

Holly was feeling quite fragile that evening. She was trying not to move too quickly, and was quite tired. But that had given her some thinking time

“What I want” Holly said as Geneviève brought in the dessert “is some extra wide material. I’ve got this design that I want to try where its buttoned down the front, but the buttons are in a sort of wave shape rather than a straight line. But I need to keep the pattern straight which is why it needs to be extra wide”
 “What’s the idea behind that?” asked Steve deferring the answer

“Its like a wrap over skirt but its got a top as well so its really a dress. When you turn the page of a book it sort of curls over unless you hold it right in the middle very carefully, and it’s the same with a wrap over skirt. The wave shape is like that”
 “So what this does is simulate the unwrapping shape so that whoever is looking at it will start to think about unwrapping it”

“That’s right daddy”
 “Can I commission one for your mum?”
 “Steve!”

Geneviève failed to stifle her giggle “Holly, I’ve no idea where you get this inspiration from. And I’m thinking that maybe I don’t want to know”

But Holly continued unperturbed until later in the evening when she sank slowly onto the settee now that Eloise and Steve had just got comfortable. She was hoping that Steve would suggest that she got herself a drink, but they both looked like they were considering something serious. Holly looked at them from one to the other hoping that someone might explain.

“Mummy got the interim results yesterday and they’re not so good” said Steve

“Hmmm. What does that mean?”

“What that means is that the store isn’t doing very well. Its not selling enough and that means no-one will get their Christmas bonus unless things improve

“Is that why you were thinking about having a fashion show?”

“Yes. Its an idea that might improve sales”
 “But” said Eloise “I need to talk to my Managing Director about it and I’ve never done anything like this before”
 “You need to dress up, mum. I could make you something – like I was doing earlier”

“Yes, it might help if you actually looked like a fashion show”

“Yes” she agreed obviously thinking “So what I want Holly, is a dress like the one you made with daddy. Remember? With the invisible hem. Its always a bit dark in Gio’s office. But I’ve got my meeting booked for Tuesday. If I got one of those silk dresses like I did for you from our redundant stock, Holly, could you adapt it on Monday? I just feel I need a little extra confidence for this meeting with Gio”

“But I would have thought you'd want to wear something from your own stock. Surely that demonstrates a belief in your own products” suggested Steve

“Daddy! I was already looking forward to making that for mummy”

“So,” interjected Geneviève “what you need to do Holly is make a whole batch of them and then mummy can put them on a rack in the ladies-wear department”

“Oh wow! I could go into production! And Mummy could sell them and that would help towards her bonus”

Monday morning in the store felt distinctly downbeat. Most of her girls would never understand the technicalities of the company accounts. But what they did understand was that the current number was less than the target and if it stayed less than the target there would be no bonus and for some that meant little or no Christmas for their family.

But it did strengthen Eloise’s resolve to try her hardest with her fashion show idea.

She remembered to collect a number of the silk dresses from the basement to make the special dress that she wanted for the meeting with Giorgio that she now had decided was definitely going to happen and definitely going to be a success – well, maybe.

Holly held up the most likely candidate dress. And looked at her mum. And looked back at the dress. Then she disappeared into her sewing room while Geneviève did an extra turn at setting the table. Holly’s first attempt had taken her about twenty minutes but an hour later there was no sign of Holly emerging. With dinner now almost ready, the three of them headed for the sewing room, Holly seemed uncommonly organised with a finished dress draped over the ironing board and several lengths of black material spread on the table.

Eloise disappeared with the dress but only as far as the study.

“I was seeing how many more I could make” Holly explained

“This is brilliant” declared Eloise now wearing the new dress. Its just what I need when I go to see Giorgio”

“Maybe you should include it in the fashion show” suggested Geneviève

“Oh wow yes” said Holly getting even more excited “I need to make some anyway so that mummy’s George fella thinks its part of their stock”

“Yes” agreed Geneviève thoughtfully “and even if you only made a few and mummy put them on a rack, that would count as wearing something from your own shop”

“Now don’t you start getting carried away! But I can't see why we wouldn't make a few more. How many of these base units have you got, Eloise?”

“We could, I suppose” hesitated Eloise “But ….”

“But you’ve got more stock, haven’t you?” pressed Steve

“Then all we need is the black hem” encouraged Holly

“It would need a brand name” added Geneviève

“Nightwish” completed Steve

“That’s a bit suggestive!”

“Certainly is!”

Giorgio’s PA, Julia, confirmed the time for the meeting as Eloise made her way to her office the next day But now she was actually looking forward to it as she beavered away making frantic notes expanding the key points just in case he asked, or even, just in case he said yes! and reminding herself of the sequence she wanted to mention everything.

Peter had been rather edgy since their meeting about the redundant stock and it made her feel uneasy as he milled about suspiciously in the department. It was almost as if something else had happened or he’d got the idea that she might get up to something. She didn’t want to discuss the fashion show with him because he simply wouldn’t be supportive, and the unvoiced opposition gnawed away at the confidence Steve had given her letting the ingrained disillusionment and discouragement of her childhood creep back in.

The clock ticked deliberately towards the hour. Eloise’s heart was in her mouth as she tapped on Giorgio's office door. Now. Steady nerves. As rehearsed…..
 “Ah. Mrs Beresford, you wanted to see me?”
 “Yes, sir”
 “The stage is yours. But I’m sure Julia told you I only have a few minutes”
 “Thank you for seeing me. You see, I'm worried about the state of sales, and the impact on the company”
 “I'm glad to hear it. Pity more people aren't as concerned. So I suppose you want to know what the situation is and what we’re doing about it”
 “Well, no actually, I think all the numbers were in the pre-Christmas report last Friday, and I'm acutely aware of the numbers in my department. No, it was more I wanted to discuss an idea with you”

Giorgio looked quizzical, but said nothing, which Eloise took as a cue to continue
 “You, see, we're a fashion department, so I thought that to boost sales in the run up to Christmas, we should run a fashion show”
 “I see. Have you considered the impact of spending additional funding when our targets are already in some difficulty? You just said you knew that we were over budget and under revenue in each of the apparel departments?”

“Yes, I am aware of that. Which is why I've been thinking about how to do this with a minimal budget. You see, what I want to do is put the show on in the cafe where there's a big space. We’d build the cat walk out of spare window dressing plinths, there's loads of them in the basement. Then we borrow a roll of red stair carpet from furnishings – if we’re careful it can go back into stock afterwards. The PA system could be borrowed from the boardroom, where there's a microphone and amp. The fashions are straight off the racks because that’s what we’re trying to sell. And then the modelling will be done by the girls in the department. They’re not size 6 supermodels. But ….”

She was aware that Giorgio hadn't said anything, but was also aware he hadn't stopped her. His eyes had narrowed and she thought that maybe he was concentrating on thinking 

“….But by using the girls from the department, it demonstrates that we believe in our own products, and it shows what they look like on real people, not just size six supermodels as the top designers do in their shows. Because we’re trying to sell clothes, not just an image”
 “Hmmmmm”
 “Of course, I don't think we can do it for absolutely nothing. There will be secondary costs such as the additional heating costs for the building, and security will have to be on overtime. And then we'll need some advertising. But that can be limited to posters in and around the entrance and a couple of adverts in the Gazette and we can get a free shout out on Starburst radio”
 “Hmmmm”
 Giorgio had clasped his hands together as he watched her. She'd tried to sound enthusiastic, without babbling incoherently. But without reference he reached out and picked up the phone as Eloise’s heart sank. Had he moved onto something else and she could go now?
 “Julia, can you get hold of Pierre and delay him till half past. Something important just came up”
 He turned back to face her again and sat back in his chair
 “You've gone down to quite some detail in this before coming in here?”
 “I've tried to think it through so that I don’t waste your time and I’ve tried to identify the big issues because I didn't want to fail at the very first question you asked me”
 “Quite so. I'm not saying we should do this. But I'm not saying we shouldn't. I'd like just to explore some more details, and.. .. don't worry if you haven't got all the answers yet. Do you have a date in mind?”
 “The 4th. It's far enough away to get the organisation done, but close enough to Christmas to catch the party sales. And it’s a Thursday so it won’t interrupt the normal Saturday routine”
 “And the choice of clothes on display? I see you’re not wearing something from our own collection!”

“Oh it is really. It’s a new design made locally as an adaptation of one of the redundant lines in the basement. They’re quite exclusive, but there’s a very good markup on it. I think its interesting enough to try – at this time of year….and every little helps”

She stood up suddenly as she heard the door open

“I think its interesting any time of year” said Pierre

“A few moments please Pierre. Did Julia not tell you half past?”
 “Sorry, I wasn’t in my office”

“I’m sorry, Mrs Beresford. You were telling me about the choice of outfits for the models”

“That would be down to me and Charlene, in the department”

“You'd need a script and a running order”
 “Again, that's me. I’ve got a list of the stock we want to move, so that’s where I want to start”
 “What about building the catwalk?”
 “I think we could get Scott and Jeremy to do that. They help with building the window displays so they’re familiar with the plinths. The catwalk will need screwed together, rather than just placed. We don't want anyone falling over. Health and safety and all that. But that should only take a dozen four inch screws”
 “Yes, maintenance will have these anyway” he dismissed before continuing at the lower level of detail. Chairs? From the old café stock before refurb last year. Signs? From Aemon in communications, hopefully – haven’t asked yet, tickets, ushers, and compere? And while she was impressed with the level of fine tuning he was interested in, he was becoming increasingly impressed with the answers she had already thought through
 “Have you talked to your team about this yet? Do they support it”
 “I've dropped a few hints. But it's a bit catch 22. I don't want them to get excited about it, and then you say its not happening. But I had to start somewhere”

Giorgio nodded pensively

“And if we got Miriam and her team in we could open the cafe as well”
 Silence prevailed, and she was sure she could hear the issues mulling around inside his head. Finally he broke the silence
 “Mrs Beresford. I'd like to let you into a secret. But I'm expecting it to remain confidential. The current financial situation has encouraged some deeper issues within the senior team to emerge. Because of this I don't want to make things worse right now, and that means that I do not think that I am able to actively support your plan. At least, not at the moment”
 “But if we don't do it now it will be too late”
 “Steady there, let me finish! So what I suggest you do, is to go ahead and see how far you can get without me specifically endorsing it. I appreciate what you say about funding for the advertising, and you can tell any of the support staff like Scott that need to work additional hours that they can claim overtime”
 Another short silence

“This does have an advantage for you”

“It does?”

“Yes, it means you have effectively free reign. But, I want to be kept in the loop. And I want to know immediately if you find any solid showstoppers so that we can discuss that situation on the information available at that time. So I'd like an update. How long before you can confirm that all the necessary people are co-operating?
 “That's got to be in the next two days. I need to get it finalised by Friday this week so we can get the posters made and people can schedule things in.
 Good, I'll take an update next Tuesday afternoon. I'll get Julia to put it in my diary, and get an invitation out to you”
 “Now, it that what you were wanting?”
 “Oh. Yes. Absolutely. I'm delighted. I was so afraid you'd throw the whole idea out in the first thirty seconds”
 “No, but it also raises questions about why no one else is coming up with any ideas”
 “Sorry. I didn't mean to cause problems”
 “No, I appreciate that. I would also appreciate if you did not discuss this conversation. I think you can imagine why based on my previous comments. Thank you Mrs Beresford. And good luck with the organisation, because you're on your own … at least for the time being …” he smiled briefly. The first time she’d ever seen it.

But it also meant that if it went wrong she was on her own. It also meant she was now committed to doing it. And it was without senior management support, but then it was also without senior management interference. And all she had to do was persuade everyone to help. Was that all?

Most of the planning, she decided, would be done in the quiet of the evening, when the girls were doing homework, or Geneviève was playing piano or while Holly was stitching up something new to wear. Steve would be reading his inevitable papers for the next day’s meetings but with his other hand gently soothing one or other part of her body. She found that it drained away a lot of her tensions. At first she’d come to expect it. She wouldn’t want this from just any guy, but from him it was different and for all sorts of reasons she liked it to the extent that now she found herself looking forward to it as a comforting distraction.

Steve had given a massive amount of advice, but somehow it didn’t seem like he was interfering.

“You must talk to your team first, Steve had warned, preferably all at once. You want them to participate. You need them to support you, and if they find out on the grapevine, you’ll be on the defensive from the start.”

Eloise considered the best time. At closing time there were still straggling customers even after some of the girls has gone to get their bus, and before work would delay the kick-off by a day and rush some of them dropping kids to school. The only viable alternative was the lull, mid-afternoon. Take the chance and call a team briefing for five minutes.

She had rehearsed her speech three times, and every time it was different. No matter, it had to be done and now with the whole team crowded like sardines into her small office, there was no turning back. She scanned the faces. Everything from apprehension to despondency. Maybe they were expecting a redundancy announcement or something.

“Girls, quiet please. Girls, I’m aware that there is no one left on customer side, so I will be as quick as I can. There’s something I want to share with you and I want to tell you all at the same time”

There were several sharp intakes of breath, and Eloise suddenly felt that this could go incredibly wrong.

“As you may know the Apparel Department is behind its sales targets in every section, and that includes us”

She could see some of them fearing the worst. “At the moment, even if we do as well as last year in the run up to Christmas, we are unlikely to make our minimum target and that means we won’t be getting our bonus…” she paused for the expected disappointment to subside

“ However, ….”

“We’ll all have to put in extra effort when we get chatting.” interrupted Charlene

“Yes, thankyou Charlene, Yes we do. But there’s something else I think we can do. And it hasn’t been done before. We’re a fashion department, right? Well .. .. I think we should run a fashion show”

Again she waited for the murmur to die down “I’m thinking that the 4th of December would be a good evening. There’s a huge amount of organisation to do and we have effectively zero budget. But the big thing is, girls, that I want you, yes you to be the models. We’ll use clothes from the racks, because that’s what we want to sell, but by you doing the modelling it would show our customers what the fashions look like on real women, not just on skin and bone size 6 teenagers. The whole thing would be entirely in our hands, so I want you to think about it and let me know if you’re interested in getting involved. And while this is a serious exercise, it’s also got the potential to be great fun if we do it right. Now, everyone’s opinion counts, so have a think, have a chat, and let me know tomorrow and we’ll take a view on whether its viable. Now I think we need to get back to work, picking up on Charlene’s point of upping the effort.”

There was a stunned silence and then everyone started talking at once.

“I’m definitely up for this” said Brenda as they left the room. “Sounds like a boatload of fun”

“You go on” Judy from cosmetics said to her team and held back

“So would you want us to do the makeup on the night?” she asked sounding very thoughtful

“If you can”

“Because if we did, we could promote co-ordinated make up as well. And maybe perfume – although that might be more complicated. You know, something like ‘note the devils blue lipstick that exactly compliments Brenda’s cocktail green super micro party dress.”

“Me in a super micro!”

“with fishnets” joked Judy

“Oh my! My Joe would die laughing!”

“Possible” said Eloise extending the joke “we could make the point that not all fashions suit everyone, and that’s why you should come to us for advice”

“Hya, what d’you mean not suit everyone?”

“You’re ok Bren’, the supermicro only goes up to size 16”

“Oi! How come it’s my turn in the barrel again?”

“Cos we just got delivery of a specially wide one” ended Charlene

“Would overtime be paid?” asked Judy thoughtfully

“I don’t know. The company isn’t telling us to do this, so maybe not. But if it’s successful, then they probably will to encourage similar events in the future”

“Its ok” said Judy “but I expect my temps’ll ask”

That evening, Eloise unloaded the entire redundant stock of odd sized silk into the hall as Holly looked on, a bit overwhelmed

“If we’re going to do this, we need to select out the best of the bunch to start with. Then we need a production line” said Steve.

Eloise and Holly selected a dozen of the dresses that seemed to be nearest to standard UK sizes while Steve and Geneviève got dinner on the table as early as they could. Holly explained what she needed to do and Steve organised it into a process flow. Steve cut, Eloise pinned, Holly sewed and Geneviève did the quality control and packaging and running around. One of the main issues with many of the originals was that the short sleeves had been sewn on the wrong way round, but the stitching was done so poorly that Eloise was able to quickly take them apart for Holly to re-sew. She did the same with the ragged stitching around the hem and these few quick amendments created something that was really quite as acceptable as the one that Holly had made for her. With everyone working on it the finished dresses soon hung on hangers on the coat-stand in the hall while the coats were relegated to the study desk.

It was way past bedtime before they realised. But it had been so much fun, all four of them working together as a team and they had enough for Eloise to display. Geneviève decided to wind down with a couple of Nocturnes while Holly decided that a small liqueur was in order. She sank onto the settee between Steve and her mum for a quite calm discussion about fashion design.

“I've got loads more ideas” Holly said

“So, maybe we just need to encourage you to put them into practice. But not tonight” warned Eloise

“But what we can do Holly” said Steve more encouragingly “is put a little investment into this. I will buy you some material, and the pins and threads and things you need to get your first couple of designs off the drawing board and into something wearable. That way you really will be able to tell if its something you want to do. And it will also give you some idea of costs”

So that was that aspect completed, the question it raised was why was there nothing on the departments own racks that Eloise would have found suitable. Maybe there was nothing exciting enough from the stock. But then, her particular situation was peculiar. She was living a full power roller-coaster. She would never have had any use for a Nightwish in her life at Morgan Terrace. It was only here, living at the Briers, where the pace was relentlessly frenetic and every day the stakes got higher. But as Steve had told her. This is living not merely existing.

She was in early the next morning to set up her new rack with the specially produced Nightwish range, but by the time she’d set it up she was already thinking that time was slipping away. Today she had to get the other essential helpers on board but first it was to gauge the reaction from the department.

Judy was first in “Hi Ell’. Just thought I’d say count me in. Think I’d be best placed to do the makeup as we suggested yesterday and I’ve got at least two of my team as well. Eloise made a point of making sure she saw her make the note as Charlene joined them. I’m up for being a model. I’ll take the size 12 slot”

Then Brenda “I’m up for pretty much anything. But! I’m not doing it if I can’t wear the supermicro”

“Brenda, it only goes up to size 16” 

“That’s ok. You’ll only have to lose 4 stone in the next week to fit then” added Charlene

But at least it was good that the department banter was still in good shape

Eloise headed for furnishings to sort out the carpet and made a note of the shout out for furnishings that she had to add to the script, and that the guys nailing it down had to place each nail precisely so that it was between threads and not break any that would then fray. And on to maintenance where she was hoping that Jeremy would be central to setting everything up 

“Scott, whatya doing on the 4th. Evenin’ ?”

“Why?”

“Cos you’re workin’ ’’

Scott appeared through the low door “I could do with the overtime, what we doing?”

“No, you’re workin’ free”

“Free! Poke it then”

“We’re settin’ up a fashion show” 

“Are we now – that’s more of a possibility”

“Actually, I might be able to get overtime paid, I’ll see what I can do, but can’t promise right now”

She explained the outline plan – get the spare display staging from the basement, fix it together, fix the carpet, including the bit about the nails “So they can put it back into stock undamaged”

“…. And we’ll need some screening for the next girl on” Jeremy was thinking out loud. Eloise made a note.

“Hi” interrupted Annabelle “I heard I might find you down here”

Scott stopped dead in his tracks. He’d seen Annabelle around, but had never been this close to her. Most guys on the site thought she ought to be a film star or at least a super model, but it seemed she was happy working in the accounts and payroll department of a down town department store.

“Sorry for interrupting, guys. But Eloise, is it true you’re setting up a fashion show?” 

Eloise nodded 

“And you’re using the department ladies as models?” 

Eloise nodded again 

“And Judy is doing the makeup?” she completed with mounting excitement

“Yes. Is that all right?” although Eloise had no idea why she would seek approval from Annabelle in the first place.

“Oh, absolutely. Just if Judy’s doing the makeup I think you’ll be short of a size 10 model, and I’d like to volunteer. If you’re open to offers, of course”

Scott strained to keep his eyes from popping clean out of his head 

“Jerry, there is no way I’m gonna miss this”

Eloise was taken aback

“I’d love you to help Annabelle. Thankyou so much. I hadn’t got as far as sorting that one out. So yes. You’re in. It’s a serious event, but we’re aiming to introduce a bit of humour as well. We have to have a laugh”

“Ooh, breathed Annabelle. Can’t wait. This is going to be so mega fun. Can I wear one of those Nightwishes? Oh please Eloise? I saw them on the rack earlier and by the time I got my purse they’d all vanished – you can get some more can’t you”

“What’s a Nightwish?” asked Scott

“Yes, and yes, Annabelle. And Scott. It’s a very pretty silk dress…. ”

“… that looks way way more sexy than it really is!” cooed Annabelle with more enthusiasm than Scott could handle. He felt he might just die there and then. Annabelle on the catwalk was big enough. Annabelle in one of these Nightwish things? Definitely more than he could take. 

“Scott lad” Jeremy reprimanded “You’ll not be helpin’ me build a stage with yer tongue hanging oot like that”

Next was the café “We’re a bit behind on our targets” Miriam complained “but tis extra opening hours for us and someit like this might just make up. ‘Specially if we could do wine as well. How many people you 'specting?”

“I’ve no idea, yet. But I’ll keep you up to date when I start getting some estimates”

“Got to! It’s just impossible to get it right if you don’t have numbers”

Eloise made it back to the department. So far so good, but for now, a catch up with her real job, and that was another day gone.

But not everyone was happy. Aemon who handled communications, both internally to the staff and externally to the media was upset and annoyed. He had a self-appointed role in marketing, that is, he often invented articles for the press or put adverts out without actually telling anyone else, and sometimes the first time departments found out they had an event on, like a sale, was from the radio that morning. He was upset that she hadn’t consulted him, and was annoyed that he hadn’t thought of it first. But, he figured, if any of the senior managers were involved they’d have told him. So it could be that Eloise hadn’t mentioned this to the senior management and that meant there was a good chance that it would fall flat on its nose. He chuckled, Giorgio would go spare anyway when he found out.

Peter, however, was less circumspect. In fact he was furious and made it plain when he marched into her office that afternoon slamming the door behind him

“What’s all this then? Who’s authorised this… this fashion show?”

“I have”

“What d’you mean ‘you have’? On who’s budget, who signed that off!”

“It doesn’t need a budget, at least, not much. Not more than I can sign off”

“We are in serious financial trouble, and you’re making unauthorised spending”

“I agree we’re in serious financial trouble, but at least I’m trying to do something about it”

“Well cancel it”

“What on earth for?”

“Because it’s unauthorised and its exceptional expenditure”

“But it’s designed to increase sales. It will reduce our shortfall. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing, isn’t it?”

“I am instructing you to cancel it”

“Peter, I cannot do that. There are too many people already working on it, and even more looking forward to it. And it has a secondary function”

“And what might that be?”

“It’s a team building exercise”

“That..... Is hardly relevant and this is not the last you’ll hear of this. I will be raising this with Grenasius at his meeting on Thursday”

Peter left, slamming the door again, and Eloise said a quiet prayer that Steve had fore-armed her with these answers when he told her there was bound to be heckling from the side-lines.

“There’s a happy soldier, then” said Brenda bouncing in

“Yes, he’s a little bent out of shape”

“But we’re still on. Aren’t we?”

“We certainly are. There are bound to be a few setbacks”

“Well, the girls are all up for it. They’re all asking lots of questions like who’s doing this and that and has Ellie thought of this and that and this is going to go wrong and that’s going to go wrong. I tell them it’ll be alright on the night”

“Brenda, we need to catch all these comments and write them down so we can have answers, and build them all into the plan. Everyone who thinks of something that might go wrong needs to tell me, so I can build it into the plan so that it doesn’t go wrong, or at least we have a contingency”

“We have a what?”

“A contingency. A plan on what to do when whatever that thing that might go wrong actually does”

This led to a steady stream of issues and ideas and doomsday predictions, but answers to most of them were fairly straightforward, and Eloise saw the plan grow almost by the minute.

That evening, she was fired with enthusiasm as the four of them restarted their production line. Geneviève had moved from last in line to first in line, quickly becoming an expert with an unpicker as she took out the hem and sleeves, passing the pieces over to Eloise for pinning and they stacked up another eight for her to put on the rack in the store the next day. And Eloise was surprised to find that she felt rather disappointed in missing out again on her cuddle time on the settee.

But Peter’s earlier visit was not without repercussions and she was suddenly nervous when Julia brought forward the planned Tuesday meeting.

She had the script ready now, but was so engrossed in updates that she nearly missed it.

Giorgio closed the door behind her “Mrs Beresford, please sit down”
 “Thankyou sir”

“So, you have a few dissenters!”

“Yes, but I’ve got unanimous support from my department and I’m getting massive support from the other departments which will make sure its viable”

“Sounds like its going as well as you expected”

“I think its going very well. The support from staff is amazing. I think the senior managers are a bit more reticent. I think they’re a bit wary as this is all ground floor rather than coming down from the top. Actually, I’ve not asked any of them to get directly involved because I don’t want to put them in a compromising position”

Giorgio nodded
 “Hmm, Peter also told me something about …. team building?” he asked quizzically

”Yes. Or at least I think it will be. So many people from all departments are involved together. It’s encouraging them to work together, and that will be invaluable if we miss the company target and no-one gets paid bonus”

Gio stared intently at her across the table at her

“If that happens” she continued trying to remain unflustered “then morale will dip, and that will have a knock on effect on next year’s revenue and, and then next year’s results as well as this year”

Giorgio’s head, often bowed in concentration while he was listening, suddenly bounced up “That’s remarkably future thinking”

“Well sir, what it means is that even if the fashion show doesn’t have a significant impact on the bottom line, everyone will feel that they were part of this together and that at least they tried. And that, hopefully, will prevent morale taking a dip next year which would have an inevitable negative impact”

Eloise was bubbling. Wow, had she really remembered all that!

Giorgio had narrowed his eyes. “Except for your couple of dissenters?”
 “You can’t please all the people all the time. I can live without them”

“Yes, I suspect we all can” he muttered, but Eloise was sure she heard that correctly.

“So who’s involved?”

“What? Everyone? Well, Miriam’s opening the café, except it will be more just a kiosk so that it doesn’t interfere with the show itself. That will be limited to soft drinks, wine and champagne and some heure d’ourves. The main servery might open during the break. Jeremy says he can screen off an area near menswear for the models to change although the outfits themselves will be in an area of Childrens-wear. This layout is easier for Scott and also makes the stock more accessible for people to buy and its right by the front door so that the access is easier.

We’re using some props from Homewares and Furnishings, so there’ll be a shout out for those departments. I suggested that the other departments might want to take advantage and I think every department is having a skeleton staff on just in case because the building is open anyway. That needs more security...”

“Have you arranged that?”

“…Yes, that’s good to go with Gordon and Russel. Kirsty’s team from Childrens-wear are so enthusiastic. The ones that aren’t on the catwalk have volunteered to be on the tills while my team is modelling or backstage. Menswear are making a cameo appearance, but I don’t think Peter knows that yet. Don was keen on.. .. keeping it low key”

“What about back office?”

“Annabelle from accounts and Marion from deliveries are modelling for us, because Judy is doing the makeup and Marion will be wonderfully upmarket. And there are lots of others making a rare appearance front of house as ushers and on tickets. Gerry and Scott in maintenance are setting everything up and then on hand if anything goes down. Scott’s on sound and lighting”

“Lighting?”

“The sound system is being borrowed from the board room – oops, sorry, should have asked you. Is that ok?” Giorgio gave a low shrug and she continued, “and the lighting is being borrowed from a rock band that Scott knows in return for a plug for their gig the following Wednesday. And we’re charging for admission. It might reduce the numbers, but at least we can guarantee that those who do come are actually interested. It's two pounds a head, to include a free glass of wine, although you can upgrade that to champagne for an extra pound at the kiosk. It's better like that than having two types of ticket, and three pounds entry seems too much”

“That's quite clever. I like that. So what's going to go wrong?”

“I don't know. You see, I've asked everyone for a list of three things they think could go wrong and I've either changed the plan or developed a contingency. The problem will be something completely left field or some total disaster like, oh I don't know, there’s some sort of police incident or there's 3 feet of snow or something”

“Is Julia involved? She hasn't said, but then I haven't asked her?”

“Yes, she's doing 'continuity' for us, making sure the next model is ready on time and in the right sequence”

“Good. I'd have been disappointed if she’d been left out”

“Well, on the whole, after the first round of essentials like Miriam and Gerry, people have been approaching me. Everyone wants to get involved, and I think that's great”

But Gio simply pierced her head with his exocet eyes and nodded sagely.

The pace continued as she returned to the ground floor. Brenda gave her the message that Angela would have to postpone dinner till next week, and that she also had another invitation to Gio’s office at 4 that afternoon.

These meetings with Gio meant that she was learning to read Gio through his body language and that made her feel slightly less nervous.

However, this meeting was unexpected and was not one of the usual scheduled yawns that she was never invited to. 

And if all that had not made her nervous enough the meeting now progressed in a worsening vein. The subject was the redundant stock in the basement and she was now convinced that he’d earwigged most of her acrimonious meeting with Peter on that subject. Giorgio concluded it before it became unrecoverable and Eloise continued to watch him as closely as she felt she could without him noticing and she'd seen him drop into his thinking mode a number of times.

She was also increasingly convinced he was now aware of what the root problem was and also who was responsible for it, but that didn't help her with an answer. Then again she reflected, it wasn't actually her problem. She was already doing her bit in organising her fashion show which might even be enough to fall back on if Peter went ballistic with her again as she was sure he eventually would.

Five o'clock came round and time to tidy up for the evening as her phone rang. It was Julia informing her politely that Giorgio would appreciate a quick word before she went home.

Oh my! Three times in one day!

Peter was in Gio’s office when she got there and yes the quick word was actually quite quick.

“I think”, he had said “that it would be useful if you accompanied Peter on the trip to India. Your task would be to ensure that any contract we sign up to includes guarantees of quality. We don't want any more unsaleable goods. So, Peter, the contract will not be valid unless Eloise signs it. Yes? Eloise can you stay for a minute. Thankyou Peter.”

“I appreciate”, Giorgio said slowly when Peter had left “that you may have family commitments”

“Yes I have a ..”

“But I would very much appreciate you being able to make the India trip”

“But we have European suppliers as well”

“Yes, but India is next. We need to act quickly, and this will be the best test”

Oh my – just when I thought I was up to my neck in it!

And not by chance did she bump into Peter as she was getting into her car and he was not happy

“It would really be in your own best interests to find an excuse not to come to India” and continued on without farther explanation.

Eloise was troubled by all this. What had started out as a good idea to ensure her teams Christmas bonus seemed to have started a senior management war for which she was now being blamed. She'd never been away from Holly before. She'd never been on a business trip, she'd never been to the Far East. She… leaned back against Steve as she felt the comforting warmth of his stray hand caressing her skin as usual. No easy way to say this. She hesitated

“Steve, Gio wants me to go to India”

“Does he want you to come back as well?”

She thumped him as best she could from the angle she was at

“When?” he asked wincing only slightly

“A week Tuesday”

“How long for?”

“A week”

“Uh hu. Do you want to go?”

She related the events as accurately as she could remember

“I was going to get you a big wooden spoon as your Christmas present. But you seem to have become an expert in stirring things up without it, so I guess I'll have to think again”

“That's certainly the way some people see it” she continued sorrowfully. “But I don't know what to do. It's all so different for me”

“Well, someone needs to make a change at the purchasing end of the supply chain. It's not likely to be Peter, or he would have either done it already or instigated more positive action. Who else goes on this trip, or is it just a cosy little you and Peter jaunt?”

Eloise prodded him hard

“I should think not. Its not as if it was Simon, or maybe Don” she teased back. Steve prodded her in retaliation.

“You ought to go. Then you can see why you end up with such junk, and maybe you can make sure you've got saleable goods that'll make your life easier next year after the shipment arrives. And it's only you who knows what's needed. Downside is if it turns up as a pile of poo again, its you that’s going to have to sort it out, and carry the can”

“But, Steve, I don’t really know how to make big decisions. The decisions I make – there’s usually an obvious choice”

“Like whether to do a bit of child sharing with me” he teased as she prodded him again

“You make the decisions the same way as you set up the fashion show. Just think forward. You’re in Gio’s office after you get back and you’re explaining to him how it all went and what the result is. And if you can justify the decision, based on the information available at the time, then its probably right. May not be perfect due to things you learn later on, but at least, not wrong. And anyway, Peter’s not an expert in predicting next year’s ladies fashion trends is he?”

“Clearly not, but neither am I”

“Oh I don’t know. I think you could make a decent stab at it. At least a whole lot better than him. I mean, what would you buy?”

“Well maybe, but what about you. And the girls. We're only just settling down into a routine together”

“We'll be fine. And I’m not sure we want to get into a fixed routine anyway. It's better known as a rut”

As always, Steve’s comments had made her think. Why was there nothing exciting enough on her racks when she needed something special to wear? Why was there so little that she herself would look twice at it? Why was there so much stock in the basement that would be consigned to landfill immediately it had no farther book value?

Maybe she needed some ideas from Holly on what she was thinking of making and see if it was available from a low cost supplier in the sub-continent?

Now Eloise had even more rushing around to do, trying to sort out how the department would operate while she was away in between answering questions on her fashion show evening. But the good thing about it was that she didn’t need to go chasing everyone up to do stuff. Everyone had a specific part to play and they were just getting on with it.

Peter had been hanging around more than usual, but at least he hadn’t said any more about the fashion show. She assumed that either Gio had told him to back off, or that he assumed Gio had told her to can it at their private meeting - the one he had been excluded from. And now, following increased interference earlier, he now seemed to be avoiding her with the exception of reiterating his advice to find an excuse not to go to India. But Julia had been instructed to organise her flights and that at least seemed to go smoothly.

Next up was to let the girls know and she wasn’t sure how this would go down. Geneviève seemed relatively ambivalent “Sounds cool” with a few questions of when and how long and why. Holly was being elusive but Steve managed to catch her by one finger hooked into the back of her shirt collar as she rushed through the hall.

“Agggh. I’ve been strangulated”

“But Holly…”

“Oh no, that’s the ‘I’ve got something really important to talk to you about’ voice. Daddy I haven’t done anything, I hope. Not that I can think of. Or remember…”

Steve hustled her into the kitchen “Ah there you are!”

“Do you need to tell me something as well?” she gasped with disbelief wracking her brains for felonies she’d forgotten.

“Yes, since you ask”

“Oh no. Oh dear”

“No ‘oh dear’ now Holly. I’ve been asked by my work to go to India. I’d be away for about a week, starting a week on Tuesday.”

Holly was silent for a few moments

“Can I come too?”

“No, darling. It’s a work trip. Its all business”

“But you’ve not been away before. Not ever”

“No, but you have. You’ve been to sleepovers before”

“But I’ll be all on my own!”

“No you won’t. You’ll be here with Steve and Geneviève”

“Oh! So I’ll just stay here then?”

“Yes. It’ll be just like a seven day sleepover at Geneviève’s”

“Oh. Ok then. .. .. Miss you mummy”

“Holly, I haven’t gone yet!”

“No. but I will when you do”

Danni’s Weekend

The trip was the main subject of conversation at dinner but now as Holly was clearing the mats and condiments having already filled the dishwasher, Geneviève called her to the phone.

“Holly, its Daniella”

“Hey! How are you?”

“Ok”

“Just Ok? We’ll have to do something about that. What’s up?”

“Oh, I’m ok really”

“You don’t sound it. And not just that, but you phoned me. So there must be something up”

“We’re playing Eastern Region on Saturday. Have you played them this season yet?”

“No. We’re playing them next week, and we’re not actually on this Saturday But that’s not what’s up”

“Hmm. I was hoping to get some tips on their game”

“I’ve not seen them since we played last year and got trounced. I think we’ve been trying to forget it ever since. So I’m not going to be much use, am I. But that’s not what’s upsetting you, at least, not on its own”

“No”

“It’s my nan. She’s not well”

“What? Like really ill?”

“No, she’s had another fall, and mum and dad are going up to Yorkshire on Saturday to see her and try to find an old folks home to move her into”

“Oh, that’s sad. I haven’t got a nan, so I can’t help you on that either. Oh dear. I’m a bit of a failure really”

“No you’re not. But its not really that. I want to play at Eastern, so mum and dad are going on their own, and that means I have to stay with Tamara at the school for the weekend”

“Wow! That sounds like fun. She’s your best friend. Imagine you’ll get up to all sorts of stuff”

“Yes, and that’s the problem. I like her a lot, she’s my friend. But, Holly, she’s a liability. She has such crazy ideas and then actually goes and does them. If her dad didn’t pour so much money into the school she’d have been expelled at least three times.

And if I get into trouble as well, then dad will definitely pull me out and send me to Long Meadow. I’m really thinking of skipping the match so I don’t have to stay with her. Especially if we’re going to lose again”

“Oh, Daniella that’s not like you. You fight on right to the end”

“Yes, I know – even if it’s a lost cause”

“Oh, you poor thing. Look. Maybe you could come over here instead”

“Don’t be silly. I have to get to the match at Eastern, and the minibus will leave really early”

“Well, maybe we could take you there. And.. .. And that would mean I could give you some encouragement at the match. Hmm.. not just that, I could pick up some tips on their style. A bit of spying maybe”

“Oh, its sounds tempting. Do you think your mum and dad would agree? You know I can’t think so. They’ve probably got something planned”

“Well, I’ll have to ask them. Hold on a sec. Mum! Mummy! can Daniella come and stay for the weekend?”

“I imagine so, but I don’t know if Steve’s got anything planned”

“hmm. Also, we’d have to take her to Eastern Manor for hockey on Saturday”

Eloise sighed “We’ll talk to daddy. Can we call her back?”

“Hey Daniella. It’s looking promising, but we have to find out if daddy has anything planned. I’ll call you back when I find him. Ok?”

“Ok, well that’s hopeful. But I’m going to need to know before tomorrow because I need to book the guest room in Tamara’s dorm if I want it”

Eloise came with her to phone Daniella. She wanted a quick word with her mother about things like food, and listened as Holly dialled

“Marvin Hapgrove”

“Hello, Mr Hapgrove. Its Holly. Can I speak to Daniella please?”

It struck Eloise that this was uncommonly polite for Holly, and wondered what sort of influence more contact with Daniella would have.

“Holly? Holly who?”

“Holly Beresford” she replied a little disconcerted “I’m a friend of hers from hockey”

“Oh, that Holly. Hold the line. Danni! Phone! Holly!”

“Hi Holly” she said breathlessly “Sorry, I’ve just run down the stairs”

“Its great news, Mum says its ok for you to come over. And she’ll take us to Eastern. Daddy’s planning to help Geneviève take the gearbox out of her car. Did you talk to your mum?”

 “Yes but she says she’d like to talk to your mum about it. I think she thinks we’ve just cooked this up between ourselves”

“Funny, that’s what my dad said too”

“Hello, Angela? Eloise here. Are you still on for dinner next Wednesday, you know with the unexpected events in Yorkshire?”

“Oh yes, definitely. And its so kind of you to invite us. We’re really looking forward to finding out about Long Meadow”

“Really! We’re interested in your view of St Lukes too”

“Of course. So this weekend”

“Yes”

“Danni is very keen to play against Eastern Region. She knows she’s one of the better players, and she knows they want to field the best team. It’s also fair to say that if she doesn’t play and they lose, she’ll be blamed for not being there. Unfortunately, the sooner we get Marvin’s mother into a home the better. She’s a bloomin’ nuisance trying to live on her own at her age and this new fall just proves it”

“Well, Angela, we’ll be absolutely delighted to see Daniella for the weekend. Steve is helping Geneviève with her car on Saturday morning, so I’ll take Daniella and Holly to the match”

“That’s really kind. You know, I’m not so keen on her staying with that Tamara. No telling what mischief she’ll lead Daniella into…”

Daniella and Holly lost interest in the conversation, excited instead about the prospects for the weekend ahead, until they were called back for the travel arrangement.

“Holly, you need to be out on time and don’t wait for the 37 to the village. Take the number 34 to Red Post and Daniella should already be there, so don’t be late. Daniella is taking the Rural North day minibus to Red Post, and then you can walk up the lane from there. You know that lane don’t you, it comes out opposite the shop in the village. It’s only about 15 minutes”

Eloise wished Angela good luck and turned back to Holly.

“Well, that’s exciting isn’t it, but that’s not a very good advertisement for St Lukes”

“Maybe that’s why they’re thinking of sending her to Long Meadow instead?”

“Maybe you’ll find out. But I think you should have some ideas of what you want to do with her when she’s here. And think when you’re going to do your homework as well”

Holly groaned with an ‘ok mum’.

Friday’s lessons flew past. Holly was expecting it to drag, but between trying to listen and also think of what Daniella might like to do, the time seemed to disappear. Geneviève took the bus into the library as she had planned. She did think of going with Holly to stop her getting lost, but decided to stick to the plan. She wanted another book on vintage car mechanics that she thought she’d seen there, and she wanted it before tomorrow morning.

Alone on the unfamiliar bus route, Holly reflected on the increase in her self-confidence since she moved to Apple Grove with Steve and Geneviève. Something before had been holding her back, but she couldn’t figure out what and she was still losing herself in this when the driver called “Next stop, Red Post”

She leapt up and rushed to the door just in time to edge past the two people getting on.

“Nearly missed the stop!” she gasped, bundling into Daniella

“I’m really glad you didn’t! I was just thinking, I’m here on my own. It will get dark quite soon if this rain sets in, and I’ve no idea where I am!”

This hit Holly quite hard. She hadn’t considered before that Daniella would be so dependent on her. But then, she would be in a strange environment all weekend, and that would make her dependant on her, and in getting to the match. That depended on her as well

“You ok?” asked Daniella

“Sorry. I was somewhere else”

“Anywhere nice?”

Holly hesitated “No, not a nice place”

“So why did you go there?”

This took Holly by surprise. She had never considered this before. Thoughts like this happened to her with a mission of their own. She didn’t invite them.

“I don’t know.. .. It was the place we would be if I had missed the stop, and what would have happened. That’s why it wasn’t nice”

“Sometimes I go to places like that. But I try to jump back and say but that’s not what happened, so it doesn’t matter”

“I find it quite hard. Sometimes I have to go all the way through that place and find a way to make sure it ends ok. Even though it never happened. That way it would have been all right if it had happened even though it didn’t. Never mind, how’s school today? Is Tamara cross with you for not staying with her? Oh, and let me pull that case for a bit”

“School’s ok. But we did get maths homework for Monday. I think everything else is for Tuesday or Wednesday”

“And Tamara?”

“You sound worried about her”

“Well, yes. She’s your best friend. And I don’t want to upset anything. I didn’t mean to when I invited you. But I don’t mean to upset her either. It’s just…”

“Hey Holly!” they were rudely interrupted as Harry rode up behind them.

“Hey, that’s not Geneviève! Aren’t you gonna introduce me to your friend?”

“No”

“I’ll pull your case for you”

“No chance Harry”

“O. Why not?”

“Cos you wouldn’t give it back”

“But at least tell me her name”

“No”

“Oh go on. Why not”

“Cos she’s prettier than me”

They’d reached Harry’s house which was one of the big new houses on Primrose Lane as Holly noticed him stick his tongue out at her. Daniella giggled.

“Friend of yours?”

“Kind of”

“Thought that was cute, you confusing him like that”

“You didn’t want to meet him, really you didn’t. He never does anything other than ride his bike. Or mend it. That’s all he ever does”

“So which house is yours?” she asked as they continued on towards the end of the crescent

“Its not one of these” Holly said “its farther down the lane”

“So what’s your house like?”
 “We’re nearly there”

She looked puzzled

“No, you can’t see it from the road”

“Is it a farm or something” and in response to Holly’s surprise “We’re way out in the country here. Its like where St Lukes is. All around, there’s just fields. Sometimes they have smelly animals in them as well”

Now it was Holly’s turn to giggle. “No, no farm. No smelly animals. Here we are.”

Holly had the case, so Daniella pulled on the handle on the huge green gate, and looked over to her questioningly as it didn’t move.

Holly shook her head “You need the magic words”

Daniella giggled again. This was beginning to be the norm

“Magic?”

“Uh huh” Holly waved both arms at the gate as if casting a spell “Openus Gateus” she chanted while leaning on the big green button with her hip.

The gate creaked open “How’d you do that!”

“Magic” said Holly flatly. Then more mystically “Actually, I think this whole house is magical. Because my whole life has turned completely upside down since we moved here. I hope you like it as much as I do”

The house came into view as they walked around the rhododendron bush.

“Oh my!” gasped Daniella. “It’s some kind of mansion. Sorry. I just imagined you’d live in a small house. You know, going to Long Meadow”

“Well, your house wouldn’t get any smaller if you moved there”

“I suppose. Am I sharing your room?”

“You can if you want. I’ve got this huge big 4 poster bed, so there’s plenty of room. But we’ve set up the west corner for you. It’s really nice. It overlooks the west lawn”

“West lawn? How many lawns do you have?”

“Not sure. Four, five. But the West lawn’s the biggest. Its huge. No its bigger than that. Its humungous!”

Eloise was preparing dinner with Geneviève when Steve noticed Daniella alone in the living room. She was sitting in the middle of the long settee in the middle of the room and looking nothing less than scared. He watched her for a few moments but the confident precocious grown up young lady wasn’t there. This was the frightened vulnerable little girl that was living inside that stage act shell. He walked slowly over to her

“You ok? Have you managed to lose Holly already?”

She shrugged as Steve sat down as far away from her as he could but on the same settee.

She looked over nervously as he smiled gently “Its all very different isn’t it. I mean, we usually have some idea of how things are going to be. And then when they’re not, we get nervous because we feel unprepared. I remember when Holly’s mum first saw this house because it wasn’t anything like she’d expected. And now you’re here and it’s a strange different world”

Steve detected the hint of a nod

“You haven’t known Holly that long, and now there’s four people here you hardly know at all. And there’s all sorts of things to worry about. I’ll bet you’re worried about what’s for dinner, and what to do if you don’t like it, and how to behave, and what usually happens here and what to wear and even what to call everyone, like how formal is it? So maybe I can help you out a bit, yeah? I’m Steve, Holly’s mum is Eloise, and you’ve met Geneviève who prefers to be called Geneviève rather than Gen or Genny, although she’d be too polite to tell you that.

Dinner is chicken, and your mum says you don’t like beef very much. Sometimes the girls dress up for dinner on Saturday. Dinner is when we’re all able to catch up with each other so its quite a sociable event. But most of all we want you to join in, be yourself and don’t worry if you mess up or make a mistake. So if there’s anything you want or want to know you just need to mention it and we’ll see what we can do. And I want you to have fun. Ok?”

She raised a smile and nodded weakly.

“But I think there’s still something you’re worried about. Maybe it’s the match tomorrow?”

“No, we’re not expecting to win anyway”

Wow, thought Steve. A breakthrough. She talks!

“Maybe its what Tamara is going to say when she’s sees you turn up with Holly?”

Was that a glimmer of response?

“Well, all you need to say there is that your mum and dad are friends with Holly's mum and dad and you’re all going over for dinner on Wednesday and that’s why you’re here rather than at St Luke’s with her? No? Or maybe its just turning up with Holly?”

“Ok, what about giving me a clue?”

She drew a deep breathe “Will we be taking Holly’s mum’s car tomorrow?

“Ahhh. That’s’ it is it? No. I’ve got some work I want to do on it, so you’ll all be in the BMW. You think that’s more appropriate for a St Luke’s event?”

Daniella suddenly shrank back “You don’t mind me asking do you. That was probably very rude of me”

“Not at all. Its very important. Think about a present. It might be really good. But even better if its nicely wrapped up. And it’s the same with people. Did you know that if you walk into a room people decide if they like you or not in the first 10 seconds”

“Really?”

“Hmm. And so its important to package yourself well. If you look nice, dress in nice clothes, wear a smile, hold your head up and walk gently, people will want to find out more about what’s inside. If you don’t you may not get the chance to show them. So how you arrive at an event is important because that’s your packaging”

Daniella smiled at him. Maybe he wasn’t as scary as her own dad. And he’d been really understanding when Holly told him her secret after the match at St Lukes

“Sometimes we don’t all get worried about the same things” Steve continued “but that doesn’t stop us trying to understand the issue from a different perspective. Just because I’m not worried about something doesn’t stop it being a major concern to someone else. Ok, this weekend I want you to join our family. For the next two days, you can be Holly’s sister, like Geneviève”

A more relaxed smile spread across her face, “I don’t think I’ll ever be her sister like Geneviève”

“Maybe not.. .. But you may be surprised at how close you can get”

She looked puzzled as he stood up

“Now, you’re probably concerned about what’s for dinner? Right?.. .. So lets go through to the kitchen and find out. Yes?”

She took his hand as he pulled her up from the settee, and surprised herself at how easy it was to return the squeeze as they found Eloise and Holly and Geneviève with dinner all but ready.

“Hi Daniella” Eloise greeted her “Oh, do you prefer being called Dan or Danni or.. “
 “My friends call me Danni”

“Maybe by the end of the weekend we can call you Danni as well” teased Steve

Danni gave him something of an old fashioned look as Holly thumped him in the side

“Don’t you go teasing Daniella” and turning to her “if he does, you just thump him, like this”

“Oohh. But Danni’s going to be one of the family this weekend. Your new sister, just until Sunday. Right?” Danni nodded “So she gets teased exactly the same way you do”

Danni was intrigued. Her relationship with her father was more that of a revered ancestor. This was more like a risqué big brother

Dinner had been fun. Holly’s mum was a good cook and the food was nice. There was a chatter across the table that was more like lunch at Tamara’s dorm than evening meal with her parents. There seemed to be a general round up of the week and a look forward to the weekend. And then Geneviève had disappeared to play the piano. Daniella had helped Holly clear dinner and that made her feel more part of the family than being told to just sit quietly out of the way. They had popped in to the music room after that and she had had to blink several times and wait for her to make a rare mistake before she convinced herself that Geneviève was actually playing that music and it wasn’t coming off a cd somewhere. And then back to the living room where Steve had played through some tracks by some bands that he thought she’d like but might never have heard of. And now her eyes were closing. She didn’t want them to, there was still stuff going on that she didn’t want to miss!

“Danni, honey, you can go off to bed anytime you like.”

“Yeah, you must be tired. It’s all very strange. I remember when I first saw the house, I got exhausted just taking it all in” added Holly

15 minutes later Eloise tapped on her door, and peeked round. “Just making sure everything is ok, and you don’t need anything? “

“No, thankyou Eloise, I’m so grateful. Everything’s just perfect”

“Steve will probably pop in too. He does to Geneviève and Holly every night, so I expect he’ll include you too. Night Night”

Sure enough, Steve popped in just as Eloise was leaving. He sat down on the edge of her bed as she shuffled over to make space.

He beamed down at her “Everything ok?.. ..Sure?”

“Do you go in to say good night to Holly every night?”

“Yes. And Geneviève. After they’ve gone to bed. It’s a quiet time at the end of the day, and we sometimes talk about whatever it is they’re worried about, or things that are right or wrong or might go right or wrong the next day”

“I’m worried about the match”

“Of course you are, it’s only to be expected. A good night’s sleep will help, and don’t worry about waking up tomorrow. I’ll wake you up at towel time…”

“... Towel Time?”

“Yes, that’s the time I bring you a lovely warm soft towel for your shower and lob it at you if you’re not up by then”

“Really? You do that with Holly as well”

“Yes. And then breakfast will probably be in the kitchen, and Eloise will take you to Eastern Manor Fields. Then it’s back here for lunch and after that it’s whatever you and Holly want to do.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

Steve leant over and kissed her gently on the forehead “Good night Danni”

Danni gasped with a wide eyed smile as he tucked the cover round her neck

“ ’Night Steve. Thankyou for everything”

 
 It took longer to get to the Eastern Manor than Eloise had thought. She'd been there before so had no trouble finding it. But the morning was cold, the air fresh and frost lingered on many of the cars persuading the drivers to be more stupid than usual. Danni was already in her kit but ran over to the club house to join the team. She remembered what to say if Tamara asked her, but the subject didn't arise. Eloise and Holly stayed in the car until the face off, then moved to the touch line. At first, Holly watched the play quite casually, then more intensely, and latterly was studying it. She found she could predict the moves from the Eastern Region team, and she would never have been able to do that if she had been on the field.

The first half went largely as expected. A valiant defence from St Luke's but conceding two goals. Eloise retreated to the clubhouse to see if there was hot coffee - or indeed hot anything on offer, while Holly joined the St Luke's team to offer what consolation she could. Mrs Rockberry appeared out of nowhere “How did it go? she demanded
 “We're 2 nil down” admitted Sabrina
 Mrs Rockberry humphed “well try harder” and was gone
 “That's supposed to be our coach”
 “Fat lot of good she does”
 But the team were friendly enough as they commiserated their way through the verbal replay.
 “But what did you think?” asked Tamara “you know, from the side line?”
 “ Do you…. want to know?”
 “Well yes. Would I have asked if I didn't? Unless of course it's as helpful as the Rockin’ Berry”
 “Oh ok”, started Holly. “What I think is that they're playing really well. But… But they're playing in grid. You probably see them as girl to girl marking, but what's actually happening is that each of them is playing inside a set area relative to the other players rather than running all over the field and getting out of position. This means it's easier to know where the others are at any time and that’s why their passing is so spot on accurate”
The group had gone quiet as one by one the girls stopped talking to listen to what Holly had to say

“But” she continued “it opens them up to attack. They've got the technique and the practice, but you guys don't go to St Luke's for nothing. You've got the brain power, so you need to use that instead. You need to outwit these girls, not out-play them. I'll explain. Because they're working in a grid, if you watch carefully, they all pass the ball when they get near the edge of their areas. Its like you guys each have a position and that relates to part of the field relative to everyone else. Except these guys at Eastern have this screwed down to be really rigid. So if you watch carefully, you will start to tell when they're going to pass before they even raise their sticks. So if you time your run to the split second, you can make the interception. Then you just got to stay in possession until you can use a set piece – and dribble like mad”
“So” Sabrina said “they'll commit to the pass before they raise their stick?”
“That's right, and that’s why the next player is ready for it and you can tell when it's going to happen if you watch carefully because it's always at the same time, relative to the other players. I mean, once you've got the ball you're as good as them, it's just getting it”

“I’ve not noticed all that”

“No, I did think that I wouldn’t if I was on the field, but if you study it from the side-line without the distraction of actually playing, it’s quite distinct”
 “Worth a try?”
 “Nothing to lose!”
 Eastern were taken off guard by the new tactics. St Luke's studied the moves hard for the first few minutes, then bang, Sabrina was first to try the plan. Success, up the field, pass to Daniella, across the goalmouth, cross to Tamara and in the net. Wow. 2:1.
 Buoyed up by this success, more attempts were made as Eastern seemed to be catching on. But identifying the situation and addressing it were two different things. This was Eastern’s way of playing and jolly successful it was too. But they had no back up plan for when someone had broken their code - and would also have no answer to it when Long Meadow trounced them 4:1 the following week. But now Sabrina had picked up the ball. She dodged the mid field, slid round the defence and shot the goal. Off the post and still in play. Daniella gave it a mighty whack and it sailed past the keeper into the net 2:2 just moments before the whistle blew for full time.
 Eastern were frustrated, fuming and disappointed. While back in the changing rooms, St Luke's were treating this as something of a success.

Lunch for Daniella at Holly’s house was delightful. They talked about the match and Steve and Geneviève seemed genuinely interested. Her mum and dad would have moved the conversation on after two minutes, if there had been any conversation in the first place.

Then there was the plan for the afternoon. Steve suggested that if they were going outside that they go sooner rather than later as the weather was forecast to close in. Geneviève was intending to go down to the woods, but Holly wanted to show Danni her sewing room first.

And the plan was that Geneviève would take her land Rover and then Danni and Holly would follow on later in the tractor, Danni was confused. She was sure that Geneviève wasn’t 17. How was she able to drive?

“Is Steve taking us down in the tractor? Is there room for everyone?”

“No. There’s only room for one person on the tractor but its got a trailer”

Danni clearly had looked startled “Its fun” insisted Holly “Ok. So you can drive and I’ll go in the trailer”

This was intriguing. Danni had never been in charge of driving anything for herself since her pedal car when she was 4, and the odd bicycle. But she looked out of the window to see Geneviève climb into the driving seat of the Land Rover that was parked outside the front door and confidently speed off through the gap in the hedge. And this is what passed as being perfectly normal around here!

But the weather held and it was only when Geneviève said that they’d better get back that Danni realised she was flagging a bit. Now she was nervous that she might fall asleep before dinner. But back at the house Steve caught Danni by her arm and Holly by hooking his elbow round her neck. He said there was no rush but they should be ready to go out by six o’clock. Yes it was quite early, but it had been a big day for Daniella and suddenly she had no time to feel tired any more.

The shower in her room was even more comforting than it had been that morning and she was thankful that she’d packed a pretty dress.

She sank into the back of that big BMW with the red glow from the dashboard and the subdued reading light by her left shoulder. Her heart jumped again as she saw the signs for the Castle on the gatepost they’d just passed. She’d heard Dreanna and Tamara talk about the Castle in tones of awe and reverence as reserved for very special occasions. And now here she was and the adrenalin she was feeling would keep her awake all night.

As at lunch, there was plenty of conversation and everyone kept inviting her to join in. What did she think, what did she like best, did she like her turbot? And the wine! Oh my. No-one asked her if she wanted any or not. It was just assumed that she would! And then Steve asked her opinion of it and that was weird as well. She’d only ever had a sip or two of wine before and had not really liked it. But this was eminently drinkable

“Danni seems to like this as much as Holly does, so I think we’ll need another bottle” Steve said to the waiter as he dropped by to make sure everything was all right “Except, I think we should try the Viognier and see if Danni likes that as well”

“What you mean, daddy, is that you hope she doesn’t and there’s some left for you” laughed Geneviève and Danni found herself immersed in the family banter like it was the most natural thing in the world. And yes, the Viognier was equally eminently drinkable.

Sunday evening came round so fast. She’d got up quite late having slept as soundly as ever she could remember, but with a slight unnatural fuzziness in her head. It soon cleared as Holly said they were headed for the river and Danni was driving again. But now she sat in the music room listening spellbound to Geneviève practicing her grade pieces then moving on to lighter gentler more modern French composers

[cue Sleeping Satellite – Tasmin Archer]

Danni was finishing her maths homework and she let her mind drift into replay. Driving the tractor through the forest and down to the river this morning, Dinner at The Castle yesterday evening. That was awesome, she’d always wanted to go there. It was hugely expensive and she’d seen the price of the wine! but the food was unbelievable. Each plate was a work of art and tasted amazing. Then the frost on the roadside grass on the way back being picked out like a ghostly magic carpet in the headlights.

She was interrupted by Steve, although she sat just continuing her random replay – yes, Steve - he made it all possible, and he was so nice to her. She’d never met anyone like him before and it gave her a very funny feeling that she didn’t recognise somewhere between awesome and nervous. Maybe her own dad was… “

“Dad on the line. Daniella”

But Steve’s hand was holding hers lifting her gently up from the settee and she was floating…

“Danni!  Mum and dad on the phone”

“Ok what?” as she drifted into the hall with him.

“Hi Marvin, I’ve got Danni here now, and Holly, and here’s Eloise – nearly a full house”

“Yeah, look, we’re running a bit behind time. Thought we should give you a call to make sure everything is ok and talk about a plan”

“Have you and Angela run into difficulties then?”

“The problem is the weather. Don’t know what its like where you are, but we’ve got an inch and a half of fresh snow here and it shows no sign of letting up. The car just took off on its own into the ditch. We got it back on to the road and there’s not much damage but the weather is bringing the traffic to a standstill”

“So where are you?”

Just North of Derby, but we appreciate that we’re supposed to be with you to pick up Daniella”

“Ok, we have no problem holding on to Daniella”

He turned slightly and grabbed her by her shirt collar “She’s an absolute delight to have around the house”

“Hey, its not meant to be that literal!” she laughed

“So”, he continued “You need to do what’s best for you. Maybe you should try to find somewhere to stay tonight, and we’ll sort out Daniella for school tomorrow, Does she have a key”

“Yes. She should have her key with her”

“So if she needed anything, that’s one option, she stays here tonight and you guys get back when you can tomorrow. Or you just get on the road and make progress the best you can, show up here anytime. Or if you go straight home, we’ll bring Danni over ...”

Geneviève interrupted “Not so good, dad, have you seen the snow outside. And its still coming down. The minor roads will have a problem”

“Ok, Marvin, Geneviève just pointed out the conditions around here are not the best for driving, but then that should reduce the amount of traffic out there”

“I don’t know this area, but I’d rather find a hotel than risk these conditions. But I’d also like to get home”

“Ok, Good luck with it and don’t worry about Daniella. We’ll sort out whatever she needs to do, and if she stays tonight as well, then that’s ok too. Yes of course you can have a word with her. See you sometime”

“Hi mum. Yes its awesome here. Steve? Yes he’s amazing. He’s so lovely.”

“Oi! That’s my dad you’re talking about!”

“Yes, amazing. We went out to dinner yesterday. Guess where we went to? No, No, No, we went to the Castle. Mum, the Castle! Its awesome. And today I drove the tractor through the woods to the river. Yes, Holly and Geneviève were in the trailer. Its so much fun. Good time? Yes. No, I’ve got my own room – and my own bathroom, and mummy, you and dad need to see the chandelier they’ve got in the hall.. .Oh, ok. I’ll see you when you get here”

“We’ll just have to wait and see when they can get through. But I’m glad you’re having a good time. I remember back to Friday and someone who was a bit nervous”

Danni nodded vigorously, “But all of you have made it such a lovely weekend. I might try to persuade my parents to go away again soon”

I think we should all help mummy clear up, then sit down and have a drink and make sure we have a plan.

Steve was first onto the settee as Holly went to pour some drinks

“Small whiskey, please” opened Steve and I’m thinking Eloise will have a gin and tonic, probably a large one”
 “I’m having a Cointreau” said Holly, and I think Geneviève will want one too. Danni? Cointreau?”

“I don’t know”

“Its really yummy”

“So long as you don’t drink it too fast” interrupted Steve “I know one little girl here who nearly had steam coming out of her ears”

“It’s a liqueur, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Orange. Or you can have an Amaretto, that’s almond”

“And its quite strong” added Steve as Holly placed all the drinks on the low coffee table

Eloise and Geneviève sat down on the central settee as Steve shuffled up. Holly bounced onto the end beside him and joining in, Danni bounced into the slightly too small space between Eloise and Steve, and with a little banter and a lot of good humour, they all squeezed up. Danni was quite squashed, but beamed up as Holly handed her the drink, this really was like being a member of the family.

“I don’t think my dad would approve” she said sipping it carefully

“No?” questioned Steve, “Well, let me tell you about Sarah. I was at school with Sarah, and while we all got up to the usual mischief”

“Mischief, Steve, surely not!” cut in Eloise

“Like what?” asked Holly “you mean drinking and smoking and things”

“I did try a cigarette once. I choked so much I nearly passed out! But of course being stupid, I tried another one the next day. No surprise, same thing happened again and I haven’t touched one since. But we did do a bit of drinking if someone had managed to blag some cider or beer. And sometimes we’d play tricks or pranks on each other, or even on just people passing by. I remember one time we rigged up a small speaker high up in a tree and played a recording of a parrot through it so that all these people passing by were staring up into the tree looking for the parrot. No? Oh well, we thought it was funny. Anyway I was telling you about Sarah. She wasn’t allowed to have any alcohol at all, even a glass of wine if they went out for dinner. And she wasn’t allowed to go out with friends as there might be boys around, like me, and that would never do, would it! I don’t think she had a day’s fun in her whole life. Anyway, on her 18th birthday, she went out to celebrate, and her parents said that was ok because she was grown up now and was old enough. So down at the pub, we were fine, but she had never had a drink before in her life and wasn’t used to it, so by the third drink she was completely off her head. Some of the more, well, unscrupulous boys took her out to their car in the car park and by the time her girl-friends noticed she’d gone and went out to look for her, these guys had persuaded her to take most of her clothes off. Her friends took her home and delivered her to her mum and dad. Well! He went ape, totally nuts, going on that this was no way to repay him for bringing her up so carefully. None of us found out exactly what went on, and at least she didn’t get pregnant, but he refused to subsidise her through Uni, so she had to just get a job in a bank. But it went to show me that you need to be introduced to all the vices of life slowly, and by degrees. You need a controlled environment before you go off on your own”

“Gosh!” said Danni “I’d better have another one of these Cointreaus”

“Ok, but not a third one. You were ok with the wine last night, so you should be ok with this. But I don’t want you to be drunk when your parents show up”

“That would be ….. a disaster!. I think my dad is a bit like Sarah’s dad”

“So what was the worst bit of your weekend” asked Steve.

Everyone joined in with highlights, and it became clear that Danni had been a successful catalyst for an amazing weekend for everyone.

“I don’t think there was a worst bit. Emm. I was very nervous before a met you and Eloise. But everything has been amazing. Everything from having my own bathroom, to Holly’s help at hockey, and then learning to drive the tractor all over the place and dinner at the Castle – that was awesome, and the walk by the river and listening to Geneviève playing the piano. That’s unbelievable… I just don’t know how to say thankyou enough”

Holly was bursting with pride. This was her family Daniella was talking about. And she’d had an amazing time as well. And even found time to squeeze in her homework.

Steve made to get up, but with Holly on one side and Danni on the other, it wasn’t going to happen. Gently he slipped his arm around Danni and started to lift her up as well. “Oh” she gasped “careful. I think the room is about to go round and round again”

“That’s not a third glass is it?” he asked feigning annoyance. Danni nodded sheepishly and hiccupped much to everyone amusement.

“Let’s hope that the snow is serious enough to make sure you stay here tonight then”

“I’m not sure your parents are going to get back through that. Its still falling”

“Oh my goodness” slurred Danni “Oh! Was that the doorbell? That wasn’t the doorbell was it? Did anyone else hear the bell? Or was it only me that heard it”

“Only you” replied Holly quickly

“Oh dear. I think I’ve found my limit is two Cointreaus”

“And I’d be a little surprised if it was the doorbell. That would mean someone had broken in through the green gate”

“Of course, I was forgetting you lived on a private estate not a normal house”

Next morning, it was just gone 7 when Holly answered the phone as Steve and Daniella were about to set out into the snowy unknown. There was a good three inches of snow on the ground, but the expectation was that the main routes into town would be open.

“Yes” Holly had said “Daniella is just fine and already on her way to school, Dad’s taken her early because its cross country and there’s likely to be more problems than the main roads. And Danni needs some stuff from your house for school today”

Progress was difficult. The little traffic there was had compressed the snow and Steve weaved up the road keeping to the fresh layers. Danni talked a little about her house and how it was much smaller than Steve’s and if that’s the kind of house the girls at Long Meadow had, she’d better just stay at St Lukes.

“One thing about St Lukes” he said “is that everyone looks so much smarter. At my work I try to encourage everyone to dress smartly because I think it improves the quality of the work everyone does. Not just yourself, but seeing scruffy make you think scruffy and then do scruffy. Not everyone takes care of their appearance at Long Meadow.”

Meanwhile Holly and Geneviève chattered it the car. Yes, towel time had taken Danni as much by surprise today as it had before. And Danni having too much to drink last night!

“But that was your fault Holly, you encouraged it and you poured it.”

“Yes, but she drank it.”

“She’d be too polite not to” put in Eloise in a rare break from concentrating on the slippery road.

Now in her office Eloise called Steve on his car phone. Danni nearly jumped out of her skin as the phone rang.

“Oh. Oh my. Is that a phone? No, I'm imagining it. Its like that doorbell last night”

“Did you catch that, Danni?”
 “Sorry, Steve. I was deliberately not listening. In case it was your work or something”

“Ok, so your parents are completely stuck in Derbyshire. Apparently some girl in the car park tried to get her car out this morning and it just slipped sideways and put a huge scratch in the car next to it. Your dad says the conditions are impossible”

Danni looked over with some trepidation.

“So, what time do you finish school?”

“It should be 4 o’clock today. That’s when the south minibus leaves”

“Ok, so you’ll be alright on that”

“I expect so, except Mum was going to pick me up anyway”

“And she may well be back by then”

“Got everything you need?” he asked as they stopped outside the drop off entrance?”

“Hmmm. Think so”

“Oh, and Danni. You look gorgeous. Just thought I’d tell you that. That means your work will be great too”

Danni was a little taken aback, but accepted the compliment in the spirit she thought it was meant.

Throughout the day a number of the girls commented on the storm clouds as they intensified during the morning, and then as they darkened during early afternoon as the snow started falling again. There was soon some optimistic speculation that the school might be closed the next day if it continued

“That’s not much use to us boarders” moaned Tamara, but it wasn’t till Maths in last period that the extent of the problem started to dawn on them

“Are there any questions?” Miss was asking as she finished scribbling on her white board. “Sabrina. You look like you want to ask a question”
 “Not really, miss”

“Come now, Sabrina. If you’ve got a question, let’s be hearing it”

“Well, miss. What I was wondering is if the north minibus is still going to be able to run tonight?”

A ripple of laughter ran through the room

“Just as I thought maybe you were beginning to take an interest in algebra! Huh! But. But I did insist and it is a good question”

Miss dialled the office as the class sat in some anticipation thinking what the consequences would be if it wasn’t.

“Well girls. The answer is that no, it may not be able to run its full route, and the South will be restricted to this side of Peaches Hill”

There were gasps from a number of points around the room. Miss dissolved the class early so that the girls that needed to could make phone calls. Sabrina announced that she had booked into the spare room in Tamara’s dorm, but Daniella just drifted towards the common room at the front of the old building. If the bus wasn’t going to run, how was her mum going to manage? She phoned her house but as she had expected there was no reply. If they were snowed in in Derbyshire that morning, there was a good chance they wouldn’t be back home even now. With all the other day girls franticly phoning parents, she sat down to try to think.

“Daniella, you’re looking worried. Are you all right? Are you ok getting home this evening?”

“I’m sorry Miss Coben, but I have absolutely no idea whatsoever”

But the little hand sat square on the four and the minibus was not going to even attempt to take the Peaches Hill route. That would mean an eight mile walk, and she decided against it. In any case the plan was that her mum would be here at 4. Ok so maybe they got held up somewhere, but as ten past and then quarter past came up, she was seriously considering camping out on the common room floor. Maybe Sabrina would let her share the spare room. There were two beds in it after all. And she still had her little case with her from the weekend. Miss Coben returned to make sure she was alright and stood near her looking out of the window

“Are you expecting someone?”
 “Yes. My mum. But I don’t think she’ll be coming now. She doesn’t like going out in the rain, never mind a blizzard. And she’s twenty minutes late already”

She gazed out of the window at the big white goose feathers carpeting the drive as a familiar car appeared out of the whiteout and slithered to a stop.

“Steve!” she yelled “Sorry Miss Coben” as she fled the common room and through the hall as if maybe he wouldn’t wait for her. She dived out through the hall archway and in through the door that had opened for her, jumping across the seat to give him the biggest hug.

“Come on babe. This is not weather for hanging around”

“Oh, Steve. I didn’t realise how much I was worried about staying in school all night”

Seldom had she been so relieved to sink into the deep leather armchair that served as the front passenger seat in the BMW.

Back in the staff room Miss Coben was looking puzzled

“What’s Daniella’s father called?” she asked as an open question “Its not Steve is it?”

“Don’t think so. I think its Harvey or Martin. Something like that. The person who would know is Tamara”

But the conversation in the common room with Tamara hardly panned out as Miss Coben had expected either

“No, Miss. Its Marvin. Why?”

“Just that she said she was waiting for her mum, but when this car pulled in she screamed ‘Steve’ and ran out. She seemed to give him a big hug”

“What kind of car was it, Miss?

“BMW, I think. It was quite big”

“Oh, Miss. That’ll be Holly’s dad. I think he’s called Steve”

“Holly?”         

“Mmm. She met her at hockey. She’s cool. A good sport. A great laugh”

“Yes, but a big hug?”

“Well, yes. Wouldn’t you? He’s got a 740i. That’s the top of the range BMW. Its brand new, they’re about 60 thousand pounds and there’s only about six of them in the country”

“Oh, I see” she managed to say, as if that were some kind of justification.

It was 10 minutes into the drive on the main road east before she sat up looking puzzled

“Steve, is this the right way?”

“I guess that depends on where you’re trying to get to”

“I thought we were going home?

“Who’s home?” he teased”

“My home” she offered meekly         

“No, I’m afraid not. Your parents are still stuck in the Midlands. The motorway has been at a standstill virtually all day, so they decided not to even try. And getting down from Bridgewater is currently classed as impassable. So, if you get the impression that you’re headed for a very remote part of the countryside through the teeth of a blizzard with a high prospect of getting stuck somewhere for the night, then you’d be right. This is exactly the case that your mum was thinking about when she told you never to get into a car with a strange man. Didn’t she?”

“Possibly, but you’re not strange. You’re adorable”

Steve wasn’t sure about that as a compliment. Babies could be adorable, new born animals, cuddly toys, but your best friend’s dad? He decided she was teasing him, which was probably only what he deserved, but that in itself was a compliment.