The Meant to Be Collection

by Claire Highton-Stevenson

  Catherine sighed and swallowed down the last of the Scotch. “Yes, it’s all wonderful now…but what about ten years from now when she’s in her sexual prime and I’m getting wrinklier by the minute?!”

  The roar of laughter from her friend made her jump. “Oh my God, will you listen to yaself, Hen. You’re gorgeous at 42 and you’ll be just as gorgeous a decade later. Don’t close yourself off to potentially the best thing that has happened to you in your entire life, just because of a whole heap of ‘what ifs.’”

  Chapter Eleven

  Monday morning found Brooke standing outside of Pollards with twenty minutes to spare. She had spent the entire weekend trying to decide if she should come here at all, and why it was that for the first time in years she had met someone decent, someone she felt a connection with, only for nothing to come of it.

  To say she felt cheated would be an understatement. Catherine had been right; she needed this job, and that was the only reason why she was standing here in the cold, weeks before Christmas. Checking her bank balance had put any thought of refusing right out of the window. One of the bonuses of this job had been that it was an immediate start, and in six months she would get a store discount card and a raise.

  She blew out a frustrated breath and watched as customers flooded into Pollards. She checked her watch again and then followed them in. An older gentleman in a store uniform smiled and greeted Brooke as she wandered inside. “You look a bit lost, anything I can help you with?”

  “I start working here today,” she said with a half-smile. “Not sure where I am supposed to go.”

  He chuckled. “Well, I’ve seen happier people on their first day. You’ll wanna head over to Customer Services, they’ll sort you out. I’m Stan, by the way.”

  “Thanks, Stan. I guess I am a little nervous. I’ll see you around,” she said, waving back to him as she walked in the direction he had pointed to.

  “Good morning, welcome to Pollards.” Apparently, all Pollards staff were good-natured in the morning, she mused. Immaculately dressed and wearing a name tag that read Jeffrey, he stood proudly in his uniform behind the big desk that marked them apart.

  “Good morning, Jeffrey. My name is Brooke Chambers. I start work today, but I’m not sure where I need to go first.”

  He smiled again. “Oh how wonderful, we do so love a new member to the team. I imagine heading up to HR will do the trick.” He looked over her shoulder and noticed a young woman. “Amber?” he called out. The woman stopped instantly to look in the direction she heard her name called from, pulling an earbud from her left ear. Her lips curved upwards when she realised who it was. “You’re heading up to HR, would you show Brooke the way, she is starting today?”

  Amber lit up like a tree at Christmas. Everything about her seemed bright and sunny. Office staff clearly didn’t have to wear a uniform, and she made the most of it with her big comfy yellow knit sweater and cobalt blue trouser combination. “Sure, hi Brooke. Welcome to Pollards.” Her hair had, Brooke assumed, originally been one of the shades of blonde. Now it was an amalgam of pinks, purples, and reds.

  Brooke tried a smile and pretty much pulled it off. She followed Amber across the shop floor and through a door out the back. Half way up the two flights of stairs, Brooke asked, “You work in HR then?”

  “I do indeed. I guess you’ve already met Ms Frosty Knickers?” She smirked and added a wink. “At the interview?”

  “Uh…” Brooke shrugged. “There were two women on the panel…so…” Brooke felt her cheeks colour, almost to the same hue as Amber’s hair.

  “Ah, yeah, Kim is great…she works with me in the office, we do all the day-to-day stuff. Paul is head of security, but they probably told you about that.”

  Brooke nodded, sure now that “Frosty Knickers” was Catherine. “Yeah, they mentioned that.” Amber’s heels click-clacked as they climbed the steps.

  “Well, anyway I am sure you’ll do fine and not need to deal with Frosty.”

  “Uh, why?”

  Amber stopped and turned as she hit the top step. It was probably the only way the shorter woman was ever on anyone else’s eye level. “The only time we deal with anyone up here is when they start working here, stop working here, or get into trouble.” She eyed Brooke up and down before adding, “You don’t look like trouble to me.”

  Brooke laughed nervously. “Well, let’s hope so.”

  Pollards was an old-fashioned department store that kept everything they did in house. “This is payroll, you’ll wanna know where they are. Trust me, if you do overtime, keep track.” Amber leant in. “Sandra and Alex are forever cocking that up.”

  It was a maze of corridors and doors that led to various offices and departments. As they passed each one, Amber would point it out and give a brief description of what they did and who worked there, imparting nuggets of gossip and information that Brooke assumed was part of working life here at the store.

  The HR department was made up of three inter-connecting rooms. There was one main office where three desks filled the space as well as a bank of filing cabinets along one wall. Shelving filled with files lined another wall. A photocopier and printer took up the largest space against yet another wall. There was a small window that overlooked the parking area outside, but at least it was natural light, and in the distance, you could see as far as the city.

  Two doors led off from the right. The first was a meeting room. Through the portal window in the door, Brooke could see a long table that could comfortably sit maybe 10 people, and there was a large whiteboard with the evidence of the last meeting still scrawled across it. A larger window looked out across the glass roof of the main part of the store in a different direction to the main office window. The last door was exactly the same as all of the others, except for the name plate, a black rectangle of plastic with the words “Ms Blake - Head of Human Resources” stamped into it. It was clearly Catherine’s office.

  Brooke felt her insides roil at the thought of seeing Catherine again. She checked her watch (five minutes to the hour) and ran a hand through her short hair, grateful for the extra time she had spent this morning getting ready. At least she felt good about herself, presentable and ready for whatever this job – and Catherine – threw at her. Or so she thought.

  “Good luck,” Amber whispered as Brooke readied herself to enter Catherine’s office. Optimistically, she hoped that given a few days to think, when things had settled down a bit, maybe they could pick up where they left off.

  Her knuckles tapped against the door, butterflies building as she waited. It felt like an age before she heard the quiet, “Come in.” Exhaling, she pressed the handle down and slowly opened the door.

  She should have prepared herself better, should have stopped herself from thinking anything more about Catherine Blake, because seeing her sitting at her desk staring up at her as though she were just another person was like a slap in the face. But then she reminded herself that that was all she was. The thought hurt.

  “Take a seat,” Catherine said, her voice void of any emotion. She turned back to her computer screen and finished typing something with barely a glance at Brooke. When she was finished, she turned back and looked up, finally giving Brooke her attention. “Thank you for being so prompt, if it’s one thing I cannot abide it’s tardiness.” She removed her glasses, folding the arms and placing them gently down on her desk.

  “I was in the army,” Brooke reminded her as she sat down. She sat up straight, hands resting easily in her lap. She looked confident and composed to anyone looking in, but inside she was battling the urge not to start throwing up all the questions she had at her.

  “Of course.” The image of Brooke’s photograph in her uniform flashed across Catherine’s memory, but it was banished in seconds. “So, this week you will spend the majority of your time here in the office. Towards the end of the week you’ll probably start shadowing with Mr Stone in store.”

  Catherine Blake at the office was not the same Ca
therine that was occasionally found at a bar, and definitely not the same Catherine that let loose between the sheets, Brooke considered. The woman sitting opposite her certainly looked like Catherine. Her voice was similar too, but the sultry sexiness from before was replaced with a stern, matter-of-fact coolness that permeated the room like a nasty bout of flu.

  “So, as you will find, Pollards is a company that takes its health and safety extremely seriously,” she continued as Brooke zoned in and out from her own thoughts, her mind trying to comprehend who this woman was and failing completely. An enigma, she decided.

  “You’ll be expected to read and sign the various SOPs, of course…”

  “Sorry, what?”

  “Standard Operating Procedures.” Catherine’s head tilted to the left. “Ms Chambers, I do hope that your attention to detail will be far better once on the shop floor?”

  Brooke felt a tight smile purse her lips at the admonishment. She bit back the thoughts that ran through her head. Uh huh, you seemed to like my attention to detail. Instead, she went with the politer, “Yes, sorry Catherine…”

  “It’s Ms Blake,” she warned. “And you will do well to remember that.”

  Brooke stiffened at the second reprimand. How could this woman be so different, and why? It didn’t make any sense, and that was the biggest frustration to Brooke. She wanted to add her own rebuke, starting with why the hell was she being such a bitch? But she bit her tongue.

  “I’ll put you with Amber for the rest of the day. She will go through them with you. Tomorrow you will report to Paul Stone, he is your team leader and he will get you kitted out in uniform, and then you can return to Amber until you’re up to speed with things.” She looked up to make sure that Brooke was paying attention. “Then it’s up to you.”

  “Up to me?”

  “Yes, whether you stay at Pollards or decide the job isn’t for you.”

  Brooke scoffed. “The job will be fine.” She stood up. “is there anything else? Or should I just run along?”

  Catherine sat back in her chair and observed her fleetingly. “There is no need for that attitude.”

  There was a need for the attitude, but getting sacked on her first day wasn’t something she wanted on her CV. “I am sorry. I just don’t—”

  Catherine breathed deeply. “If this is going to be too difficult for you, Ms Chambers…”

  Brooke threw up her palms. “No, it’s fine. I guess it’s just a little disconcerting to have you behave like we never even met before when in fact, I’ve seen you naked and made you come, several times.” She lowered her voice, but the intent was there.

  Catherine smarted, and looked as though she were about to reply when she thought better of it. Instead, she picked up a file and opened it. Without looking up again, she said, “Amber will give you everything you need.”

  The sound of the door clicking closed drew Catherine’s attention to the emptiness of the room; it felt suffocating. She placed her pen down and sat back, sighing deeply. This was not going to be as easy as she had convinced herself it would be.

  Brooke Chambers was not just another employee.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sliding her key into the lock, Brooke could already hear the loud rap music blasting out from the stereo in Robin’s room. She entered her home unheard and wandered down the hallway. At least Robin had made it home safely from school. Checking her watch, it was just after 7 p.m. Her little sister had been home for at least 3 hours. She sighed and prepared herself for the mess that would greet her.

  “Hey, I’m home,” she called out, kicking her shoes off and tossing her jacket over a chair. Tiredness was creeping up on her as the minutes ticked by. All she wanted to do was shower, crawl into bed, and forget about Catherine Blake.

  The room was surprisingly tidy. Robin’s schoolbag lay haphazardly on the sofa, but at least it was closed and not spewing books all over the place like usual. She picked it up and moved it to the floor next to Jasmine’s. “Robin!” she shouted. The door to the youngster’s bedroom opened and Jasmine Khan’s head poked out with a big cheesy grin plastered to her face.

  “Oh hey, Brooke!” Her head popped back into the room. The music stopped abruptly and Jasmine reappeared, followed by Robin as both girls exited the bedroom, giggling and jostling with each other playfully.

  “Hey, Sis. How did it go?” Robin flopped down on the couch, pulling Jas with her. The pair of them continued to giggle as they landed in a heap.

  “It was okay, I guess.”

  Robin frowned. Brooke didn’t sound happy at all. She also didn’t look as though she wanted to talk about it, so she let it go. “That’s good, I cooked dinner.” Robin announced. Jumping to her feet again, she pulled Jasmine up with her. “Oh, and Jas is staying over. That okay?” The pair had wanted to do something special for Brooke’s first day at work. Mrs Khan had agreed and allowed Jas to stay over. Even though it was a school night, she knew her daughter and Robin were good influences on each other.

  “Sure, what did you cook?” She wasn’t that surprised; Robin had been taking a big interest in cooking and the kitchen lately. She liked watching those cookery programs on the TV and if the interest in art, history, and archaeology tailed off, then Brooke expected a career in cookery to take its place.

  “Spag Bol, but I put some spinach in it so it’s more like a Florentine,” she called over her shoulder knowingly. “Wanna beer?”

  “Nah, I’m good. How long have I got?”

  Jas poked her head out of the kitchen. “Ten minutes, but we can hold off the spaghetti.”

  “Okay, can I get time to grab a quick shower?”

  “Whatever ya want,” Jas called back before heading back into the kitchen. “You think she looked a little sad?” She watched as Robin opened a cupboard and measured out the right amount of spaghetti for the three of them.

  “Yeah, I thought that. Maybe she just had a busy day, or the new girlfriend hasn’t called.”

  “I guess.” Jas considered the other possibility. Brooke was nice. There was no way the girlfriend wouldn’t have called, surely. “Tired, probably.” She reached into the drawer and pulled out cutlery to lay the table, setting up three placings. “What did she say about working for my dad?”

  “I’m working on her. At the moment she’s all no way Robin, you need to study…but, I have a few more tricks up my sleeve.”

  “It will be so much fun. Dad is barely there and as long as we get the jobs done, he doesn’t mind if we mess about. Unless it’s in front of the customers. Then it’s a big no no.” She grinned and pulled three plates from the cupboard.

  Robin stirred the pot, lifted the spoon to taste, and shook her head. “Needs more salt,” she said as much to herself than to Jasmine. “If she has this Catherine to keep her busy, then she will want me out of her hair.”

  “True, and we do not want to be hanging around here if they’re gonna be kissy-face all the time.”

  Robin grimaced. “Ugh, I so do not need to witness that.” Both girls fell about laughing. “Anyway, I have plans to be kissy-facing myself, with Miles.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The alarm went off at exactly 6:39 a.m. Brooke groaned and threw the cover off. It was getting colder in the mornings now, and she shivered a little as her bare feet hit the laminate flooring. A stark reminder that she needed to buy a rug.

  She had set the alarm twenty-one minutes early, knowing full well if she didn’t then two teenagers would hog the bathroom for the best part of an hour and she would be late to work on her second day. Plus, 21 was a good number.

  As the hot water washed over her, she considered just climbing back under the covers. She could stay here and avoid Catherine Blake altogether, but the other part of her had the “fuck it” attitude of going in to work and showing Catherine Blake just what she was missing. Her “fuck it” attitude always won out.

  The one positive thing about a cold room was that she dried off and dressed in record time. Mission ac
complished, she headed to the kitchen to make some tea and to toast a couple of slices of bread. Heavy breakfasts had never been her thing. Unless she was being frog-marched on a 15-mile hike with a 30-pound backpack on her back – then she would load up on carbs galore – but deskbound at Pollards, she figured the toast would suffice. Plus, she could always grab something at the canteen.

  The girls shuffled past her in the hallway, Jas heading for the bathroom, while Robin pushed into the kitchen first.

  “Morning,” Brooke said.

  “Hmm,” mumbled her sister, eyes half-closed against the bright fluorescent lighting.

  Brooke chuckled and hit the button on the kettle. “Want some tea?”

  “Please,” Robin managed as she pulled the fridge door open and found the bowls of overnight oats they had made the night before. She left them on the table and returned to the fridge to get some orange juice. “Brooke? You okay?” she asked, her head inside the cold box.

  Putting down the tea caddy, Brooke turned her way. “Yeah, why?”

  Finally, Robin found the OJ and put the carton on the table beside the oats. “Dunno, you just look a little unhappy.”

  Her toast popped and she made a grab for it, juggling the hot slice onto the plate. “I’m fine, just a long day. Lots of stuff to remember.” She smiled it off, but Robin wasn’t convinced.

  “You said the one thing we always had, other than each other, was honesty.”

  Brooke nodded, caught in her own web. “You’re right.” She took a bite out of her toast and swallowed down a swig of tea before she had finished chewing. “I guess I am just a little upset that I won’t be seeing Catherine anymore.”

  Robin stopped pouring the juice, her eyes widening at this news. “But I thought…”

  “Yeah, me too, but turns out she’s my boss, kind of.”

  “Holy fuck!” Robin exclaimed before clamping a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, but…how?”

  Brooke shrugged and grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair. “Shit happens, I guess. Look, I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.” Opening her wallet, she pulled a five-pound note from it and held it out to Robin. “I’ll be alright. Get something for lunch and do not buy chips.”