Not every woman was ready for a serious career with all its demands, but I was and I wanted Clara to be as well. It would give her more choices in life and a wider set of career options. I wanted Clara to have the world at her feet. She was so clever and had such amazing concentration for such a young child. I knew she’d be a huge success and I’d be cheering her on every step of the way.
While Wendy fixed herself up in the bathroom, I went in to salvage the meeting and try to placate my client.
After the meeting ended and we had walked the clients out, Wendy followed me into my office.
‘That went well,’ she said.
I looked at her. She was completely dishevelled. Her skirt was twisted around, her shirt was crumpled and her jacket had a stain on the shoulder. Her hair was unbrushed. She was not representative of the image I wanted for my team.
She’d also given the client misinformation during the meeting. She’d got her figures mixed up and I could see Ross raising his eyebrow when she did. I’d smoothed it over, but it had been one more mistake and I was fed up.
I sat down behind my tidy desk. Wendy flopped into the chair opposite me.
‘Actually, Wendy, it didn’t go well. The mistake you made with the profit-margin figures reflected badly on us.’
She shrugged. ‘Come on, it’s no big deal. I’ll change it now and send him a clean copy of the figures.’
Was she stupid or just careless? Where was the Wendy I’d hired two years ago, the ambitious, hard-working, focused young woman?
‘I’d appreciate it if you were not casual with details. I pride myself on this department always being on top of our portfolios and I do not want anyone dropping the ball.’
Wendy flinched. ‘I’m not dropping the ball, Louise. Stop trying to make me feel bad. I work very hard.’
‘No, Wendy, you used to work very hard. But lately you’ve been unpunctual, you’ve made mistakes and your attitude is very … casual. You need to pull up your socks, Wendy.’
She stood up, her eyes filling. Oh, God, she was going to cry. I really didn’t want to deal with tears. ‘I’m doing my best. Could you just cut me some slack? God, Louise, you’re a single mother too – don’t you ever have bad days? Or is your child just perfect like you?’
How dare she speak to me like that?
‘Listen, Wendy, I’m sick and tired of you using your child as an excuse. As I said earlier, you need to organize your life and your childcare so that you can get to work on time. If your child doesn’t sleep, get a sleep expert in to fix it. You cannot continue to come into work late, half asleep and half dressed.’
‘Not everyone has a perfect life, Louise!’ Her voice was rising. ‘Some of us are mere mortals whose children get sick, puke and cry.’
‘Am I interrupting?’ Sophie stood in the doorway, holding two cups of coffee.
I’d never been so glad to see anyone. ‘Not at all. Wendy was just leaving,’ I said coldly.
Wendy stormed out of the office, almost knocking Sophie down.
‘Someone else you were hard on?’ Sophie asked.
‘No. I was hard on you and I’m sorry, but Wendy is just a mess.’
‘She was upset.’
‘If you look at her sideways, she gets upset.’
‘Go easy on her, Louise. She looked like a woman on the edge.’
‘She’s letting the department down.’
‘OK, but everyone has bad days. Even you.’
‘Rarely. Anyway, forget my work woes, it’s great to see you.’
Sophie smiled. ‘I had a meeting nearby so I thought I’d call in. I got all of your messages and your apologies are accepted. Just don’t ever criticize me again.’
‘I was trying to help.’
‘I understand, but you came at me like a bulldozer – and in front of everyone.’
‘I’m sorry. I completely mishandled it. What I was trying to say is that you’re a gorgeous woman with an incredible figure. You don’t need to wear mini-skirts. You look great in everything and there does come a stage when women have to lower their hemlines a little.’
Sophie sighed. ‘Thanks, and I know you meant well, but you need to work on your approach.’
‘I will. How –’
My office door flew open. It was Wendy. ‘I have to go home. Freddy has a raging temperature. I know, if it was you, you’d stay and continue working but I need to be with my son.’
God, she was annoying. ‘Go home, Wendy. If you decide to come in tomorrow, please be on time.’
‘Ice Queen,’ she muttered, loudly enough for me to hear.
‘Yikes!’ Sophie said. ‘She really doesn’t like you.’ She looked thoughtfully at the door Wendy had just slammed behind her. ‘I’d be careful there, Louise. You don’t want an employee who hates you. They can cause you a world of trouble. Wendy seems very tightly wound. She could go to HR and complain that you’re being unfair to her, causing her emotional distress. Things could get tricky.’
‘I’m running a department, Sophie, not a crèche.’
‘Running a department requires people skills, Louise. You need to remember that. You’re not just a lawyer, you’re also a boss. You don’t want to alienate your staff.’
‘My staff are fine, except Wendy.’
‘She’s a mum with a sick child. Cut her some slack.’
‘I’ve often had to leave Clara at home with a nanny when she’s had a temperature. I just check in every hour and ninety-nine per cent of the time she’s fine after a spoonful of paracetamol. There’ve been plenty of times when I’d have liked to rush home to her, and many more times when I’ve felt like a bad mother, riddled with guilt. But if you choose to work in a professional corporate environment then you have to step up to the plate.’
‘I know what it’s like – I’ve left Jess at home feeling ill and gone to meetings. I understand where you’re coming from, but you can seem a bit hard at times, Louise.’
‘I’m very fair. Michael’s son had to have a heart operation and I gave him two weeks off. When he came back, he just got on with his job like everyone else. When Clara was small I went to work after two hours’ sleep and did my job. If you choose to have a child and work in a client-facing role, you have to be professional.’
Sophie put her hands up. ‘Look, I don’t want to argue about it. I’m just saying you should tread lightly, for your own sake, to avoid complaints.’
She was wrong. Mollycoddling your employees achieved nothing. I ran a successful and profitable department. I led by example and my employees just had to follow suit.
6
Sophie
‘Jess, I need you to be polite to me in front of your grand-parents. I don’t want them to see how rude you’re being or it will reflect badly on both of us.’
‘Yeah, well, if you weren’t so mean and let me do fun stuff, I’d be happy.’
Jess was still furious with me because I hadn’t allowed her to wear a tarty dress Pippa had bought her in London. She was being really difficult. We drove on in silence, Jess staring out of her window with her shoulders hunched. On days like this, being a mother was a big fat pain in the arse. Sometimes I had to sit on my hands to stop myself slapping her sulky face.
The annoying truth was that she hero-worshipped Pippa. Everything Pippa did, wore and said was amazing. I was just her old mum. She was completely smitten with Pippa and kept telling me how fabulous her figure was, her clothes, her hair and her job … I’d been biting my tongue almost in half, trying not to snap.
I was tempted to get out my old photos and say, ‘Look! I was young and beautiful, too.’ In fact, I’d looked great until Jack lost all our money. I’d aged ten years overnight when it happened. Between that, selling my designer clothes on eBay and not being able to afford Botox, I was nothing like I used to be. I was like an older, faded, jaded version of the girl who used to be Sophie Wells, the socialite.
To be honest, I missed my old life. I knew I was a better person now – stronger, mor
e rounded, more empathetic – but I remembered those carefree days fondly. I could see now that my life had been shallow but I wasn’t aware of it then, so I was happy. Now it was all about bills, work, dealing with Jess’s moods, fighting with Jack about parenting and hearing how Pippa did everything better than me.
Truth be told, I was jealous of Jack. He seemed really happy with Pippa. I wanted that. I wanted to meet someone and be happy, too. I wanted someone to talk to at night. Someone to take me out to dinner. Someone to cuddle up to. Someone who actually gave a damn about me. Someone who thought I was amazing. I was lonely. I’d never been on my own. I’d had a steady stream of boyfriends all my life. I hated sitting in night after night when Jess was asleep or, worse, when she was with Jack and the apartment was empty.
I didn’t want to tell my sisters how lonely I was because they had their own lives to lead and their own issues to deal with. Besides, they’d been so good to me when everything had fallen apart that I had no intention of burdening them with something silly like loneliness. And I didn’t have any single friends I could call on either. Everyone I knew was married with young kids. When Jess was with Jack, the weekend stretched out endlessly and I’d no idea how to fill it. By four o’clock on Saturday afternoons, I was ready to give up. It was just so lonely.
I glanced over at Jess. Thanks to Pippa, I felt lonely even when my daughter was with me.
I rang the doorbell and Mum ushered us in. She kissed Jess, and led us into the kitchen where she had tea and Jess’s favourite brownies ready.
I sat back and watched as Jess chatted easily with her grandmother about school and her friends, then gushed about Pippa. Mum caught my eye as Jess was in mid-flow and winked. When she finally paused for breath, Mum suggested she went to watch TV for ten minutes while she talked to me. Jess obediently went into the lounge.
‘Well,’ Mum said, pouring me another cup of tea, ‘she certainly seems very enamoured of this Pippa.’
‘She thinks she’s a goddess,’ I said.
Mum patted my hand. ‘Don’t worry, pet. It’ll wear off.’
‘I’m not so sure.’ I suddenly felt weepy. There was something about being in my childhood kitchen with Mum pouring tea and fussing over me that made me want to wail. I brushed away a tear. ‘Sorry, it’s just that it’s harder than I’d thought it would be. I knew Jack would meet someone, but I didn’t think Jess would adore her so much.’
‘Is she a nice person?’ Mum asked.
‘I don’t know, but the things she says to Jess really bug me, and the way she pushed for Jess to be in her show in London a few weeks ago put me right off her. I’m Jess’s mother and she needs to remember that.’
‘Of course you are, and you always will be. And you’re dead right not to have your nine-year-old prancing about on the television.’
‘I know, but I’m always the bad cop. Jess never wants to be with me any more. She’s nine, Mum. Surely I’m not going to lose her already. She’s all I’ve got.’ Tears now began to flow.
Mum fished up her sleeve and pulled out a tissue.
‘Thanks,’ I said, mopping my face.
‘Now listen to me. You are not losing Jess. She’s just excited by this young, glamorous girl. The shine will soon wear off. You continue being the wonderful mother that you are to Jess and she’ll come out of this phase. That is all it is, a phase. Jess loves you. The two of you have been as thick as thieves since she was a baby.’
‘That’s just it. We used to be so close and now we’re not at all. I miss her.’
‘Welcome to motherhood. You and your sisters went through different phases. Mind you, you were the easiest and Louise was the most difficult. But you all had times when you were sulky. And, remember, Jess has had a lot to deal with and adjust to, what with the divorce and everything. It’s normal that she’s acting out a bit. Just stay firm and steady with her.’
I blew my nose and nibbled at a brownie. ‘Thanks, Mum. What do you think I should do about Pippa, though? Just ignore her?’
‘In so far as you can, yes. But if she starts filling Jess’s head with silly notions, you might have to step in. My advice is to keep communicating with Jack and make sure you’re on the same page. As long as you and Jack are in agreement about how to raise Jess, Pippa won’t matter.’
‘Generally we are, but I’m worried Pippa will influence him badly.’
Mum clicked her tongue. ‘Jack’s a grown man and he’s a great father. You just keep talking to him, and if you don’t agree with something Pippa does, don’t make a scene, just calmly tell Jack why it’s not OK. You have to play it cool. If Jack thinks you’re criticizing her, he’ll take her side.’
I was impressed with Mum’s wisdom. ‘You’re a wise woman.’
She grinned. ‘I’ve been around a long time.’
I hugged her. ‘Thanks, Mum.’
‘You’re welcome. Now go home and have a nice time with your daughter.’
As we were driving home, I asked Jess if she wanted to go ice-skating on Saturday. I had taken her once before and she’d loved it.
‘Really? Cool.’ She smiled at me for the first time in days.
‘And let’s make popcorn and watch a movie tonight.’
‘Seriously? On a school night?’ She looked surprised.
‘Why not? It’s Thursday, so you’ve only one day left before the weekend. Once you’ve finished your homework we’ll make the popcorn.’
Jess grinned.
My heart sang. It would be lovely to sit on the couch with my little girl and be together.
Jess’s phone beeped. ‘Oh, my God!’ she squealed.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘Pippa has … Oh, my God, Mum … She’s got VIP tickets for the One Direction concert on Saturday. I’m going to the concert and then backstage to meet them after.’ She screamed and hugged her phone. ‘This is the coolest thing ever. Pippa rocks!’
‘But it’s my weekend with you,’ I reminded her.
She looked at me in disbelief. ‘Are you crazy? Who cares? Mum, this is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t wait to tell all my friends – they’re going to be so jealous. Pippa is just so amazing.’
I wanted to cry. I wanted to take her phone and smash it into a thousand pieces. But instead I plastered a smile on my face and pretended I was happy for her. Because that’s what a good mum does … until her jaw breaks.
7
Julie
I changed for the sixth time. ‘How do I look?’ I asked Harry, who was shaving in the en-suite.
‘Julie, you looked good in all of the outfits you’ve shown me. What’s going on? Why are you so nervous about a cake sale? Come on, you’re only selling a few buns.’
I sat down on the edge of the Jacuzzi. ‘You don’t understand. It’s not easy for me. I don’t fit in.’
‘What are you talking about? You fit in everywhere – everyone loves you.’
I shook my head. ‘Not at Castle Academy. The women are very glamorous and confident. I find them intimidating. They all seem to know each other and that awful Victoria is the queen bee.’
Harry wiped the last bits of shaving foam from his chin. ‘Julie, you’re worth ten of any of those women. Just go in there and be yourself.’
‘It’s not that easy. I’m doing this stupid cake sale because I really want this school to work. I want the triplets to have a good education. They’ll never be speaking ten different languages, like Clara, but I want them to have the best shot in life.’
Harry grinned. ‘I reckon by the time poor Clara is nine she’ll be speaking ten languages, playing ten instruments and be the world chess champion.’
‘I feel sorry for her sometimes. She’s so quiet. I think Louise overdoes it.’ Much as I admired Louise’s determination to stimulate Clara, she was completely over the top.
‘Maybe you should say so to her.’
I stared at Harry. ‘Have you met my sister?’
He walked into the bedroom to
get dressed. I followed him. ‘I know Louise mightn’t react well initially, but Clara is very introverted,’ he said. ‘I think as her sister you should say something to her.’
‘There is no way I’m going to tell Louise how to raise her child. She’d rip my head off. Besides, Louise always felt she was under-stimulated when she was young. She’s overcompensating with Clara.’
Harry sat on the bed and put on his socks. ‘Well, I’m glad you’re not like that. I want our boys to be well rounded.’
We could hear them thundering around downstairs. ‘Do you think they’ll ever calm down?’ I asked.
Harry buttoned his shirt. ‘Of course they will. In the blink of an eye they’ll be moody teenagers who never want to get out of bed.’
That sounded great to me. The boys, without fail, woke up at six. I hadn’t had a lie-in for nine years.
I handed Harry one of his new silk ties. As he knotted it, he said, ‘To be fair, they’ve been really well behaved since they moved to Castle Academy. I know you were against it because of the fees, but I think now you’ll admit I was right. The school really does suit them.’
I still hadn’t told Harry about the Sebastian ‘incident’ and the official warning. He was so happy, so sure that Castle Academy was the right school for the boys, that I didn’t want anything to ruin it.
He put on his suit jacket. ‘Maybe the other mothers aren’t so bad when you get to know them. Sophie used to be friendly with one of them, didn’t she?’
I flicked through the rails of clothes and fished around for something else to try on. ‘“Used to be” are the key words. Victoria dropped Sophie like a hot potato as soon as she lost her money.’
I pulled on a pair of cream Capri pants and a pink chiffon shirt with little cream daisies on it. I twirled. ‘Well?’
Harry kissed me. ‘You look gorgeous. Now go and knock ’em dead.’
The Secrets Sisters Keep: A heartwarming, funny and emotional novel (The Devlin Sisters Book 2) Page 6
