by Simone Jaine
Jem looked a little closer and noticed that Georgina’s eyes were the same shape as Eben’s and were currently a familiar shade of dark grey.
Jem’s mouth firmed. If Eben had been pretending to be adopted then he’d wish he had been after she finished with him.
A short balding middle aged man in a suit strolled up to the desk and Georgina suddenly became businesslike.
“Mr Wright in suite 1205 is booked until the end of the week. I understand his current appointment is a daily one starting around 2pm so your meeting is likely to be delayed until about 5pm,” Georgina informed them with a surreptitious wink.
She dismissed them by turning to the gentleman beside them.
“Mr Stephens I am pleased to be able to tell you that I managed to get the last pair of tickets…”
Jem and Cherie saw more people line up behind them so took the hint and headed towards the door.
“Why do I know that name?” Cherie asked as Jem scribbled the room number on the back of her hand.
Jem smacked the hand holding the pen against her forehead and the nib smudged ink over her cheek.
“Of course! It’s Troy Wright from the presentation she’s visiting,” Jem exclaimed in hushed tones. “I knew I recognised him.”
She dropped the pen into one of the carry bags then transferred half of the bags back to her right hand.
“Do you think she’s riding his lap again?” Cherie asked after making the connection as they walked to the corner.
“You can be so crass,” Jem said, then sighed as she pressed the buzzer at the pedestrian crossing. “Probably.”
“So what are we going to do about it?” Cherie asked.
“We’ll think of something,” Jem promised as they crossed the road.
Hours later Jem had finished work for the day and was huddled under the office building’s awning, clutching her purchases to her so the wind wouldn’t take off with any. Eben had phoned to say he was close by and to meet him out the front so they could avoid the trek to the nearest parking building.
The traffic lights on the corner changed to red and a car behind her tooted. Jem turned around and saw Eben behind the wheel of the Bluebird halfway down the block. She jogged towards him just as rain started pelting down and she hoped not to get too wet before getting in the car.
Eben leaned over and opened the passenger door.
“I hope those aren’t doggie bags,” he joked as she tossed the bags over into the back seat and slid into the passenger seat.
“No, just the results of retail therapy,” Jem said breathlessly as she shut the door and wiped her wet hair from her face.
“Anything I would find interesting?” Eben asked as he glanced over his shoulder in the hopes of seeing a bag from a lingerie store.
“Yes,” said Jem as she clicked her seatbelt into place and started rummaging through her shoulder bag.
The lights changed to green and the car surged forward.
“I met your sister today,” Jem said conversationally, making contact with the item she had been seeking in her bag.
“Which one?” Eben asked as he changed gear and the car picked up speed.
“Georgina,” Jem replied simply. When Eben didn’t comment she added “Her eyes are uncannily like yours.”
“There are a lot of us with the same eyes on Mum’s side of the family,” said Eben.
“That’s what she said,” Jem said.
She turned in her seat and faced him accusingly.
“You told me you were adopted.”
Eben’s hands tightened on the wheel.
“I am,” he assured her.
Jem drummed her fingers on the side of her leather shoulder bag, outlining an object just below the surface which could have been the muzzle of a gun. She waited.
“Mum and my biological father are cousins,” Eben said once the silence became too much. “He and my biological mother were sixteen when she got pregnant. Her parents were deeply religious and kicked her out when they found out. After I was born she got very depressed and committed suicide when I was three months old. He was grieving for her and didn’t handle being a solo parent very well,” Eben said flatly.
Jem fingers stopped on her bag. She had never expected to hear him say anything like this.
Eben slid his watch back to reveal a couple of faded cigarette burns on the back of his wrist.
“When I wound up in hospital the second time from accidents Mum and Dad stepped in and convinced him to let them adopt me.” Eben let out a slow breath. “So here I am.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Jem said quietly.
He glanced at her.
“Having second thoughts about being with someone whose mother had a mental illness and a father who was a child abuser?” he asked harshly.
“No,” Jem asserted quickly. “Nothing like that. I was just thinking how awful it must have been for you.”
“I came to live with Mum and Dad when I was two. I don’t really remember.”
Jem looked at his clenched jaw and knew he was lying. She knew he didn’t want her sympathy.
“I think it must have been hard for them too,” she said carefully. “They sound like they were too young for the responsibility of being parents and didn’t have enough support. Maybe she had postnatal depression and things would have turned out better with treatment.”
“What about him?” Eben demanded.
Jem swallowed, thinking of the cigarette burns on his arm. When she had seen the others on his back she had thought they were chicken pox scars. Now she knew better. She offered him the nicest thing she could say about his biological father.
“I think he was smart enough to want the best for you which is why he gave you to your parents,” she said gently. “Do you know where he is now?”
Eben snorted.
“Last I heard he was in Paremoremo. Maximum security.”
Jem sat back in her seat. She couldn’t think of anything positive to say to that.
Eben changed lanes to join a marginally faster group of cars inching across the Harbour Bridge towards the North Shore. After finally being able to pick up enough speed to change into third gear, he glanced at Jem. Her hands were resting on the mysterious bulge in her bag.
“Were you planning on shooting me if you didn’t believe what I had to say?” he asked, not completely joking.
“What? No,” she added when Eben gestured towards the lump in her bag sitting on her lap.
“While Cherie and I were out today I thought of you and got you a little something. Here you are,” she announced, withdrawing a Moro bar and handing it to him. “I didn’t know whether you’d have time to eat anything so I got you this. I wanted to get you a pie but I had no way of keeping it hot.”
“Thanks,” Eben said and accepted the bar. He opened the end of the wrapper and took bites when he didn’t need both hands on the steering wheel.
He was touched by her thoughtfulness and despite being relieved she wasn’t carrying a weapon also strangely a little disappointed the object wasn’t something more exciting.
“And I thought you might also be interested in this,” Jem added and yanked a striped bag from the back seat. She opened it enough to show a sample of red lace.
Not disappointed anymore, thought Eben.
He grinned.
Later that evening Jem added a mug of coffee to the pair of hot chocolates she had prepared for their usual evening ritual. She nudged the office door aside and saw the screen of Eben’s computer switch to a game of free cell. Jason appeared amused but was working on a screen filled with gobbledygook which Jem took to mean he was working on the source code.
After distributing the drinks she sat at what she now considered her laptop and turned it on. After logging in she checked her email.
Eben felt her tense beside him. He nudged her.
“What’s up?”
“That scum Mark. I only found out about that meeting I practically missed this morning from Che
rie. Mark claimed he had emailed me about it and he had; only he sent it at 7am. I was so busy this morning that this has been the first time I have checked my email today.”
Eben looked thoughtful.
“Do you normally check your email first thing?” he asked.
“No,” Jem answered. “I don’t usually check it until after lunch because sometimes I wind up spending a lot of time replying to things which could be spent doing work that is more urgent. Then I usually clear my email before leaving for the day so I am up to date and can plan the most useful way to spend the following morning.”
“Does anyone at your work know that is how you do things?”
Jem nodded.
“It’s been standard policy ever since a few years ago when Martha found a couple of developers forwarding cute cat pictures when they were on a tight deadline.”
“So the email checking thing in the afternoon is standard for everyone at work,” Eben said, wanting to clarify things.
“Yes. Except for Cherie as a lot of her work requires quick feedback. It works well because if anything important arises she gets emailed and tells the person directly. Why do you ask?”
Eben smiled.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
Chapter 25
“Are you ready for another hot air meeting?” Cherie asked Jem as she sailed into Jem’s office and dropped a handful of files onto the pile already sitting in Jem’s in-tray.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Jem grumbled. With all the work on her plate she could really do without one of Duh-boss’s meetings. It’s only purpose seemed to be a platform for him to give irrelevant long winded speeches until everyone’s eyes had glazed over. It was always best to shut up and let him get on with it since agreeing with what he said just encouraged him to talk for longer. As for disagreeing… Jem gave a slight shudder. She didn’t want to think about how that got him going.
My time would be more productively spent picking bits of tissue off clothing from the washing this morning, she thought as she pushed away from her desk and stood up. She took a few moments to dust a couple of bits of tissue from her newly washed mid-thigh length forest green skirt before ruefully glancing at the stack of files she needed to work through.
She had to get up to date if she had any hope of getting that promotion although she was beginning to have mixed feelings about it. If she got the promotion she would be able to cross off the last of the goals on her list but it would put an end date on her relationship with Eben.
Jem tried telling herself it was for the best. She was older than he was. He’d want kids. Sooner or later Eben would move on.
He’s a rolling Stone remember?
Jem stuck her pen down the side of her organiser and picked it up to give her something to doodle in during the meeting. It might score points with Duh-boss if he thought she was taking notes. She stood up, took a deep breath and followed Cherie out the door.
As they walked down the corridor Cherie called out to other staff members still in their offices to join them for the meeting. As they waited for Greg to put his jacket on Jem looked around at her co-workers starting to fill the corridor behind them. She couldn’t help but acknowledge she had a lot of competition for the promotion. Any one of these people would do a great job and she couldn’t help but wonder whether that was enough when they were up against an underhanded competitor who had the backing of the old boys’ network.
As a group they walked the last few metres before reaching the double glass doors to the conference room.
Here goes the rest of my morning, Jem thought as they surged through the door to take up their usual positions around the table.
On the way several stopped at the service trolley to make a cup of coffee or tea to take to their seats. Jem was pleased to see a hot chocolate already prepared, complete with marshmallows on the top. She picked it up and carried it with her.
As usual Nate had claimed the chair at the head of the table with a seat for Martha vacant on his left. Mark was already seated on Nate’s right and looking through some papers he had brought in with him.
Jem stifled a groan when she moved further into the room and noticed the big screen on the wall at the far end of the table was filled with static. She hoped they weren’t going to have to endure one of Duh-boss’s home-made golf videos which ended with a speech trying to tie his game with what Sachs-Wall expected from their staff again.
Trying not to drag her feet at the thought, she took the black leather chair in her usual spot beside Cherie’s position next to Martha. After setting her mug and organiser on the long rectangular black table in front of her she glanced across at the long window that ran almost the length of the room. Just for a change it was raining and Jem swallowed a sigh. No chance of this being a quick meeting so Duh-boss could run out for a game of golf afterwards.
Through the full length window facing the corridor behind her she turned and watched the last few stragglers walking towards the conference room doors. At least it looked like they wouldn’t have to wait for anyone.
At the head of the table Nate stood and randomly pushed buttons on a remote until Martha approached and said something to him. He passed her the remote which she pointed at the screen.
The static was immediately replaced by the conference room of their Sydney office. Jem raised her eyebrows in surprise upon seeing Brett and Angela on screen and checked her watch. What on earth would be so important to discuss that they would be on line at 8am in Sydney?
Nate snapped his fingers and indicated that Cherie should serve coffee. Cherie got out of her seat between Martha and Jem and stalked off to the service trolley near the door. She had trained most of the staff to get their own as they walked through the door however Nate liked being waited on and Mark had followed suit.
Somehow both cups of coffee banged together as she was about to put them down and hot coffee sloshed onto Nate and Mark.
“I’m so sorry,” Cherie gasped as both men grabbed for the serviettes she carried to wipe their trousers with.
She left them cleaning themselves up and strolled back to her seat. Sitting down, she turned to Jem.
“You may be above such things but I’m not,” she said in an undertone.
Behind Cherie, Jem thought she saw Martha smile.
A few moments later Martha tapped several papers together.
“If everyone is ready?” she enquired.
All murmurs stopped and nods went around the table and came from the people on screen.
Martha put on her reading glasses.
“Okay then. First item of general business…”
Jem found herself opening her organiser and absently taking notes. Martha generally led the meeting for the first few minutes then once all the useful things were covered she usually found a way to excuse herself for the rest of it.
Jem glanced up from her organiser to see Mark diagonally across the table looking smugly at her.
Does he know something I don’t?
Her hand clenched on her pen. Had he already been given the promotion and this meeting was just to announce it to everyone? It would explain why Brett and Angela were onscreen.
If he’s got the promotion I’ll have to quit. I love my job but I can’t keep working for a company that rewards people who operate like he does.
She fingered the black pearl necklace at her throat.
I’ll have to start over in another job and it could be years before another opportunity like this comes up.
But you’ll have Eben, the little voice inside reminded her.
Jem sat up straighter in her chair. It wasn’t the end of the world. She’d have Eben for as long as he wanted her.
But I want both. Eben and my promotion.
She silently groaned.
You’re a mess Jemima Flint. You can’t have it all and anyone who says otherwise is lying.
The sound of Nate’s voice interrupting Martha drew Jem from her tortured musings
.
“As you all know there is a promotion coming up for one of you to head our Asia branch office. I think the time to announce it is now.”
Jem’s gut rolled. Mark had obviously got the promotion. Around her pens stopped clicking and people put down cups of coffee expectantly. She could feel her co-worker’s eyes flicking between her and Mark and one or two others.
In the sudden silence she watched Martha get out of her seat and whisper something in Nate’s ear but he waved her off.
“Nonsense. I watch reality TV. There’s no need to discuss this privately first. It’s far more interesting this way,” Nate assured Martha jovially.
What was that about?
Nate took a moment to take a sip from his ever present vitamin drink which was sitting by his coffee while Martha sat down, put her elbow on the table and propped up her forehead with her hand. After a few seconds she put her hand on her lap and looked at Nate grimly. Unperturbed, Nate set down his drink and ambled to the rain splattered window.
“As it so happens, after a great deal of discussion between Martha and myself there will be two promotions.”
Murmurs flowed up and down the table.
Is this the issue that has come up? Two people sharing the job?
“Slightly off topic, but bear with me,” Nate continued, ignoring a few muffled groans. He walked back to the head of the table, giving time for the murmurs to die down. Relishing everyone’s complete attention he decided to give the long version.
“As you know, the Canterbury earthquakes hit Christchurch hard. Mandy and I have close family living there and we want to relocate there to help them out. I was considering retirement.”
Some hands around the table clasped together as though in prayer. Jem raised an eyebrow and wondered what Celeste would think, having her sugar Daddy referring to his estranged wife as part of the “we” and not her.
“But then I thought what a waste of my talent retiring would be.”
The clasped hands fell apart and there was a collective sigh of disappointment which Nate ignored.
“Instead, I’ve decided to set up an office in Christchurch. It will give us a presence in the South Island and we will be in a prime position to capitalise on businesses looking to spend part of their insurance claims in upgrading software.
