Helen narrowed her eyes and bit the corner of her lip. “Then I assume you’ll be handing in your notice?”
Beth’s muscles tensed. She lowered her voice. Everyone was watching. “Well, actually, I was hoping that maybe we could arrange some unpaid vacation time?”
Quick as a flash, Helen replied, “I don’t think that will be possible. To be honest, Beth, this is probably for the best. HR really aren’t happy about you pursuing your blog business while working here, and this way will be much better for you. Handing in your notice to take part in a competition looks much friendlier on the CV than being fired for misuse of company resources.”
Beside her, Jo stepped forward and Beth could tell that her friend was about to say something, so she grabbed her arm and squeezed a little.
Sucking in her breath, straightening her skirt, and flicking her hair over her shoulder, Beth decided that, for once, she wasn’t going to allow herself to be bullied. And before she could stop herself, she raised her voice and replied, “Helen? You are absolutely right. I quit.”
Helen’s smile wavered, then fell into a pursed ugly line. “I beg your pardon?”
Beth leaned forwards then, louder still, and with all the gusto she could muster, she repeated, “You can stick your job, and Human Resources, and your terrible holiday allowance where the sun doesn’t shine. I QUIT.”
4
Beth didn’t look at Jo, or at anyone else, as she stomped proudly out of the building. She felt like a movie star. She had done what every person since the beginning of time had wanted to do at one point or another; she had told her obnoxious boss: I QUIT.
It felt amazing. It felt freeing, and empowering, and like the start of a whole new chapter.
For approximately thirty seconds.
By the time she reached the end of the car park, she realised she’d left her handbag and mobile phone behind at her desk and descended into a state of unparalleled panic.
Was it even legal to just walk out of your job? Could they force her to work her notice period? Would Helen sue her? And Harry… Harry would be furious. He’d been in a meeting when she stormed out, so he hadn’t seen her leave, but the second he emerged Helen would tell him exactly what had happened.
Beth hadn’t even told Harry she’d entered Nomad’s competition, let alone won it. And now she’d quit her job, made a huge scene in front of everyone, and quite possibly damaged his chances of promotion forever.
Without thinking, Beth crossed the road, not looking over her shoulder in case Helen was running after her, and ducked down the side street that led to Baxter’s
Inside, she glanced at the clock on the wall behind the counter. An hour until lunch. She must have been looking on the verge of tears because Ambrose, the manager, waved her into a seat near the window and brought her a cup of tea. “On the house,” he said soothingly. “Are you alright Miss Beth?”
“Could I borrow your phone Ambrose?”
“Of course,” he nodded, handing her a battered Nokia that looked about twenty years old.
Luckily, she knew the Sales Department’s phone number off by heart. When she got through, she asked for Jo, trying to disguise her voice but not doing a very good job.
“Beth?” Jo hissed into the phone. “Where are you?”
“I can’t believe I did that.”
“Me neither. But it was brilliant! Helen’s face...”
“Jo, what have I done?”
“Calm down. Where are you? I’ll bring your stuff.”
“At Baxter’s.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Stay put and don’t, whatever you do, start regretting quitting. This is the best thing you’ve ever done.”
For well over twenty minutes, Beth drank tea after tea, with far too much sugar, and tried to calm herself down.
By the time Jo arrived, Beth had passed blind-panic and was only mildly panicked. But when Jo told her that Harry was furious, she started to feel nauseous all over again.
“What did he say?” Beth was gripping her phone but hadn’t dared open it to see if Harry had sent her any messages.
“Not much. But you know when he goes all sort of red around the edges?”
Beth buried her head in her hands. “He’s never going to forgive me for this.”
Quietly, Jo put her hand on Beth’s knee. “Do you want him to?”
“What do you mean?”
Jo shrugged. “Harry’s hardly going to give up his job and travel around the world with you, Beth. Maybe this is a sign that things aren’t meant to be. Maybe it’s time to...”
“Jo, I haven’t won the competition. I’m just a finalist. And I’m not going to abandon Harry after everything he’s done for me.”
“Yes, but...”
Beth shook her head. “Listen, I know you don’t like him. But he’s been good to me. So, whatever happens, Harry and I will work it out. If I win, then I’ll deal with it. But right now, I just need to apologise and try to persuade him that me going away for two weeks isn’t the end of the world.”
Jo bit her lip and made a hmm sound.
Beth sighed. “And then there’s Mum.”
“Your mum will be fine. She’s a grownup.”
Beth scratched her nails on the ratty fabric of the armchair she was sitting in. She should be feeling excited. But all she felt was fear. Fear that Harry would break up with her. Fear that her mum would be too lonely on her own. Fear that she’d win. Fear that she’d lose and let everyone down...
And if she was feeling like this now, how would she feel if she actually did win and had to go away for a year?
As Jo went to fetch more tea and some large chocolate cookies, Beth swiped open her phone. Three missed calls from Harry, a text asking her to call him ASAP, and a second email from Emily.
Hi Beth, so sorry, I forgot to give you the details of the other finalist. He’s already accepted his place and is keen to talk to you before you meet in person. His email is [email protected].
Blake O’Brien? The Blake O’Brien? That’s who she’d be up against?
Beth smiled and closed her eyes. Competing with Blake, there was no way she’d win. And, suddenly, she felt calmer. Without the thought of having to leave home for a year to travel the world if she actually won the competition, the trip to Canada became a whole different prospect; just two weeks with no expense, visiting a beautiful country. Plus, the chance to meet a successful blogger and learn from his expertise.
Putting it that way, Harry might even be pleased for her. So, with only a little hesitation, she replied:
Thanks Emily. Count me in! Beth. x
As expected, Mum was over the moon when Beth told her. She was even delighted that Beth had quit. “It’s about time, that place was no good for you. You’re so much better than Cooper’s. Dad and I always said so.”
Harry, on the other hand, was not over the moon. He simply sat, on the edge of the sofa, perched there as if he didn’t want to allow himself to become comfortable, frowning and shaking his head.
“Harry, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I entered. I didn’t think it would come to anything...”
“Do you know how ridiculous you’ve made me look, Beth? When Helen told me you’d quit to go take part in a competition, I had no idea what she was talking about. She had to explain to me that my girlfriend was leaving the country.” He sighed and wrung his hands in his lap. He was sitting with his knees pressed together in a way that Beth always found slightly irritating. “I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.”
Beth sat down beside him and took his hand in hers. “Harry, don’t be like that. Of course you do. You know how important my writing is to me.”
Harry’s temples had started to turn red and Beth got the feeling he was trying to stop himself rolling his eyes.
“Look, Harry, I’m not going to win. I’m up against Blake O’Brien. He’s already got a great blog. So, if they’re looking for someone to sponsor, he’s got it in the bag.”
“Then why bother going? Why chuck in your career at Cooper’s for nothing?”
“I think career is a bit of an overstatement, don’t you?”
“Plenty of people work their way up from the Sales Department to become management. You know that. And there’s talk of a new branch... I thought you and I could...” Harry paused and chewed his lip. “I’ll talk to Helen. When the dust has settled, I’ll...”
“Harry, I don’t want to work at Cooper's for the rest of my life.”
“So then what will you do?”
“I’ll go to Canada. It’ll be an amazing experience, even knowing I won’t win.”
“And then what?”
Beth tried not to blink at the fact that, not once, had Harry said, Don’t be so defeatist, or, Have faith in yourself Beth, or, You’re an amazing writer, Beth, of course you could win, or even, I’m not sure I like the idea of you being travel companions with a famous and very good looking Canadian guy for two weeks. “Well,” she said, “then I’ll figure something out.”
For at least an hour, their conversation went round and round and round. Until, eventually, Harry conceded defeat. Reluctantly, he agreed it would be nice for Beth to see Canada by train – the way her father had always wanted to – and not to say anything to Helen about potentially returning to Cooper's until Beth had thought about what she wanted to do in the future.
As he left, he kissed her on the cheek – his cheek kisses were always a little sloppier than she was comfortable with – and said, “I care for you, Beth. So much. I just want what’s best for us, as a couple. You know that, don’t you?”
Beth nodded and patted his arm. “I do. You’ve always looked after me.” And he had. Always.
Inside, she closed the door and leaned against it. Then, feeling slightly guilty but not entirely sure why, she took out her phone and opened her emails.
Dear Blake,
Thanks for giving Emily your contact details to pass on to me.
I’m not nearly as well travelled as you and my blog is just a fledgling compared to yours, so this is all pretty daunting.
I’ve been a fan of your website pretty much since you started it, so I’m really looking forward to meeting you, and to two weeks in your beautiful home-country.
Best wishes,
Fellow Finalist, Beth Greenwood.
As she pressed send, Beth wondered for a moment whether she’d sounded a little too fan-girly. But she shrugged it off. Blake O’Brien didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would judge her for trying to be open and friendly. He seemed like exactly the kind of person she could learn a lot from and, suddenly, she couldn’t wait to get on the plane.
5
ONE MONTH LATER
Day One, Vancouver
From Vancouver airport, Beth was whisked directly to the fanciest hotel she’d ever stayed in. It was six a.m. Vancouver-time, which for Beth was past lunch time, and she was both starving hungry and exhausted from the flight.
Flopping down into a large leather armchair in the hotel lounge, she rubbed her tongue over her fuzzy-feeling teeth, remembered the pale freckled-skin that had stared back at her in the bathroom mirror of the arrivals hall, and wished she’d had the foresight to pack some makeup in her hand luggage. She was smoothing her flyaway brown hair and trying to look a little more like an experienced traveller when a tall blonde woman in a pencil skirt and high heels trotted across the marble floor towards her and greeted her with a hug.
“Beth, it’s great to finally meet you. I’m Emily. From Nomad’s Toronto office. I’ll be accompanying you guys on your trip.” For some reason, everything she said sounded like a question.
Beth blinked quickly, trying to make her brain catch up. “You’re British? I hadn’t realised. On the phone you sounded more Canadian…”
Emily chortled and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Well, I’ve lived in Toronto for... oooh... seven years now.”
Emily sat down opposite and waved for a member of staff to bring them some coffee. “Now, I know you’re exhausted from your trip, so I’m going to make this brief. You’ve read the itinerary, and you attended the induction at the London office?”
Beth nodded. She’d made the trip to London two weeks ago to sign paperwork and go over the particulars of the competition, although she deliberately hadn’t looked too closely at the itinerary; she always preferred to discover things on the way rather than research and plan beforehand.
“Great. So, you know that things are going to be pretty tightly scheduled... to make the competition fair, you and Blake will be doing most things together. You’ll do the same activities, visit the same places, and every two days you’ll each submit a blog post that will be uploaded to our website.”
Beth breathed in deeply and tugged at her sweater. They’d been through all of this in London and it had made her realise that the trip was actually going to be a lot of work. Not quite the leisurely trip she’d first pictured, but exciting nonetheless. And, despite telling herself that she was there just for a vacation, she was already starting to feel a twinge of competitiveness in her belly.
“This morning is all yours to recover from your flight, acclimatise, eat, freshen up,” Emily continued, flicking the screen on her iPad to an hour-by-hour schedule. “Then at one p.m. we’re going to meet back here. I’ll introduce you to Blake, we’ll do a quick video interview with you both, and then we’ll head to Granville Island for the market. It’s adorable. You’ll love it. Tomorrow, it’s Lynn Canyon Park in the morning, and in the afternoon I’d recommend working on your first article. We’ll need that submitted by midnight tomorrow. Okay?”
“Tomorrow. Midnight. Got it.” Beth was very glad they’d included all of this in the orientation pack because her head was groggy and she was struggling to focus.
“We leave Vancouver on Monday morning and board the train for the Rockies. But, don’t worry, I’m going to be with you guys the whole way. I’ll keep reminding you where we’re going next and where you’re supposed to be. So, don’t feel like you have to remember all this!”
Finally, the coffee arrived and Beth smiled as she took a large sip. “Thanks Emily. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Emily smiled broadly and drank her own coffee – an espresso in a miniature cup – in one mouthful. “Okay, I should head off. When you’re ready to go up to your room just let reception know.”
Beth nodded. Then, just as Emily was about to walk away, Beth raised her hand, as if she was still in school, and tentatively asked, “Emily, is Blake in this hotel too?”
“Oh sure,” said Emily. “But he arrived last night, so he’s gone off to explore the city. He and I were on the same flight from Toronto. He’s a great guy, you’ll love him. See you soon.” And, with that, she was gone.
Seven hours later, Beth was woken by a loud, slightly frantic, knocking on her hotel door. Stumbling out of bed she pulled the door open and squinted at the brightness of the hallway.
“Beth? It’s one thirty. We were expecting you downstairs half an hour ago?” Emily was smiling, but nervously checking her iPad schedule at the same time.
Beth glanced at her watch, then grabbed her phone from the bedside table and shook it. “I’m sorry Emily, the battery must’ve died. I set an alarm–”
“It’s okay.” Emily was shaking her head, clearly trying to make her feel better. “Don’t panic, but we better get going...”
Beth looked down at her crumpled clothes. Her jeans were okay, but her sweater was creased and not really appropriate for what looked like a warm sunny day outside. “Could I have a moment? I’m so sorry. I’ll be quick.”
“Ten minutes? I’ll wait in the lobby.”
Beth scurried to her case and threw it open, grabbing a plain white t-shirt and her makeup bag. She applied a smattering of eyeliner and some mascara. But her hairbrush was unfindable, buried somewhere beneath two weeks’ worth of packing, so she simply ran her fingers through the tangles and hoped that everyone
would assume this was her look: effortlessly casual.
Downstairs, Emily was leaning against the reception desk and tapping her foot on the floor. But Blake O’Brien was nowhere to be seen.
“Blake went on ahead,” she said, already trotting towards the big glass doors that led out onto the street. “I called a cab. We’ll catch up with him at the Aquabus dock and do the interview on the boat over.”
Beth’s stomach tightened; she was already messing up. She hadn’t turned up in Vancouver expecting to be able to beat Blake, but she’d intended to at least prove she was a worthy finalist. She’d pictured herself confidently shaking his hand, unfazed by the fact that he’d never replied to her email, and speaking knowledgeably to him about travel and writing and the latest trends in the industry.
Instead, she’d overslept, made them late, forgotten her camera, and her reflection in the cab’s windows told her she looked like a deer caught in headlights.
As they approached the dock, however, and she caught sight of the waterfront for the first time, her nerves started to fade. The sky was bright and dimpled with white fluffy clouds, and bobbing in the water a small boat with a yellow roof and a rainbow coloured banner on its side waited for them to board.
Beth grinned, and caught Emily watching her.
“I suppose it’s very British of me to think this is really quaint and lovely?”
Emily shrugged and smiled at the boat too. “I’ve been to Vancouver heaps of times, but the Aquabus is still my favourite part. You’ll love Granville Island. It’s adorable.”
“It’s really popular with artists, is that right?”
They were climbing out of the cab and Beth was waiting for Emily’s answer when a deep, unfamiliar voice chimed in. “It certainly is. A hub of creativity, bright colours, great food...”
The True Love Travels Series Box Set Page 16
