Climbing the Ladder

by Amanda Radley

  “Can I do anything?” Kim asked hopefully. She wanted to help. She felt like she was partially to blame. She knew that Chloe was doing the show and had kept it a secret for her. Not that she’d willingly admit that to anyone. No, she’d keep her guilt to herself. It had company, and her secrets were forming a stomach ulcer to swim in.

  “No, we’re a little beyond canned responses. Just keep taking messages for any phone calls that come in. And block out my diary from two onward for this meeting with Celia. Oh, is Fiona in?”

  “Yes, she’s been on the phone since she got in. I think she’s having the same issues you are.”

  “Any news on whether or not we have a photographer?”

  Kim shook her head. “I’ve not heard anything or seen Nicola.”

  “Okay. This little disaster buys Fiona a little more time.” Helen sat forward and pulled the laptop towards her. “Thanks, Kim. That’s all for now.”

  Kim stood up. “What happens if she can’t convince Nicola to come back?”

  “My ex will get the house, because I’ll be in prison for murder,” Helen deadpanned.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chloe never thought she would be so grateful for Natasha’s silent nature. But here she was, a few days into her new job, hanging by a thread and relishing her boss’ absolute silence.

  When Natasha arrived, she’d simply raised her eyebrow at Chloe and shook her head with disappointment. Then she’d taken her seat and emailed Chloe her tasks for the day, much the same as any other day. It was a relief. She’d gladly take the cold shoulder over the disappointment she’d seen in Helen’s eyes.

  However, a raised eyebrow and a shake of the head wasn’t Pippa’s approach. An expletive-filled rant had been her choice, until Wendy had ushered Chloe away under the guise of helping her with some paperwork.

  Thankfully, Pippa had soon left the office for her interviews. It took some of the heat off, but she was still well aware of the glares from Fiona and Lucy that pierced the back of her head like hot pokers. At least they hated her silently.

  She half-wished that Helen had fired her. She’d be on the way to her parents’ house to be bathed in tea and sympathy. She’d be jobless and having to beg the accountancy firm for the job offer that had probably gone to someone more qualified by now. But at least she wouldn’t be the most hated person in Honey.

  The difference a few hours made. She’d started the day thinking she’d be the company’s saviour, now she was sure she had sealed its fate. She’d considered walking back into Helen’s office and offering her resignation. But then she wondered if that was a little like offering to pay the ransom after the hostages had died of old age.

  She sensed movement beside her and jumped.

  Tess looked down at her and grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ve not been sent to take you out.” She pulled up a chair and sat close to Chloe. She leaned in and whispered, “How are you doing?”

  “Awful,” Chloe admitted. “Everyone hates me, and I’ve done something really stupid that might damage the company.”

  Tess waved her hand as if it wasn’t the worst day of Chloe’s life to date. “Everyone doesn’t hate you. They’re annoyed at you, but it will pass.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Chloe pointed out.

  “On my first day at Honey, I set fire to the office,” Tess said casually. She leaned forward and plucked a stapler from the desk and started to play with it.

  Click, click, click.

  Chloe blinked. “A… fire?”

  “Yep. Flames. Fire engines. The works. In fact, I think the word blaze was used. I left my cardigan, my favourite cardigan I might add, on a heater in the meeting room. This is the old office, not here. Anyway. It caught fire… sprinklers started shooting water everywhere. Disaster.”

  Click, click, click. Tess played with the stapler, staring at the ceiling, deep in recollection.

  Chloe’s heart pounded at the very thought of not only a fire but being the one who started it.

  “The head fire officer came out with the burnt, soaked remnants of my cardigan,” Tess continued. She lowered her gaze and looked at Chloe seriously. “Every single member of staff turned to look at me.”

  Chloe gasped. The visual was enough to make her feel sick with nerves. “What did you do?”

  Tess put the stapler back on the desk. “Kept my head down and did my job. We moved into a temporary office, the insurance paid for everything we lost. Except the work. God, the extra hours everyone had to put in to get that issue out. But we got there. And over time… people forgot about it.”

  “Really?” Chloe didn’t imagine many people would forget that.

  “Well, they do except for when I tell the story to make people feel better about their own mistakes.” Tess chuckled. “I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but things will sort themselves out.”

  Chloe shook her head. “I don’t think so. Helen is pretty angry with me. Can you really have a successful career in a company when your boss’ boss thinks you’re an idiot?”

  Tess shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. But let’s find out together.”

  Chloe felt her lips curling in a smile. The first in a number of hours.

  “Do your job. Do it to the best of your ability. That was why you were hired; you’re good at your job and we need your skillset. So, do your job. Everything else will take care of itself.”

  Chloe slowly inclined her head. “Thanks, Tess. I appreciate that.”

  “No problem.” Tess stood up and put her hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “Oh, and don’t remind Helen about the whole fire thing. I genuinely think she’s forgotten.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Darcy opened Helen’s shared online calendar. She grimaced. Helen had changed her privacy preferences, or Kim had. People could see when she was in a meeting, but not any details about what the meeting was. Or, most relevant to Darcy, where the meeting was.

  Kim had kindly braved the icy cold of the marketing department to whisper to her that a lunch meeting was happening, so she knew Helen was meeting Celia somewhere at two. But she didn’t know if Celia was coming into the office or if Helen was meeting her somewhere else.

  The thick air of tension had made for a silent morning. Rose had kept her head down and got on with her work, and Kim had only briefly spoken to her all day. She was relieved. It meant no one had time to quiz her about the evening before. She didn’t need their pitying looks when she told them that everything had gone wrong.

  Her confidence had taken a big knock. She no longer wanted to bump into Celia and speak with her. No, she’d settle for her usual tactic of watching the impressive woman from afar. It would take a few weeks for her to build her confidence back up to even consider a new plan for approaching Celia directly. Or rather, putting herself in Celia’s path and hoping that she was approached.

  For now, she was back to doing whatever she could to get a distant glimpse of Celia. Even if she was painfully aware that her actions were decidedly stalker-like. She shook the thought from her head.

  “Fiona?” Darcy spoke up once her boss came off the telephone.

  Fiona looked up. Her eyes were glazed over, and she looked exhausted. Darcy couldn’t blame her, she’d be on the phone non-stop, repeating the same things and trying to sound jovial and relaxed while she did.

  “Can I go for lunch at two today?” Darcy asked.

  Fiona nodded. Her phone rang, and she sighed. “That’s fine,” she said before answering the call.

  Rose turned to face her. “Lunch plans?” she pouted.

  “Not exactly, just going for a walk.”

  Rose paused for a moment before understanding dawned. “Oh… I see. Helen was talking about wanting to try the new French bistro place that opened up near Berkeley Square.”

  Darcy grinned. “Thanks, that sounds like a good area to check out.”

  Lucy slammed her phone down and stalked away from her desk. She thundered past the digital
desks, glaring at Chloe as she did.

  Darcy raised her eyebrows at the display.

  “Advertisers are dropping like flies,” Rose explained. “All the new accounts she’d nearly secured have said they’re leaving, or they want a substantial discount.”

  Darcy toyed with the elastic band ball on her desk.

  “Sinking ship,” Rose whispered.

  “Not yet,” Darcy murmured back.

  Rose returned to her work. Darcy knew it didn’t look good, but she hoped it would just be temporary. Honey’s potential failure was today’s news, but hopefully something else would come along tomorrow.

  Fiona had been on the phone all morning talking figures and laughing at claims they were about to file for bankruptcy. She sounded convincing. She’d convinced Darcy, even though Darcy knew there was financial trouble. But that was why Fiona was so good at her job.

  Lucy had been busy sweet-talking advertisers but with a hint of stress in her tone. Darcy couldn’t blame her. Lucy’s entire job revolved around getting ad revenue into the business. Watching them all leave suddenly for no reason would cause anyone to have palpitations.

  She squeezed the elastic band ball fiercely. She didn’t want Honey to go under. She loved this crazy little group of people. Well, not Pippa maybe, but everyone else. And of course, she couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing Celia again.

  Chloe stood up to go to the bathroom. She cast a quick glance over towards the marketing desks. Darcy offered her a smile. The poor lass looked like she was close to tears. She couldn’t imagine how today must feel for her.

  It will all pass over, she reminded herself. It has to.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Fiona lowered the handset and stabbed the button to send her calls to voicemail. She needed a break, just five minutes. Endless calls from journalists, suppliers, and investors had given her a sore throat.

  She clicked the refresh button on her emails. A wave of new messages arrived, but nothing from Nicola. She regretted sending her note that morning. She should have said more, apologised more, offered a solution. Calling herself an idiot, while accurate, wasn’t enough.

  But she didn’t have time to dwell on yet another failure on the Nicola front. The PR storm that Chloe had created wasn’t going away anytime soon. She opened an email from Rose, one of many that had been sent to her throughout the morning. It detailed yet another thread on Honey’s imminent failure. She rolled her eyes and marked it as unread. Something to deal with later.

  She heard a noise, a low rumbling. She turned around in her chair and saw Wendy, with a mug of tea in each hand, wheeling the office chair she sat in ever closer to her. She looked ridiculous.

  “Now, I know you must be parched after all that gassing,” Wendy said.

  Fiona wasn’t quite happy with the phrase gassing, but she was thirsty.

  Wendy parked her chair beside Fiona’s and handed her a mug.

  “Thank you,” Fiona said. She took a sip of the beverage. She had to admit, Wendy made the best tea.

  “Are you okay?” Wendy asked, slurping her own tea.

  “Yes, slowly getting to speak to everyone,” Fiona replied. She knew that it was primarily down to her and Helen to calm the flames. People were relying on her, and it wouldn’t do to be showing her concerns.

  “I don’t mean about this business.” Wendy waved her hand dismissively as if the potential ruin of the company was nothing. “I mean you.”

  “Me?” Fiona asked. She stared at Wendy, wondering why on earth she was asking. “I’m fine, really.”

  “Hmm.” Wendy didn’t sound like she believed her. “What about this Nicola business?”

  Fiona laughed, half-heartedly. “She was overreacting to a… a misunderstanding. And now I have to soothe her fragile ego. It’ll be fine.”

  She sipped some more tea, trying to distract from the fact that she had no idea if it would be fine or not. She hoped it would be. A financial pinch in the form of the sudden need to buy expensive stock photography and get a new photographer wasn’t going to help Honey’s current predicament.

  “It must be hard on you,” Wendy said. “Saying something that hurt someone’s feelings, even though you didn’t mean it. I know you like Nicola. We all do. My brother is like you, always saying the wrong thing to people he cares most about. It’s like his brain splutters and then he says something he didn’t mean to.”

  Fiona put the mug down, afraid that her shaking hand might spill tea down her blouse. Wendy had struck right on the issue. And it scared her. Was she that transparent?

  “But everyone who knows him knows his heart is in the right place. They don’t take offence. Maybe you need to give Nicola a chance to get to know you? Then she’d just brush it off when you say something you don’t mean.”

  “I don’t think I have much say in that,” Fiona admitted. “I’ve insulted her enough times that I’m sure she doesn’t want to get to know me.”

  “That’s not true,” Wendy assured her.

  “I think it is. I… I tried to apologise, and she’s not replied. I’m not surprised, I don’t think I’d accept my apology either.”

  “Give her time.” Wendy patted her hand.

  Fiona didn’t like someone feeling sorry for her, even if Wendy was well meaning. The stress of the morning coupled with the Nicola business, and now Wendy’s caring concern, made her feel like she was on the edge of tears.

  She pushed her chair back from her desk.

  “I’m sorry, I have to head out. I’ll be back later.” She grabbed her handbag and hurried across the office. She didn’t know where she was going, just that she needed some fresh air and some time alone. She pulled the door to the communal area open and nearly walked right into Nicola.

  She stopped, frozen in place.

  Nicola stood in front of her in ripped jeans and a tank top, camera bag slung casually over her shoulder. She was… smiling. She seemed happy to see her.

  Fiona swallowed nervously.

  “Hey, I was just coming to see you.”

  Fiona frowned. She hadn’t expected Nicola in the office. Certainly not to see her. And definitely not with a smile.

  “Um.”

  “Do you have time for a coffee?” Nicola asked.

  “I don’t drink coffee.” She winced. She wanted to slap herself. Why couldn’t she have a normal conversation with this woman?

  “Okay…” Nicola chuckled. “Do you have time for a refreshing beverage of your choice? I presume you drink liquid?”

  Fiona grinned. “I do, yes.”

  Nicola tilted her head and smiled playfully. “So? Do you have some time?”

  She looked into the office. Wendy stood to the side, out of sight of Nicola but close enough to be able to hear everything. She gave Fiona a cheesy thumbs-up.

  Fiona laughed and shook her head.

  “I do.”

  Chapter Thirty

  A blur rushed out of Helen’s office and parked itself in front of Kim’s desk.

  “If anyone calls for me, take a message. Unless it’s Christine, in which case tell her I’ll call her back and then text me immediately.” Helen dropped her mobile phone into her handbag and closed the flap.

  Kim nodded. She plucked a tissue from her desk and held it out. With her other hand she tapped the left-hand corner of her mouth.

  Helen took the tissue and removed the smudge of lipstick. She screwed up the tissue and threw it in the bin beneath Kim’s desk.

  “Going anywhere nice?” Kim fished, hoping to get some intel for Darcy.

  “No idea, she’s meeting me outside.” Helen looked at her watch. “Call me if anything urgent comes up.”

  “Will do.” Kim waited for Helen to leave before jumping to her feet. Darcy would have to hurry if she was going to tail the two women wherever they were going. She walked around her desk and nearly straight into Pippa.

  “Hi,” Kim said, taking a step back. “Interviews done?”

  Pippa narrowed her eyes
.

  Something was up.

  “I received the most interesting phone call,” Pippa started. She folded her arms. “A friend who works at a rival magazine had a call from Lucy about a position they have.”

  “So?” Kim was already out off kilter at seeing Pippa glare at her. Now she knew why she worried her heard might beat out of her chest.

  “Your girlfriend is looking for alternative employment,” Pippa elaborated.

  “It’s a free country,” Kim defended. “If she wants to look at other jobs, that’s her business.”

  Pippa smirked. Like a tiger with its prey in sight.

  “When my friend asked why she was looking for a new job, why she was considering leaving Honey, Lucy said that she had information that caused her to think that she would be asked to leave soon.” Pippa planted her hands on her hips. “Considering this all happened before that brainless blonde in digital told the UK’s largest lesbian podcast that we’re effectively destitute, I’d be interested to know how Lucy came to that conclusion.”

  Kim’s palms started to sweat. She folded her arms and glared back at Pippa.

  “Are you suggesting something?”

  “Why, yes, I am. I’m suggesting that confidential information might have been made available to your girlfriend.” Pippa raised an eyebrow, daring Kim to argue.

  Kim did her best shocked impression, hoping it would stand up to Pippa’s intense scrutiny. “Are you insinuating something?”

  “You know exactly what I’m insinuating. Maybe we should discuss this with Helen?” Pippa pressed.

  “She’s out to lunch. And there’s nothing to discuss.”

  Kim had started to panic. Pippa was like a dog with a bone at the best of times. There was no way she’d let this go. Helen may be at lunch now, but she’d be back soon. And she’d see straight through Kim’s lies.

  Should Kim admit to it? Would that make it better? Could anything make it better?