She felt stronger just having Nia there.
‘Me and Edward, we’ll get you through. And Thomas, of course.’
The sound of his name was enough to make Anna smile. She thought of him, fast asleep in his cot, the way his arms would be flung above his head, and the love she felt was almost painful in its intensity.
5
NO
Wednesday 5 June 2002
Anna sent Edward a text as she walked from the Tube to the office.
Happy anniversary. Let’s celebrate when you’re home.
He wouldn’t get it for a while. It was still the early hours of the morning in New York. She slipped her phone into her bag and flashed her security pass to get into the building.
Deborah was already at her desk. It didn’t matter how early Anna got in, she never beat her boss. However, she knew that Deborah noticed what time she got there, and how late she stayed, and she knew it wouldn’t do her any harm when a promotion opportunity came up. Deborah equated working long hours with working hard, and Anna was happy to prove herself.
‘Coffee?’ she asked.
Deborah held up her cup to indicate thatshe already had one. ‘Come over to my desk once you’ve got yours and settled in. I want to talk to you aboutWings.’
Anna made an instant coffee in the kitchen area.Wings of a Dovewas one of the first books she’d been really involved with. It had come out in hardback last year and been a smash hit, and the paperback was due in a couple of weeks. Anna had been working hard on it, and they’d secured reviews in some great magazines and newspapers. She hoped whatever Deborah wanted to discuss, it wasn’t bad news.
She pulled her chair over and sat opposite Deborah, the desk between them. ‘So,’ she said. ‘Wings?’
‘Yes.’ Deborah finished typing something and fixed her gaze on Anna. ‘I want this book to go stratospheric, you know that. And you know there’s a tour of bookshops?’
Anna nodded. She had organised the bookshop tour. Liaising with the shop managers and with the author, Katy. Sorting out train tickets and accommodation.
‘I was planning to accompany her,’ Deborah said, ‘but my husband’s been on a waiting list for an operation on his foot and he’s got a date now and, long story short, I can’t do it. And I’d like you to go in my place.’
Anna widened her eyes. ‘Me? On the tour, with Katy?’
Deborah nodded. ‘It was you or Ellie, and I think you’ve really proven yourself lately. I’m confident that you can do an excellent job.’
Anna smiled. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’d love to.’
Back at her desk, Anna started composing an email to Edward. But what had seemed like such exciting news when she’d been at Deborah’s desk a couple of minutes ago suddenly lost its shimmer when she tried to explain it in writing. Edward got to travel all over the place, and she was pretty sure he wouldn’t be impressed by her two-week trip around the country.In fact, he was likely to say it was an inconvenience, or to ask if they were going to put her up in nice hotels, maybe suggest he could come and join her for a couple of nights if they were. She deleted what she’d written and minimised her emails. Then opened them up again. She’d tell Nia instead. She fired off a quick, excited email and two minutes later, Nia responded.
Sounds great! Well done, Mrs. You rock. Fancy a celebratory lunch at The Dog?
Anna beamed, sent back a reply suggesting a time, and sat back in her chair, drinking her coffee.
Four hours later, Anna walked into The Dog, a fairly dingy pub that she and Nia had been frequenting for lunch for years, after discovering that it was pretty much exactly the midpoint between their offices. They did great sausage sandwiches at a fraction of the price of the more upmarket cafés and bars in the area. Plus, the landlord, Kev, knew their names and their order.
‘Usual, Anna?’ he asked. ‘Nia’s over there.’
Anna smiled. ‘Thanks, Kev.’
Nia was sitting next to the window, but she stood up when Anna walked over. ‘Congrats on the book tour!’
‘It’s not really a big deal,’ Anna said, failing to hide her grin.
‘It is a big deal,’ Nia said. ‘And it just goes to show that those long hours and all that hard work really pays off. What did Edward say?’
‘I haven’t told him. He’s in New York and’ – she glanced at her watch – ‘he’ll only just have woken up. Plus he goes on all these fancy trips. Mine’s to places like Sheffield and Watford.’
