Icy fear slithered down me and I tightened my fingers on my arm. “Can she be more specific?”
“She’s showing me a number 23. She says to take care of yourself.”
Number 23. Was she talking about the new launch? Was Roka going to do a number on me? I couldn’t believe she had either the time or the inclination. Plus, anything we agreed to was in a contract.
My mind immediately went to Eliza, who’d come up with the ‘23’ idea initially. The dread that followed was so intense, nausea swelled inside me. I didn’t want to believe it, but who else could it be? My own sister wouldn’t betray me. It couldn’t be Fiona, who was about as straightforward as a person could be and had been nothing but loyal to our family business.
Maybe Margot? But that made no sense. She had her doubts about me taking everything over, but she’d said she’d give me a fair crack of the whip. Plus, she was family.
Which brought me back to Eliza. I reminded myself that I hardly knew her at all. Yes, she said all the right things, but she’d only been back in my life for a few months. People weren’t always what they seemed, especially people who fell into your life at convenient moments offering exactly what you needed.
But if that were true, why would she be going to Scotland to smooth things along? Unless she had an ulterior motive for doing that?
My head swam, and not in a good way.
“Can she give me a name?” I hated how small my voice sounded.
Sage shook her head slowly. “She’s fading now. I think she might have been here too long. Does ‘23’ mean anything to you?”
“Too many things right now. It means everything.”
After Sage left, I poured myself a coffee and walked into my home office, trying to make sense of what Sage had said. The Voss business plan was pinned to my white board, showcasing the hours I’d spent on it before actually making it happen. I couldn’t have done it without Eliza’s help. She was also a key cog in where we wanted to end up.
The rational part of my brain knew that mediums were hardly reliable sources of information. But the part of me that had felt my mother’s presence, that had woken up unable to breathe couldn’t dismiss it so easily.
I thought about Switzerland, about spending two days alone with Eliza, about how easily I’d agreed, despite knowing it would complicate everything.
Maybe that was exactly what she was counting on.
?
The following week, I got the email from Roka’s people. The contracts were signed and sealed: it was all systems go. The magnitude of the achievement made me grin as I pushed back my office chair and stared out over the capital. We’d done it. I wanted to punch the air, but it seemed a little weird.
The first person I wanted to share the news with was Eliza. I picked up my phone and called her. She was still in Scotland. It went to voicemail. I exhaled, then tapped out a message.
We’ve got Roka’s signed contracts. All the prep work was worth it! Xxx
I stared at my phone, waiting for a reply. She wasn’t online. I checked my watch. It was just gone 2pm. Where was she? I tried Fiona too, but she didn’t pick up either.
Nobody else would understand. Maybe Margot? I peered across the hall, but she wasn’t in her office. She rarely was these days, choosing to work from home more often than not. I dialled her number.
“Poppy. What can I do for you?” Finally, somebody answered.
“I just wanted to let you know that Roka’s signed, and I had to tell someone!” She was third choice, but she’d do.
“That’s incredible. It’s never done until it’s signed, you know that. You’ve done it, kid.”
“Thanks.” I blushed, despite myself. I didn’t need Margot’s approval, just like she didn’t need mine when it came to Max. However, it was nice to have.
“I’m hoping this proves I can do the job at my three-month appraisal.”
Margot paused for a long moment before she replied. “It can’t harm anything, can it?”
Two hours later, my phone pinged. I picked it up, like I hadn’t been checking it constantly while mainlining coffee all afternoon.
Eliza had given my message a thumbs up. That was it. For the biggest win of my career, the deal that could save everything: a thumbs up emoji. No call back, no excited response, not even a proper message.
I stared at that pathetic little yellow thumb until my eyes hurt. Something was wrong. This wasn’t just Eliza being busy or distracted. She was avoiding me, and I needed to know the reason why.
