He shook his head at the thought of her just seeing him as a criminal when nothing could be further from the truth.
It had been a relief when he had secured the job with the council, although he supposed they had to be seen to be fair in their selection process. He had explained at the interview all about his having no previous involvement with the police, and how the tragic fatality of the pedestrian had been the result of an accident.
It seemed to take forever for the closing date for applications, and Declan took a driving job and applied for other positions in the meantime, but eventually he had been contacted. To his utter shock he had been selected for the appointment in the accounts department.
Declan missed talking to Jess. Even her morning routine seemed to have shifted a little, as he had not seen sight nor sound of her and Maisie. Not that he saw her regularly in themorning as he probably left before they did, but the evening was a different matter, when they would often arrive home at the same time and have a little chat.
He looked at himself in the mirror in his suit and wondered whether he should go for a more casual look for his meeting today.
Ken Watson had invited him to his home for the interview, rather than an office, explaining that he liked to get a ‘feel’ for someone in a more relaxed atmosphere. Did that mean he should ditch his suit, though? He took a deep breath and decided to keep the suit. Then changed his mind again. He had to get this right.
He eventually settled on a pair of chinos and a smart polo shirt, with a jacket thrown over the top. He still wasn’t sure he had got it right, though, as he stepped outside and headed to his car. Did he look like he was about to play a round of golf? But then Ken did say he wanted to see someone in a relaxed atmosphere. Declan’s doubts went around in his head, until he arrived at the address he was given, and decided he had made the right choice.
Pulling into the curved driveway of the huge white painted house that had space for several cars, Declan clutched his CV and knocked at the highly polished black front door with two buxus plants either side that contrasted perfectly with the exterior of the house.
A young woman of around his age opened the door, before warmly inviting him inside. She shouted for her dad, then disappeared with a gym bag slung over her shoulder.
‘Declan, glad you could make it,’ said Ken Watson, shaking his hand firmly as he emerged from another room.
Declan had booked the morning off work, preferring to get the interview done first thing, rather than thinking about it all day.
‘Please come through,’ said Ken.
Declan followed him along a hallway with a block wooden floor to a spacious lounge. Ken gestured for him to take a seat on a huge expensive-looking fabric sofa.
‘Drink?’ Ken gestured to a wooden sideboard with a silver tray containing an assortment of spirits.
‘Or some tea, or a coffee?’ asked a smiling woman of around Ken’s age who had just appeared. Ken introduced her as his wife, Sally.
‘I wouldn’t mind a coffee, if it’s no trouble,’ said Declan, thinking it too early in the day for a proper drink, even though it might settle his nerves. Besides, he had come in his car.
‘We will be in the conservatory,’ said Ken to his wife, gesturing to the room at the end of the lounge.
It surprised Declan that Sally had offered to make coffee. The house was so impressive a housemaid would not have seemed out of place here.
A few minutes later, Declan was sitting in the conservatory with Ken, a tray of drinks and a delicious-looking carrot cake, that Ken informed Declan his wife had made, set in front of them on a coffee table.
Sitting in an easy chair and surrounded by large plants, and with the black and white chequered floor, Declan might have been sitting in a bar or café somewhere. It was a far cry from the disastrous interview he had attended last time in the offices of Jarvis and Green. The conversation flowed easily, and Ken seemed impressed by what he saw in Declan.
‘So much nicer having a chat this way, isn’t it?’ said Ken as he sipped his coffee. ‘I don’t think formal interviews bring out the best in people as they are often so nervous.’ He smiled.
‘I agree,’ said Declan, who felt completely at ease as Ken ran his eyes over his CV.
It was hard to put an age on Ken Watson. Lightly tanned, and with a thick head of greying hair, he could be anywhere between fifty-five and sixty-five years old. His wife was similarly well groomed, with perfectly styled hair and stylish clothes. It was so difficult to tell a person’s age these days what with all the cosmetic treatments, thought Declan. Every time he switched his radio on in the car there were ads for some beautifying treatment or other.
‘So why would you want to leave a secure job with the council?’ asked Ken as he helped himself to a slice of his wife’s carrot cake.
Declan knew he would be asked that. He had wondered how he ought to answer the question, without appearing greedy for money.
‘I think I would like to challenge myself,’ Declan eventually replied. ‘I am hungry to grow a business. There is no opportunity for that working for the council, despite the job security,’ he explained.
‘That’s true.’ Ken nodded. ‘I started with the same ambition. I was a salesperson originally, then one day I thought, why I am selling stuff for someone else? I literally started out by selling sinks and taps from a shed in the garden,’ he divulged.
‘That’s impressive,’ said Declan, as he thought of the size of the Sanctuary Bathrooms empire now.
‘Thank you,’ said Ken. ‘But I believe if you have the drive and determination you can achieve pretty much anything.’
Declan could not have agreed more. Sure, it was easier if you were given a monetary handout to start up but he believed the desire to achieve something could override anything. Along with a little bit of luck. Alice was offering him premises, a gesture he was keen to take advantage of.
