“Hi Daddy.”
“Hello, Steph,” replied Simon’s voice.
“Simon! What are you doing with my dad’s phone?” she asked, fear dropping like a lead weight in her gut.
“I popped in to see him. He looks well considering what he’s been through. Janice has just nipped out to the shop so I said I’d sit with him, but he’s nodded off, so I thought I’d make contact and as I didn’t have your number . . .”
“Leave him alone. Leave me alone and the reason you don’t have my number is because I don’t want you to have it!”
“But I have it now, don’t I? I like your dad so I think we’ll be seeing lots of each other. Maybe I could introduce you to my son,” he said rendering her stunned into near silence.
“Or you could fuck off and leave me alone!” she said as she disconnected the call and wondered what to do next when Rosie’s voice came over the intercom,
“Your next appointment’s here.”
Steph got up and opened her door to usher them in, taking the opportunity to say to Rosie, “Hold my calls, but can you call Mr Brooker and see if he is free later please.”
Having attemptedto stay focused during the meeting, Steph was pleased with the outcome as was SuLyn who now had some additional funding available and with Martin’s assurances that he could see several other ways to generate future funds for her research including the use of joint facilities with other researchers, possibly The Brooker Foundation.
Sophie had been predominantly there as an observer, but seemed to enjoy the experience and was thrilled when, after seeing SuLyn out, Steph addressed her. “I’ve been thinking that Martin may be a good contact for you to run budgeting and accounting queries through on your deals. He knows me and the way I work so that would aid you and then you can put final figures and deals together before you run it past me for final approval. If that’s okay with you, Martin?”
Martin nodded. “That’s fine by me, but I won’t be on staff here properly until the middle of next month, but after that I will need a workload organising so I’m happy if that’s part of it.” He smiled a little coyly at Sophie who was smiling from behind slightly hooded eyes.
Steph watched them for a few seconds and thought they could make rather an unexpected couple, but her thoughts were interrupted again by Rosie’s voice.
“Miss Pryor, Mr Brooker is here when you’re free.”
“That’ll be our cue to wind up then but I will email you with some kind of induction when you move over to us Martin.” Steph smiled as she got to her feet and opened the door.
Jon waited for Sophie and Martin to leave before heading into Steph’s office and loosening his tie, sat on the sofa and waited for her to join him.
“What’s up, darling?” he asked as she walked towards him.
“Who says there’s anything wrong?” she asked unsure how to proceed but conceded to herself that there was indeed something wrong.
“You, summoning me and the look on your face and the tremor in your voice,” he told her as he pulled her down to sit on his lap.
“I had a call this morning, from my dad, or so I thought, but it was Simon from Dad’s phone,” Steph revealed to an angry looking Jon.
“And how did he come to have Roger’s phone?” Jon gently stroked her cheek.
“Janice had gone out, I don’t even know if she knew he was there, but Simon said my dad had fallen asleep . . .”
“The sneaky bastard took advantage. I thought Roger had given him short shrift after the hospital?”
“Yeah, me too, but he reckons they’re friends again. He even suggested me meeting his son. He was weird.” Steph leaned into Jon’s chest.
“He scared you, didn’t he?” Jon held Steph tightly against his body as he pulled her hair loose and gently began to run a hand over it.
“Yes,” she admitted with more than the tremor to her voice that Jon had noticed earlier.
“Well, don’t be. He won’t be getting anywhere near you, Steph, and you’re jetting off with Lindsay soon enough, aren’t you?” He appeared to be deep in thought.
“I wish you were coming, too,” she admitted as she ran her fingers through the dark locks curling into Jon’s neck.
“I told you to rearrange and then I would have been.” He pulled her across his lap and then slid himself across Steph until she was flat out on the sofa with him over her.
“Couldn’t you get the time off?” asked Steph seriously.
