‘Ten pounds a time soon adds up!’
Vicky looked thrilled and Blythe didn’t have the heart to give her a reality check. Blythe swapped hands with the lead three times before she could get a look at her watch. ‘I’ll need to head back soon because I’ve got to have a shower and go into the office.’
‘On a Sunday?’
Blythe brought Vicky up to speed on the whole sorry situation of Amir trying to snatch away her record-breaking sales achievement.
‘He sounds like a shit,’ said Vicky.
‘I think that’s a fair summary.’ Blythe puffed out a breath. ‘In any other situation I wouldn’t begrudge him. I really wouldn’t, but I’ve worked my bum off this last year. If I’m honest I’m surprised Ludo brought him in. With the sales I’ve been doing it’s not like we needed someone else. But Ludo said that was exactly why we needed another senior negotiator: because I was in danger of being overworked.’
‘Don’t you believe him?’
‘Ludo is the most honest person I know. So I know he genuinely thought bringing Amir in was the right thing to do. I don’t trust Amir though.’
‘Is Amir dishonest?’
‘I don’t have any evidence but a few things don’t add up. And to get that many sales in one month when he’d been jogging along at almost half that many until now seems fishy to me.’
‘But you got almost that many,’ pointed out Vicky.
‘Almost.’ Blythe noisily sucked in air. ‘I can’t believe I got so close.’
‘Oh well, never mind,’ said Vicky breezily, making Blythe do a double take.
‘Never mind?’
‘Yeah.’ Vicky shrugged. ‘I know you wanted to set a new sales record but it doesn’t really make any difference. Does it?’
‘I would be the irrefutable top agent.’
‘Ooh, like Danger Mouse,’ said Vicky with a giggle, but the look Blythe was giving her made her put on a pretend serious face. ‘I know you want to prove to your real dad that—’
Blythe was stunned. The mention of Hugh brought her up short, or it would have done if Princess would have let up her pulling for a second. Her dad had taught her many things: the importance of being professional, not to mix business with pleasure, and that no matter how much you loved someone they could still just walk out of your life. Twelve months of record sales was something her father, a London property guru, had said was impossible.
‘What? It’s got nothing to do with him. Nothing at all,’ said Blythe, although it had set her wondering what it might be like to get a little praise from her father.
‘Oh, okay. Sure.’
‘I just want to be the best I can be. That’s all. And I just need two more sales.’ It was so frustrating.
‘This cockney customer bloke…’ began Vicky.
Blythe laughed. ‘Just because he’s from London doesn’t make him a cockney.’
‘Don’t most of them speak like they’re onEastEnders? You ain’t my muvver; apples and pears; Gawd blimey, Mary Poppins.’ Vicky’s cockney accent was on a par with her business ideas.
‘Obviously not. His accent is sort of neutral.’ She’d spoken to him so many times. Mainly he sounded terse or bored and for some reason she guessed he was a similar age to her parents.
‘Is he likely to put in an offer on a house over the phone?’ asked Vicky.
‘Probably not. I mean it does happen once in a blue moon with overseas clients and investors but I think that’s about as likely as Barnaby listening to a command.’ Although at the sound of his name Barnaby whipped around in Blythe’s direction, spinning Vicky around like a top. His sister barked excitedly, making Blythe jump, and in a moment of confusion the lead was snatched from her hand. ‘Nooooo!’ she shouted, as Princess raced off with Barnaby close behind despite the fact he was dragging Vicky along with him.
Blythe gave chase but Princess was fast. She charged into long grass and apart from popping up a couple of times she then disappeared.
‘Find her, Barnaby,’ instructed Vicky. For the first time that day Barnaby sat down.
*
