‘Me too, but they’re adamant it’s our inheritance.’
‘Blimey, the house is valued at one-point-three million. Even if they spent half on a new house, we’d still have plenty. I would far rather they bought another house and kept their savings, especially if Uncle D is going to retire. They could buy a lovely bungalow with that money.’
Hannah didn’t respond. Instead her face was scrunched up in thought. They walked a few more paces in silence until she suddenly swung around to face Mina.
‘If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?’
‘What, with the money, you mean?’
‘Yes. If you could give up work and go and do something completely different.’
‘I don’t know. Why, what would you do? I thought you loved your job.’
‘I do love my job, but… even you would say it’s a bit dull. I want something more. I’d really like to go somewhere to learn to cook properly.’
‘I just chuck it all in together and hope for the best.’ Mina shrugged.
‘That’s not true. You’re an instinctive cook. You experiment, and you have a real flair – whereas I’m always worried I’m going to get it wrong. I wish I’d done food tech, like you did, for A level.’
‘I don’t think that would have helped you get a law degree. And I do get it wrong sometimes. Beetroot meringue? Remember?’
‘It tasted OK,’ said Hannah with a sudden laugh as they both remembered the soggy purple mess. ‘But I wouldn’t have had a clue where to start to eventrysomething like that. I want to learn to cook properly. Everything from bread-making to pastry, patisserie to butchery… there’s an amazing place in Ireland where you can go for twelve weeks.’
‘Wow, sounds like you’ve been doing some serious thinking.’ Mina was impressed. She rarely thought that logically about the future – she jumped from one adventure to the next – and just for a very brief moment she wondered what she would do if she left her job.
‘Yes. It’s always been a bit of a dream, the course is hideously expensive but,’ Hannah’s eyes gleamed with sudden excitement, ‘with this money, I really could go.’
‘Then this is the perfect windfall,’ said Mina, giving her sister a hug, ignoring the prick of envy over her sister having such a clear vision of what she wanted to do. It always seemed to Mina that Hannah had life sussed, while she’d been the one who still wasn’t sure she’d found what she really wanted. Suddenly her life seemed a little hollow, and the future a little empty. With an unhappy sinking feeling, she realised that she needed to sort herself out. A week ago she’d been bouncing along quite happily and now everything seemed to have stalled, and upon reflection, that was nothing to do with Simon dumping her. Whatdidher future hold, and what did she really want from it? With an unpleasant start, she realised she had no idea, and for the first time in her life she felt a little lost.
Chapter Three
‘But this was outside of work,’ protested Mina as Ian Walters, the HR director, folded his arms.
‘The fact remains that Simon has made an official complaint about you and…’ He sighed. ‘Mina, I have to be seen to be doing something about it.’
‘Well, that’s bloody unfair.’
‘Look, if he chooses to escalate things, it could be a lot worse. And I don’t know what the legal position is, but what if he chooses to take it further as a civil action? What were you thinking?’
Mina folded her arms mutinously. ‘I was thinking he was a cheating sod and that blue hair would suit him.’
Ian tried to hide his amusement and failed miserably. ‘You know everyone is calling it Smurfgate.’
Mina grinned. ‘Are they?’
‘Yes, and I’m being totally unprofessional here. I appreciate that this all took place out of work, but the fact remains that you’ve – I don’t know what to call it, not assault or criminal damage – but at the end of the day you’ve harmed a fellow colleague.’
‘He looked a bit patchy for a couple of days.’ She shrugged before adding, ‘You should see Belinda – good job she doesn’t work here.’ An irate Simon had shown her the pictures. Despite her bravado, Mina did now feel quite remorseful. Belinda’s hair was doing a fair impersonation of mottled mermaid; her streaky blonde highlights had absorbed varying differing strengths of blue and it looked terrible. Even she couldn’t honestly say that Belinda deserved it; it was going to take months and a lot of hairdressing bills to sort out.
‘Mina. You need to sort yourself out.’
She flinched at the words. It was all very well telling herself that, but to hear it from someone else – someone who she respected and admired – that hit home.
‘I’m saying this as a friend. You need to reign in some of your natural enthusiasm and be more commercial. Your last appraisal said it all: you’re creative, a hard worker, but you have a tendency to dive off at a tangent sometimes. Heston Blumenthal can get away with weird and wonderful flavours – you can’t. Our customers are not ready for orange-and-fennel-flavoured pastry in their mince pies. They want traditional, tried and tested. That’s what your job is. To give them that.’
She knew that, but she couldn’t stop herself arguing back, ‘But that’s boring. Did you try my mince pies?’
‘Yes, and they were bloody delicious, but the thing is, you have to toe the company line.’
