She was happy to be distracted when Cathy roped her into helping in the gardens.
Chapter Seven
Victoria had always prided herself on her ability to focus under pressure. It was a skill that had served her well through university exams, high-stakes client presentations, and a memorable incident when she'd had to explain to the senior partners why their biggest client had been found doing questionable things with a traffic cone outside the office Christmas party.
Unfortunately, her legendary powers of concentration seemed to have deserted her entirely this morning.
She'd claimed the morning room specifically because it had the best light and the most reliable Wi-Fi, perfect for the sort of intensive job hunting that her current situation demanded. Her laptop was open, her phone was charged, and she'd armed herself with enough coffee to fuel a small aircraft. She had seventeen different recruitment websites bookmarked and a spreadsheet tracking her applications.
What she didn't have was the ability to concentrate on any of it for longer than thirty seconds at a time.
The problem was the window.
Or rather, what was visible through the window.
Sasha was working in the kitchen gardens with Cathy, and Victoria kept finding herself watching them with the sort of fascination usually reserved for car crashes or reality television. She'd started innocuously enough, glancing up occasionally while crafting the perfect cover letter for a position at Goldman Sachs. But somehow those occasional glances had turned into prolonged observations, and prolonged observations had turned into what could only be described as staring. Some might say longing.
Which was ridiculous. She had far better things to do than watch her brother's fake girlfriend learn how to stake tomatoes. She had a career to rebuild, a reputation to salvage, and approximately fourteen phone calls to make before lunch.
She forced her attention back to her laptop screen and began typing with renewed determination.
Through the window, Sasha laughed at something Cathy had said, throwing her head back in genuine delight, and Victoria's fingers stilled on the keyboard.
She had a lovely laugh. Victoria found herself smiling in response before she caught herself and scowled at her own reflection in the laptop screen.
With a sigh, she began typing again.
But Sasha was now attempting to untangle what appeared to be a particularly stubborn cucumber vine, her tongue poking out slightly in concentration. She'd rolled up her sleeves against the heat.
Victoria's phone rang, making her jump guiltily. Unknown number, which meant either a headhunter or someone trying to sell her insurance. Either way, a welcome distraction.
"Victoria Sullivan."
"Ms Sullivan, this is James Morton from Pemberton Associates. I have your CV here and I wondered if you mightbe available for a brief conversation about opportunities in our investment division."
Victoria sat up straighter, pulling her attention away from the window with considerable effort. "Absolutely, I'd be delighted to discuss that with you."
Twenty minutes later, she'd scheduled a phone interview for the following week and made detailed notes about the role, the company culture, and the sort of strategic thinking they were looking for. It was exactly the kind of position she'd been hoping for, and she should have been thrilled.
Instead, she found herself staring out the window again, watching Sasha examine something that Cathy was showing her with intense focus.
This was getting ridiculous.
Victoria closed her laptop with unnecessary force and stood up, pacing to the opposite end of the morning room where she couldn't see the gardens. She'd work from there. She'd concentrate on her applications and stop being distracted by…
Her phone buzzed with a text from Ambrose:Emergency family meeting in the rose garden. Archie's girlfriend wants to redesign the maze to be more "Instagram-friendly." Mother is having fits. Please come and be sensible at them.
Victoria sighed and looked out of the window one more time. Sasha was now helping Cathy load a wheelbarrow, and there was something about the competent way she lifted the heavy bags that made Victoria feel slightly warm.
Right. Fresh air. Family crisis. Perfect excuse to go outside and definitely not because she wanted to talk to Sasha.
The heat hit her like a wall the moment she stepped onto the terrace. The morning had been warm, but now the sun was beating down. The air was heavy with it. But she could smell rain coming.
She made her way across the lawns toward the rose garden, where she could already hear raised voices. But as she passed the kitchen gardens, she found herself slowing down, then stopping entirely when Sasha looked up and smiled at her.
"Escaping the office?" Sasha asked, standing up. She had a smudge of soil on her cheek and looked thoroughly disheveled and absolutely lovely.
"Taking a break," Victoria said, which was technically true. "How are you finding the gardens?"
