Bridie assumed they’d have some savings to fall back on, and even if they hadn’t, Bridie imagined there would be a large redundancy payout while Kate looked for another job. Bridie said, ‘At least you’ve got time to find another job.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘The redundancy payout.’
Kate frowned.
Bridie looked at her. ‘You did get one – didn’t you?’
Kate shook her head.
‘But … but you’ve worked for that bank since you graduated. If your role was made redundant then you should have got a payout. They can’t get away with not giving you—’
‘They offered me another job.’
Bridie stopped in her tracks. ‘Oh. Right. Why didn’t you tell me? There I was thinking you were out of work.’
‘I am out of work.’
Bridie stopped mid-stride. Kate took another couple of paces, then did an about-turn.
‘I don’t understand …’
Layla, who had been a few paces behind them, had overheard the conversation. ‘Mum said the job was beneath her and refused to take a demotion and a pay cut. So now she’s got no job, and no redundancy payout or notice period either.’
Bridie raised her eyebrows. ‘Kate – is that true?’
Kate scuffed her shoe on the pavement.
Bridie stared at her. ‘You’ve got some savings, right? While you figure out what to do?’
‘Dad said the savings aren’t going to last long. That’s why Mum walked out – they were rowing over money. Dad said you should have accepted the job.’
‘Layla – shut up!’
‘No – you shut up! I’m done with this stupid walk. I don’t know why I agreed to it in the first place. I’m going to meet my friends.’
‘Layla!’ Bridie called after her.
‘Oh, let her go,’ Kate said miserably.
Bridie stared at her sister.
Kate looked at her. ‘What?’
She wasn’t surprised Kate had turned down a demotion, but Kate had others to consider, not just herself. She kept that thought to herself, and just said, ‘Nothing.’
Bridie glanced up ahead. If George had heard that argument, he didn’t appear bothered. George was kneeling, giving Barney a fuss.
Bridie turned her attention back to her sister. It was little wonder she and Andy had rowed about it. They obviously hadn’t discussed it before she’d turned it down.
Kate said, ‘I told them what they could do with their job offer, and then packed up my things and walked down the road to an investment bank where I know a woman through networking who said I’d be head-hunted if I ever chose to leave my current job, and they’d hire me on the spot.’
Bridie wondered why they hadn’t.
‘Their head office was just two blocks away. The woman was busy, even though I said I’d wait, which I did, in the foyer. While I was there, I got on to LinkedIn, updating my profile, expecting the head-hunting to begin, and the offers to flood in. I was sitting there rather pleased that she was in a meeting, and I had to wait, because I was anticipating all these job offers, and then negotiating a big fat pay rise, along with a new job.’
Unfortunately, although Kate was very driven, and she really was hard-working, she had always been a bit too full of her own self-importance to the point of being a bit arrogant.
