Bridie said, ‘She didn’t come out of her meeting, did she?’
Kate shook her head. ‘I waited and waited.’
‘And no job offers through LinkedIn?’
‘No. I did sit there until the end of the day. When she walked out of the lift from her office on the top floor, I ran over to greet her and was surprised that her assistant hadn’t told her I was still waiting to see her.’
‘What happened? Did she give you a job interview?’
‘No. She said things had changed since our last conversation, and there was an industry-wide reduction in workforce, and to stay put where I was if I wanted to stay in work.’
Bridie’s heart sank. ‘Oh. You hadn’t told her you’d already been offered another job and had turned it down.’
Kate heaved a sigh. ‘I’ve made a huge mistake, Bridie.’
Bridie had never thought she’d see the day that Kate admitted she was wrong. ‘Can you phone your boss – tell him you’ve changed your mind?’
Kate shook her head. ‘Doesn’t work like that. They would have already offered the next person on the list the job.’
‘But shouldn’t they still offer you a redundancy package?’
‘In theory, yes, but they can get out of it, now they’ve offered me an alternative job that I turned down with no good reason, just because I didn’t want it.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I don’t know.’
Bridie thought of what Layla had repeated about their savings not going far. Bridie knew what it felt like to be desperate for a job, but her situation had been different. She only had herself to think about, and back at her mum and dad’s she had no housing costs. She still had no housing costs, thanks to Hannah and the flat above the shop. But her sister’s situation was very different. They had a mortgage to pay to keep a roof over their kids’ heads.
Bridie genuinely felt for her. ‘What can I do to help?’
Kate looked at her. ‘What do you mean, what can you do to help? You haven’t got two pennies to rub together.’
‘Hannah is opening a shop next door in Cobblers Yard, selling bridal wear. She’s quite the successful businesswoman, you know. She runs a wedding venue with her husband at a place called Somersby Hall where they live. Now, I reckon the shop will be fitted out soon, and I bet she’ll be on the lookout for another shop assistant.’ Bridie smiled to herself. Once the theatre was up and running, perhaps it would bring in some decent money through ticket sales, but she knew the real money would come from selling it. Then she could help her sister out financially.
‘You’re enjoying this – aren’t you?’
‘What do you mean?’ Bridie asked her sister.
‘Oh, how the mighty have fallen – from top investment banker to a shop assistant – of all things. You’d love that, wouldn’t you, put me on the same footing as you?’
‘I wasn’t thinking that. I was only trying to—’
‘George! Get over here and give that blasted dog back.’
‘… help,’ Bridie said in a small voice.
‘Mum, do I have to?’
‘Right. Now!’ Kate shouted.
Passersby out on a weekend stroll along the promenade gave the woman shouting at her a kid a wide berth, Bridie noticed.
George, shoulders slumped, dragged his feet as he walked back to his mum.
Bridie looked at her sister. ‘They really are lovely people in Cobblers Yard. You might enjoy it.’
‘I’m an executive.’
