‘Absolutely. I deactivated them last night. Took me hours.’
‘How many were you on exactly?’
‘Allof them,’ she says. ‘I feel liberated. But also a bit sad and scared, I’ll admit it.’
‘What are you worried about?’ I ask.
‘Oh, the usual. That I’ll be lonely for the rest of my life. Also that, at twenty-eight, I am never going to see any action ever again and will end up a lonely, horny old crone.’
‘There are worse things than being alone, you know.’
I still believe that. No, Iknowit. Even if, the moment I think it, Sam pushes into my thoughts again. Kayla and I reach the entrance to Fable & Punk and, as we enter the double doors, Angus is coming out. The sight of him stops us both in our tracks. He is wild-eyed and pale, his hair askew like a mad scientist after his test tube exploded.
‘Everything all right?’ she asks.
He registers us both and blinks. ‘Not really.’
‘Angus, what is it?’ I ask.
‘I’m being booted out.’
An interim restructure takes place over the next two days, the details of which seem to make no sense to anyone except those in head office. Various senior Fable & Punk staff are put on ‘gardening leave’, their responsibilities shuffled and dealt out like a deck of cards. Some are picked up by various shadowy figures at Barisian. Others are piled onto the rest of us.
Meanwhile, I head to London on Friday for a meeting with the woman I now report to, for the time being at least. She introduces herself with a regal handshake as Jacinta Fox-Jones. She’s a couple of years older than me, tall and attractive, with high cheekbones and slightly horsey teeth. She is dressed as a modern-day Sloane Ranger, in subtle tones of cashmere and silk, an expensive scarf tied elegantly at her neck. I have never met her until now, but I do know that she was promoted to a group role after a successful stint as CEO of The Neutral Company, a firm that has grown exponentiallyunder her tenure, thanks to significant investment and a massive social media campaign.
I’d never say this out loud – especially not now – but their stores leave me cold. I know some people love that stylised and muted look, but I find ‘bland and intimidating’ a more accurate description, most suited to the kind of homes where you’re terrified to move in case you break something.
Still, I can’t argue with their numbers.
‘Between you and me, the firm was going to the dogs beforehand,’ she tells me, as we make our way across the office. She walks very fast and talks very loudly. ‘Total lack of vision, that was the problem. Very similar to the situation at Fable & Punk, I think – no offence.’
‘None taken,’ I lie.
‘How long does it take to get here from Manchester?’
she asks.
‘A couple of hours, that’s all.’
‘Oh, what a pain.’
‘It’s fine, really.’
‘I think I went there once,’ she muses, with a little frown as she tries to recall why. ‘Long time ago though. It rained.’
I almost apologise.
She’s not particularly relaxing to be around, but in the hour we spend together I do start to warm to her. No, it’s better than that: I’m impressed by her. She’s sharp and single-minded and, after an incredibly productive meeting, I start to feel a glimmer of genuine hope that the magic she worked on The Neutral Company’s bottom line can feasibly be replicated at Fable & Punk.
The only question is whether or not I get to be a part of it.
Chapter 44
I get a text from Sam the morning after he lands in the UK that reads: ‘I’m afraid I urgently need to get my sunglasses back from you. I can’t bear another moment without them. Can I drop in to get them from you this afternoon? x’
A smile creeps across my face as I type my response. ‘It’s Bella’s birthday party at the ice cream parlour this afternoon, but I can stop by on my way? x’
Sam lives just off Roebury High Street, at the end of a row of smart townhouses. He answers the door with one of those slow smiles that is inherently sexy partly because he is completely oblivious to it. He’s fresh from the shower, in joggers and a T-shirt. His feet are tanned and bare. His arms hard and muscular. It’s tempting to just stand here and appreciate the view.
