‘Done.’
Leo ordered the food, while I sat and listened to the musical trio on Portuguese guitars. They were playing intricate pieces at such a pace I was surprised there wasn’t smoke coming off their strings.
‘How about after this I take you on a magical mystery tour of Lisbon?’ Leo said, his voice low and full of suggestion.
‘Sounds like a good way to while away the evening,’ I said. ‘What kind of tour?’
‘Erm…magical and mysterious,’ he said. ‘There isn’t a theme. Do you want one? Cheese? Ice cream? Wine?’
‘How about a cheese-flavoured ice cream tour?’
‘Mmm, tasty. Another impossible client brief – my favourite.’
I laughed. ‘Aren’t they all?’
‘It’s getting more and more that way.’
‘How are you finding being a CEO? Amplify is getting bigger by the day, isn’t it? There must be thirty of you by now, if all the job ads I keep seeing are anything to go by.’
‘Fifty and growing. But honestly, being in charge is hard. I’ve been CEO for six months now and the pressure to bring in new business – but not too much – and run a happy team –
but not too happy – and make LOADS of money – is non-stop.’
‘Like balancing a coin on a lemon in a bowl of water.’
His stressed face switched back to shiny. ‘Precisely, i.e. virtually impossible.’
‘Why don’t you set up your own shop? If you can be CEO at Amplify you can be CEO for Kendrick PR… International… Limited.’
‘That’s got a nice ring to it.’
‘Rolls off the tongue. Then you’d be bringing in the same new business but all for yourself.’
‘I could say the same to you. Looks like you’re doing most of the work at Northstar PR from where I’m standing.’
‘Leo!’ I pretended to be shocked. ‘Don’t let Heidi hear you saying that. She’s convinced she does it all.’
‘Of course she is. But does she? Hmm? How much does she really do?’
‘I wouldn’t want all the worries that come with owning a business, to be honest. I like getting a reliable wage each month and knowing the bigger picture is somebody else’s problem.’
‘I’m the opposite,’ Leo said. ‘I like to be in control of my own destiny, which might mean my own shop one day, but not yet. Heading up Amplify is perfect for me right now.’
‘Just right, is it? Mr Goldilocks of the PR world.’
‘Yup. It’s not too big and not too small with a brilliant team and cool clients. Eventually I’ll outgrow it, of course, but for now it’s giving me every opportunity I need to learn, and I love it.’
His silver eyes turned serious when it came to work chat and a corporate sheen consumed him. These felt likewell-practised lines. The words had been carefully chosen for maximum impact – as if he was being interviewed live on a podcast. He looked exhausted from trying.
‘When you think we were both in the exact same place not so long ago, you’ve done brilliantly.’ He gave me a bashful smile. ‘Your grandma must be very proud.’
‘She is. Granny Sal loves us boys.’ He topped up our wine as the sun peeped out from behind the clouds. ‘And the next layer down. Both my brothers have two sons.’
‘Even better – Kendrick and Nephews PR.’
He laughed. ‘Maybe. At the very least I want to instil a good work ethic in them. Although mine has always come from a place of panic. Knowing there’s no backup.’
A shadow passed over his face, and I thought back to how it had been growing up back in Bootle. Dad had worked long shifts as a lorry driver and mum had done child-minding for extra cash, so there hadn’t been much room for error when it came to month-to-month survival.
