‘Much obliged,’ Leo said, running a hand through his hair and following us to the door. ‘Thanks for coming over to see us.’
I almost felt sorry for Zach as he watched us leave. He looked completely defeated. How to piss off your boss, your client, and your side-shag in one fell swoop.
***
Heidi poured herself a second glass of wine. ‘We’ve got them by the balls, Kat,’ she said, eyes gleaming. ‘By. The. BALLS.’
I didn’t want to think about Zach’s balls. Or Leo’s for that matter. We’d stopped at the first pub we could find for a debrief and miraculously bagged a table for two amid the lunchtime rush.
‘Do you think Leo knew?’ I asked, twizzling my gin and tonic.
‘Inconclusive. He did seem surprised at the suggestion but no doubt they’re concocting some bullshit story to cover their arses as we speak. I’ve half a mind to phone Brooke right now, before they can get in front of it.’
‘Give him a chance,’ I replied, feeling suddenly protective. If Leo was innocent in all this, then it wasn’t fair to go over his head before he’d had chance to deal with it himself. ‘Zach didn’t seem too bothered about the accusations.’
Heidi had said she liked wild and imaginative men, but I’d assumed she meant windswept and rock-star-ish, not Zach’s poor-man version of Dr Who.
‘He doesn’t think he’s to blame – that’s why. He sees it all as a big game and obviously feels vindicated.’ Heidi took a gulp of her rosé. ‘Fancy holding a grudge your entire life like that. Weirdo.’
The busy hum in the pub went up a notch, as tables filled with hungry punters ordering ploughman’s and Caesar salads. It was a roasting hot summer’s day and impossible to resist a pint or two. I didn’t know what to think anymore. I was officially on notice if the Excalibur Cruises account went to Amplify, so what happened next was critical. It was the difference between life carrying on as it always had and polishing up my CV to start looking for a new job. But would Brooke really care either way? She obviously had more than one reason to appoint Leo and Zach, and maybe she just wanted a change, regardless of who had the best pitch. Heidi’s phone started bouncing around the table withLeo Kendrickflashing in big letters.
She pushed it towards me, wide-eyed. ‘You speak to him!’ she squealed. ‘I’ve had too much wine.’
I grabbed it and ran outside.
‘Hi, Leo, it’s Kat,’ I said, smoothly. ‘Heidi is currently indisposed.’
‘Sure. OK, fair enough.’ I heard him suck in a deep breath before speaking again. ‘Once you’d gone, Zach admitted it all. He didn’t see it as a big deal – well, not until I lost my shit. He’s packing up his desk right now and will be suspended without pay until I decide what to do with him. I wanted to speak to you and Heidi in person, but I didn’t want to leave you hanging. Please believe me when I say I knew nothing about this and would never have presented the idea if I had. I can only apologise for the whole situation. For putting you through so much stress in the pitch and for not believing you as soon as you raised it. This is not the way I do business, I can promise you that. I’m so pissed off with Zach and absolutely mortified.’
‘Hmph. Well, thank you for at least having the decency to admit it and call us so quickly.’
‘I’ve also spoken with Brooke to remedy the situation.’
I inhaled sharply. That was fast work.
‘I couldn’t have it on my conscience another minute. She was very understanding and kind, but almost dismissive – as if it didn’t really matter. I couldn’t have that, so I resigned the account.’
‘You did?’ I exhaled in shock, more impressed by the second.
‘Yup. We can’t go ahead under these circumstances – whatever Brooke says. If the idea was yours, then it’s yours. We have no right to the business.’
‘What did Brooke say, then?’
‘She wanted to meet up and discuss it, but I told her we were taking a step back. You guys should at least have the chance to present your original pitch before any further conversations are had.’
‘That’s very chivalrous of you.’
‘I can’t bear it when things are unfair. It’s one of my many foibles. If we don’t have integrity, then what’s the point?’
‘Honour among thieves.’
‘Something like that. Brooke said she’d call you, so Heidi might not want to beindisposedfor too long, hey? You know how these clients can be.’
‘Thanks, Leo,’ I said, a lump in my throat. ‘I thought you wouldn’t care. This industry is so cut-throat – it’s nice to know some people still have morals.’
‘Sure. Just not Zach though, right? Good luck when you speak to Brooke and who knows what will happen – we might all end up working together.’
Thirty-four
