We need to know if jobs are safe, if there might even be options for promotion arising from all this.
Rachel hoped this would move Kemi off her obviously preferred topic. She also hoped she hadn’t come across as sniffy and superior.
Kemi Percival
Hahahahaha, WHATEVS
Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have a go on him too
Tall, smart, seems clever
Just your type
…
THOSE EYES, THAT MOUTH …
Anyone’s type tbh
Well. That had worked perfectly.
Rachel minimised the IM window and returned her attention to the front of the room. The Mountaintop MD was still talking.
‘In the coming weeks we’ll be looking at the structure of the teams here and in Manchester,’ he said. A low, anxious murmuring began, then stopped when he cleared his throat and started talking again, his voice slightly louder than before.
‘There will of course be opportunities arising from our merger, not least the chance to move between our sites, based in two incredible cities. Be open with your line manager in the next few days if you’re interested in a transfer, or indeed if there’s another move you’d be keen to make. Our aim here is to create dynamic, enthusiastic teams who can do brilliant work they enjoy.
‘On the subject of moves …’ he went on in his rich, friendly baritone.
He turned slightly to his left and Rachel felt her heart stutter in her chest.
‘… allow me to introduce Jack Harper, one of Mountaintop’s senior client services managers. He and a small team from Manchester will be based here from next week, and I know they’re all very excited to be joining you.’
Jack nodded, taking his cue to say something. He smiled warmly at his audience before beginning, and Rachel was sure she detected a collective swoon. Surely this couldn’t be happening.
‘I won’t chat for long this morning,’ Jack said smoothly. ‘I just wanted to say hello to you all, and also how thrilled I am to be coming down to work with you here in London. My team and I all have specialisms that will hopefully complement your expertise, and in some cases really benefit from it. We can’t wait to learn from you. Big thanks to those people I’ve met so far today, all of whom have made me feel so welcome. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you better in the coming weeks and months.’
We can’t wait to learn from you. Bleurgh. Was he always such a suck-up? Rachel felt her nose wrinkle in disgust.
Jack smiled and nodded at Greg as Toby moved forward to start taking questions. Greg gave Jack two thumbs up – a gesture that hit Rachel like a football in the face. Yes, Greg’s relentless positivity and lack of boundaries drove her nuts, but he washercolleague.Herfriend. She found herself incensed at the idea that he and Jack might become buddies, though as members of the same department she supposed that was inevitable for them now.
Greg looked over to give Rachel a reassuring wink, clearly unaware of the bilious mess her insides had become. At least that suggested her inner turmoil wasn’t written all over her face.
And if she had managed to maintain a mask of neutrality, it turned out this was the moment to keep it in place. Jack, seeing Greg gesture to someone on the other side of the room, followed his gaze and – finally – found Rachel in the crowd.
Their eyes locked, there was immediate recognition in his, and then a rapid softening of his expression. His face settled into a warm, sincere, supremely confident grin that seemed to say, ‘Well. Fancy seeingyouhere.’
Unbelievable, Rachel said to herself.Arrogant, weapons-grade wanker.
She looked down at her keyboard and began typing, bashing the keys with gratuitous force. She prayed no one would notice the flush creeping up her neck into her cheeks.
The meeting was over. People shuffled back to their desks and began trying to get on with work as normal. Rachel imagined, though, that for most of her colleagues the day would be spent messaging friends about the merger, wondering whether their jobs were safe and setting their LinkedIn profiles to ‘open to recruiters’. She made a mental note to switch hers too, once her brain had stopped whirring and she could remember the right password.
The Mountaintop team didn’t seem in any rush to leave. As Greg had predicted, it appeared they were planning to stay and observe the workings of the agency, wandering through the office at will, sitting in on meetings and gradually introducing themselves to members of their new London branch.
Rachel worked through everything in her inbox and created a to-do list for the day, determined not to keep scanning the room for Jack. Part of her was desperate to look at him some more, while another prayed for him to spontaneously combust. She felt sure he wouldn’t leave without speaking to her, but had no idea when or how they’d come face to face – let alone what they’d say. She felt like one of those innocent grass-grazing animals in a David Attenborough documentary: at risk of being chased down and eaten by a lion at any moment, but unable to predict when doom would come.
