“I hope you haven’t brooded over the ‘why’ of what that plonker did for all these years, Carole. He doesn’t deserve the space inside your head.”
“I know. And in all honestly, I haven’t been brooding over him or what he did, not for a long time anyway. Knowing that I’ll see him at this wedding today has stirred things up, that’s all.”
She gave him a bright smile and straightened her shoulders. “Anyway, I’m glad I filled you in on the lurid history, so you know what happened and you know that if we have to say hello to Steven at some point, which I expect we will, you won’t be taken in when he turns on the charm.”
“Got it. I’m your wingman today and I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” Tom gave her an amused grin. “Well, within reason.”
He was pleased when she let out a rumble of laughter. The frustrated unease of just a few moments ago was gone now that she’d finished recounting the story of her ex-fiancé’s treachery, and he was glad she’d got it out of her system.
“If I’m being honest, what happened with Steven was a big wake-up call for me back then,” Carole said. “Ever since I’d left school, I’d been faffing around, not sure what I wanted to do with my life. When everything went so horribly wrong with Steven, I realised I needed to think more about what I was doing and where I was going. I ended up applying to university, which was the big move I didn’t realise I needed. When I’d finished school, I’d said I was done with education and just wanted to get a job and make some cash. Surviving on crappy pay at crappy jobs had lost its appeal by that point, and the combination of a wrecked romance and no meaningful career to speak of and still living in my childhood bedroom suddenly all felt very depressing.”
“It was a wake-up call,” Tom said gently.
“Exactly. I’d always got good grades at school and so I managed to get a place on a degree course studying psychology, which, it turned out, I absolutely loved. If things hadn’t gone so horribly wrong with Steven, I might never have gone to university and just kept messing around and getting nowhere.”
“Silver linings and all that,” Tom smiled.
“Got to love those silver linings. When things ended with Steven, it was early summer, and by the autumn I was off at university. Moving away helped put it all behind me. I left Winchester, where I’d always lived, and went to London to start my degree, and I had a wonderful time. New city, new friends, new challenges, new things to study which I loved, and eventually it all led me to a career I now adore.”
“I’m happy it turned out that way for you, Carole.”
“Me too.”
Tom glanced away from the road and saw the contentment in her expression. She might still harbour lingering hurt over the circumstances of her broken engagement all those years ago—and who wouldn’t?—but it was obvious that her past didn’t rule her present.
“I just realised I have no idea what you do for a job,” he said, picking up on her comment about her career.
“I’m a psychological counsellor and mental health therapist,” she replied. “After my undergraduate degree, I did a masters in mental health psychology. I worked in a few different London hospitals before I got my new job working with the NHS here in Hampshire. I split my time between a couple of different local hospitals as part of a special initiative to expand mental health services in the community.”
“That sounds like a wonderful and worthy job, Carole.”
“I love it. Mental health issues were ignored for so long, but I think there’s more awareness now than there’s ever been before about how important it is for people to feel able to ask for help when they need it, and then to actually get that help, too.”
“This special initiative you mentioned, was that what attracted you back to this part of the world after living in London?”
“The NHS initiative was a big part of it, yes,” Carole replied. “But I also wanted a change from London after living there for solong. My parents and my sister and her family are all here still, my parents in Hamblehurst and my sister in Winchester, and I was excited to get back here and be closer to them all.”
“It sounds like it was the perfect move for you.”
“It was.” She turned in her seat and smiled. “I don’t know what you do for a living either, Tom.”
“Oh, nothing as exciting and worthwhile as what you do,” he said with a laugh. “I’m a sales executive for a business software services company. I bring in new clients by showing them how our products and services can help them run their businesses more efficiently, and I work with our existing clients to showcase new products and services as they’re rolled out and persuade them to upgrade.”
“That sounds like a great career. Sales jobs are tough.” She gave him a thoughtful look. “Funny, I never pegged you as a salesman, Tom.”
He laughed, understanding the subtle point she was making. “Salesmen get a bad reputation for being pushy and sometimes even a bit sleazy. I make a point of being neither of those things. If customers feel pressurised into buying what I’m selling, then I’m doing it wrong.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“Well, it’s my job to persuade them that they genuinely need the business products and services we’re selling. That means I not only have to know everything about what I’m selling, but also everything about what potential clients need to grow their own businesses. If I’m doing my job right, I’m not only helping my own company’s profits but those of our clients, too. It should be a win-win for us both.”
“That’s a great way to think about it.”
“It’s theonlyway to think about, in my experience. Recruiting new clients is hard work and it costs a lot of money. If new clients don’t stay with us, I have to replace them. So, it’smuch easier to make sure I’m selling them what they want and need in the first place, rather than a load of products or services they don’t use and end up feeling they’ve wasted their resources on. Happy clients will buy more from us, if they believe we’re helping them rather than ripping them off for a quick sale.”
“You sound like you must be a great asset to your company, Tom, and that they’re lucky to have you.”
“Sales is a tough career, and there’s never any chance to stand still, but I enjoy the job and I enjoy getting out and meeting our clients, too.”
