The First Mistake(3)

‘No worries, it’ll be my treat,’ I say, and see her eyes momentarily narrow. I bite my tongue and immediately wish I could suck the words back in. I’d hate for her to think I’m being patronizing, but I’d genuinely like to help. It takes a little longer for my brain to catch up with my mouth and realize that she might appreciate a handout for something more worthwhile than an overpriced meal in a fancy restaurant.

‘Don’t be silly,’ she says finally, and I let out a sigh of relief. ‘Why don’t we do a pizza night tomorrow and go uptown next week?’

‘Sounds like a plan,’ I say.





2


‘So, are we going for the burgundy and gold for the drawing room at Belmont House?’ I ask the team around me, as they contemplate the mood boards in front of them.

‘I’ve tried working up a royal blue, with white accents,’ says Lottie, our junior designer, as she absently chews on the end of a pencil. ‘But it doesn’t look nearly as decadent as the burgundy.’

‘Great,’ I say, gathering up the loose papers that I’d strewn over the table during the meeting. ‘So, let’s present them with that and see what they think. Is there anything else?’

‘I’ve just got a few accounting queries,’ pipes up Matt, ‘but they can wait until Nathan’s back from Japan.’

I look at my watch and my breath quickens. ‘He’s due to land in the next hour or so, all being well. If he makes good time, he might pop in. Are you sure it can wait until tomorrow if he doesn’t?’

‘Yeah, course,’ says Matt. ‘It’s nothing urgent.’

‘Okay, so if that’s all?’ I ask, looking around at the nodding heads.

‘Can I have a quick word?’ says Lottie, hanging back as the rest of the team file out.

‘Sure,’ I smile. ‘What’s up?’

‘I just wondered if I’d be able to come to the meeting at Belmont House with you tomorrow?’

I consider it for a moment.

‘It’s just that I’ve got loads of ideas, and I really feel I could bring something to the table.’ She looks at me, her mouth agape at the faux pas she thinks she’s made. ‘Not that there’s anything wrong with what’s already on the table,’ she rushes on. ‘It’s all on there, and then some, and then you’ve wrapped it up in a big gold bow and put the Alice Davies signature on it . . .’ She’s rambling, and I wait with raised eyebrows.

‘I can’t see why not,’ I say, when she stops to take a breath. ‘In fact, you can lead it, if you like.’

An involuntary squeal escapes from her mouth that I pretend not to hear, even though it makes me smile.

I can’t help but marvel at how far she’s come in the short time she’s worked here. She was as quiet as a mouse when she first joined AT Designs, barely able to look anyone in the eye. I remember asking at her interview where she saw herself in ten years’ time, and she’d meekly whispered, ‘Sitting in your chair.’ The juxtaposition of her manner and her words had almost made me spit my coffee out. She had got the job on that alone.

She’d been almost mute for a week, just nodding and shaking her head at pertinent times, but I knew she was in there somewhere. I’d seen it, though Nathan refused to believe me.

‘I’m telling you, you picked the wrong candidate,’ he’d said over dinner after her second day. ‘We need someone with something about them – she’s not even going to be able to interact with clients.’

I’d smiled and shaken my head. ‘She’s young and shy, but she’s quietly ambitious and has a real flair for interior design. She reminds me of someone I used to know.’

He’d smiled ruefully. ‘I give her two weeks.’

Six months later and she’s truly come out of her shell. She’s not only able to interact with clients, but is working on one or two small projects by herself.

‘I won’t say, “I told you so”,’ I’d whispered to Nathan under my breath when she presented her ideas on a new restaurant concept we were pitching for last week.

‘Smartarse.’ He’d smiled, his blue eyes not leaving Lottie.

There was no denying that I felt a tiny sense of satisfaction at getting one over on Nathan. Our friendly competitiveness was part of who we were, whether it be in work, a game of tennis, or playing charades with the girls. But the overriding emotion was one of relief; that in Lottie I might have found a protégé who could take the pressure off me. Nathan was, is, brilliant at keeping the business side of the company ticking over. It’s in better shape now than it’s ever been. But, until Lottie joined, I was the only creative, and to have someone to fall back on, to take the heat off, has meant that I’ve slept a little easier at night.

Although he’s not one to admit defeat, Nathan obviously concedes that having Lottie around is making a difference, as just before he left for Japan he’d championed her for a pay rise.

‘She’s worth her weight in gold,’ he’d said, as he stood in the hall with his holdall in his hand. ‘You should have seen her in the meeting with Langley Kitchens. She had them eating out the palm of her hand.’

‘Er, you don’t have to tell me,’ I had said, laughing. ‘I’m the one who told you, remember.’