For Your Own Protection(2)

‘Wow,’ Matt said, thinking back again to the incident with Harvey.

‘He’s very intelligent though,’ Amy added. ‘But you already know that.’

Matt nodded. Harvey was by far the brightest in the class. ‘He just needs to put it to good use.’

Amy nodded. ‘He’s ambitious too, but do you know, the week before you started, he came to tell me he was quitting. Said he’d got tired of it all.’

‘So what changed?’

‘New tutor, maybe?’

Matt somehow doubted that.

Amy continued. ‘I think he’d lost confidence in himself a little after a couple of tough classes, but he seems to have gone from strength to strength since. You think in a few weeks’ time he’ll be ready for the assessment?’

‘I hope so. I’m not sure who’s more nervous about this – them or me.’ Passing the exam would give the students academic credits, which they could use to build up to a higher qualification.

‘You’ll do fine.’ Amy smiled. ‘If you decide to stick around a while longer, maybe take another class. The guys can continue to help you, too.’

‘Help me?’

‘I’ve not seen you this positive in a long time,’ she replied. ‘You seem happy in a way that you haven’t been since . . .’ Amy trailed off.

‘Since I split from Beth,’ Matt finished, with some reluctance. His relationship with Beth had ended eighteen months ago, following a gradual yet apparently unstoppable decay in relations that began after the death of his father from a heart attack, just six months earlier. He had tried to drown his grief with his job. But while ever-longer hours worked wonders for his career, winning him promotion at UGT to manager of the bank’s premier ethical-investment fund, it had soured his relationship with Beth.

‘I meant since Adam died.’

‘Oh.’ Matt’s face darkened.

‘I know you still blame yourself. But you shouldn’t.’

Adam Thomas, a young co-worker whom Matt had mentored during Adam’s first few months with the company, had fallen to his death from an apartment balcony during a party for UGT employees. Tests had shown traces of cocaine in his system. Matt felt tremendous guilt at what had happened – he was well aware of how hard the company pushed new recruits, how stressful that could be, and that drugs or alcohol often emerged as a coping mechanism. After all, he’d been through it himself. He should have done more to protect Adam.

‘And what you did afterwards, you weren’t your normal self.’

‘I still cheated on Beth, whatever the circumstances.’

In the midst of what Matt now recognised was severe depression had come a transgression that to Beth was unforgivable – a drunken one-night stand with a colleague, Jessica Summers. Thrown out of the family home, and sinking deeper into mental distress during a torrid six months in which Beth began a new relationship, he had been given permission to take unpaid leave for an initial twelve-month period. Now, with the year almost gone, he was feeling a lot better and looking to return to the fray. Taking the voluntary teaching opportunity offered by Amy was a step towards that, and nothing more.

‘I can see the old Matt,’ Amy said. ‘The Matt who dreamed of making a difference.’

Matt smiled tightly. Amy trying to steer him back to his original path was nothing new. His childhood dream had been to teach, following the careers of his parents.

‘I think Beth would approve,’ Amy noted.

‘I doubt she’d notice. Although things seem a bit better between us recently.’

‘I still hope you and Beth might sort things out.’

‘She’s with James now.’

James Farrah, a colleague at UGT and rival fund manager. Rival because there was always competition at UGT – the company encouraged it.

‘Maybe she’s with him to make you jealous?’

Matt shrugged. ‘Who knows?’

Beth had history with James Farrah. James had shared a house with Beth’s older brother Sean at university in Durham. Beth, two years his junior, had met James during one of her visits to see Sean, and they’d dated long-distance for a time back then. By chance, housemates Sean and James had both been signed up by UGT. Some years on, it was at one of Sean’s house parties that Matt, by then also a UGT employee, met Beth. Only later would he discover that the man whose conversation with Beth he had interrupted, whom he already disliked, had once been her lover.

‘Anyway, I’ve got more pressing relationship worries at the moment.’

‘Catherine?’

He exhaled. ‘I’ve decided to end it, but I want to tell her in person. I’m meeting her for lunch tomorrow.’

‘The Last Supper?’

‘I can’t say I’m looking forward to it.’

‘You still think she might be a stalker?’

‘I know you think I’m crazy – maybe I am – but I’m sure she’s been following me.’

Although they’d only been dating for eight weeks, it had been an intense, whirlwind couple of months – they’d seen each other nearly every day since that first meeting, and it had felt great. But Matt had become increasingly uncomfortable. He’d been getting the strange feeling that Catherine had been watching him when they weren’t together. He didn’t have any proof, but several times when walking among the London crowds, he’d thought he’d spotted her. And then there was the time he’d bumped into her on Oxford Street. He hadn’t challenged her on it, and had only confided in Amy.