Page 15 of One Month's Notice

It was almost three p.m. and Nat was determined to be on time for the next video call with Michael. She checked her hair and applied some tinted lip gloss before starting the call. As she waited for him to join her, she fiddled with her pen and doodled on the corner of a page.

“How are you getting on with everything?” Michael’s face appeared and his voice made her jump.

“Oh, hi!” Nat sat up straight. “Good, I think.”

“Have you confirmed the arrangements for the investor meeting with Spinigma and restaurant booking next Sunday?”

Nat flicked through her notebook, peeling some of the damp pages apart. Some of the ink had smudged a little so she could only just make out the writing.

“Not yet. The restaurant wasn’t answering when I called them, so I will try again later.”

“OK.” Michael frowned. “That’s really important as they are flying in from the States, and we only have a few weeks to agree the details of any potential deal.”

“Of course. I’ll get straight on it when we’ve finished this call.”

“And the other investor, Ethica. How are you getting on reading their proposal and pulling together a summary?”

“Yes, good. I’ve nearly finished reading it.” Nat was frustrated that he kept asking about the tasks she hadn’t completed. Her stomach churned a fraction as she saw the stony expression on Michael’s face. “But the report will be done by first thing tomorrow morning.”

Just as Michael was about to speak, a deafening scream echoed around the kitchen. Louis’ baby monitor was on the sideboard, and he had chosen that exact moment to let the household know he had woken up from his afternoon nap.

“What the hell was that?” Michael screwed up his face.

“Oh sorry, that’s my nephew.” Nat leapt out of her seat to turn the monitor down. “It’s not normally this noisy here.”

Michael paused for a moment, before returning to the list of work Nat needed to get done before the end of the day.

“OK, well, I’ll leave you to it.” Michael spoke quickly, his efficiency leaving no time for small talk or niceties. “We’ll have another call tomorrow morning after you’ve finished the report.”

“OK, bye—” But Michael ended the call before she could wish him a nice evening.

Nat slumped in her chair, disappointed that he seemed so unimpressed with everything she was doing. She eventually motivated herself enough to continue reading the proposal, trying to ignore the gnawing sensation of self-doubt that was beginning to work its way through her body.

Chapter eight

Sunday 1st May

The gravel crunched under the tyres as the car pulled up onto the driveway of Nat and Simon’s parents’ home nestled in a small Surrey village. The cottage was a vision of rustic beauty, with walls adorned in wisteria vines, thick with purple pendants on the cusp of blooming. They climbed gracefully towards the thatched roof, giving it a fairy-tale feel. A cobblestone path meandered through a well-tended garden, bursting with colourful flowers. Her father’s place of respite when he needed time to himself.

Nat stepped out of the car and stretched, taking in the spring sunshine and fresh air. Although the journey had taken less than an hour, travelling by car always made her sleepy. She walked around to the other side and unclipped Louis from his car seat. He was still fast asleep, so Nat cradled his head into her neck, hoping to keep him that way for as long as possible. She loved the sensation of his gentle, rhythmic breathing and the little puffs of hot air against her skin.

“You grab the wine and pudding,” Simon called to Lucy. “I’ll bring the changing bag.”

“Shh!” Nat glared at Simon. “Louis is fast asleep.”

“Oh, sorry,” he whispered. “Although he won’t be allowed to stay that way as soon as Mum gets hold of him!”

The front door swung open and Anita rushed out, her apron covered in flour and a tea-towel slung over her shoulder. Her cheeks were flushed red, likely from the hours spent preparing lunch by the hot oven.

“My baby is here!” She clapped her hands together and went straight towards Nat, arms outstretched. “Come to Granny.”

“And there I was thinking you were pleased to see me.” Nat teased, handing over Louis. “Be gentle. He’s still fast asleep.”

Anita landed several noisy kisses on the top of his head and he screwed his face up in response. His eyes flickered open and his mouth immediately turned downwards.

“Oh no baby boy, don’t cry.” Anita patted his back and gently bounced him up and down. “There we go, that’s better.”

Before long, Louis was giggling at the sight of his grandad as he crept up behind Anita, pulling silly faces. He stopped to ruffle Louis’ hair before walking over to Nat.

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