Page 36 of One Month's Notice

Back at her desk, the frenetic click-clack of Jamie’s keyboard greeted Nat. She hesitated for only a moment before leaning towards him.

“Can we talk? Somewhere private.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow but nodded, following her to a vacant conference room. Once inside, Nat closed the door and turned to him, her expression grave.

“I’ve stumbled onto something worrying about Spinigma.”

“Trouble?” Jamie’s features mirrored her concern.

“They’re about to be taken to court for illegal practices. If they lose, our company could take a hit. A big one. I don’t think we would survive.”

“Damn. So much for strategic economic entertainment organisation.” Jamie flexed his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. “That’s not good. Does Michael know? And how did you find this out?”

“No, he doesn’t. It’s not public knowledge. And I can’t go into detail about my source. Not yet, anyway.”

“Come on, you can tell me!”

“I can’t. Please trust me on that.”

“OK, we need a plan. There must be something we can do about it.”

“I need your help. We have to figure out how to prevent this deal from going through. Clara is pushing it really hard, and I think we should find out why.”

“OK, let me see what I can dig up.” Jamie’s eyes lit up with determination. “We’ll sort this out.”

“Thank you.” The weight on Nat’s shoulders eased a fraction. They would do everything possible to keep the company, and everything Michael had worked towards, safe from the impending storm.

Side by side, Jamie and Nat settled back into the rhythm of their work, their chairs occasionally bumping lightly against one another whenever they reached for a file or twisted around to grab a printout.

“Check this out.” Jamie’s voice was a low whisper as he tilted his screen towards Nat.

She peered at Clara’s latest social media post: a selfie, with the Eiffel Tower just a blurry suggestion in the background, her red hair a stark contrast against the blue Parisian sky. Nat couldn’t help but smirk at Clara’s pout.

“World traveller and wannabe part-time model.” Jamie scrolled through an endless feed of Clara’s escapades. Each photograph had been carefully curated and filtered, accompanied by an endless stream of inane hashtags.

“Seems like full-time narcissist should be added to her bio.” Nat was relieved that the uncomfortable annoyance from earlier was finally transforming into something far more entertaining.

The afternoon flew by as they tossed friendly barbs back and forth, laughter punctuating their more serious conversations about suspicious activity and tiny clues. With the clock signalling the end of the day, Nat began to pack up her things, sliding her laptop into its bag with practised ease.

“Got any exciting plans for the evening?” Jamie leaned back in his chair.

“Not really.” Nat shook her head. “Probably just veg out on the couch with a takeout and bad TV.”

“Living the dream.” Jamie laughed. “Well, I’m heading to a mate’s place for pizza and video games.”

“I forgot you have the lifestyle of a teenage boy. Enjoy, see you tomorrow.”

Nat pulled on her casual blazer and straightened it, a token effort at looking somewhat put-together before she approached Michael’s office.

“Natalie!” Michael called out just as she was about to knock on his door. He was striding toward her. Clara was in tow, talking animatedly with the investors from Spinigma.

“Hey.” Nat tried to calm the sense of trepidation bubbling up inside her.

“We’re just heading out to dinner. If you don’t have any plans, why don’t you join us?” The invitation from Michael came easily and without hesitation. “It’d be good to have you there.”

“The table is only booked for six people.” Clara threw an unpleasant glance in Nat’s direction. Her lips curled into a sneer and her eyes glinted, daring a challenge.

“I’m sure we can make room for one more.” Michael countered smoothly, his gaze holding Nat’s.

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