Page 51 of One Month's Notice

“Hey, Nat…” Jamie’s voice held a note of caution. “Michael won’t be happy if he finds out what you’re doing. Be careful, OK?”

“I will.” Nat gave him a half-smile and turned, making her way quickly towards the lifts. She had managed to avoid seeing Michael all day, answering emails promptly and taking care to avoid any chance encounters. Now wasn’t the time for a discussion about the events from the previous evening. He wasn’t to know the extent of the damage to the portfolio and the significance of it being lost, and Nat wasn’t ready to tell him. She had resigned herself to letting go of the design contract and doing what she could to save Michael’s company, despite how he made her feel.

She slipped out into the warm spring air and made her way to the bus stop. The bus arrived with a hiss and a sigh, doors folding open to welcome her inside. A seat near the window was free, so she settled in. The fabric was scratchy against her palm. She pulled out her phone and opened up the email app, taking a deep breath and clicking to start a new message to the CEO of Ethica. They had met a few times while both deals were on the table—before Clara pulled their proposal apart and planted the seeds of doubt with the other board members. She hoped getting in touch wouldn’t turn out to be a big mistake.

Subject line: HealthLink Proposal

Dear Julia,

I was hoping we could arrange to speak urgently tomorrow morning. There may be an opportunity for HealthLink to progress with your investment proposal. Please let me know the best time for you and I will call.

Kind regards,

Nat

Nat hit send and locked her phone screen quickly, unable to take back what she had just done. Despite her frustrations at Michael, she couldn’t sit by and do nothing. He had built his company from scratch and didn’t deserve to lose it all. With the design contract off the table, Nat was going to need this job for a little longer than she’d bargained for.

The bus came to a halt just outside Lexi’s shop. Nat stepped off and pushed the door open, the cheerful bell announcing her arrival.

“Hey, where are you?” she called out.

“Over here.” Lexi’s head popped up from behind a table where she sat on the floor, surrounded by an array of colourful prints.

“I’m trying to figure out if the vintage jazz poster goes here, or maybe there…”

“Why don’t you leave the art to me?” Nat picked up the hammer and a handful of nails. “You still need to get the counter set up.”

“Yes, boss!” Lexi pulled herself up from the floor in a single fluid movement and began emptying out the contents of a large box. “So, are you ready for next week?”

“Hmmm?” Nat pretended not to hear. She picked up a poster and held up against the wall. “I think this is better here. What do you think?”

“I think you don’t need to ask my opinion on where to put that.” Lexi gave Nat a piercing look. “What’s up? You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“Nope, not second thoughts.” Nat placed the hammer down gently and paused for a moment, unwilling to say the words out loud that made everything real. “There isn’t a portfolio to show.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I was at Michael’s last night, Clara was there. She spilled her red wine all over it.” She shrugged her shoulders, already resigned to defeat.

“No,” Lexi gasped, her hands halting mid-polish. “Deliberately?”

“She claims it was an accident, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s too late now.”

“There must be something you can do?”

“I can’t.” Nat shook her head. “The special fabrics I used are from Paris, and there’s no time to get suitable replacements. The portfolio is due on Tuesday, so it’s too late.”

“Why don’t you take the next couple of days off work to sort it out?”

“Honestly, please just leave it. I’ve cancelled my interview slot, anyway. It’s done.” Nat turned away, signalling the end of the conversation. She could feel Lexi watching her, wanting to say something that might change her mind. It didn’t matter now. The damage had already been done and there was no coming back from this.

To keep the silence from growing too heavy, Nat turned back to her friend and changed the subject.

“So, how’s Enzo?”

Lexi looked taken aback by the sudden shift in topic. She blinked slowly, as if processing the question. “Enzo?” she repeated, the tiniest hint of blush colouring her cheeks.

“You two seemed to be getting on so well the last few times we’ve been together. I was just wondering if you’ve been in touch.”

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