Page 89 of If I Never Met You

Dan looked horrified, plain shocked, at Jamie referring to Laurie as his girlfriend. Michael gave a nasty laugh.

‘Laurie’s one of the most competent, hardworking people here and you both know it. A couple of results not going her way is neither here nor there.’

A pause.

‘Yeah, I’ve heard enough,’ Laurie said. ‘You can both stop right here, because I’m not having it. I had a meeting with Salter last week. He’s fine with my performance. If you want to raise concerns about me then do it, but you’ll harm me, not Jamie, which I presume is all that matters to you.’

A deeper sullen silence fell, as this was indisputably true.

‘Michael and Jamie, can you leave me to have a word with Dan, please?’ Laurie said.

They trooped out, Michael shaking his head at Laurie as he passed, Jamie frowning deeply.

‘Let me get this straight,’ Laurie said, fingernails digging into her palms with the effort of not shouting, ‘You do what you did to me, I start seeing someone else, and you think you have the right to sabotage the relationship? As if you, of all people, think you get a say here, Dan?’

‘I wasn’t going to do this now but Michael practically grabbed Carter by the scruff. I was going to speak to you first. I messaged you but you didn’t reply.’

‘Speak to me now. I want to know how you couldpossiblybe this far out of line?’

‘I have no rights to comment on who you want to see …’

‘Could stop there.’

‘… I have no rights, but I was worried from the off when I saw you were involved with Carter. He will do you damage, and I know you’re not going to want to hear that, least of all from me.’

‘Based on?’

‘Based on tons of stuff, Loz, the stories that followed him from Liverpool, where he gave a woman at that firm a nervous breakdown—’ Dan paused to gather Laurie’s reaction. She tried to remain impassive, she badly wanted to know more. But not from Dan, and not now. ‘… Yep, bet he didn’t tell you about that, from Eve, to a client he was rumoured to have hit on. He’s bad news and you can bet he’s seeing you with a motive.’

‘Or it’s exactly what it looks like? We really like each other?’

Dan grimaced.

‘OK, someone who always stayed in the shadows was suddenly super keen to advertise being with you on social media, doesn’t that ring any alarm bells? You’ve met his parents, how fast? Do you think maybe this is for the bosses’ benefit, because he thought your standing would do him good in getting a promotion?’

Laurie rolled her eyes. This was a no score draw. Dan had it figured out, though not in the way he thought. Lauriehadn’t succeeded in making them believe it. He was jealous, though.

She could see then how discomposed Dan was. She wanted him to feel hurt too, and now he did, she got no succour from it.

It’s lying, and lying goes wrong. Lying is just bad karma.

‘Him being super keen on me, is not possible?’ Laurie said, while knowing it hadn’t happened so it could well not be possible.

‘Don’t be an idiot! I think you’re all that and then some, of course I do.’ Dan gave her intense, hooded eyes for a second. ‘Any man fancying someone as beautiful as you is natural. It’s not about you, it’s about who he is.’

What? Laurie couldn’t shift the feeling he was … God, was he vaguely flirting? She felt possibly gratified, mainly appalled and weirded out.

‘Here’s the bottom line, Dan. I didn’t get any rights when you left me for another woman, who you’d spent months having an emotional affair with behind my back, making stupid running playlists together.’ She let that land, Dan looking stupid in his exposure, now making a face like Bert fromSesame Street. The face she used to love so much. ‘I had no rights when you told me you’d impregnated her, despite doing an insulting routine about wanting freedom and no kids, five minutes prior. If Jamie Carter took another woman on the floor of the lobby, he couldn’t possibly hurt me the way you have. This whole “splitting up” that you chose, means neither of us have any powers to tell each other what to do, or with whom we do it with. We’re totally independent actors. Right?’

Dan, after a moment, shrug-nodded.

‘So stay the fuck out of my business, Dan. I’m with Jamie, you’re with Megan, no feedback or interventions allowed.’

She stormed out and slammed the door, scattering several members of staff who apparently needed to wait for the room to be free, like stamping your shoe next to a fly-covered dog turd.

Laurie got back to her desk to find Kerry had sent a global email.

5 WEEKS TO CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!!

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