Page 57 of The Typo

To: [email protected]

Date: 1 March, 12:35

Subject: Meeting

Hi Cameron,

I can’t make it to Edinburgh Castle. I’m sorry. I think it’s probably better for both of us this way. Enjoy your trip to Scotland.

Amy

‘“Enjoy your trip to Scotland?”’ said Leonie.

‘I didn’t know how else to sign off,’ I said, cringing at how cold and uncaring I sounded. But I could hardly write the truth, could I?Dear Cameron, I lied to you, and then I fell for you, and now it turns out that you were hiding something too, and it’s getting messy, and I’m scared, and I don’t know how to handle it.

‘Oh, oops, sorry,’ she said, sounding anything but. ‘I seem to have deleted it somehow. My bad.’

‘Leonie,’ I protested. ‘Now I’ll have to write it all over again.’

But before she could say anything else, the lighting booth door opened and Ian strode in.

‘Amy, there you are,’ he said. The irritation in his voice did not bode well.

‘Hello, I didn’t realise you were back. Did you have a good trip?’ I asked, trying to sound casual, while my stress levels ratcheted up.

‘Not exactly,’ he said. ‘It was much shorter than I’d intended. I don’t know why people get so wound up about jokes nowadays. The whole point of comedy is to push the boundaries. Anyway, that’s beside the point. I think you and I need to have a conversation about the Cellar Bar, don’t we?’

For half a second, I considered feigning ignorance, then realised it would only put off the inevitable.

‘Okay, would tomorrow suit? I’d like to share some figures with you, and I want to check them over one more time.’

I knew I was grasping at straws, but I had to try. And it was completely true that there were figures to share with him. Ever since I’d set the wheels in motion to reopen the Cellar Bar, I’d been keeping a careful record of every detail, from how much we’d spent – not a lot – to how many bookings we’d taken – more than I’d ever hoped for. From experience, I knew that however clearly I explained things to Ian, he was likely to hear something completely different from what I actually said. If he wouldn’t listen to me, perhaps the written record would help him to get the message. I knew it was going to be a difficult conversation, one which I’d really prefer not to have to deal with at the moment, on top of everything else that was causing me anxiety.

‘I think today would be more appropriate. We’ll go to my office,’ Ian replied. ‘Bring your things with you.’

It was amazing how many members of staff suddenly needed to be lurking around the foyer by the steps leading to the boss’s office. I could feel my colleagues’ gazes on my back as we walked up the stairs. I glanced over my shoulder and tried to send a reassuring smile in their direction, but quickly wished I hadn’t. Everyone was looking at me as if I was about to be escorted off the premises.

‘I think you owe me an explanation,’ said Ian, the second I shut the door behind me. He settled himself down behind his desk, and leaned back expectantly. ‘Why did you open the Cellar Bar? Yes, I said Colin could investigate the potential in your plan. But agreeing to a theoretical proposal is very different to signing off on going ahead and opening an all-singing, all-dancing new venue.’

Okay, so he was going to go straight for the jugular.

‘Um, but you did sign the paperwork,’ I said hesitantly, guiltily recalling how I’d taken advantage of his distraction pre-Caribbean trip to get him to do so. Then I thought about Malcolm, and Leonie, and all the rest of my colleagues who were depending on me, and I carried on speaking, this time with more confidence in my voice. ‘I appreciate I may have pushed the boundaries. But if you let me get the accounts and show you the bookings register, you’ll see that it was the right thing to do.’ The only way to win him round was with cold, hard facts. ‘We’ve got several bookings in for events over the next few weeks, and we’ve seen an uplift in the audience size for the main auditorium too. We made back what was spent on sprucing up the Cellar Bar on opening night alone. I’ve worked out the roster so we can staff both venues without adding any extra pressure on existing colleagues, although if we had a couple more people, we’d be able to stay open for longer. There’s definitely demand for it.’

As soon as I said that last bit, I knew I’d made a mistake.

‘This is what I was afraid of, Amy. You’re getting carried away. A successful opening night does not guarantee a sustainable venture.’

‘If you take a look at the bookings, you’ll see that it wasn’t a fluke. Please.’

He held his hand up to stop my entreaty.

‘The bookings are irrelevant.’

‘I don’t think they are,’ I said, before I could stop myself. ‘We’ve had more business in the last couple of weeks than in the last six months, and it’s only going to improve as our reputation grows.’

Ian frowned. ‘I think you’ve said enough. Perhaps you’d better return to your office and work on the job I actually pay you for while I have a conversation with the finance department, and consider your future.’

‘But–—’

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