Page 103 of Kiss Me at Christmas
“And what about your workload?”
“To be shared equally between Ali and the rest of the team. You will, of course, have to take back the work that you delegated to me, but I’ve already done most of it, so it shouldn’t keep you up at night.”
He leaned back in his chair and squinted his eyes at her.
“Harriet,” he said, giving her a killer-clown smile, “I would hate for a student to slip through the net because of your irresponsibility. Think of the effect that might have on your mental health. Remember Zoe?”
She almost couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t usually so blatant, but she figured that was because she’d taken him by surprise.You can only do the best you can.She repeated it.You can only do the best you can.And then something occurred to her.
“But provided I’ve performed my due diligence with regards to my handover, which I absolutely have, then the responsibility ceases to be mine and becomes the team’s, and ultimately—as head of pastoral care—yours.”
The space between Cornell’s eyebrows turned a blotchy red.
“I don’t know what’s come over you, or who you think you are, but you cannot simply waltz in here and ask to take leave in the middle of a term,” he spluttered.
She took a breath and gathered herself. This was the right thing; she was sure of it.
“Firstly, it’s the end of term, not the middle. Secondly, I am entitled to take unpaid leave for personal reasons provided that provision has been made, which it has, but I will gladly take it as holiday if you’d prefer. And thirdly, what’s come over me is the realization that I can’t do everything, no matter how much I’d like to. You know how Zoe’s case affected me and you’ve used it to your own advantage for years; to say that’s unethical would be an understatement.” She stood, making herself as tall as she could and hoping that she didn’t look as frazzled as she felt. “I’m leaving now. I’ve sent a copy of my request to the dean. And if you don’t like it, then…then duck you!”
She slammed out of his office, feeling exultant and dizzy from lack of sleep, and went straight home to bed.
When Harriet arrived at the theater that afternoon, the box office was open and the queue for tickets reached to the door.
She found James at a desk in a corner of the lower cocktail lounge, ready to start his first legal surgery. Above their heads, the ceiling rumbled with the sounds of many toddlers dancing to “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Smells of orange, cinnamon, and buttery pastry wafted in from the kitchens. Usually, Harriet arrived after the school day had ended, and it warmed her heart to see so many of the groups using the space earlier inthe day too. The theater might have been sleeping for fifty years, but it was alive and kicking now.
James walked around to the other side of his desk and folded her into a hug. He was big and warm, and he smelled good, and she yawned loudly and snuggled into him like a cat.
“Since you’re here, I presume your plan to take leave worked out.”
“It did. I’ll tell you about it over a coffee when you’re free. Do you have appointments booked in?”
“I have my first one with Ava in forty-five minutes; I’ve just finished going over her case notes.”
“After that, then.” She pulled back to look up at him and smiled.
He cupped her face in his hands, his amber eyes full of warmth, and then he bent to kiss her.
“Ahem, is this a bad time? I was under the impression that this was where you held your legal surgery, not a nooky shop.”
“Good afternoon to you too, Grace,” said James in a consummately professional voice. Harriet turned to smile at the woman in tweed.
“Hi, Grace. How are Billy and Sid?”
“They are well rested and unharmed after their adventures.”
“Good. Is Billy here?”
“In the theater, with Gideon. They both are. I thought Sid would benefit from a day with his brother. I phoned his school this morning and excused him under the guise of a nasty bout of diarrhea.”
“I’m surprised you condone lying to the school authorities,” Harriet teased.
“I wasn’t lying, I was acting. It’s quite different.”
Harriet frowned.
“I suppose we need to decide what to do next.” A dull headache was forming above her eyebrows. Billy and Sid’s situation was unchanged; social services would be arriving at Tess and Arthur’s home later in the day to remove them.
“That’s why I’m here,” said Grace. “James, I need you to represent me. I intend to become the boys’ guardian.”
