Page 21 of Kicks
“Here.”
Kat placed another coffee in front of him. “I suspect you’ll be needing plenty of that today. Good night?”
She’d gone to the artisan coffee van that had set up in the car park the other week. Eddie hoped they’d stay. It was miles better than the cheap instant crap Barry insisted on stocking the office kitchen with.
Typical Pleasure Seekers. Beautiful offices. Shite coffee.
Eddie took a sip of the scalding liquid. “Nothing like that. Just couldn’t sleep.”
Sitting opposite him, Kat frowned. “You’re not getting stressed out with all this? You’ll ace it. James isn’t going to give Brad the job in a million years.”
She shuddered.
As if on cue, Brad swaggered up to Eddie’s desk.
“Hey, Channing.”
God how he hated the way Brad spoke. Most of the time he sounded like an extra fromGrease.
“How can I help you, Bradley?” Eddie said, forcing a smile onto this face.
“I thought we’d better have a chat about the university thing. Who are you bringing?”
Bless his heart. He’s trying to assert dominance.
“Scott and Tyler.”
“How obvious,” Brad replied.
“They’re my friends,” Eddie said. “We enjoy being together. That’s how friendship works. Who have you managed to find?”
Brad scowled at him. “I’m bringing Jordan and Bina.”
Eddie stared across at Bina, the marketing assistant. She held her hands up. “Under duress, I might add.”
“OrDurex,”Brad said, collapsing into laughter at his own joke.
Poor Jordan worked in IT. He’d always been a quiet lad. Brad had decided he was his friend one Christmas do. No one was sure how enthusiastic Jordon had been about this arrangement.
Once Brad had composed himself, he sat down at the chair behind Eddie.
“I feel you want something,” Eddie said. “Please can you tell me? I’m busy.”
Brad beckoned him closer. “This job. What do you think about James making us compete? Bit weird, don’t you think?”
Ah, he’s a bit rattled, is he?
“I reckon it’s James having a bit of fun. Don’t you?”
“I suppose. I’ll make sure I win. To be on the safe side.”
Eddie raised his eyebrows. “Is that right? Brad, you’ve never beaten my quarterly income. Not once. Fair play that you’ll give it a go. So will I. Please don’t make a thing of this.”
“It was neck and neck last year,” Brad said, under his breath. “You know it.”
“And I still won.”
“This is different. There’s more than a poxy Christmas bonus at stake,” Brad said.
