Page 41 of Love ad Lib
Your luck will change, I promise you. You’ll get another job.
I know that you can do this, some faith is what you need.
So don’t be scared, go take a risk, who knows where it might lead?’
8
Henry sat opposite Lorna Ferguson, Conqueror’s HR Manager, his foot tapping impatiently. He had better things to do with his time than have a meeting at nine a.m. to discuss why he hadn’t taken any annual leave in the past ten months.
‘Biscuit?’
No, I don’t want a sodding biscuit. He shook his head. He wanted to get back to his desk and work out why his clients had gone radio silent when the deal was nearly complete.
‘Henry, I know that a culture of long hours exists within City firms, but here, at Conqueror we do care about our employees. No-one in the brokerage team works longer hours than you. It’s unsustainable.’
‘I’m fine. I’m happy.’
‘Well, to be frank, Henry, I’m not. I don’t want you to burn out, be signed off for six months, then permanently bugger off to an Ashram to be a yogi.’
He raised his eyebrows.
Lorna waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. ‘It was a while ago. The point is, Henry, you’re not a machine. Everyone needs time away from work to rest and recuperate. You don’t have to lie on a beach and do nothing, but you do need to take some of your leave or you’ll be forced to take it.’
‘What?’
She sighed. ‘Conqueror will not be a company that allows its employees to work three hundred and sixty-five days a year.’
‘I’m taking time off next week.’
‘But will you? You told your line manager you’d be away for the weekend but hoped to be back by Tuesday lunchtime at the latest. How is that time off?’
‘I’ll take the week off.’
‘Good. It’s a start, but I need you to show a greater commitment to your mental health and well-being.’
He willed himself to relax.Mental health and well-being?Fuck’s sake. He was absolutely fine. Apart from his family, everything in his life was just the way he wanted it.
Henry stood,his chair falling to the floor behind him with a crash.
‘Where the fuck is Hunter-Savage?’
Heads popped up from behind screens. Everyone looked surprised except for Carl. He gave Henry a sympathetic look and shook his head.
Henry stalked out of the office, slamming the door behind him. He jabbed at the lift button as if it were James’s eye.Fucker. They were meant to be on the same team. It wasn’t uncommon for clients to be poached, but on a deal this big? That he’d been working on for so long? Especially when he needed the money so badly to keep bankrolling his youngest sister’s education.
He left the building and strode onto the street. He didn’t know where he was going, but he needed to get out. To think. And to stop himself from murdering James. What options did he have? None. Once the clients jumped ship, there was nothing he could do. Conqueror still got the deal. As long as they got their cut and the prestige, they didn’t give a shit which of their minions engineered it.
A flash of yellow caught his eye and he stopped outside an artisan bakery. The golden pastries and heat-browned loaves sat in wicker baskets lined with yellow gingham fabric. A sign for San Francisco Sourdough caught his eye and he thought of Libby. Would he ever get to taste Serafina? A smile tugged at his mouth at the innocent thought that also sounded so inappropriate. He bit back a sigh. Would she agree to his crazy plan? And did hewantto inflict his family on her? Wouldn’t it be easier to say that ‘Elizabeth’ was ill and couldn’t come?
He rubbed his face with both hands. This was such a mess. Perhaps Lorna was right. Maybe he did need some time away from work. He could spend a few weeks in France with Jack? A break that long should sort his head out. James was a massive wanker and had screwed him over, but it was only work. Feeling calmer, he turned around.
As Henry approached the glass-fronted Conqueror offices from the other side of the street, he saw a head of blonde curly hair he’d known almost as long as he could remember. His youngest sister was standing by one of the huge plants in the lobby and cracking up as if she’d just been informed that Henry had won ‘funniest employee’ of the month award. Whoever she was talking to was entirely obscured by the greenery.
A sharp shock of dread shot up his spine.Please, god, no.
Summer’s hand reached out to touch the hidden figure. She threw her head back and laughed so loudly he could hear it from the street.
His pace quickened.
