Page 8 of The Politician

As she climbed the stairs, her heart thundered harder. Jeremy had interviewed her because Sarah had been at her constituency for the Christmas holidays. He seemed like a nice guy and the thing she’d most liked about him was that he dressed casually. His dress code of a jumper and shirt with no tie, and corduroy trousers rather than slacks which were about as close as you could get to jeans, allowed her the freedom to dress in her colourful attire. He’d said he’d been honest about the role but working in politics, who knew what to believe. Time would tell. He liked her campaigning background and had asked if she would feel comfortable if the role was extended beyond research and admin. Of course she didn’t mind. She needed the work if she was ever going to move out of her parents’ house and live in her own place again. Much as she loved her mum, dad, and kid sister, she had no intention of her latest stint at home turning into forever. She needed her space, and this job was going to help her achieve that.

“Kendra, welcome.” Jeremy greeted her as she approached his desk. His phone rang. He held up his hand to her and smiled. “One second.”

She glanced around the office looking for Sarah, hoping to catch sight of her before they met so they could adjust to the situation. She would apologise again for running her over, pay for her coffee, and forget that Sarah had talked about her Wednesday walks to work. She spotted the water cooler in the corner of the room and, attracting Jeremy’s attention, pointed to it.

He nodded. “Are you sure he’s resigning? It’s not just the press jumping to conclusions? Hmm. Hmm.”

The water soothed Kendra’s dry throat. It sounded as though something was going down. Internal politics, no doubt. She wasn’t one for passing on rumours, but this was government gossip, and she assumed that meant it was significant and important. She didn’t need to make out she wasn’t listening. In an open plan office, how could she not hear everything?

“Good to know. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll talk to Sarah.” He put down the phone.

Kendra’s stomach did a spin at the mention of her boss’s name. She had to get a grip, or she’d embarrass herself and that wouldn’t be a great start.

Jeremy indicated around the room. “So, welcome to our small family. I’ll give you the full tour in a bit. Firstly, let’s introduce you to Sarah. You’ll be working closely with her, though reporting directly to me.”

Kendra screwed up and threw away the paper cup as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest. “Lead on.” She followed him through the closest door. The antique rosewood desk, supported by sets of drawers on either side, and the leather inset into the top of the wood, suggested an eye for beauty that belied the behaviour of the woman who was crouched beneath it and scrabbling on her hands and knees on the floor.

“I’ve lost a bloody contact,” Sarah said.

Kendra stifled a laugh. She knelt down and started to search, coming face to face with Sarah.

Sarah gasped, lifted her head, and banged it on the underside of the table.

Kendra winced and Sarah extracted herself, rubbing her head. Kendra spotted the contact, retrieved it, and stood. She smiled at Sarah across the desk and held out the lens on her fingertip. “Hello.”

Sarah blushed. “Luminous green shirt to match,” she said and smiled.

Kendra studied herself. “Is it too much?”

Sarah took the lens and set it on a piece of paper on her desk. “It’s going to get you noticed.”

Heat hit Kendra’s cheeks. She held Sarah’s gaze, her mouth parched.

“Sarah, this is Kendra, your new researcher.”

Sarah held out her hand. “We met earlier,” she said.

“Oh. Good.” Jeremy put a folder on Sarah’s desk. “News has just come through. David’s resigning.”

Sarah’s eyes widened, and she looked towards Jeremy. “What? Why?”

Kendra stared from one to the other. The only David she could think of was the party leader and whatever it was that was happening, this news had clearly come as a surprise.

“Family matters apparently. You know what it means though.”

“We need to get to work.”

Jeremy paced across the office. “You’ve got this in the bag. There isn’t a credible challenger, Sarah. Relax.”

Sarah twitched at his comment. Kendra sensed a slight friction between them and gazed around the room. She was sure they’d fill her in on the details if it was relevant to her job but right now, she was clueless and surplus to the conversation. The frames on the certificates that adorned one wall weren’t cheap. A photo of Sarah with a man and two children, presumably her family, sat in a gold frame at an angle on her desk, and a glass paperweight with a piece of fossilised slate inside it held down a few sheets of paper. There was an open leather-bound notepad and fountain pen next to her MacBook. Everything seemed to have its place and Kendra got the sense that if she moved something, Sarah would move it back. If she were to guess, she would say Sarah liked to be organised and planned and left nothing to chance. That precision appealed to Kendra.

“Complacency isn’t the way we do business, Jeremy. I need certainty.”

He nodded. “I’ll get onto it right away. We have to make the most out of the North Wales trip and increase your exposure before the vote. The timing is perfect. I’ll leave you two to work.”

He left the room and took the air with him. Kendra’s chest tightened, and she tried to smile. “I’m sorry about earlier,” she said.

Sarah shook her head. She opened the file Jeremy had left and glanced at the contents. “Do you have any idea what he was talking about?”

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