Page 16 of He's the One

“You’ve not worked for me long enough to get redundancy pay. Your one week’s notice starts now but you don’t need to come in again. I’ll pay you two weeks’ money. Don’t speak to the others. It’ll cause unnecessary unrest.”

Oh God. Say something! Don’t lie down and let yourself be kicked.“What about me joining one of your other teams? I can go anywhere in the country. I’m not tied to the south anymore.”

“No vacancies.”

“What am I not getting? Are there any problems with my work?”

“No, no. You’re good. Just surplus to requirements. I’m sorry, Col.”

Frank wouldn’t look at him. He was tidying papers on his desk that didn’t appear to need tidying and Col knew there was no point pressing the guy, he wasn’t going to change his mind.

“Will you give me a reference?”

“Ask them to call me.”

“Okay.” Col walked out. So much for not lying down and letting himself be kicked.

Andy’s Porsche was still sitting next to Col’s car. Tempting as it was to do a bit of kicking himself, Col didn’t. He threw his stuff into the boot and set off. He hadn’t gone far before he had to pull over to take a few deep breaths. No job. No boyfriend. No place of his own to call home. How much more could go wrong? It was really hard not to wallow in self-pity. All he needed now was for Dominic to phone and yell at him and his day would be complete.

None of this was his fault. He’d find a new job and a place to live. Whatever it was that had made Frank sack him didn’t mean he couldn’t find work elsewhere. If a prospective employer phoned Frank, would he at least tell them that Col was a hard worker? Because he had been. Never late. Never sick. Never complained.

What if Frank didn’t say any of that?

It was hard not to go down the conspiracy theory route. Had Robert told Megan who Col worked for? Had she called Frank and made it all sound like Col’s fault? A painful flutter in Col’s heart made him think that could have happened. If it was that, he was hurt Frank hadn’t asked him for his side of the story. Yet Col could see that the truth didn’t matter, only that Robert was married with kids. Although Col had made no secret about being gay, nor had he been open about it, so maybe Frank had just found out.And I’m clutching at straws here.Possibly Frank was telling the truth and Col was surplus to requirements.Not wanted.Andy might be crap but he was Frank’s son. Col understood.

Driving on wasn’t possible while his heart and mind were racing. Overwhelmed by what had happened and increasingly worried about how he was going to turn his life around, he found himself longing for Robert. Despite everything, Col missed that he didn’t have him to talk to. How crazy was that?Completely crazy. So stop it.Col swallowed hard at the lump in his throat. He’d spent his life trying not to get angry at stuff but he was feeling angry now. With himself too. His heart was beating hard enough to burst.

Stuff not talking to his workmates. He phoned Bez.

“What’s up, Col?”

“Did you know I’ve been sacked?”

Bez gasped. “What the fuck? No, I didn’t know. What’s happened?”

“Frank said I was no longer needed. He wouldn’t send me elsewhere and he told me not to tell anyone.”

“Fuck that. He can’t sack you. There’s still work to be done. We’re on a deadline. We need every mason we have and you’re good, unlike that dipstick son of his. Hey, is it because you’re gay? It had better not be.”

“Even if it is, what can I do? He’s made up his mind. I’m not pushing it. If you hear of any jobs, would you let me know? Say bye to the others. Tell them I’m sorry I didn’t get chance to speak to them.”

“Okay. Frank’s a fucking arsehole. Take care of yourself, Col. Keep in touch. I’ll let you know if I hear of anything.”

“Thanks.”

Col had to change. He knew that. Be less trusting. Look out for himself more. Make himself into someone new, someone harder. Trouble was, he liked the way he was—mostly. Gentle, non-confrontational, easy going and happy. There was nothing wrong with the way he behaved, it was others who spoiled things. Now he wouldn’t get the chance to see Theo. Why had their paths only crossed after all this time working here? That pissed him off almost as much as losing his job. Although he wasn’t supposed to be looking for The One until he’d got over Robert, what if it was Theo?

No point even thinking it. He’d never see him again.

Chapter Four

Col pulled up on his parents’ drive and blew out a heavy sigh. Home was an upside-down house, two bedrooms on the lower floor, and living space upstairs with great views of the sea. At least he’d only had a short drive back and forth to work today instead of the long commute to London, but he was physically and mentally exhausted. He’d stopped to get fuel and a Mars bar, and the fact that the Mars bar still sat on the seat beside him told him everything.

His parents had been out at some church thing when he’d arrived last night. Col had pretended to be asleep when they’d arrived back. This morning, he’d run upstairs to grab a coffee and found his mum waiting with his lunch box. Thewe’ll talk latershe’d promised was going to happen soon.

Even before he was out of the car, his mum emerged through the door. She was a lot shorter than him but Col felt her arms wrap around him and hold tight as if he was a child again. Knowing he had her unconditional love and support made him feel stronger.

He’d lived in the seaside town of Long Dutton for four years from the age of fourteen. Before that, Col had spent four years in care—what a misnomerthatwas—before the miracle had happened and someone had wanted to foster him. Even more of a miracle, they liked him as much as he liked them.

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