Wildflower Park Series. Bella Osborne

serious situations.

      The presentation that followed could have told them they were closing the company down at lunchtime and they would have still had smiles on their faces. As it was, the main focus was on a total process overhaul, with the application of Lean methodologies at both the UK offices and in New York. There was a restructure but as everyone scanned it quickly to find their name, they were reassured nobody was missing from their team. Basically Liam had seized the merger as an opportunity to improve the current processes, which delayed things a bit but made ultimate sense. However, there were predicted reductions in the call centre and processing areas following the implementation of the suggested changes. The big impact for Anna was their programme was getting bigger but Anna saw this as a positive. Liam had taken the approach of ‘while we’ve got the bonnet up, let’s see what other improvements we can make’. Yes, there would be plenty of rework but this would definitely be a sizeable deliverable on her CV and excellent experience too.

      Roberta gave what was probably meant to be a rousing speech and ended with a quote in large letters on the big screen that read – The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work. ‘And do you know who said that?’ she asked.

      ‘Minnie Mouse?’ whispered Karl.

      ‘Tiana from The Princess and the Frog,’ said Roberta solemnly.

      ‘So close,’ said Karl with feeling.

      Anna caught Liam looking at her and he gave a tentative smile before explaining the timescales.

      ‘Timescales are tight,’ whispered Anna to Hudson.

      ‘Not as tight as his ballet leotard,’ chipped in Karl. Anna was starting to feel bad about sharing the photograph and she snatched back her phone. Liam hadn’t stitched her up, which was what she had feared he would do. He had done a good job. In fact he could have recommended a separate project for these changes and left Anna and Hudson to finish the merger but what he’d actually done was give them a significant programme of work and enhanced their current project. He’d also stuck to his word and not said anything about her and Hudson because if he had that would have spread as quickly as only office gossip can. She almost felt like she should thank him.

      ‘Scope now includes New York,’ said Hudson, with a broad smile. He’d said he was missing New York – was this his opportunity to go home? There was a natural split for the two of them with Hudson managing the changes in New York and her managing the UK project. In one simple slide she could see logically how things should be managed and it meant them going their separate ways. It would no longer be shared responsibilities; there would be clear deliverables for both of them, which was exactly what she’d wanted from the very beginning, but now it didn’t seem such an issue.

       Chapter Twenty-Three

      ‘Who do these belong to?’ said a grinning Sophie, waving aloft a pair of men’s Spider-Man underpants as Anna dashed into the kitchen to avoid the downpour outside.

      ‘What?’ said Anna, glancing at the swinging underwear. She kicked off her heels and sighed with relief. It had been a very long day. She gave her toes a wriggle. Maurice was lying in the hall stretched out like a furry road bump.

      ‘Who is Mr …’ Sophie paused to study the label ‘… large?’ asked Sophie.

      ‘Who’s who?’ asked Anna, starting to feel a tiny bit irritated by the silly conversation and the stupid pants.

      ‘The owner of these.’ Sophie waved the pants dangerously close.

      Anna pulled her head out of the way. ‘I don’t know what you’re on about,’ she said, an unpleasant thought dawning on her. ‘Unless you’re trying to tell me you’ve had a man in here. Have you hooked up with someone?’ asked Anna, now paying full attention to the swinging undies.

      ‘What? No,’ said Sophie. ‘Do you really think I’d do that?’ Sophie lowered the pants to hang limply at her side.

      ‘I hope not. Why are you waving them at me then?’ Anna arched an eyebrow as confusion reigned.

      ‘Fine. Don’t tell me. I thought we didn’t keep secrets,’ said Sophie, throwing the offending undies at Anna’s feet and stomping off to the spare bedroom. Anna shook her head. She was totally bewildered by what had gone on. It was looking increasingly like Sophie was losing the plot. Anna took the tongs from the drawer, picked up the pants with them and dropped them unceremoniously into the non-recycling bin.

      Maurice wound himself around Anna’s legs. ‘Hiya, Maurice,’ she said, giving him a stroke. ‘I bet you wonder what’s going on too, don’t you.’ Maurice did one more rub round her legs and slunk off.

      Anna thumbed through her post. A large envelope intrigued her and she ripped it open first. Her whole body jolted. She stared wide-eyed at the contents. There was a covering letter thanking her for her interest and a glossy brochure for her old university. Her hands began to tremble and she dropped the brochure on the countertop. Why would the university send her a prospectus? She speed-read the letter again. It had all her details printed on it; it hadn’t been misdelivered. It was definitely meant for her. But she hadn’t requested it. There must be some mistake.

      Her stomach lurched at the familiar buildings on the brochure’s cover. She reached out a finger to trace the lines of the main hall and unwelcome memories rushed back. Her mind was reeling. Anna tried so hard to not think about her time at university but in an instant she felt herself being sucked back there. She pulled her hand away. It had been a place that had held so much promise and opportunity but it had all been shattered abruptly, spinning her off plan. It seemed like every time she was moving on with her life the past had a way of rearing up and catching her off-guard.

      Why had the university sent this to her? Was someone trying to freak her out? Or more specifically was Liam trying to freak her out? If it was him it was a very odd way to go about trying to win her over. Unless he hoped she’d turn to him in crisis. Her mind was a muddle of questions and an uncomfortable sensation was bubbling in her gut. She scooped up the brochure and dropped it into the recycling bin. It would be some silly computer error, she told herself. Those sorts of things happened all the time. It didn’t mean anything. The brochure images swam in her mind. She just needed to forget about it. She could do that. She had to.

      Anna was distracted by Sophie shouting but by the time she got to the bedroom Sophie had already thrown her phone down in disgust.

      ‘He’s gone and got steaming drunk,’ said Sophie, folding her arms tightly across her ample chest. ‘I leave him and he gets the beer out to celebrate.’

      ‘I’m sure it’s not exactly like that,’ said Anna. She couldn’t imagine Dave was celebrating.

      ‘He’s rung me to ask me to come home. Is that all he thinks it takes? I’m so desperate a drunk phone call will have me running ba …’ She couldn’t finish the sentence before the tears came. Anna sat on the bed, wrapped her in a hug and rocked her gently. Dave was thoughtless. Anna was sure he had no idea how much he hurt Sophie sometimes. When Sophie’s tears had dried, Anna went and made her a decaf coffee.

      ‘You drink this and settle yourself down with some reality TV and I’m going to have a word with your feckless husband.’ It was time for some home truths.