Since they had started to take on bigger clients, it had become more like this. The larger the spend, the more they wanted to be involved. It was irritating. Especially when she’d put so much time into ensuring that everything was planned to the last detail.
Izzy was different: she kept her scheduling a little more fluid. Tried to say yes to everything the client wanted, no matter how last-minute the request. ‘That’s what they are paying us for,’ she used to say all the time. ‘You need to be more reactive.’
Secretly, Rebecca thought this was actually a euphemism for Izzy’s lackadaisical approach to the planning process. She was more about the look and feel than the precise details. It was what made them such a good team. But it was also what drove Rebecca crazy. What was wrong with making a plan and sticking to it?
Busy with getting everyone to their seat in time and ensuring the vegetarian and vegan options didn’t go to the wrong people who had ‘forgotten’ what they’d pre-ordered from the menu, she didn’t cross paths with Angela Matthews until she bumped into her coming out of the toilet between the starter and the main course. ‘Oh, good. I was hoping to grab you. I’ve just been speaking to Stuart – the MD I mentioned – and he thought it was a really good idea to go out for the meteor shower.’
With everything going on at home, Rebecca was less than patient. ‘As I said, that’s not going to work.’
Judging by Angela’s expression, her tone must have been less polite than she’d aimed for. ‘But there’s plenty of time to—’
Rebecca waved her clipboard. ‘We have to get through two more courses and have the coffee served in time for the keynote speech. Honestly, just leave everything to me. You should be enjoying yourself. Really, leave it to me.’
She left before Angela had a chance to reply. Why couldn’t people just stick to the plan?
As she’d expected – and planned for – the evening went off without a hitch. A few people had ventured outside to watch the meteor shower, which was annoyingly spectacular according to the drink-addled enthusiasm on their return.
She caught a tight-lipped expression on Angela’s face as she left. Her thanks were curt. The whole evening had gone off without a hitch, and she wanted to be sniffy about missing a few streaks in the sky? There was no pleasing some people.
As she walked back to her car, her phone rang. Izzy. ‘Hiya. Checking up on me?’
‘No, just catching up on some emails now the kids are in bed and thought I’d see how tonight went.’
‘Yep. All good. Just about to go home.’
‘Right, it’s just, I got one from Angela Matthews. There’s a ton of typos so I’m assuming she’s had a few wines. Something about a meteor shower?’
Rebecca sighed. ‘There was a meteor shower tonight and she wanted me to get everyone out onto the lawn to watch it. I just explained that it was a bad idea.’
Izzy took a deep breath. ‘You need to be more flexible, Rebecca. Go with the flow. Just because something isn’t on your clipboard, doesn’t mean it can’t happen.’
Rebecca wasn’t in the mood for a lecture on how to run an event. Izzy had asked her to be her business partner because of her strengths – organisation, planning, meticulous attention to detail. ‘Can we talk about this tomorrow? I need to get home and I’m really tired.’
‘Of course, sorry. I’m sure Jack is waiting up for you with a glass of wine. Enjoy your day off tomorrow. Think of me watching kids’ TV at six o’clock when you are reading the morning papers in bed. We can talk about this when I see you on Monday.’
When she saw her on Monday, Rebecca would have a whole lot more to talk to her about. Right now, she wanted to get home and find out how Jack’s conversation with Cara had gone.
9
Cara
It had taken a while to get Sophie to bed. She’d been having a few nightmares recently and wanted Cara to lie with her until she was asleep, so it was almost 10 p.m. by the time she came back downstairs. Jack was on his laptop, tapping away.
When they’d been together, he’d been at the start of his career. He’d worked long hours then, too, but hadn’t been against partying into the small hours and going to work on a handful of hours’ sleep. These days he was clearly more responsible. What would her life have been like if she’d been the one he’d married?
He looked up as she came into the lounge. ‘We need to talk.’
You think? Cara resisted the urge for sarcasm. ‘Yes, we do.’
‘Obviously, we need to work out what to do about Sophie. And you need to find somewhere to live.’
Barely looking at her, Jack’s polite tone made them seem like strangers. Had he conveniently forgotten that they’d once been so obsessed with one another that they could happily spend a whole day in bed? ‘Rebecca said it was okay for us to stay.’
‘And it is. It is. For now.’ He’d emphasised the ‘now’. How long was he willing to give her?
‘I’ve tried to find somewhere for us but I haven’t had much luck.’ It was fortunate she’d had so much experience lying her way into jobs and accommodation in the last few years. It was a breeze pulling the wool over Jack’s eyes; she wasn’t so sure that Rebecca wasn’t sussing her out. ‘I’m sure you don’t want me to take Sophie somewhere cramped. Or damp. Or unsafe.’
Jack looked horrified; his world really was a million miles away from hers. ‘Of course not. I am well aware of my… responsibilities. Now I know about Sophie, we can talk about what she needs. What you need to look after her.’
What she needed was more time. Two weeks should be enough. By then, he wouldn’t want to let Sophie walk out of his life. ‘I have been talking to a letting agent about a flat that will be available soon. It’s in a nice street and it’s clean. There’s even decent heating. The current tenants are moving out in a couple of weeks. I know it’s a big ask but can we just stay here until then?’
Jack looked as if she’d asked to stay for two years. But he was a good man, she knew that. In fact, she was banking on it. ‘Well, I’ll have to speak to Rebecca, but obviously we are not going to throw you out on the street.’ He paused, shook his head from side to side. ‘I still can’t believe all this, Cara. Why the hell didn’t you tell me that you were pregnant? When we were still together?’
‘I didn’t know when we were still together.’
‘That’s irrelevant. She’s my daughter. You had no right to keep that from me. It’s not fair on me. And it’s definitely not fair on her.’
Fair? He wanted to talk about fair as he sat on his luxury furniture in his huge house? ‘You’d made it pretty clear that you weren’t interested in seeing me again. And then I heard that you’d met someone new. The bed must have still been warm.’
He flinched. ‘How did you find that out?’
Cara shrugged. ‘Just because I didn’t see you after that last night doesn’t mean I didn’t hear what was going on in your life. No one wants to be replaced that quickly and easily.’