Hailey commented on it when she called in at the community centre one lunchtime, the first time Sara had seen her since she’d come round for coffee a couple of weeks ago.
‘Sorry I haven’t been in touch, but work’s been mad,’ she said, handing Sara a ham salad baguette she’d picked up for her on the way over. ‘And then I was at football practice with one of my service users last night, and I saw Matt with the girls and realised how long it’s been.’
‘Well, I know you’ve got a lot on.’ Sara put her baguette on the desk, aware of the elephant in the room, the real reason why her sister hadn’t been in touch. ‘Look, I just wanted to apologise for asking you for money.’ Her cheeks burned with the shame of it. ‘I shouldn’t have done it. Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking.’
Hailey wafted her concerns away with a flap of her hand. ‘Doesn’t matter. As long as it’s all cool between us now.’ She grinned. ‘Let’s just forget about it.’
Sara took a bite of her lunch, thankful that the awkwardness between them had been dealt with. She’d been avoiding Hailey, too embarrassed to call, not sure what sort of response she’d get.
‘Matt was telling me he’s really getting stuck into setting up his business. Honestly, he’s puffed up like the cock of the rock, isn’t he? I’ve never seen him looking so pleased with himself.’
Sara laughed and almost choked on her food. Her sister came out with some weird sayings, and she had a habit of chucking them into conversations like little grenades, guaranteed to get people laughing.
Hailey licked mayo off her fingers, her baguette leaking drips of it onto her lap, which was thankfully covered with the paper bag she’d brought them in. ‘You managed to rustle up the money from somewhere, then, without Matt finding out?’
Sara bit into her sandwich and nodded while she chewed, giving herself a chance to come up with something feasible. She swallowed, eyes on her food. ‘Yeah. We’ve got it sorted. His dad…’ She took another big bite, no intention of elaborating any further. Hailey could come to her own conclusions, and really, it was none of her business. Anyway, Sara couldn’t tell her the truth. That she was a thief. A chill ran through her at the very thought.
Not a thief, she corrected herself. I didn’t steal. It’s a loan and I’m going to pay it back. Matt had said he’d return the money to the savings account when he got paid from this big contract he’d been talking about, so it wouldn’t be long before she could put everything right.
Hailey changed the subject then, talking about Cassie and what she was up to on her art course in Lancaster, but Sara’s thoughts were stuck on her predicament. Even when Hailey had left, and she was alone in the office, it remained glued at the front of her mind.
Nobody knows, she told herself, as she wiped crumbs from the desk, hoping it was true.
‘Morning!’ James called to her when she arrived at work on Monday after a hectic weekend of football for the girls and play dates for Ezra as she tried to improve his social connections. She was surprised to see him, as he didn’t usually arrive until after ten, going into the family business first to sort out the work for the day with his staff there. He was sitting at their shared desk, papers spread out in front of him, looking every inch the boss, which Sara supposed he was, although she rather liked to think of it as her job when she was in the office on her own.
He gave her a warm smile and the tension in her shoulders eased a little.
Sara would be the first to admit that her working relationship with James had got off to a rocky start, mainly because Fiona had parachuted her into the role when he was away sorting out his family’s affairs. There had always been a slight air of resentment about him, she’d thought, a coolness, and even though he’d agreed to the new arrangement, she suspected he still wasn’t completely happy with it.
A week ago, it had all come to a head, brought on by a casual comment that felt like a dig at her.
‘I see you’re settling in,’ he’d said when he’d come into the office early that morning and found her already there, sitting at the desk. ‘Feet well and truly under the table.’ He’d said it with a smile, but his voice had a crispness to it that left her in no doubt about his meaning.
She went and made them both a cup of coffee, pulled the packet of biscuits she’d brought out of her bag and sat down on the other side of the desk, determined to clear the air. She had enough tension at home and didn’t need it at work too.
‘I’m only temping, James,’ she began. ‘I’m not after your job. I’m just helping out full-time for a month while your dad’s not well.’ She broadened her smile, seeing that he was going to take a bit of convincing. ‘By which time, it’ll be half-term holidays and I’ll be at home with the kids.’
He gazed at her over the top of his mug, blue eyes assessing. ‘That’s not what Fiona told me.’
Sara sighed, wondering if Fiona had misunderstood. ‘Well, she has her own ideas, doesn’t she? Realistically, I can only work part-time until we see what happens with this new venture of Matt’s. If that takes off, well, maybe we can afford childcare for Ezra.’ She shrugged. ‘That’s how it is.’
‘And I thought the two of you were trying to oust me.’ He gave a brittle laugh. ‘A coup.’
‘I wouldn’t ever try and take someone’s job from them,’ she said firmly. ‘If you wanted to leave, that would be different. But as far as I’m concerned, you’re my boss and that’s how it’s going to stay.’
He’d put his mug down, looking thoughtful. ‘To be honest, I have no idea what I want at the moment.’ He sighed. ‘That’s my problem, you see. And Dad’s not sure either. He doesn’t want to let go of running his business – believes he’s the only person in the world who understands sportswear – but he knows he’s not really up to it. At the same time, though, I don’t want to stop working here just yet. I know I don’t make a fortune, but that’s not the point.’ She noticed his eyes then, how they lit up when he talked about the community centre, how his voice brightened. ‘It’s such a vibrant place, so many different things going on and so many opportunities to help develop and support the local area.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s my baby.’
She understood then how much the community centre and the work he did there meant to him. As far as she was aware – having had little opportunity for chats about their personal lives – he was single with no children, and she could see how it could become the focus of his world, his raison d’être.
‘Working here is quite addictive, isn’t it?’ she said as she offered him the packet of biscuits. ‘Such a happy place. Lots of positive vibes.’
James smiled at her. He was attractive when he smiled, she thought; when his eyes crinkled at the corners and the frown lines were wiped clean.
‘You fit in very well. And all these new ideas of yours have got the board very excited.’ He pulled a face as he took a biscuit, waving it in the air as he spoke. ‘Mind you, I’m not so keen on Fiona using them to demonstrate how lazy I’ve become. Do you know, I overheard her telling the secretary exactly that before the last meeting? Cheek of the woman.’ He took a bite of his biscuit, looked her straight in the eye. ‘I feel I can trust you to manage when I’m not here, though. You’re a quick learner and the clients clearly like you.’