I hadn’t thought about that and I shot him a mutinous glare.
‘I can hardly ask you to dog-sit all the time if we’re not’—he made irritating quote marks with his fingers—‘friends anymore.’
Chapter Thirty-Four
‘You’re kidding me? What about the partnership?’
Karen put down the letter I’d just handed her and stalked about her office with her hands on her hips. I gazed beyond her out of the eleventh-floor window down over the Headrow to the majestic Town Hall guarded by its stone lions. Despite its grandeur, with its baroque dome and clock face, it wasn’t a view I was going to miss.
‘I’ve realised I don’t want it.’
She whirled around, studying me as if I were some exotic species in a zoo that she might never get to see again. Her eyebrows beetled upwards and were lost in her heavy fringe.
‘What did Alastair say?’
‘He was very understanding.’ In fact, I was still reeling from how unexpectedly candid he’d been when he told me I was doing the right thing and that I ought to get a life while I was young enough to enjoy one. ‘I’ve put my heart and soul into this place, it’s cost me two marriages, and I’ve not seen my kids grow up. I’m not sure lowering my golf handicap when I finally get to retire will make it all worthwhile,’ he’d said.
His words had helped, reinforcing the decision I’d already made.
‘And you’ve got another job?’ She wheeled around again, turning on her heels, accusation ringing in her voice. ‘Are they going to pay as much as we do? I didn’t even know you were job-hunting.’
‘I wasn’t. And it’s not about money. I just happened to meet Edward Comely. It was at the volunteer meeting. In fact, you could say it was your fault because you and Dave were telling him I was some wunderkind. Turns out he runs a local family accountancy practice.’
‘Comely?’ And then her eyes widened with sudden recognition. ‘Grey-haired guy, well-dressed, nice brogues. Damn, and I thought he was so nice.’
‘He is nice and also very astute.’ I thought back to the two-hour-long meeting we’d had on Monday after work. I’d spoken to him at the parkrun on Saturday morning and he’d been keen to meet up as quickly as possible.
‘And what’s he got to offer that Cunningham, Wilding and Taylor can’t?’
‘More client-facing consultancy with local businesses. Less pressure. Senior partner role. Four days a week. Nine to five. In Churchstone. I can walk to work.’ Edward Comely had agreed to every one of my requests. And he was offering good money too, but as I’d said, it wasn’t about the money. It was about being valued, being a part of something smaller, and besides, I’d really liked him.
‘Well good for you, I guess.’ The downturn of her mouth suggested she was being diplomatic. ‘I suppose it will save a lot of hours commuting and having a day off is a bit of a luxury. Although I’m sure we could have matched that. And we do have flexible working arrangements.’
‘It’s more than that, Karen.’ I didn’t think I could explain to her that I didn’t want the hard-edged politics of a big firm, the high-octane, demanding clients who assumed that big fees bought your soul and every hour of your day. It just wasn’t me anymore. There were also the simple practicalities: being able to drop the girls at school on my way to work, which would be so much better for all of us.
‘When are you planning to leave?’ She sank into her chair behind her desk. ‘You know we don’t want to lose you. Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind? You’ve got a three-month notice period; you can always decide to stay.’
‘I’ve made up my mind. Besides, Alastair’s agreed to put me on gardening leave as of the end of this week for a month.’
‘How the hell…?’ Karen blinked in amazement. ‘That’s… jammy.’
‘I’m going to a competitor.’ I shrugged.
‘Hardly,’ Karen dismissed Edward’s extremely successful business with a wave of one hand, which I think would have amused him. He had an excellent, solid practice that did good work and didn’t need or want to compete with the likes of Cunningham, Wilding and Taylor.
‘Don’t ask, don’t get.’ Alastair had been more than generous in our discussion. I think he’d been impressed by my candour. ‘He even said he was planning to come to the parkrun one Saturday.’
‘Bloody hell. I don’t suppose you fancy popping back in there and negotiating me a salary rise, do you?’ She stared down the corridor towards the MD’s office and put both hands on the table, stretching out the fingers in sudden defeat. ‘Bugger it, Claire. I’m going to miss you.’ She got up, came around the desk, and gave me a hug. ‘Really miss you.’
‘I’ll still be in Churchstone and you live just outside. You’ll have to come round one evening. Come to dinner.’ We should have done it before and I wasn’t sure why we hadn’t. I realised that Karen was another person I really liked. ‘Or we could go for coffee after the parkrun.’
She grinned. ‘Dinner sounds like a plan, especially as you’re going to have all the time in the world to cook. I’ll bring the prosecco. I love pasta, by the way.’
Once I’d handed in my notice, things started to change at a pace, and not just at work. I’d had a very uncomfortable meeting with the headteacher at the school on Tuesday when I explained that Alice wasn’t coming home any time soon. Inevitably, social services had to be involved; she had no choice and I understood that, but she was also very supportive. ‘Both Poppy and Ava’s teachers have commented how much more settled the girls have been in recent weeks and how much progress they’ve made, particularly Ava. I will, of course, make this known to social services. Don’t worry. The school will back you and it’s always in the best interests of the children to keep family together.’
‘Thank you,’ I whispered gratefully, worried I might cry. ‘I’m going to apply for a Special Guardianship Order. But I’d be grateful if you didn’t say anything to Poppy or Ava at the moment. They still think their mum is stranded… I’m going to have to tell them the truth.’
At which point the headteacher began to cry, which really disconcerted me. ‘It’s so sad. I don’t know your sister very well… we did try to have her in a couple of times but she… was quite evasive.’
‘Alice doesn’t like authority.’
‘Yes. I can see that now. There were a few concerns about the girls’ lack of progress, especially Poppy. She’s a very bright girl and she needs stretching. I realise now that perhaps your sister wasn’t coping. It’s not easy being a single mother.’
‘No,’ I agreed dryly, resolving to phone Farquhar as soon as I got home. I’d been trying to put off the application for the Special Guardianship Order for as long as possible but now I realised that both the girls and I needed a sense of permanence in our lives and that I was going to have to sit them down very soon and tell them the truth.