16.

'Tell me again what happened.' Maxine's voice sounds amused, but her body language contradicts her. She's draped over the corner of her desk and I'm in the low chair again, forced to look up at her.

'I dropped them in the lift. Like I said, that's why the papers might be in the wrong folders,' I say, hesitantly. The way she's looking at me, she might as well be holding up a placard with the word 'liar' emblazoned across it and be done with it. I fidget and feel guilty, even though I haven't done anything wrong.

'Well, ten out of ten for imagination.' She throws her head back and shakes her mane around for a bit.

'Look, I was trying to do you a favour by bringing them up,' I say, feeling tired and irritated now, but remembering that she holds the cards to my future. 'If you don't believe me then ask Tom, he was in the lift as well.' I notice a flicker of something, almost like pleasure, dart across her face at the mention of his name. She licks her lips.

'Hang on a minute. I let you take the folders to see if you could be trusted. My job is to revitalise the store, after all, and part of that is making sure we have a team that can be trusted going forward, so I was actually doing you the favour,' she says, in a breezy voice. Incredible. For a moment I wonder if we're actually having the same conversation.

'I'm not sure what you mean ...' I resist the urge to be ruder my fate is in her hands, after all but I'm intrigued to hear her explanation.

'By giving you the opportunity to show you can be trusted, of course.' I feel my face creasing with confusion.

'So you're telling me you gave me the folders on purpose to see if I would look through them?' I say the words slowly, her logic still not really sinking in.

'Of course.' For a moment I'm speechless.

'But you told me not to take the lift,' I say, thinking ha! I've definitely caught her out now.

'Oh, yes. Sorry about that, it was rather mean of me.' She lets out a little chuckle and then holds my stare until I have to back down and look away. 'And as predicted you couldn't resist looking, could you? And who can blame you? If it's any consolation I would have done exactly the same thing in your shoes.' She glances down at my New Look heels before wrinkling her nose. I try to work out whether this means I've pa.s.sed her stupid test or not and I'm under no illusion that this could be the first of many.

'So Gina,' she says, and I flinch. 'Did you stumble across anything interesting in the files?' Her eyes glint, it's almost as though she's fired up by trying to create a drama.

'What difference would it make if I had?'

'What do you mean, Gina?'

'Would you mind not calling me that? My name is Georgie,' I say abruptly, and the look on her face immediately makes me wish I hadn't, but I'm not going to let her trample all over me.

'As you wish.' She studies me for a few seconds, tilting her head slightly to one side. I squirm under her scrutiny. 'And good for you for making a stand.' She points at me with her pen. 'My kind of girl,' she says, quite unexpectedly. I sit back in my chair, feeling slightly more relaxed. So the name thing was another one of her little games then.

'Tell me what you meant about making a difference,' Maxine says. Then she peers at me again and I hesitate before answering.

'You already know James, and Tom seems to be quite confident about things ' I scrutinise her face to see if I've overstepped the mark 'and well, I feel as though you don't like me. It's as if I've already done something wrong, when in fact I'm very good at my job.'

'Like you? What's that got to do with it?' She doesn't deny it. 'And if you think James has some kind of an advantage just because we used to ' she pauses, picking her words carefully as she plucks a long red hair from her sleeve 'know each other, well then you're right off the mark. No, James had his chance with me and he blew it. I can't overlook that.' Her face is set like concrete does this mean James doesn't even stand a chance of keeping his job then? The silence hangs in the air for a moment and I'm not sure what to say. Maxine breaks it. 'And as for Tom, well,' she looks away, 'he's an unknown ent.i.ty. Anyway, there's so much to be done, so make this easy for me.'

I ponder on this revelation. From what she's saying, if I keep her sweet, then my job is safe. She has issues with both James and Tom, but my gut instinct is niggling away. Can I trust her word? For all I know she could be secretly backing Tom, expecting me to do all the hard work to make her look good in front of The Heff and the board when Women's Accessories sales figures rocket. And then she says something else.

'Oh, and by the way. Your interview at Palmers on Thursday ... I've cancelled it.' She stares at me, without blinking. I feel the life force drain from my body as I try and think of a response.

'But you can't do that.' I cringe at the wobbliness in my voice.

'Well I have. So deal with it. You're a good sales a.s.sistant, so I'm not letting you go ... yet.'

My jaw drops open. And what does she mean by 'yet'?

'But, how come you know about that?' I manage to mumble, feeling hot and uncomfortable at having been caught out.

'Oh, didn't you know?' she starts, with false concern. 'My old PA now works for the HR director at Palmers.' b.l.o.o.d.y typical, she would do, wouldn't she? 'So you see, Georgie, how powerful loyalty can be, and the people that work for me are always very loyal. Question is, are you?' I open my mouth to reply, but the words won't come out. Maxine may well think that her old PA is loyal, but I'd love to know what hold she has over her to make her so.

There's a tap on the door and, after throwing a questioning look at me as I still haven't replied, Maxine yells, 'Come,' and I'm saved for the time being from having to answer, by Tina, of all people. She flings open the door and practically canters over to us, her ponytail swinging like a pendulum on speed.

'Oh Maxine, you wanted to see me,' she pants. I glance at Maxine and see a look of irritation creep across her face. She's obviously got Tina's number then.

'Stop bobbing around. It annoys me.' Maxine slaps the desk to emphasise the fact.

'Oh, I'm sorry, shall I sit down then?' Tina treats me to one of her stares as she pulls up the Chesterfield armchair from the corner and, positioning it adjacent to Maxine, she perches on the edge.

'Have you got the latest sales figures for Women's Accessories?'

'Yes, right here. I guessed you might need them. I've put them in a nice folder for you,' Tina schmoozes, handing Maxine a girly pink plastic wallet.

'Thank you.' Maxine stares at Tina, who doesn't get the hint. 'You can go now.'

'Oh, right. See you later then Maxine,' Tina says, as if she's her new best friend forever. Maxine waits for the door to close before turning to me.

'This is a bit more like it. These figures are very healthy indeed,' she says, letting out a low whistle. 'So how are you getting on with your Valentine's promotions?'

I lean forward, feeling pleased with myself. Since The Heff's announcement, sales have really stepped up. It's a complete free-for-all now, with all the sales a.s.sistants mindful of the new scaled-down numbers that might emerge following Maxine's review. We're all grabbing whatever customers we can get our hands on. Some of the others have even taken to asking every customer, 'Can I help you?' within a second of them glancing at the merch. Something we used to avoid like the plague after things got out of hand with customers getting arsy and complaining about being hara.s.sed. Janine from the bingo hall on Cheriton Way almost walloped Darren in Pens when he badgered her a little too hard. Luckily, Mrs Grace stepped in and gave Janine a voucher for a free coffee in the cafe by way of an apology.

'Well the high-end bag sales are really benefiting from the complimentary his-and-her ma.s.sage voucher with every purchase over two hundred and seventy-five pounds.' She nods her head. 'And I've even thought ahead, because some people get engaged on Valentine's Day,' I say wistfully, wondering if I'll ever be one of them. 'So, continuing the romance theme through to summer, weddings, and so on, and bearing in mind that old adage of "customers who try ... buy", I've set up a mirror next to my counter so customers can see how a handbag will look on their shoulder, or nestling in the crook of an elbow, in proper Kardashiantastic style.' Silence follows. 'Kim Kardashian?' I explain, but Maxine just stares at me blankly. I plough on. 'And I'm seeing plenty of single women who want to treat themselves too who needs a man to buy us a Valentine's present anyway?'

I attempt a little laugh, but she looks horrified, so I clear my throat instead. I imagine she wouldn't dream of actually buying her own present, and why would she when she probably has a string of men lining up to spoil her with gifts? 'Yes, I've even grouped together a selection of silk scarves and summery hats for customers when trying on the designer sungla.s.ses.' I soldier on. 'Most of the time it works, they get caught up in feeling all wedding-y and can't resist buying the whole ensemble.'

'Impressive. James and Tom could learn a thing or two from you. But then they'll never have our female advantage, will they, when it comes to seducing customers into parting with their cash?' Maxine flashes her pageant smile. 'Talking of weddings, have you been invited?' Maxine tilts her head towards the door to indicate Tina.

'Yes. But it's couples only, so-'

'Snap!' She interrupts. 'You're single too, same as me. I'm going on my own so we can keep each other company. I love a good wedding, always plenty of men around,' she says, suggestively. Maxine slaps the folder shut and, taking it as a cue to leave, I stand up. 'That's all, and keep up the good work.'

'I will, and Maxine, I am loyal, especially to my friends, and to my job of course,' I add quickly.

'Good. So you won't be a.s.suming the gra.s.s is greener then, will you?' The threat in her voice is there, loud and clear. With my backup plan scuppered I feel even more vulnerable. I try and concentrate my mind on the possibility that she cancelled my interview at Palmers because she really doesn't want me to leave. But the feeling of paranoia that's mounting by the minute is getting harder and harder to suppress.

'No,' I say quietly, as I head towards the door, which flings open just as I reach out to the handle.

'Ahh, Georgina.' The Heff appears, looking surprised to see me and clutching an enormous bouquet of red velvet roses. 'Err, these arrived.' He throws a look in Maxine's direction.

'You can put them over there,' she says, pointing towards a side cabinet, without even bothering to look at them properly.

'Err, right you are,' The Heff booms, striding past me to place the flowers down, before settling on a sofa and flinging his arm along the back in a very casual pose. An awkward silence follows.

'That'll be all.' Maxine looks at me.

'Of course,' I reply, quickly ducking out of the door.

As I make my way back to the lift, I can't help wondering why The Heff has been relegated to delivery boy now. I'd have thought that would be another job for Eddie.

17.

'I'd just like to spend some time unwinding with you, if that's OK?' It's late and James and I are the only ones in the canteen again. He looks at me, edging his fingers along the top of the table until they're almost touching mine.

'Err, well I'm not sure.' I search his face, wondering what he's up to. He never used to be so flirty with me ... I decide to address it once and for all. I quickly pull my hand away.

'Look James, I'm flattered, really I am, but what about your wife?' I ask, scrutinising his face.

'What about her?' he says, his face not changing. I can't believe his front. He's always seemed like such a decent guy. In fact, I've seen him coming back to the office at lunchtime with armfuls of presents for her in the run-up to the Christmas holidays. I even heard him on the phone one evening, outside the big Wetherspoon's in the centre of town, when we all went out after work to celebrate Debbie in Haberdashery's fiftieth. His voice was all soft and interested.

'Well, don't you think your wife might mind?' I reply, crossly, wondering if he was this forward with Maxine.

'Soon to be ex-wife.' There's a long silence, and then it registers. I stare at him and see a puzzled look on his face.

'What did you say?' My pulse quickens.

'Oh right. You don't know, do you?' James clutches his head in his hands.

'Know what?'

'I'm getting divorced. I just presumed you knew,' he says, peeping through his fingers. He shakes his head, his voice filled with concern. 'Georgie, I'm so sorry, what must you think of me? No wonder you couldn't wait to escape from the bar that night.' I sit in silence, trying to process this information. Poor James.

'James, I didn't know.'

'It figures,' he says, shaking his head again. 'Yes, Rebecca decided she preferred my best man to me. Apparently he's more ambitious than I am, oh and better in bed, I think she also mentioned, when I wouldn't agree to let her have the cat. So, under the circ.u.mstances, I agreed to a divorce,' he finishes, with a wry smile.

'I'm sorry. Truly I am. But why didn't you tell me before now? I thought we were friends.' I can't believe it. So he's not a two-timing flirtatious rat after all. My mind races.

'We are. But you know how it is in work. There just never seemed like an appropriate moment. I guess I just presumed you knew. Eddie knows, and I thought with you and him being such good friends, he would have told you.' I think of Eddie lovely loyal Eddie, even if he is a ma.s.sive moaner; it's not his style to break a confidence, never has been.

'James, I feel dreadful now. With the uncertainty at work and everything else going on,' I say, thinking his wife must be completely insane to let him slip through her fingers. I notice the tightness in his shoulders, and for the first time I really see him. He has the look of a man who's been through the wringer.

'Well, now we've cleared that up, will you please come out for a drink with me?' He grins.

'I'd love to,' I reply, and all of my doubts about him instantly evaporate. I can't wait to call Sam, she's going to well and truly freak out over this.

18.

After several large gla.s.ses of Pinot, and lots of talking and laughing, it's nearly closing time. James, who is sitting opposite me in the red leather banquette booth, leans over the narrow table towards me.

'Shall we do this again?' he says, staring straight into my eyes.

'Depends what "this" is,' I tease.

'A date, of course, unless you're in the habit of frequenting intimate bars with all of your colleagues.' He smiles and takes my hand in his, giving it a little squeeze.

'In that case, yes, why not?' I smile, thinking it might be fun, but then wondering if it's such a good idea when we're going to be competing at work, and he has just been dumped by his wife. Hmm, guess there's no harm in seeing how it goes.

'Great. But let's just keep this to ourselves neither of us needs the wagging tongues at the moment,' he says, stroking the back of my hand. 'And the last thing I want is for you to be cited in the divorce. No, I want it to go as smoothly as possible.'

'I agree, as long as you're not just saying so in case a particular person called Maxine finds out?' I say before I can stop myself.

His face drops and I immediately know I should have kept my mouth shut. I scan his eyes for clues as to whether he still has a thing for her.

'You know about that then?' he says, staring intently at his empty wine gla.s.s. He pulls his hand away.

'Yes, you know how news travels in Carrington's.'

'It was well and truly over years ago,' he says, taking my hand again.

'So, did you two work together or something?' I say, trying to sound uninterested. I'm curious, no more, and I don't want him thinking I'm some kind of mad bunny boiler.

'Not exactly. I met her on a training course. It didn't last long though. It was around the same time I met Rebecca.'

'So I imagine Maxine was pretty p.i.s.sed off at being dumped for another woman,' I say, feeling my way for fear of probing too much.

'Just a bit, but then can you blame her? I did mess her around.' I decide not to push it any further but then he says, 'Like I told her in the meeting, it was a long time ago and we have to be professional about it, given our work situation.' So they discussed it then.

'But won't it be difficult, with her overseeing things? She is the boss now, after all.'

'Sure. But it doesn't have to affect things between us, and I promise I won't betray you. Believe me ... I know what it feels like.'

'Of course,' I say, squeezing his hand, but wondering how Maxine really feels.