Read Online A Funny Thing About Love by Rebecca Farnworth - Free Book Online

office and along the corridor. She heard Will calling her name but ignored him and, blatantly disregarding all company protocol and Trish, who was shaking her head and saying, ‘No!’, she burst into Tiana’s office. Tiana was perched on her desk, yacking away on her inevitable BlackBerry.
    â€˜I really need to talk to you,’ Carmen interrupted. Tiana held up her hand and then pointed at the lilac sofa.
    Carmen sat down and waited for Tiana to stoptormenting her with her voice. Finally Tiana ended the call and swung round to face Carmen.
    â€˜So, Carmen, what can I do for you?’
    â€˜Actually, Tiana, I’ve decided to resign. With immediate effect.’
    â€˜Really? That is something of a shock announcement, isn’t it?’ Alright, she could have the lift as it was a question. ‘Are you sure you aren’t overreacting to the news about Matthew?’ And that one as well. ‘I know how close you guys are. And I know your appraisal left you a lot to think about, but I am sure you can make the requisite improvements?’ But not that one.
    Carmen shook her head. She felt as if she was about to dive into the deep end and the water looked very dark and very scary, but she had to do it. ‘I think it’s time for me to do something else, Tiana.’
    Tiana clicked her Mont Blanc pen on and off, another intensely annoying habit. ‘Usually I would ask you to work a month’s notice? But I feel under the circumstances that it might be best if you clear your desk now? The company really can’t have agents working for it who can’t give a hundred and fifty per cent?’ Another pet hate of Carmen’s was people who came out with this percentage as if it meant something, instead of being utter nonsense.
    It wasn’t a question. Carmen nodded. This really was it.
    â€˜And you can say your goodbyes at Matthew’s party. It’s been nice working with you, Carmen?’
    There, she was dismissed. She was about to reply,but Tiana was already on another call. Carmen had just torpedoed her own career. Way to go.
    She spent the next hour in a complete daze. Trish helped her pack up her books and snow globes, all the while bemoaning the fact that she was leaving. Carmen also had the humiliation of having Dex the security guard hovering in the doorway, making sure she wasn’t going to steal anything – though quite what she would steal was anyone’s guess, seeing as the only valuable thing was the MacBook, and that belonged to her. Or maybe he was stopping her from seeing her colleagues, in case she spread ill will and discontent and was bad for morale. Dex kept shifting his weight, which was considerable – too much time spent sitting in front of a CCTV monitor, eating Danish pastries – from Doc Martened foot to foot and apologising, ‘I’m just doing my job, Carmen.’ His plump white face was quite pink with embarrassment. Carmen ended up feeling sorry for him. She’d always thought he’d probably suffered enough by being the one who caught Dirty Sam on the fire escape, and he was decent enough not to report him.
    Connor the postboy was on his rounds and looked equally devastated to see what was going on. ‘I’ll have to have a goodbye kiss, Carmen,’ he said, managing to squeeze past Dex and popping his head round the door in expectation.
    That really would be the icing on her day. Carmen took a step backwards and blew him a kiss. ‘Let’s notspoil the memory of the one we had at Christmas,’ she said. ‘Dex, you’d better get Connor away, I don’t want him to get into trouble.’ Connor looked reluctant to budge without the full tongue-on-tongue experience, but Dex was bigger and managed to extract him.
    â€˜Are you really sure you’re doing the right thing?’ Trish asked for about the twentieth time.
    â€˜I need a change, Trish,’ Carmen told her. She was