They are pretty brilliant, aren’t they? So, if you can win some business from seven or eight more massive garden-centre chains who pay up before they even need to, you’ll be a millionaire by next year. Alternatively, try it my way.’
‘You can be such a bully sometimes, Egor,’ I tell him. ‘And here I was, thinking you were different from other accountants.’
‘I’m exactly the same, Abby, I promise.’ He helps himself to the last of the biscuits and takes a bite. ‘Nice cookies. Hope they didn’t cost too much.’
Chapter 12
If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m walking with the gait of an over-worked pornography actress, I’d enter the office with a spring in my step. Egor didn’t tell me much I didn’t already know, but it’s nice to have the fact that my business is in good shape reinforced.
‘Morning, Abby,’ smiles Priya. ‘How are things?’
‘Good, thanks, and you? How are you feeling about . . . whatsisname?’
‘Karl,’ she replies. ‘Absolutely fine. I’ve met someone else.’
‘She’s nothing if not fast,’ Hunky Matt comments, upon which she throws a pad of Post-it notes at his head.
‘He’s called Richard and he is very nice,’ Priya says proudly. ‘He’s a sales rep.’
‘He sells toothbrushes,’ Matt puts in.
Priya narrows her eyes. ‘What is wrong with toothbrushes?’
‘Nothing at all,’ Matt says. ‘Everyone needs ’em. Well, everyone with teeth.’
‘Exactly!’ she replies.
‘In fact, I bet the date’ll be absolutely filling,’ he adds.
‘These puns of yours get worse,’ I sigh. ‘Now – what have you both been up to this afternoon?’
‘Working on the new site for Spring,’ Matt says, referring to one of our newest clients, a group of trendy delicatessens. ‘What do you think?’
I walk round the desk to look over his shoulder. ‘This is gorgeous – I love it. Though you might want to consider a different font. How about . . .’ I lean over and am clicking on the mouse a few times when something strikes me. ‘Where’s Heidi?’
‘Oh, she phoned in sick,’ Priya says. ‘Apparently, she sent you an email. Thought you’d pick it up on your BlackBerry.’
‘I get far too many emails to do anything other than ignore them when I’m in meetings,’ I tell her. ‘I know that destroys the object, but I’d spend all day on it otherwise.’
I sit and scan my inbox, finally spotting one from Heidi’s personal email address.
Hi Abby
I know this is short notice, but could we meet for coffee today? Priya had a look in the office diary and she said you’ve a slot at three. Any chance I could see you at Delifonseca?
Heidi
X
I groan outwardly, but as the others are used to me doing this every time I go near my emails – and unearth another hundred things for my To Do list – they barely stir.
My only free slot today was at three, and I was intending to use it, fresh from Egor’s chat, to chase up late-paying clients. Not just that, but I have a horrible feeling about Heidi’s urgency: my suspicion about another agency persuading her to join them suddenly feels like a real possibility.
I am about to stand to leave when another email leaps from the computer screen – from [email protected] – and makes my stomach swirl.
Abby , it begins and I tut at the further presumption of familiarity.
A postscript to our accident: I have fully comprehensive insurance, so they agreed to foot the bill to fix the bike immediately. However, I’ve been dealing with a very nice but harassed lady called Joan at their call centre. Joan is a month from retiring to help look after her new grandchild Lexi, a baby I have neither met nor seen but now know everything about – from the time she has her last bottle to her mother’s method of pain relief when she was delivered.
I suppress a smile.
Joan has spent forty years working for my insurance company and wishes to end on a high. Unfortunately, she is prevented from doing so by my
‘You can be such a bully sometimes, Egor,’ I tell him. ‘And here I was, thinking you were different from other accountants.’
‘I’m exactly the same, Abby, I promise.’ He helps himself to the last of the biscuits and takes a bite. ‘Nice cookies. Hope they didn’t cost too much.’
Chapter 12
If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m walking with the gait of an over-worked pornography actress, I’d enter the office with a spring in my step. Egor didn’t tell me much I didn’t already know, but it’s nice to have the fact that my business is in good shape reinforced.
‘Morning, Abby,’ smiles Priya. ‘How are things?’
‘Good, thanks, and you? How are you feeling about . . . whatsisname?’
‘Karl,’ she replies. ‘Absolutely fine. I’ve met someone else.’
‘She’s nothing if not fast,’ Hunky Matt comments, upon which she throws a pad of Post-it notes at his head.
‘He’s called Richard and he is very nice,’ Priya says proudly. ‘He’s a sales rep.’
‘He sells toothbrushes,’ Matt puts in.
Priya narrows her eyes. ‘What is wrong with toothbrushes?’
‘Nothing at all,’ Matt says. ‘Everyone needs ’em. Well, everyone with teeth.’
‘Exactly!’ she replies.
‘In fact, I bet the date’ll be absolutely filling,’ he adds.
‘These puns of yours get worse,’ I sigh. ‘Now – what have you both been up to this afternoon?’
‘Working on the new site for Spring,’ Matt says, referring to one of our newest clients, a group of trendy delicatessens. ‘What do you think?’
I walk round the desk to look over his shoulder. ‘This is gorgeous – I love it. Though you might want to consider a different font. How about . . .’ I lean over and am clicking on the mouse a few times when something strikes me. ‘Where’s Heidi?’
‘Oh, she phoned in sick,’ Priya says. ‘Apparently, she sent you an email. Thought you’d pick it up on your BlackBerry.’
‘I get far too many emails to do anything other than ignore them when I’m in meetings,’ I tell her. ‘I know that destroys the object, but I’d spend all day on it otherwise.’
I sit and scan my inbox, finally spotting one from Heidi’s personal email address.
Hi Abby
I know this is short notice, but could we meet for coffee today? Priya had a look in the office diary and she said you’ve a slot at three. Any chance I could see you at Delifonseca?
Heidi
X
I groan outwardly, but as the others are used to me doing this every time I go near my emails – and unearth another hundred things for my To Do list – they barely stir.
My only free slot today was at three, and I was intending to use it, fresh from Egor’s chat, to chase up late-paying clients. Not just that, but I have a horrible feeling about Heidi’s urgency: my suspicion about another agency persuading her to join them suddenly feels like a real possibility.
I am about to stand to leave when another email leaps from the computer screen – from [email protected] – and makes my stomach swirl.
Abby , it begins and I tut at the further presumption of familiarity.
A postscript to our accident: I have fully comprehensive insurance, so they agreed to foot the bill to fix the bike immediately. However, I’ve been dealing with a very nice but harassed lady called Joan at their call centre. Joan is a month from retiring to help look after her new grandchild Lexi, a baby I have neither met nor seen but now know everything about – from the time she has her last bottle to her mother’s method of pain relief when she was delivered.
I suppress a smile.
Joan has spent forty years working for my insurance company and wishes to end on a high. Unfortunately, she is prevented from doing so by my
Similar Books
