cook a lot?’
Marsh thought for a moment. ‘I guess I do,’ he said, looking surprised. ‘I never really thought about it before. I had to make sure Stevie had a healthy diet, so I started to cook for us. I guess I've just got used to it now.’
Stevie. Jane felt her heart sink. Why had she assumed that a man like that would be single? Of course, no one at work had mentioned that he had a girlfriend, only about Dominique, but then, perhaps he kept it quiet. He seemed like a fairly private person and the office was full of gossip. ‘Your girlfriend is a really lucky woman.’
Marsh coloured slightly. ‘Oh, Stevie's not my girlfriend. I don't have a girlfriend. Stevie's my sister. She lives with me.’ He pointed to a framed photo on the wall behind her. ‘That's her there.’
It was a photo of a family. Marsh was there, looking a lot younger and, standing next to him, was a small girl.
‘Of course, she's a lot older than that now.’
The family resemblance was unmistakable. ‘Are those your parents?’
‘ Yes,’ said Marsh. ‘That was taken in my second year at uni. It was about a year before the accident.’
‘ Accident?’
‘ They … they died. In a car accident. When I was twenty-one. Stevie was only thirteen then, so I became her legal guardian.’ He was still looking at the photo.
She tried to imagine what it must have been like to lose your parents and suddenly be in charge of a child at the same time. ‘Wow. That must have been …’ She couldn't think of a word that covered the situation. ‘That's tough.’
He looked back at his plate. ‘We managed. Stevie's a great kid. She looked after me about as much as I looked after her.’ He turned his attention back to her. ‘Enough about me,’ he said. ‘How about you? How are you getting on at Ramsdean and Tooze?’
‘ Ok, I think,’ said Jane, and paused. ‘Is everyone obsessed with rank?’
‘ Oh yes,’ Marsh said with a completely straight face. ‘You have to introduce yourself stating where you fit in the company hierarchy. I tried not to for a while, but people kept asking me if I was a trainee.’ He shrugged. ‘It's silly, I know. But you're in that atmosphere for so long every week that you start to think it's normal.’
‘ You seem to be able to distance yourself, though.’ Jane sipped her wine.
‘ I used to be more immersed,’ he said. ‘I've had to teach myself to step back every so often since …’ He looked embarrassed. ‘I … er … had an intra-office relationship that went a bit wrong. It gave me a crash course in perspective.’
‘ I heard about that.’
‘ I thought you might have done. The gossip network at R and T is pretty comprehensive,’ he said, sounding a little apologetic. ‘Good old Dominique. Gone, but never quite forgotten.’
Jane swirled her wine. She hadn't talked about Ashby to anyone other than her mother and Polly. She hadn't been ready. Somehow the idea of telling Marshall, who had been cheated on himself, seemed easier to contemplate. She avoided looking at him. ‘I know what it feels like to have your partner cheat on you,’ she said. ‘I caught my ex in bed with another woman.’ It felt strange saying it out loud. She waited for the pain to hit.
‘ You actually saw them? Ouch. That must have been nasty.’
For a moment, she'd thought the hurt had gone away, but there it was. Gnawing away at her. Briefly she considered telling Marshall about how much it had hurt to walk in and find Ashby and the stick insect busy on her nice clean sheets. But then, perhaps he knew? The stick insect had given a fairly frank interview about the whole thing. So maybe everyone knew. Did he ever flick through his sister's magazines? If he did, might he connect her with Triphoppers ? As she paused for too long, she could see Marsh starting to look worried.
‘ Yeah. It was pretty nasty. But I'm over it now.’ Then, feeling a little honesty was required, she added, ‘I think.’
Marsh gave
Marsh thought for a moment. ‘I guess I do,’ he said, looking surprised. ‘I never really thought about it before. I had to make sure Stevie had a healthy diet, so I started to cook for us. I guess I've just got used to it now.’
Stevie. Jane felt her heart sink. Why had she assumed that a man like that would be single? Of course, no one at work had mentioned that he had a girlfriend, only about Dominique, but then, perhaps he kept it quiet. He seemed like a fairly private person and the office was full of gossip. ‘Your girlfriend is a really lucky woman.’
Marsh coloured slightly. ‘Oh, Stevie's not my girlfriend. I don't have a girlfriend. Stevie's my sister. She lives with me.’ He pointed to a framed photo on the wall behind her. ‘That's her there.’
It was a photo of a family. Marsh was there, looking a lot younger and, standing next to him, was a small girl.
‘Of course, she's a lot older than that now.’
The family resemblance was unmistakable. ‘Are those your parents?’
‘ Yes,’ said Marsh. ‘That was taken in my second year at uni. It was about a year before the accident.’
‘ Accident?’
‘ They … they died. In a car accident. When I was twenty-one. Stevie was only thirteen then, so I became her legal guardian.’ He was still looking at the photo.
She tried to imagine what it must have been like to lose your parents and suddenly be in charge of a child at the same time. ‘Wow. That must have been …’ She couldn't think of a word that covered the situation. ‘That's tough.’
He looked back at his plate. ‘We managed. Stevie's a great kid. She looked after me about as much as I looked after her.’ He turned his attention back to her. ‘Enough about me,’ he said. ‘How about you? How are you getting on at Ramsdean and Tooze?’
‘ Ok, I think,’ said Jane, and paused. ‘Is everyone obsessed with rank?’
‘ Oh yes,’ Marsh said with a completely straight face. ‘You have to introduce yourself stating where you fit in the company hierarchy. I tried not to for a while, but people kept asking me if I was a trainee.’ He shrugged. ‘It's silly, I know. But you're in that atmosphere for so long every week that you start to think it's normal.’
‘ You seem to be able to distance yourself, though.’ Jane sipped her wine.
‘ I used to be more immersed,’ he said. ‘I've had to teach myself to step back every so often since …’ He looked embarrassed. ‘I … er … had an intra-office relationship that went a bit wrong. It gave me a crash course in perspective.’
‘ I heard about that.’
‘ I thought you might have done. The gossip network at R and T is pretty comprehensive,’ he said, sounding a little apologetic. ‘Good old Dominique. Gone, but never quite forgotten.’
Jane swirled her wine. She hadn't talked about Ashby to anyone other than her mother and Polly. She hadn't been ready. Somehow the idea of telling Marshall, who had been cheated on himself, seemed easier to contemplate. She avoided looking at him. ‘I know what it feels like to have your partner cheat on you,’ she said. ‘I caught my ex in bed with another woman.’ It felt strange saying it out loud. She waited for the pain to hit.
‘ You actually saw them? Ouch. That must have been nasty.’
For a moment, she'd thought the hurt had gone away, but there it was. Gnawing away at her. Briefly she considered telling Marshall about how much it had hurt to walk in and find Ashby and the stick insect busy on her nice clean sheets. But then, perhaps he knew? The stick insect had given a fairly frank interview about the whole thing. So maybe everyone knew. Did he ever flick through his sister's magazines? If he did, might he connect her with Triphoppers ? As she paused for too long, she could see Marsh starting to look worried.
‘ Yeah. It was pretty nasty. But I'm over it now.’ Then, feeling a little honesty was required, she added, ‘I think.’
Marsh gave
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