“Fab. I’ll bring the wine and we’ll order from Aldo’s.”
I end the call on a smirk and make my way as fast as possible in heels through the foyer of my work building. If I can just get into the lift pronto, I think I’ll miss Leo Peterson my accountant and bank manager. Pressing the button, I wait and am about to head for the stairwell, when I hear his shoes clipping on the polished tiled floor behind me.
“Lucia, good morning. I’m so glad I caught you.”
My shoulders stoop instantaneously and I fix a smile across my lips. “Leo, good morning to you too. What can I do for you?”
“Well, I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for the past week or so now, about completing your books for the last quarter. I do hope you are well again?”
Jackie must have informed him I was ill in my absence, bless her. I make a mental note to thank her for her quick thinking. “I’m fine thanks, Leo just extremely busy but I have done the majority of the paperwork required on the accounts in question and I can have those ready for you some time in the next few weeks.” The lift pings and I step in, and watch as he joins me. Crap, he would want to go through things now. “I’m afraid I don’t have the time this morning to go through much with you.”
“Not at all, I thought I’d come up for a coffee whilst I was in the building and we could just check you are on track to meet your loan commitments.”
There we go the shutters have gone down but his lasso hold has wrapped itself around me tightly. Whenever he wanted to push to go through things, he played the ‘loan card’. I smile politely back at his friendly but plain face, and wonder what I was thinking to ever consider dating a man such as this – he was so wrong for me. He was pleasant and hard working but exceedingly boring.
“I’m afraid I can’t go through anything accounts related today, Leo, really, I have a meeting in a few hours with a client that I have to prepare for, but you are welcome to join me for a cuppa.”
Making our way into the office reception, I smile at my receptionist, Jackie, wave at Colin, who is spinning manically on his new orthopaedic leather desk chair and drop my bag and files on my desk in a pile. I decide in that instant that the quickest way to remove Leo was to give him what he wanted.
“Coffee was it, Leo? Take a seat at my desk.” I catch Colin’s eyebrows hitting his hairline at the sight of Leo’s embarrassed attendance.
“Er, yes that would be lovely. Black, please.”
After flicking the kettle on, I head over to the computer, hear it zap into life and wait to open up my latest accounts file. Leo is patiently standing next to my desk as I return.
“Take a seat, Leo. I’ll show you what I have to date but like I say, we’ll have to reschedule to go through everything properly.”
“Oh goody. I’m happy to meet whenever, wherever for however long it takes. I could come to the house if you prefer. I stay at Meg’s a few nights a week now, so I can always pop round.”
That was my worst fear – having him just pop round. It was bad enough that the guy I’d dated for all but two dates was now dating my friend and next-door neighbour, a few doors down but the fact that he was staying there, so close was a little too close for comfort. But it wasn’t up to me and if he was making Meg happy, then I was happy.
“So you and Meg are going good?”
“Yep. Early days of course but we get on well. She is a character - if a little out-there occasionally.”
She definitely is that but not so early days that you stay there, a few nights a week. I hope he didn’t hurt her – I really couldn’t see what they had in common at all.
“Right. Here we go. These are my accounts for the last completed three months. Obviously there are a few jobs that began in these months but are not completed and hence haven’t been settled in their entirety but we did receive pro-forma’s and in the case of The Ashton, a considerable sum upfront to secure works began immediately. This is our main commission this Summer.”
“Ah yes, The Ashton. That’s the posh hotel in Holdgate that you’ve been working on with your builder friend – the one I met at your Sister’s party?”
I’m not sure why, but the way he repeatedly refers to Sebastian as my ‘builder friend’ is beginning to grate on my nerves. “Yes, that’s the one. Sebastian’s company, Silver Construction has kindly loaned us some men to work on this fabulous project. His construction and craftsmanship is second-to-none, so it was a no brainer and we are very lucky to have him and his team at our disposal.” There stick that in your pipe and smoke it. So you’re back to defending Sebastian’s honour then?