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1

Nigel clicked the end of his pen. On, then off. On, then off. On and off. If he did it one more time, Bex was going to grab it from his hand and throw it out of their seventh-floor office window. Or at least, that was what she would have liked to do. She wouldn’t do that, because Nigel was her boss, and despite her being the most valuable person on the accounting team – his words, not hers – she suspected he wouldn’t take too kindly to it.

Still, that incessant clicking noise was making her nervous, and there was no need for her to be nervous, was there? Of course not. The firm was expanding, not downsizing, and even if it had been, she would be nowhere near the top of the redundancy list. So why had Nigel called her into his office with such formality this morning, and why was he having such a hard time spitting his words out? In her heart, she knew there could only be one reason. A very, very positive one.

As she waited for him to put the pen down, or at least stop clicking it long enough to say something to her, she regretted her decision to take a seat. Her knee was bouncing up and down as she tried to act calm and composed. Nonchalant, even. Like she hadn’t seen this day coming for years. Like she hadn’t been working her butt off for this promotion since she first took the job here. There would be bubbles with the girls tonight, that was for sure. Screw the fact it was a Monday. She was going to be an associate director. As soon as Nigel found his damn voice.

Finally, with a sharp breath in, Nigel gave the pen one last click before placing it down on the desk in front of him.

‘I want you to know that what I’m about to ask of you is a great compliment,’ he said.

As butterflies swarmed in Bex’s stomach, she tried to keep her expression neutral. Like she hadn’t been expecting this. For ten years, she’d been working at the same accountancy firm, and she had done more than her fair share of grunt work. As a manager, she had been given the most difficult team to lead and the most difficult clients to handle. She had attended every workplace bonding retreat and voluntary staff training the firm had offered and sacrificed more hours than anyone could have dreamt, and it had all been leading up to this point. Associate director. That was the role Nigel was about to tell her she had got. The role she deserved.

‘I want you to know that I won’t let you down,’ she replied, trying to suppress the grin rising on her lips.

‘I know, Rebecca. I can assure you that I thought very hard about the right person for this position, and what it came down to was that I needed someone I could trust. I needed someone completely professional, who always puts the job first. Who can work under pressure and in difficult situations, and I mean this truthfully when I say there was only one person I knew would fit that bill.’ He paused and smiled slightly. ‘And you’re that person,’ he added, as if she hadn’t got that bit.

‘Thank you, Nigel. That means a lot to me.’

Again, a silence filled the air. Bex’s heart was pounding so forcefully she could feel the blood rushing behind her ears. Why wouldn’t he just say it? He wanted her to be the new associate director. It really wasn’t that hard to say, was it?

She cleared her throat, wondering if perhaps she should say something more. Like how she was sure they would make a great team and how the vision of the firm would always be at the forefront of what she did. Yet as she opened her mouth to speak, Nigel picked up the pen, clicked it once more, and looked at her with an almost apologetic expression on his face.

‘I need you to go to Scotland,’ he said.

‘Sorry?’ she said, sure she must have misheard him.

‘Scotland,’ he repeated. ‘I need you to go to Scotland. For two months.’

2

‘You have to be joking? Scotland, for two months? Why?’

Bex had gone straight from the office to Wildflower Lock to visit her friend Daisy on her narrowboat. She’d sent a single message before she left: ‘Have drink ready.’ And Daisy had clearly taken note as a variety of wines were now open on the table in front of them. Bex had also called their other friend, Claire, to say that she was needed too, and now the three of them were sitting together on the boat, jaws hanging loose as Bex relayed the meeting to them.

‘I mean, the good thing is, if I do this, then apparently I can choose whatever jobs I want from now on. And I assume that means the associate director role.’

‘But why do you have to go?’ Claire said. ‘Surely you would have to apply for a job like this. You can’t just be sent there.’

Bex pursed her lips. This wasn’t like in the office with Nigel, where she had to bite her tongue and appear appreciative and say she was grateful for the opportunity. She was here with her friends. She could tell them the truth.

‘I’m single,’ she said with a shrug. ‘Meaning, from the firm’s point of view, I don’t have anyone who’ll miss me when I’m up there for two months.’

The anger that flashed across her friends’ faces was the exact confirmation she had needed that it was okay to be furious at the situation.

‘What? That is not true!’

‘Did he say that? That’s discrimination.’

She was grateful for how riled her friends had become on her behalf. Unfortunately, it didn’t change the situation.

‘Of course, he didn’t say it like that,’ Bex said. ‘He used the word “committed” a lot. Other people had personal commitments… family commitments. I don’t. God, there’s nothing like being reminded how painfully single you are than being sent hundreds of miles away because no one will miss you.’

‘We’ll miss you!’ Daisy and Claire spoke in unison, and for the first time since she’d received the news, Bex felt a flutter of warmth fill her. She smiled weakly.

‘I know, but it’s not quite the same.’

‘And what about your flat? You have a home here.’