Page 7 of Suddenly Mine
“Good,” said his dad, slapping the desk with one big hand. “I knew you’d come through for me. I think you should—”
“He needs to start somewhere low,” Margot interrupted. “A job’s just opened up on the cleaning crew. If he’s going to go unseen, I can’t think of anywhere better.”
“A janitor?” said the old man. “Sure, good idea. You can start tomorrow morning. Eight sharp.”
Christian nodded. He knew Margot had only suggested the job to humiliate him, but he’d spent the last five years doing messier jobs than cleaning bathrooms, restocking toilet paper and getting stains out of the carpets. Besides, she had a point. If he was going to observe the company, that was the best position to do it from.
“Sure,” he said. “Eight.”
“Here’s everything we know so far.” His dad pushed a manila folder across the table. “Read up on it tonight.”
Christian took it, waiting for his father to say something else, somethingnice. He thought, after all this time, that he might at least invite him over for dinner at the family house. But he just picked up his oxygen mask and breathed deeply from it, waving his free hand to dismiss Christian from the room. Margot leaned over the old man, helping him, and Christian watched them for a moment before making his way to the door.
His father was dying. The company was dying. Just what kind of Christmas had he come home to?
Chapter 3
MERRY
“Excuse me, miss?”
Merry stirred from her daydream, blinking away visions of Christian, to see the balding, middle-aged man in front of her. He was drenched from head to toe, thanks to the freezing rain outside, and his outstretched hand was trembling with the cold.
“Oh,” she said. “Right, sorry.”
She handed him the last of her leaflets and he smiled gratefully.
“Go grab a coffee and a gingerbread cookie,” she said. “It will warm you right up. And don’t forget to buy a raffle ticket for the ball!”
The man walked away and Merry stretched her arms above her head, yawning. She had no idea what the time was, but judging how sore her legs were and how dark it was outside, and how badly she needed to pee, it had to be near the end of her shift. The trouble with Carroll’s was that there were no clocks anywhere, and she wasn’t allowed to carry her phone on her. Usually somebody came to relieve her, but the shop was so busy tonight they must have got waylaid.
Shereallyneeded the toilet, so she abandoned her post and made her way through the crowds. For a second, she thought she spotted Christian in the crush — a flash of checked jacket — but she tried not to be too disappointed when she realised it wasn’t him. It took her a good few minutes to weave her way across the atrium, as she had to field half a dozen requests for help from irritated customers. By the time she reached the elevators she was ready to burst, and she wished she’d taken the longer route to the staff one — especially when she heard a stern voice callout her name. She hung her head, sighing deeply before turning around.
Mrs Cradley stood there, her foot tapping, her arms folded over her clipboard. “Miss Sinclair, where do you think you are going?”
“To the restroom,” she replied, trying not to jiggle. “My shift ended at seven.”
“Be that as it may,” Mrs Cradley said, glancing at her little gold watch. “You are not to leave your position until you are relieved. Is that clear?”
At this rate, she was going to be relieved all over the shop floor. Merry nodded, praying that the woman wouldn’t send her back. She could really do with Christian showing up and telling her boss where to go again.
Mrs Cradley stood there for a moment, almost as if she were enjoying torturing Merry. Then she glanced over at the front of the store — there was somebody else there now — and nodded.
“Very well,” she said. “But until you are off the shop floor you are still expected to behave like a member of staff, so please put your hat back on your head.”
Merry did as she was told, jabbing the elevator button and waiting for what felt like for ever for it to drop to the first floor. Fortunately, nobody else was waiting, and when the doors closed behind her she took a huge sigh of relief. It had been a long day, and her head was pounding, the jazz version of ‘Jingle Bells’ not helping. She massaged her temples until the doors opened on the tenth floor. There were still quite a few people up there, crowding around Santa’s grotto, and she kept her eyes on the floor as she speed-walked to the staff door at the back.
What’s the new code?For the life of her she couldn’t remember, and she was just starting to panic when the door opened and there he was. Merry skidded to a halt before she ran right into him, but he was so distracted he barely noticed her.Only after a double take did he break into a smile, but he looked paler than he had before, as if some of the vitality had been sucked right out of him.
“Oh, hi,” Merry said. “I didn’t realise you worked here.”
“I didn’t,” he said, hovering in the door. “But I do now.”
Merry had to stop herself from doing a little jig of happiness. That was fantastic news!
He’s engaged, you idiot!her brain said, and the disappointment must have registered on her face because Christian laughed.
“You don’t look too happy about it,” he said.