Chapter 9
9
‘You got my keys, Genie?’
I dangle the ring from my fingers and jangle the keys at Tony, propping up the door to the office, hair still wet from a post-training shower and coffee in hand.
He saunters over and puts the paper cup on my desk. ‘For you. From the players’ lounge.’
I hold the coffee up, inhale it like wine, then smile up at Tony. ‘Mmm, contraband. Thank you.’
He grins. ‘I wasn’t seen, so if you hide the cup after, I’ve probably got away with it.’
For that to make sense, you have to understand that coffee is the most recent weapon in the endless cold war between Monica and the manager. He takes espresso seriously and insists on a continuous supply of his preferred brand. Shortly after Tony arrived, Monica went on a buyer’s remorse-fuelled rampage over financial extravagance. Coffee topped the list. To be fair, it’s eye-wateringly expensive, and the manager’s claim it offers a performance benefit is almost certainly spurious. But it’s also a drop in the ocean in terms of our outgoings and a fraction of what other clubs must spend on caffeine supplements. Plus, it’s delicious, and thankfully, it’s survived Monica’s cost-cutting, proving even she can’t bulldoze a solid wall of charming obstinacy reinforced by strategic lapses in English comprehension.
Only that means, roughly once a week, there’s a club-wide email reminding us the good coffee is for players and senior management only. So, it’s sweet that Tony’s standing with the serfs. Sweet but unsettling. I’d expect Tony to be absentmindedly amiable with staff who are useful to him, but the coffee feels like something more. Because he’s noticed how I take it, almost as if he’s watching me as much as I’m watching him. And if he is, he might see the real me. That can’t happen. She needs to stay hidden behind work me, who definitely wouldn’t have woken up this morning already imagining his lips on hers.
Tony holds out his hand. I give myself a mental shake. Obviously, he went with black, no sugar as the easiest option. I drop the keys into his palm. He tightens his fingers around them, eyes half closed. ‘Thanks. It’s going to be quite a relief, getting into somewhere a bit more permanent.’ He pulls at the zip of his club tracksuit jacket, then looks back to me. ‘And, um, I was wondering, is there anything I can do for you, like in return?’
‘There’s no need, it’s my job,’ I say, surprised.
He twists one side of his mouth down. ‘’Cept you went a bit above and beyond. Finding me somewhere that’s a touch out the ordinary, getting the lease rushed through, all that.’
‘Not really.’ I smile, trying to smooth over a relatively common awkward moment. Players get so used to everything being transactional, they forget club staff aren’t expecting a tip or a designer handbag. ‘And from what LeMar’s said about training, it sounds like you’re providing excellent service yourself. I don’t see why you shouldn’t expect the same from us.’
Tony isn’t a man embarrassed by praise and his face is extra happy, but verbally, he shrugs it off, ‘Well, it helps that lad can nick a goal out of half a chance.’ He tones the grin down and his voice drops a notch lower. ‘But Genie, it’s not only the house. I wanna make sure I’ve said sorry properly, for how I was at the start.’ He pushes a hand into the pocket of his joggers, scrunching up the fabric. ‘I was thinking, maybe dinner? I know it’s not exactly fancy round here, but a couple of the lads were saying there’s a nice place on the river.’
I do my best to control my reaction. There’s an extremely nice place on the river. Or so I’m told, it’s somewhat outside my budget. Though honestly, I’d happily eat service station sandwiches if I could do it staring at Tony. But it’s against club rules, not to say potentially massively awkward. I mean, who wants to star in a tabloid exclusive revealing that bad boy Tony Garratt is such a softie, he’ll stoop to taking a plain Jane out for a thank-you treat?
I pull an apologetic face. ‘I’d love to, but I’m sorry, the staff contracts are pretty strict about player interactions. Unless it’s an official thing, dinner is definitely not permitted.’
‘Sorry, didn’t realize.’ He looks excessively embarrassed, but then everything about Tony is quite full on. ‘But, um, is there something else I could do? Just like as a thank you.’
I shake my head and make my voice firm. ‘No, as I said, it’s all part of the service.’ Usually, Tony’s face is malleable, a jester’s play of what he’s thinking. But he’s become very still. I worry he’s offended, so I think about it for a second then smile. ‘Well, actually…’
Tony jumps on the wheedling pause. ‘Go on. Tell me.’
‘I don’t suppose I could sign you up for an evening chatting with the academy players? It’d only be the older ones. And just to talk nutrition, motivation, that sort of thing, nothing too personal.’
Tony holds his hand up. ‘Yeah, course, I’d be happy to. No need to make it sound such a big ask. You sure that’s what you want, though? Cos I don’t wanna take advantage of genies being more used to taking requests than making ’em.’
I laugh. ‘No. If you honestly don’t mind, that’d be lovely. The diary system hates me, but I’ll have Katia put it on your calendar when she gets back from lunch.’ As I say it, I look up and see her hovering in the doorway.
Katia fidgets with a strand of her twist out. ‘Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt.’ She sidles over to her desk. ‘Am I late back? I thought Skylar would be done by now.’
‘Training must’ve run over, and anyway, you’re not late.’
Tony frowns at Skylar’s empty desk. ‘You in a hurry to get off for lunch, Genie?’
‘Not at all.’ As confirmation, I scoop the empty salad bowl off my desk into the recycling. ‘Is there something else we can do for you?’
‘Two things, actually.’ He fiddles with the keyring, pulls off one key and hands it to me. ‘That’s the spare, right?’
I nod.
‘Since you’re practically next door, do you reckon you could hang on to it?’
I widen my eyes. I’d expect him to be ultra-guarded about his privacy, not happy to hand out keys to staff. ‘Um, of course, if that’s what you’d like.’
‘It makes sense. And I was thinking, your thing with the key under the mat, it’s not the most security-conscious. I’ll be in and out for the dog anyhow, how about I hang on to one of yours?’
I can almost hear Gavin, my ex, going on at me about keys, and planning ahead to make sure I don’t end up walking home alone, and how activating Find Your Friends is a sensible precaution. But it’s unreasonable to expect Tony to guess I hate helpful suggestions. Especially from men. Actually, especially from attractive men. I make an effort to bite my tongue.
By the time I reply, I think I successfully avoid sounding snappy. ‘Please don’t worry. You’ll get sick of me locking myself out when I’ve been running. And Halsbury’s not exactly a hotbed of crime.’
I’m dreading him arguing back, but instead of nagging me about being irresponsible, Tony glances over at Katia. She’s the picture of concentration, bent over her keyboard and biting down on a pencil that perfectly matches her hot pink lipstick but I can tell she’s listening to every word. He crouches down on his heels, hands on my desk, and looks up at me.
‘Have I overstepped, love?’ His voice is whisper quiet.
I narrow my eyes and half smile as I say just as softly, ‘Maybe a tiny bit.’
He nods briskly, eyes serious. ‘OK, understood. Won’t happen again.’
I make my next smile extra friendly. ‘It’s fine, no worries. What’s the second thing?’
He straightens up and perches on the edge of my desk. ‘So, if this is too far off the books, say. Cos I get you two aren’t like concierges or whatever, but can I get your input on something?’
‘Of course, we’re here to help. Whatever you need.’
Before he can reply, Skylar slouches in looking disconsolate. I’m guessing Jenny, her rival for a starting spot, had an excellent training session. I smile at her consolingly and Tony gives her a brief nod, before leaning into me.
‘You know I mentioned the family thing?’
His voice is quiet again. I murmur yes, trying to make my face just the right shade of sympathetic, so he can see it, but Katia and Skylar won’t. Family’s a tricky one. Players almost always say it’s their biggest support system, but it’s rarely that simple, and somehow from what he’s been saying, I doubt Tony Garratt got to be who he is on a diet of parental praise. So, this could be quite delicate. And he seems to be having a bit of trouble getting started, fiddling with a pen from my desk.
‘Would you prefer to shoot me an email for this one?’ I ask, my voice bright.
He shakes his head and puts the pen down. ‘Nah, this, it’s not a big thing. It’s that my niece, my sister’s kid, she’s just passed her A-levels. She’ll be the first one in the family to go to uni.’
I nod and try to make my face congratulatory but not prying.
‘I’ve not seen much of her the last couple of years, but I wanna get her something to say well done, you know?’
‘That’s nice.’ Still as bland as I can make it.
He gets his phone out and pulls up a photo before passing it over to me. ‘So, I was thinking these. What do you reckon?’
It’s of a pair of ginormous diamond earrings. They would be absolutely perfect for a dowager duchess, or a young woman who’s recently learnt to recognize truly expensive jewellery. I mean, let’s say, just as an example, you were buying a present for your twenty-three-year-old girlfriend. And she happens to be an influencer, so it’s got to be something that, when she posts it, proves she’s worth following. Then these would be absolutely on the money. But for an eighteen-year-old off to university, they’re not ideal, unless she’s planning a study trip abroad in the Hapsburg empire.
I try to convey that, only in a nicer way and without anything spurious about Tony’s ex-girlfriend. Or, more accurately, his probably ex-girlfriend, because he hasn’t actually confirmed anything on that score.
Tony still ends up looking crestfallen. Skylar glances up from her computer. ‘Don’t worry. Buying jewellery for other women is one of Genie’s specialist skills. You can trust her, she always picks something perfect.’
I shake my head. ‘No. We need Katia for this. Because like I said, these are gorgeous, but your niece would probably prefer something more young and fun.’
Tony appears deeply unconvinced. ‘Don’t you think that’d look kind of cheap?’
He so obviously wants to get this right, I have to make an effort not to smile. ‘There’s a jeweller, Claudia, in town. She makes beautiful pieces, all proper stones, just less formal.’ I can see he still isn’t sure. ‘LeMar’s bought some lovely things there for Katia, and she’s incredibly fussy about jewellery.’
Katia looks up for the first time since she sat down. ‘That makes me sound like a gold-digger.’
I laugh. The only time she and LeMar argue is when Katia tries to insist on paying for things. ‘No, just highly valued. Come and show Tony your bracelet.’
She walks across and holds her hand out from a distance, obviously uncomfortable. I can’t say Kat’s warmed to Tony, he’s too rough around the edges for her tastes. But she’s far too polite to let that show, so I think it’s more that she doesn’t like showing off her jewellery in front of Skylar, who couldn’t possibly afford it. Tony doesn’t make a big thing of admiring the tiny diamonds and rose quartz linked by a web of fine gold strands. Instead, he approaches as if a child’s showing something precious, keeping his face grave. ‘Thanks, love. Yeah, it’s nice. Very pretty.’ He looks at me. ‘So, something like that, you reckon?’
‘I think so, don’t you, Kat?’
‘Definitely. Something she could wear every day.’ Katia’s smile is so persuasive, Tony would have to have a heart of stone to resist.
I smile too. ‘Umm, much better than something that lives in a safe or a drawer most of the time.’
‘That way she’ll have lots of photos, from freshers’ week and parties and things, where she’s wearing it. And when she looks back at them, she’ll remember who gave it to her.’ Katia sounds wistful, though I’d pick LeMar over my university experience every time, and I bet Katia feels the same.
Tony nods and his eyes are soft. ‘Yeah, that’s a nice idea.’
I beam at Katia. ‘Do you think you could pick out a few options? And maybe Tony could drop by Claudia’s studio after training, and decide which he likes best?’
Katia’s more than happy to oblige. There’s an intense discussion about stone preferences and price range, then Tony thanks Katia before turning to me. ‘Knew I was coming to the right place. Thanks, Genie. And I’ll get the dog back in one piece, promise.’
‘Just don’t let him con you into believing I let him eat human food or get on the furniture.’
He laughs. ‘Don’t worry. I’ve already got the message loud and clear.’
I grin. ‘Enjoy yourselves.’
Katia calls Skylar over to look at Claudia’s website, which is kind, since she can’t need assistance.
Skylar waits until Tony’s out of earshot before, ‘Is there something you’d like to tell us, Genie?’
‘Can’t think of anything, no.’
‘So, you and Garratt aren’t suddenly very friendly?’
I can’t help smiling back at Skylar. Partly because Tony seems to put me in a good mood for no particular reason. But mainly because she’s being very nice about jewellery selection. And if anyone knows how it feels to look at gorgeous things you can’t have, it’s me.