Chapter 19
She took her phone off ‘do not disturb’. Udeni was still leaving her messages unread. It was near enough lunchtime, so she called Angie.
‘Oh my God, you’re alive!’
Vidya heard doors opening and closing and the sounds from the office receding. ‘Why weren’t you answering your messages?’ Angie’s voice took on an echoey quality, suggesting that she’d ducked into the stairwell to take the call.
‘I was working. It’s the last day. I have a lot of stuff to get through. I put my phone on do not disturb.’
‘You could have told me.’
‘Is Udeni okay? If there was a problem, I told you, call me. Your calls will always come through.’
‘Oh, she’s fine. Still sulking, but basically healthy. I’m just concerned about you. How are you doing?’
Vidya took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. ‘I’m okay,’ she said. ‘Tired and worried, but fine.’
‘I am keeping an eye on her,’ Angie said. ‘She’s in a bit of a strange mood, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.’
‘Good.’ When Vidya got home, she would talk to Udeni, face to face, and iron all this out. It wasn’t something you could do over the phone.
In the pause that followed, Angie said, ‘Are you sleeping okay?’
‘Not bad. I’ll be glad to be back home, in my own bed.’
‘Speaking of other people’s beds,’ said Angie. ‘What’s happening with Leo? Any advance on him administering first aid to your knee a couple of nights ago?’
She knew she shouldn’t have mentioned that in the chat.
‘No. I told you. There’s nothing going on.
There can’t be now. It’s our last day and we have a ton of work to do.
’ Vidya thought of his fingers stroking her palm and sighed.
Leo had been awkward around her ever since Sunday.
Even though the three of them ate together each night, it felt like Leo barely said anything to her.
She had no idea what had caused the change in him.
‘It’s probably for the best. Workplace things can get awkward.
I’m getting weird mixed signals from him now anyway. ’
‘It’s not like you to be shy.’
‘It’s not that I’m shy,’ Vidya said. ‘It’s more …
oh, I don’t know. I can’t read him properly.
Plus, it feels complicated – he’s best mates with the man most likely to be Udeni’s guy.
How would that work? He would find out and then he’d tell Caleb.
So, she wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret, like she wants to. ’
‘Oh. I see what you mean. That would be awkward,’ Angie said.
‘Uh-huh.’ Vidya leaned her head back against the chair and tried not to think about how she was turning away from something she wanted, just to protect the interests of her sister. Again. ‘How are you getting on with Piotr?’
‘I met him. He seems very nice and friendly. I didn’t get anything conclusive, but we know he was at the party and he was drinking.’
‘We knew most of that already.’
‘I know. I’ll have another go this evening. I’ll try and bring the conversation round to tattoos somehow.’
Vidya groaned. ‘I wish she could remember who it was. And then just tell them. It would make things so much easier for everyone.’
‘That’s kind of up to her, really,’ said Angie. ‘But getting back to you and Leo. He’s not Udeni’s guy. You can’t use that as an excuse—’
‘I’m not. It genuinely would be so difficult if Caleb turns out to be the one. And, to be honest, I’m almost convinced he is.’
‘And? Just because things might get weird for Udeni, you’re not going to take a chance on something that would make you happy? You have such a martyr complex.’
‘I do not.’ Vidya was being practical.
‘Don’t you? You complain about Udeni leaning on you all the time, but don’t you think at some level, you like that she does?’
‘That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.’
‘Is it though?’ said Angie. ‘I love you, but think about it. Every time something goes wrong for Udeni, you step in to fix it. And you offer yourself as a buffer between her and your parents. Don’t you think …
Maybe that’s the reason your parents still act like you’re in charge of her screw-ups?
How is she supposed to take accountability for her actions, if you always do it for her? ’
‘I …’ Vidya’s mind flew back to something Leo had said outside the arcade two days ago about her still blaming herself for her sister’s accident. Was that what she was doing? Had she really carved herself a role that inserted her between her sister and her parents?
‘I’m sorry,’ Angie said. ‘Have I upset you?’
‘It’s okay,’ said Vidya. ‘You just want the best for me, right?’
‘Too right. And I want you to get laid – with this man you have the hots for.’
Vidya laughed. ‘Not much chance of that today. We have so much work to do.’
‘Don’t work too hard,’ said Angie. ‘And when you finish up and go for drinks, you totally should jump on Leo and see what happens. You can always claim that you were drunk.’
Vidya chuckled. ‘We’ll see.’
There was a knock. The door opened and she turned to find Leo peering in. Lunch? he mouthed.
She nodded. Thank God, she hadn’t had Angie on speakerphone! ‘I’ve got to go. Bye.’
‘Oooh. Has he just arrived? Is he looking sexy?’
‘Bye.’ Vidya hung up. Leo opened the door fully. He was wearing his immaculately pressed suit, as usual, and he did indeed look sexy. She bit back a smile as she rose and collected her coat.
‘How’s your leg?’ Leo asked.
‘Okay, actually. A bit sore, but otherwise, fine.’ She pulled her coat on and followed him out. The door locked itself behind her.
‘I’m making progress,’ she said. ‘I think, with concerted effort, I’ll have all the details from the files by the end of the day. I’ll probably have to wait until I get back to the office to do the analysis of it and work out the full costs of changing things, but that’s okay, right?’
Leo nodded. ‘Yes. Caleb and I are still working through the property leases and local covenants. Like you, we should have all the information gathered by this evening.’
‘Where is Caleb?’
‘Phone.’ Leo rolled his eyes.
‘Is his mother okay? She calls him a lot.’
‘Oh, I don’t think it’s his mum this time. He’s looking for a new flat – the landlord is selling the one he’s in at the moment. So, he’s lining up some viewings for when we get back from Brussels.’
They walked across the foyer, Leo slightly in front.
A voice called out, ‘Excuse me, young man.’
Leo didn’t bother looking round, but Vidya did. A middle-aged man in Bermuda shorts was waving towards Leo trying to catch his attention. Someone had mistaken him for a member of staff again.
‘Hey. You there!’
Leo’s pace increased. Vidya grinned and ran to catch up.
‘If you wear a dark suit …’ she said.
‘It’s what I wear for work,’ he retorted.
‘Well, the service is shocking,’ the man bellowed.
‘He’s going to complain, isn’t he?’
‘And he’d be right,’ said Leo. ‘There should be a member of staff at reception.’
They got to the front door and Leo slowed down a bit.
‘Would you have stopped if it was an old lady?’
Leo glanced at her, eyes crinkling with amusement. ‘Depends on the old lady, but yes. Probably.’
Caleb, who had been sitting on the half wall, looking out at the sea, came and joined them. ‘Your mate Charlie the seagull’s been around,’ he said to Vidya. ‘Stole a kid’s bread roll right out of his hand. Brazen robbery in broad daylight.’
‘Dammit, Charlie,’ Vidya and Leo said in unison.
Vidya laughed.
‘So, boss. Where to for lunch?’ Caleb fell into step with them.
‘Since it’s our last day, let’s grab lunch and eat it by the sea, shall we?’
It was cold again, but the sun in a cloudless sky made everything feel brighter and more colourful.
The air was filled with the sounds of shop awnings flapping, the steady wash-hush of the sea and, of course, the gulls.
They bought Cornish pasties from a stall manned by a woman in a pirate costume and wandered down the steps at the end of the promenade to the beach.
The tide was out, leaving a rock-studded stretch of sand.
They picked their way through it until they had passed the worst of the seaweed smell.
Vidya sat on a rock and hunched up to protect her lunch.
The guys did the same. Sensing food, a gull landed near them and wandered around, with mad red eyes alert for crumbs.
When Vidya was full, she threw the last bit of remaining crust out as far from them as she could, resulting in a pile of noisy gulls.
‘Thanks,’ said Caleb. ‘You drew them away from us.’ He quickly finished his own lunch and sat back, chest out, head tilted to catch the sun. On the rock next to him, Leo brushed crumbs off his jacket.
‘So, Vidya,’ said Caleb. ‘How have you found this week and a bit?’
‘It’s been busy,’ she said. ‘And a bit dusty, but not too bad, all considered.’
‘I heard you volunteered to come with us. No one ever does that, apart from Sarah,’ said Caleb. ‘What made you?’
You, she thought. I had to find out about you.
I still don’t know if you’re the man with the chest tattoo, but I’m glad I met you.
I just wish Udeni could have got to know you, instead of me.
Out loud, she said, ‘I’d been stuck in a bit of a rut at work.
Some time away from the office, near the sea, sounded nice. ’
‘Hah,’ Leo said. ‘And you ended up stuck in a meeting room, not actually seeing much of the sea.’
‘We went to the funfair,’ Caleb protested. ‘And had fish and chips. And I’m guessing Vidya has had more than enough of the seagull experience.’
‘That’s true,’ said Leo. ‘We did do that.’
‘And then there’s this,’ said Vidya. ‘I know it’s only a lunch break, but it’s different to sitting in a London park. Or worse, eating lunch at your desk.’
‘Leo always goes for a walk after lunch,’ said Caleb, snarkily. ‘He can avoid talking to people that way.’
‘Rude,’ said Leo. ‘What about all the times I meet you for lunch?’
‘That was before I came to work at Askew, Else and Thomas. We rarely do lunch together now.’