Chapter 23
By the time Duncan got home that evening, Bex was already dozing on the sofa but as he didn’t say anything about Roddy, she assumed either he didn’t know, or that he didn’t think it was something she needed to worry about and so remained quiet on the matter.
The next morning, he was gone before she was up, having left a freshly brewed coffee on the nightstand.
However, when she arrived at the office, Bex immediately discovered there would be no need to keep anything from Fi.
There was no sign of Bex’s morning coffee on her desk – which she was actually grateful for, given that the last thing she needed was more caffeine.
But while Fi’s desk was also absent from her normal morning beverage, sweets were another matter.
The large bowl from the waiting area was now half-empty.
‘I can’t believe he did that. In the middle of the village,’ Fi said, crunching the cellophane wrapper noisily in her hand.
Twisting the wrappers seemed to be as therapeutic to Fi as the sweets themselves and even if the sound did make Bex shudder, she wasn’t going to say that.
Clearly her apprentice needed a little time to get things off her chest. ‘Thank God you were there to stop him from actually lamping the guy.’
‘I don’t think it would have come to that,’ Bex replied, although she wasn’t entirely convinced.
‘Not that I could blame him entirely. They’d started chewing stuff up.’
At the word ‘chew’, Rosie began gnawing at the edge of her bed.
‘We weren’t talking about you, girl,’ Bex said, but then again, chewing her bed was better than chewing up something valuable.
As it was a quiet morning, Bex was once again trying Rosie out on a dog bed in the corner of her office, and thankfully, it seemed to be a little better.
It could have been that she was too focused on Fi to actually notice if the dog was misbehaving of course, or that Rosie feared that Fi’s wrath would suddenly move to her, but Bex didn’t think that was the case.
Still, Bex knew that between Fi’s mental state and worrying about Rosie, it wasn’t likely to be the most productive of mornings.
‘It’s the stress, you know,’ Fi continued. ‘And I know he puts so much on himself, but it’s wearing him down. I mean, shouting in the street. That’s not who he is. I don’t know why Duncan won’t just—’
The sweet still between her fingers, Fi stopped sharply, her eyes bugging as if suddenly remembering who she was talking to.
‘You don’t know why Duncan won’t what?’ Bex said, intrigued by what her apprentice could have been going to say.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Fi replied, busying herself with another sweet. Hurriedly she unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. ‘Really, if Roddy’s happy running here, there and everywhere the way he always did when he worked for Fergus, then what does it matter?’
It obviously did matter, Bex realised. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought it up.
But whatever it was, Fi clearly didn’t want to talk about it, at least not with Bex, and the last thing Bex wanted was to create an uncomfortable working environment because she wouldn’t allow her employee a little privacy.
That wasn’t the type of boss she wanted to be at all.
‘Did your friend manage to find a replacement veil?’ Fi asked, clearly sensing the same and opting for a very abrupt change of subject.
‘She thinks so,’ Bex said, although the niggle that the previous conversation wasn’t yet done still rippled through her.
‘She found one online and sent me a photo. It looks the same, but I’m not gonna know for certain until it’s here.
Anyway, she’s going to send it in the post today, next-day delivery too. ’
‘That’s good.’
‘Yeah, it is,’ Bex replied.
In truth, things were feeling slightly better now.
Certainly better than when she’d almost had a panic attack for the first time in months.
There was still a lot going on, and her Pinterest board remained completely untouched, but she figured she’d find some downtime during the photoshoot tomorrow, moments when everyone was arranging things, where she could look up a few ideas.
As the conversation petered out, the two women got on with their work, and Bex was surprised to find herself getting more done than she’d anticipated, what with the photoshoot the very next day.
Mostly the pair worked silently on their own particular roles, but would talk now and then as they fired emails and documents between one another, or Fi needed something clarifying, while they took it in turns to let Rosie out for a toilet break.
When they stopped for their lunch, Bex readied Rosie for a walk.
‘Fancy coming with me?’ Bex asked. ‘Thought I might go to the pub after she’s had a runabout. My shout.’
Fi looked up from her desk.
‘Actually, I was thinking that if I worked through my lunch break, would it be okay if I left early again? At three. I was in at six thirty, so it’ll still be the same hours as before. Means I have time to eat, you know. And hopefully catch Roddy for a bit too.’
‘Right…’
Bex pressed her lips tightly together, doing the numbers in her head as she spoke.
There were already five hours in the week when Fi wasn’t at the office at the same time as Bex was.
More if she was starting at six thirty, not seven as they’d agreed.
The situation was less than ideal for Bex – even if it did mean she didn’t have to stop off at the café for her early morning drink.
If Fi was expecting this lunchtime thing to become a habit, she’d be sadly mistaken.
There was no way Bex was going to break the law and let her employees work without breaks.
Not to mention, Fi working through her lunch meant it would be another three hours – more, even – where they weren’t working together.
Where Bex couldn’t ask her to help with things that needed doing immediately, or check up on what she was working on, just to ensure there weren’t any issues.
Unless Fi was expecting Bex to work through her lunch break too, and with the dogs to look after, there was no way she could do that.
That was over eight hours a week – a full working day – that Fi wasn’t with her.
And yet she’d still need all the guidance with her course too.
When did she expect Bex to find the time for that when she had a firm to run too?
Maybe some apprenticeships were part-time, but this one wasn’t.
Bex needed her, and she thought Fi understood that.
‘You know, if you’re regretting the decision to start this training—’ Bex started, but before she could carry on, Fi cut across her.
‘Of course I’m not! Why would you say that?’
‘Because it’s a full-time job and all this leaving earlier and picking your own hours is making me think that you don’t really understand that.’
‘I thought you didn’t want to be a micromanager?’ Fi’s teeth were gritted. ‘Either you trust me to do the work, or you don’t.’
There was something about the way Fi had suddenly snapped – almost like Roddy had done the day before – that caused Bex to stiffen. Fi was still learning the job. It had nothing to do with trust. She’d have the same expectations of anyone she took on.
‘What’s this really about?’ Bex said.
Fi sniffed. ‘I don’t know what you’re on about.’
‘Really? Because you were saying before how tips were so much better during the afternoon tea shift the other day, and if you leave here at three, you’ll be able to get to The Haven and work some of that shift too, right? Get a bit more money.’
The way Fi’s cheeks drew inwards told her she’d hit the nail bang on the head. It wasn’t about food or seeing Roddy at all. It was about the second job – the one she’d promised wouldn’t interfere with her work for Bex.
Taking a long breath in, Bex tried to figure out how best to deal with the situation.
It was tricky, that was for sure. If someone had tried this in London, there would have been dozens of apprentices ready to slip into their spot.
But this wasn’t London. She wasn’t a big firm, and she really did like Fi.
Not to mention, she’d spent several months of her time training her up, paying for her courses, as well as her salary.
But the fact that she had lied to her made it even worse. At least if she’d been truthful and not got fired up so quickly, they could have had an adult conversation about it. Hopefully, they still could.
‘Look,’ Bex said, as softly and calmly as she could. ‘I understand what it’s like t—’
‘Do you?’ Fi interrupted sharply.
‘Sorry?’ Bex tilted her head slowly to the side.
‘Do you understand what it’s like?’ Fi repeated. ‘Because whichever way you dress it up, for you this firm is a hobby.’
Bex felt as though she’d just been slapped. ‘Did you just say my career is a hobby?’ She could feel her jaw hanging open. Opposite her, Fi’s cheeks had coloured, and yet her gaze remained steely.
‘I don’t mean it rudely,’ she started. ‘But what happens to you if it goes bust? Nothing, that’s what.
You’ve got a castle, so many houses, lord knows how many cars and boats and other stuff.
You’re never going to have to worry. You don’t have to work.
You want to work. That makes this a hobby.
Roddy and I have got nothing. It’s not like my dad’s going to be able to help pay for the wedding when he’s only just got the garage in the black again. And as long as Duncan doesn’t—’
She stopped, though what she could have to hold back after that tirade was a mystery.
How she possibly thought she could say anything worse than telling Bex her business was a hobby, she didn’t know.
After all the years and abuse she had gone through working her way up the ladder in London, Fi actually thought she treated her job like it was a hobby?
The girl had no idea. Yet somehow, when it came to speaking about the laird himself, it was as if an invisible bind had been placed on her. She couldn’t do it.
‘What is it? What has Duncan done?’ Bex’s heart knocked against her ribs as she tried to steady her voice. ‘Can you not just tell me why you’re acting like this? What’s Duncan done wrong? He’s trying to do everything he can. Trying to keep rents as low as possible.’
Fi sniffed and shook her head. ‘You really don’t see it, do you?
’ she said, reaching down and picking her bag up off the floor.
‘Neither of you sees it.’ Her scoff was cold and bitter, yet tears gleamed in her eyes.
‘You know what? Forget what I said about the lunch break. I’m actually coming down with a migraine.
I need to go home. Sick pay’s in my contract, remember? ’
And then, without breaking stride, she stood up, grabbed a handful of sweets and marched out of the office, slamming the door behind her, leaving Bex wondering what the hell had just happened.