Chapter 3
Jenni gathered up her laptop, notebook and favourite pen and headed to the open-plan area of the office they jokingly called the ‘arena’ for the Monday Motivational Meet-Up.
Clive, her boss, was keen on alliteration when it came to naming meetings – Jenni was sure some meetings had been invented simply because Clive had a great idea for wordplay: Friday Freeday came to mind.
The Go Big HQ had been designed to encourage ‘collaboration, conversation and creative clashes’, and so, at the far end of the office, away from the desks and the staff kitchen, was a semi-circular structure with tiered seating like in a Roman amphitheatre.
The idea was that, by breaking away from a traditional boardroom table, staff would be free to Go Big with their thinking and let their creative juices flow.
Personally speaking, Jenni found the wooden structure had quite the opposite effect, and she dreaded having to haul herself up the awkwardly high steps and sit uncomfortably on a plyboard plank for hours on end.
After feeding Oscar earlier that morning, Jenni had rushed out of the house to catch the bus into town. Grateful that she worked for a company where trainers and jeans were acceptable attire, she was able to run the last few metres comfortably and caught the bus before it left the stop.
The rain had started falling in earnest as she’d left the house, and she could imagine Oscar’s disdain should he put a paw outside.
The day before had been equally wet, so she and Oscar had spent the day inside, and while she’d taken the opportunity to paint the bathroom in the warm yellow she’d been visualising for ages, Oscar curled up on the sofa and ignored her.
He was still cross with her for taking away Elsa.
Which, as she walked the length of the corridor, reminded her to message the street WhatsApp group to see if anyone had lost a small Frozen figurine – another of Oscar’s ‘presents’ that she’d discovered waiting for her in the kitchen.
‘Right, everyone, gather, gather. Let’s get this meeting started.’
Clive was already in full flow when Jenni reached the arena and clambered into place.
Today their esteemed leader was testing out their prototype cycling gear and was striding around in Lycra shorts and a half-zip short-sleeved T-shirt.
A quick glance confirmed that the design team had taken the aerodynamic aspect of the brief to heart, and Clive’s outfit was indecently tight.
Vowing not to look at her boss any lower than neck-height – and hoping that HR were on alert for further intern-shocking incidents – she braced herself to endure the next half hour.
Experienced at looking suitably motivated during Clive’s talks, Jenni opened up her laptop to hide her notepad.
Occasionally looking up to nod thoughtfully at appropriate intervals, she began making a list of materials she needed to prepare for her stall at the May Day fair, which she’d signed up to in a fit of enthusiasm ages ago.
Now the date was getting closer, she was beginning to panic.
Clive walked manically around the stage, gesticulating wildly, and Jenni tuned in to hear him talking about the need for ‘business leaders’ to have agility and quick reactions. There was also something about pivoting.
Perhaps they should consider a range of activewear for entrepreneurs, Jenni thought, given that it seemed to require an awful lot of physical activity.
She looked up briefly to give a ‘hmm, interesting’ nod, and caught Barney in sales doing the same thing.
They shared an eye roll before Jenni returned to her notepad.
She was quite keen to add some extra detail to the handles of the tote bag she’d made, so she pondered getting one of those pompom makers she’d seen on the internet.
Clive had slowed down and come to a standstill, looking around at everyone. Thank goodness they were near the end now.
‘So, what I want to see is more of the fantastic work you’ve all been doing. We need to make sure the new ski-wear range reaches the top-end of the market and that we establish Go Big as the brand everyone wants to be seen in. Jenni is leading the photo shoot and we can’t wait to see the results.’
Jolted from her list, Jenni hurriedly looked up and gave a firm nod, aiming to convey complete control over the ski-wear situation and hoping beyond hope that Clive wouldn’t call upon her to give a rundown on what was in place.
Thankfully, Susan took that moment to share some information about housekeeping – there was currently a coffee bean shortage and staff were being encouraged to use fewer scoops of coffee each time the machine was refilled, or to have tea instead.
Jenni noticed Ryan, who was notorious for his extra-strong espressos, was on the receiving end of some poisonous looks, but he stared defiantly ahead and, judging by the supportive glances of others in the finance team, it looked like the coffee wars were not going to be so easily resolved.
Climbing down from the third tier where she’d been sitting, Jenni headed back to her desk, glad to be moving again as her bum had gone numb.
She was on Sphere One, or as they privately called it, the third circle of hell, with Tim and Lucy and, currently, Will, who was covering for Amy.
Their large circular desk – one of six in their area – was divided into four quarters by wire mesh dividers that were meant to provide privacy, but actually made them feel like prisoners.
Despite the modern, industrial-design vibe and gladiatorial arena, Jenni had to admit that the Go Big offices were quite swanky, and unlike many people who had not wanted to return to the office after the pandemic, she was happy to come into work three times a week.
Her portion of the desk faced the large, glass sliding doors that opened on to a roof terrace, and she could see that the earlier rain had now cleared and weak sunshine was filtering through the clouds.
Behind Tim, book-filled shelves lined the partition between their department and the design team, and further down the open-plan space was the kitchen.
Jenni noted that Finance Person One was currently lurking in the doorway – presumably on lookout for Susan while Ryan added that extra scoop to the coffee filter.
Jenni decided that perhaps she’d wait before getting a cup of tea.
Plugging her laptop back in to her monitor, she typed in her password and opened up her email. Finding the one she was looking for, she reached for the phone and dialled the number of the photographer she wanted to book for the ski-wear shoot.
The morning passed quickly as Jenni worked her way through her to-do list: book photographer – tick; arrange model castings – tick; speak to the studio to arrange delivery of clothing – tick.
There was also an email from Amy with some ideas for social media influencers, and Jenni made a note to speak to the comms team.
Her stomach rumbled and, looking at the clock, she realised it was past one – definitely time for lunch.
Jenni gathered up her coat and bag and stood up. ‘Anyone want anything? she asked Tim and Lucy. Will had already disappeared.
‘I’m fine, thanks,’ said Lucy. ‘I’ve brought in a tin of tomato soup, I need to save some money.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Tim said, standing up. ‘I should be saving money too – the honeymoon cost a fortune – but I’m too lazy to plan my lunches in advance.’
He grabbed his coat and shoved his wallet into his pocket. Then decided to retrieve his scarf too. ‘Right, ready.’
‘So, how was Portugal?’ Jenni asked as they headed down the stairs and out of the building onto the busy street below. Tim had recently got married and he and his now-husband Paul had had a week away honeymooning in the Algarve.
‘Oh, just fantastic. The weather was lovely, warm enough to sit by the pool and read a book, the hotel was amazing, we had our own little villa in the grounds, but you go up to the hotel and use all the facilities like the spa and restaurant. It was just so nice to do nothing.’
‘That sounds amazing, and if you managed to get Paul to sit down and relax, that’s a miracle!’
Jenni had met Paul on several social occasions.
Whereas Tim was laid-back and never stressed – even when Clive was throwing ideas at him, demanding he produce a client-winning pitch on the tightest of deadlines – Paul was a whirlwind of activity, always with several projects on the go and constantly checking his phone.
Jenni supposed it was a classic case of opposites attract, and while Tim did occasionally come into work moaning that he was exhausted, wishing they could have a quiet weekend, the two of them had obviously found a way to make their life together work.
‘Well, he managed an hour on a sunbed on day one, but fortunately there were loads of activities so he went off and played tennis or windsurfed or whatever was running that day. It was wonderful. I ended up drinking G&Ts with all the parents who’d put their children in the kids’ club.
We all got drunk and had a marvellous time. ’
Jenni laughed, imagining Paul arriving back, full of enthusiasm as he told Tim all about his day, just as the children were telling proud parents what they’d been up to in the sandpit or on the slides.
The street was busy, the pavements full of pedestrians and traffic crawling up to the lights at the end of the road. The greasy-looking paving slabs were slippery after the morning’s rain, but the wind had dropped, and in the shelter of the tall red-brick buildings, it felt almost warm.
‘I went to Porto with Alex once, but that was years ago now,’ Jenni recalled, wistfully. ‘We went around all the distilleries. It was just a long weekend but it was great. I’d love to go back.’
‘Why don’t you?’ Tim asked, then stopping abruptly as the man walking in front of him suddenly stood still to look at his phone.
Tim tutted. ‘Honestly, tourists. Don’t people know that London pavements are like motorways – if you’re going to walk slowly, walk on the inside lane, next to the shops,’ he said, his voice rising as he directed the last bit at the man blocking the pavement.
Manoeuvring around the still-stationery man who was frowning at the map on his screen, Jenni and Tim carried on walking the last few metres and then turned into a sandwich shop.
In a long-practised routine, Tim joined the queue while Jenni grabbed an egg sandwich and salt and vinegar crisps for her, and a chicken sandwich and ready salted for Tim. Spotting his dark blue corduroy jacket nearing the counter, she joined him in line.
‘Perfect timing,’ he said with a smile as they paid and headed out.
Back at the office, they sat down in the kitchen to eat their lunch.
‘Seriously, though, why don’t you go on holiday? You’ve not had any time off for ages,’ Tim said, picking up the conversation from earlier.
Jenni finished chewing before answering.
‘I don’t have anyone to go with. I know it shouldn’t matter and I should be all independent and go on my own, but I just don’t fancy it. And besides, I’ve got Oscar. Who’d look after him if I disappeared for a week?’
‘I thought your neighbours fed him when you were away?’
Tim ate his final crisp and then meticulously straightened out the packet and folded it neatly, tucking the corner over into a little triangle. As ever, Jenni wondered what the point was of doing this: Tim said it was tidy, Jenni maintained it was the sign of a psychopath.
‘Jo and Nick are great and they feed Oscar if I’m away for a weekend. If they had a pet, I could return the favour, but they don’t so it feels a bit cheeky to ask them to do it for a whole week.’
Jenni brushed some crumbs off her lap. ‘I suppose I could offer to wash their bikes or something in return,’ she mused.
‘Hmm, I think you’re just making excuses,’ Tim replied. ‘You could come with me and Paul next time we go away. We could have a nice beach holiday somewhere hot.’
‘That’s very kind of you, but I really don’t think colleagues should ever see each other in swimwear,’ said Jenni. ‘Besides, how weird would that be? Me, you and your husband – I’d feel such a gooseberry!’
‘It could be sort of awks, but if you’re not going to date anyone you need to start doing stuff like going on holiday on your own. Otherwise you really are the mad cat lady, living alone with just a fur baby for company.’
‘Oi, enough of the mad, thank you very much.’
Tim grimaced. ‘Uh-oh. Here comes Ryan. And Susan. Quick, let’s go before we’re caught in the crossfire.’
Gathering up their empty sandwich and crisp packets, they headed out of the kitchen, Jenni glancing back to see Susan casually-not-casually standing by the coffee machine, Ryan glowering by the sink waiting to see if she’d make a move.
Jenni fell into step beside Tim. ‘Besides, I’m going to Somerset at the end of the month, which is now super trendy and full of media types, so all very glamorous.’
Tim stopped to look at her. ‘Darling, going home to stay with your mum is not the same as a luxury mini-break at The Newt.’
He set off again at a brisk pace down the corridor, and Jenni, unable to disagree, pulled a face at his retreating back.