Chapter Eleven #2
“And to be honest, I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Oh,” she says. “Oh, God, of course. Sorry, Emma. I didn’t…I just…You know, it was such a shock.”
“Come on—you haven’t told me how your date with Philip went yet,” I say firmly. “Cheer me up with some good news.”
The kettle switches off, and I reach for the coffee grounds. Katie’s breathing has gradually calmed.
“Actually…it went really well,” she says. “We’re going to see each other again!”
“Well, there you go!”
“He’s so charming. And gentle. And we have the same sense of humor, and we like the same things…” A bashful smile spreads across Katie’s face. “Actually, he’s lovely!”
“He sounds wonderful! You see?” I squeeze her arm. “You and Philip will probably be a far better couple than Connor and I ever were. Do you want a coffee?”
“No, thanks, I’ve got to go. We’ve got a meeting with Jack Harper about personnel. See you.”
“OK, see you,” I say absently.
About five seconds later, my brain clicks into gear. “Wait a second.” I hurry down the corridor and grab her shoulder. “Did you just say…Jack Harper?”
“Yes.”
“But…but he’s gone. He left on Friday.”
“No, he didn’t. He changed his mind.”
“So…” I swallow. “So…he’s here?”
“Of course he’s here!” says Katie with a laugh. “He’s upstairs!”
Suddenly my legs won’t work properly. “Why…” I clear my throat, which has gone a little grainy. “Why did he change his mind?”
“Who knows?” Katie shrugs. “He’s the boss. He can do what he likes, can’t he? Mind you, I’ve always thought he seems very down-to-earth.” She reaches into her pocket for a packet of gum and offers it to me. “He was really nice to Connor after he gave his little speech…”
I feel a fresh jolt. “Jack Harper heard Connor’s speech? About our breaking up?”
“Yes! He was standing right next to him.” Katie unwraps her gum. “And afterward he said something really nice like he could just imagine how Connor was feeling. Wasn’t that sweet?”
I need to sit down. I need to think. I need to…
“Emma, are you OK?” says Katie in dismay. “God, I’m so insensitive—”
“No. It’s fine,” I say in a daze. “I’m fine. I’ll see you later.”
This is not the way it was supposed to happen. Jack Harper was supposed to be back in America. He was supposed to have no idea that I went straight home from our conversation and chucked Connor.
I feel humiliated. He’ll think I chucked Connor because of what he said to me in the lift, won’t he? He’ll think it was all because of him. Which it so wasn’t.
At least…not completely…
Maybe that’s why—
No. It’s ridiculous to think that his staying has anything to do with me. Ridiculous.
As I near my desk, Artemis looks up from a copy of Marketing Week. “Oh, Emma. I was sorry to hear about you and Connor.”
“Thanks,” I say. “But I don’t really want to talk about it, if that’s OK—”
“Fine,” says Artemis. “Whatever. I was just being polite.” She looks at a Post-it on her desk. “There’s a message for you from Jack Harper, by the way.”
“What?” I start.
“Could you please take the…” She squints at the paper. “…the Leopold file to his office. He said you’d know what it was. But if you can’t find it, it doesn’t matter.”
The Leopold file.
It was just an excuse to get away from our desks…
It’s a secret code. He wants to see me.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
I have never been more thrilled and petrified. Both at once.
I sit down and stare at my blank screen for a minute. Then, with trembling fingers, I take out a blank file. I wait until Artemis has turned away, then write “Leopold” on the side of it, trying to disguise my handwriting.
Suddenly I stop. Am I being really, really stupid here? Is there a real Leopold file?
Hastily I go into the company database and do a quick search for “Leopold.” But nothing comes up.
OK. I was right the first time.
I’m about to push my chair back when I suddenly have a paranoid thought. What if someone stops me and asks what the Leopold file is? Or what if I drop it on the floor and everyone sees it’s empty?
Quickly, I open a new document, invent a fancy letterhead, and type a letter from a Mr. Ernest P. Leopold to the Panther Corporation. I send it over to print, stroll over to the printer, and whisk it out before anyone else can see what it is. Not that anyone else is remotely interested.
“Right,” I say casually, tucking it into the cardboard folder. “Well, I’ll just take that file up, then…”
Artemis doesn’t even raise her head.
As I walk through the corridors, I’m pulsing with nerves. I feel as though everyone in the building must know what I’m doing.
Why does Jack Harper want to see me? Because if it’s just to tell me he was right all along about Connor, then he can just…he can just bloody well…Suddenly I have a flashback to that awful atmosphere in the lift. What if it’s really awkward?
I don’t have to go, I remind myself. He did give me an out. I could easily phone his secretary and say, “Sorry, I couldn’t find the Leopold file,” and that would be the end.
For an instant I hesitate, my fingers tightly clutching the cardboard. And then I carry on walking.
—
The door of Jack’s office is being guarded not by one of the secretaries but by Sven. As he hears me coming, he looks up and his pale eyes give a flicker, like a lizard’s. He doesn’t smile.
Oh, God. I know Jack has said he’s his oldest friend, but I can’t help it. I do find this guy creepy. “Hi,” I say. “Er, Mr. Harper asked me to bring up the Leopold file.”
Sven looks at me, and for an instant it’s like a little silent communication is passing between us.
He knows, doesn’t he? He probably uses the Leopold file code himself.
He picks up his phone and after a moment says, “Jack, Emma Corrigan is here with the Leopold file.” Then he puts down the phone and says, “Go straight in.”
I walk in, feeling all prickly with self-consciousness. Jack’s sitting behind a big wooden desk, wearing the black turtleneck he wore on the first day. As he looks up, his eyes are warm, and I feel myself relax just a bit.
“Hello,” he says.
“Hello,” I reply. “So, um, here’s the Leopold file.” I hand him the cardboard folder.
“The Leopold file.” He laughs. “Very good.” Then he opens it and looks at the sheet of paper in surprise. “What’s this?”
“It’s a…it’s a letter from Mr. Leopold of Leopold and Company.”
“You composed a letter from Mr. Leopold?” He seems astonished. Suddenly I feel really stupid.
“Just in case I dropped the file on the floor and someone saw,” I mumble. “I thought I’d just quickly make something up. It’s not important…” I try to take it back, but Jack moves it out of my reach.
“ ‘From the office of Ernest P. Leopold,’ “he reads aloud. “I see he wishes to order six thousand cases of Panther Cola. Quite a customer, this Leopold.”
“It’s for a corporate event,” I explain. “He normally uses Pepsi, but recently one of his employees tasted Panther Cola, and it was so good…”
“He simply had to switch,” finishes Jack.
“ ‘May I add that I am delighted with all aspects of your company, and have taken to wearing a Panther jogging suit, which is quite the most comfortable sportswear I have ever known.’ “He’s silent for a moment, then looks up with a smile.
To my surprise, his eyes are shining. “You know, Pete would have adored this.”
“Pete Laidler?” I say hesitantly.
“Yup. It was Pete who came up with the whole Leopold file maneuver. This was the kind of stuff he did all the time.” He taps the letter. “Can I keep it?”
“Of course,” I say, touched. He folds it up and puts it in his pocket, and for a few moments there’s silence.
“So,” says Jack at last. He raises his head and gives me a long, searching look. “You broke up with Connor.”
Wow. So we’re straight to the point.
“So,” I reply defiantly. “You decided to stay.”
“Yes, well…” He stretches out his fingers and studies them briefly. “I thought I might take a closer look at some of the European subsidiaries.” He looks up. “How about you?”
He wants me to say I chucked Connor because of him, doesn’t he? Well, I’m not going to. No way.
“Same reason.” I nod. “European subsidiaries.”
There’s a flash of amusement in Jack’s eyes. “I see. And are you…OK?”
“I’m fine. Actually, I’m enjoying the freedom of being single again.” I gesture widely with my arms. “You know, the liberation, the flexibility…”
“That’s great. Well, then, maybe this isn’t a good time to…” He stops.
“To what?” I say a little too quickly.
“I know you must be hurting right now,” he says carefully. “But I was wondering.” He pauses for what seems like forever. My throat gradually tightens, but I don’t dare swallow. “Would you like to have dinner sometime?”
He’s asked me out. He’s asked me out.
I almost can’t move my mouth.
“Yes,” I say at last. “Yes, that would be lovely.”
“Great!” He pauses. “The only thing is, my life is kind of complicated right now. And what with our office situation…It might be an idea to keep this to ourselves.”
“Oh, I completely agree,” I say quickly. “We should be discreet.”
“So, shall we say…how about tomorrow night? Would that suit you?”
“Tomorrow night would be perfect.”
“I’ll come and pick you up. If you e-mail me your address. Eight o’clock?”
“Eight it is!”
As I leave Jack’s office, Sven glances up questioningly, but I don’t say anything. I head back to the marketing department, trying as hard as I can to keep my face dispassionate and calm. But excitement is bubbling away inside, and a huge smile keeps breaking through.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I’m going out to dinner with Jack Harper. I just…I can’t believe—
Oh, who am I kidding? I knew this was going to happen. As soon as I heard he hadn’t gone to America. I knew.