Anybody But Him Read Free

shoes.’
    She hoped they pinched his toes. Cliff had been undermining her for ages, and doing his best to make himself appear the perfect candidate for her job, not caring that she was still in it, or that he wasn’t even particularly good at his own job. She should have fired him when she first realised what he was like. Instead, she’d allowed him to needle her and she wasn’t proud of the fact. He’d been a source of daily tension, and she’d act differently if she ever came across someone like him in the future. For now, she’d held back from telling him everything there was to know about the job. Let him find out for himself that the position wasn’t all about the perks.
    Nicola took a mug of coffee from Lainey and smiled her thanks.
    â€˜Will you miss it, though?’
    â€˜Not really. It was time to leave.’
    â€˜Oh, right.’
    Lainey looked surprised, and Nicola reminded herself that in a small town people didn’twalk out on a highly paid job with benefits. They stuck it out for a mere forty years or so, since there was very little choice. They didn’t move on for a better view from the office, or a salary package that included membership of a gym in the same building.
    â€˜Will you need to work while you’re here?’
    â€˜I’ve got some savings, and they’ll tide me over if I need them to, but I’d rather not use them up if I can help it. I don’t know how long it will take to find a job when I go back to Sydney, so I’d rather pick up some temporary work here if I can.’
    Lainey grinned. ‘Well, in that case, I can help.’
    â€˜Help how?’
    â€˜Our chief accountant walked out last week.’
    â€˜You’re kidding?’
    Shaking her head, Lainey said, ‘I don’t know what happened between him and Corinne – my boss –but I heard them arguing. Not long after that he walked out carrying a cardboard box. I asked if everything was all right, and he said he was leaving.’
    Lainey paused to add an artificial sweetener to her coffee. ‘As soon as I could slip away from the reception desk, I went straight to Corinne and told her that I knew someone who might be interested in the position on a temporary basis.’
    â€˜You did? Hey, thanks.’
    â€˜When I told her where you’ve been working, she was very impressed.’
    â€˜She wants me to apply?’
    â€˜Better than that. She’s going to be away in Sydney for a week, but she wants you to email your CV to her, and she’ll interview you over the phone. She gave me the impression that it would be more of a chat to see if you get on with each other. I’ll give you her email address.’
    â€˜So she’s not going to advertise the position?’
    Lainey shook her head as she wrote on a scrap of paper she’d ripped from the weight-loss magazine that was sitting on the breakfast bar. ‘She’s keen to get someone in quickly, and she seemed really pleased to hear about you.’
    â€˜That’s great. She knows I’m only here for a few months, right?’
    â€˜Yes. She said it will give her time to find a replacement without having to rush into a decision. I’m sure it won’t be anything like your old job, so don’t get too excited about it.’
    Nicola shook her head. ‘I’m not looking for a challenge. I need to be available for Mum and Dad. That’s the whole point of being here.’
    â€˜Have you seen them yet?’
    â€˜I saw them last night when I arrived and they seemed fine.’ Nicola sighed. ‘Then today, they locked themselves out of the house.’
    â€˜Oh, no.’
    â€˜And Dad was lining up the whole street’s wheelie bins.’
    Lainey gave her a sympathetic look. ‘They always were … colourful.’
    In their younger days Nicola’s parents’ eccentricities had been embarrassing, and it hadn’t helped that