Captured Read Free

theatrically.
    Kirsty counted to ten in her mind. “What was that all about?” she asked in an even tone, returning his stare.
    He shuffled through a thin stack of documents before tapping it twice against his desk and placing it into the paper bin. She noted his perfectly manicured hands with distaste. “What was what all about?” he asked, innocently.
    “The meeting with Callan,” she replied, careful to keep her tone light. “It’s my account. I should have been told about the change before going into the meeting. I’m also confused as to why Daniel is taking over that particular account: they’re big, but by no means our most important client. It’s effectively shaved my responsibility in two. What I’d really like to know is why David Callan appears to be of the belief that I’ll be heading off on maternity leave.”
    He watched her impassively as she spoke. “The most important thing here is the client, not our own egos. I reshuffled the client coverage as I saw fit. That’s my job,” he smiled benevolently, puffing his chest. Her fists clenched involuntarily at the sight of it.
    “I’ll need you to get Daniel up to speed on the account, and then assist him with the account management,” he continued.
    “Let me get this straight. I’m being demoted?” she could hear the cracks in her voice.
    Jones sighed, quickly losing patience. “No. Don’t be ridiculous. Daniel has excellent experience and it’s something I want to leverage. The Callans are an important client.”
    “He has less experience than me and you’re telling me I have to work for him? That’s fucking ridiculous.”
    Jones’s expression was one of distain. “Really, there’s no need for this.” He stood up. “Now, like I said, I had Anne make reservations so we can go have a team lunch.”
    Kirsty cursed herself for losing her temper. “I’ve already eaten.”
     
    Back at her desk, Kirsty tried to ignore her colleagues as they shuffled past on their way out. She couldn’t face sitting around a table with them for an hour. She knew Richard would throw it in her face, accuse her of not being a team player, but it wasn’t like she was his employee of the month at the moment anyway.
    Daniel was bustling out the door with the others. She wondered what he and Simon had wanted to talk about. It hadn’t exactly been a tearful reunion in the canteen earlier.  She clicked open the company IM software, but saw that Simon wasn’t back at his desk yet.
    She looked at the clock. She’d give them a ten minute headstart to get to the restaurant and then leave for the day. Her encounter with Richard had left her exhausted: she wanted to go home and curl up on the sofa with a glass of wine. She remembered the photograph she had found earlier. Grace. Grace would know what to do. She picked up the phone and dialled Grace’s office number from memory.  Because both of them worked long hours, she hadn’t seen her best friend in a few weeks now, despite their best efforts to make time for one another.

Chapter 3
     
    Kirsty watched as Simon sat down opposite her. They had met outside Gatlantis, a recently opened restaurant in Marylebone. According to the Sunday Times review, the name was a combination of Gateau and Atlantis. The decor offered credence to this suggestion: the colourful walls depicted ancient buildings constructed from patisserie treats and mermaids with chocolate éclairs for tails. They scanned their menus in silence until Kirsty spoke.
    “I saw you on my floor with Daniel Lane earlier. What’s the deal with you two?”
    He frowned, not meeting her eyes. “Nothing. I told you: we went to school together.”
    “So why were you so cagey with him earlier? And what was your meeting about? It’s not like it could have been work-related.”
    “Jesus, Kirsty, who cares?” he looked up at her for the first time. “Why are you so keen to know?”
    “I’m not! I’m just curious, I’ve never seen you act like that with