and Tony could be.
By the time the pub was empty of customers, the last embers in the fireplace were safely enclosed by the pub’s ornate fireguard, and the glasses, cups, plates and cutlery had all been stacked in the dishwasher which was now noisily whirring and splashing, they were no closer to an answer, but agreed that they hoped whatever had caused the obvious discord this evening would be easily and quickly resolved.
Chapter 3
Friday 20 th November 2015, 10.00am
‘Good morning Boss!’ Rebecca Williamson, Cliff’s estranged wife, looked up as Paul Black walked into the auction house and loudly greeted his employee. She had been concentrating on checking for new payments into the online bank account from a previous sale and took the opportunity of Paul’s arrival to push her chair slightly away from the desk and sit up straighter, rolling her shoulders as she did.
‘Morning Paul,’ she laughed. ‘Does that mean you are making the tea, if I am The Boss?’
‘Oh alright then!’ he faked a moody stance, hunching his shoulders and swinging his arms as he stomped over to the kettle, turning to look at her with his bottom lip pushed out.
Rebecca laughed again ‘My grandmother used to say she could fry bacon on a lip like that!’
She had known Paul for a long time, and viewed him to be like a younger brother, even though he was older than her. Nevertheless, she had been concerned about returning to work at Black’s Auctions after an eighteen year ‘maternity break’ for several different reasons. When she gave birth to her first child, Nicholas, she was fortunate to be in a situation which enabled her to stay at home with her baby, and as the years went by and two more children completed their family neither she nor Cliff felt there was a need for her to return to paid employment. But eighteen years later circumstances had changed and she and Cliff were separated; their children were becoming increasingly independent of their parents; and Rebecca now found herself in the position of delving deep into her reserves of inner-strength to step back into the world of employment.
Her reservations about returning to work at Black’s Auctions were not just because she had self-doubts about her own workplace abilities, but also because she knew Paul was likely to make life awkward by trying to sleep with her despite, or maybe because, her soon-to-be-ex-husband was his best friend. Within her first week back at work he had made a subtle attempt to seduce her, which if she hadn’t known him for over eighteen years and been friends with one of his ex-wives probably would have been successful. It had been years since anyone had made her feel so desirable and the revelations a few weeks before about her husband’s behaviour throughout their marriage had thoroughly shaken her, but Rebecca still had enough self-respect and perspective on the situation to kick Paul into touch on that first attempt. Since then he had adopted a lightly flirtatious attitude, which she enjoyed, and the pair of them had very quickly found a healthy workplace rhythm which suited them both.
Paul thought the world of Rebecca. He always had a soft spot for her since they first met when she was nineteen years old, and had been mildly envious of his friend’s successful marriage and home life. His own, he freely admitted, had been a disaster with two divorces and a string of affairs and failed relationships. Although originally his intentions had been less than honourable when he offered Rebecca a job, within the first week he had the good sense to see what a fantastic asset she was to his business and altered his personal expectations accordingly.
Black’s Auctions was established by Paul’s father in the 1980s. He successfully steered the company through the changing times of the antiques trade, his main attribute being willing to move with the times to maintain a profitable business. Although Mr Paul Senior, as he was
By the time the pub was empty of customers, the last embers in the fireplace were safely enclosed by the pub’s ornate fireguard, and the glasses, cups, plates and cutlery had all been stacked in the dishwasher which was now noisily whirring and splashing, they were no closer to an answer, but agreed that they hoped whatever had caused the obvious discord this evening would be easily and quickly resolved.
Chapter 3
Friday 20 th November 2015, 10.00am
‘Good morning Boss!’ Rebecca Williamson, Cliff’s estranged wife, looked up as Paul Black walked into the auction house and loudly greeted his employee. She had been concentrating on checking for new payments into the online bank account from a previous sale and took the opportunity of Paul’s arrival to push her chair slightly away from the desk and sit up straighter, rolling her shoulders as she did.
‘Morning Paul,’ she laughed. ‘Does that mean you are making the tea, if I am The Boss?’
‘Oh alright then!’ he faked a moody stance, hunching his shoulders and swinging his arms as he stomped over to the kettle, turning to look at her with his bottom lip pushed out.
Rebecca laughed again ‘My grandmother used to say she could fry bacon on a lip like that!’
She had known Paul for a long time, and viewed him to be like a younger brother, even though he was older than her. Nevertheless, she had been concerned about returning to work at Black’s Auctions after an eighteen year ‘maternity break’ for several different reasons. When she gave birth to her first child, Nicholas, she was fortunate to be in a situation which enabled her to stay at home with her baby, and as the years went by and two more children completed their family neither she nor Cliff felt there was a need for her to return to paid employment. But eighteen years later circumstances had changed and she and Cliff were separated; their children were becoming increasingly independent of their parents; and Rebecca now found herself in the position of delving deep into her reserves of inner-strength to step back into the world of employment.
Her reservations about returning to work at Black’s Auctions were not just because she had self-doubts about her own workplace abilities, but also because she knew Paul was likely to make life awkward by trying to sleep with her despite, or maybe because, her soon-to-be-ex-husband was his best friend. Within her first week back at work he had made a subtle attempt to seduce her, which if she hadn’t known him for over eighteen years and been friends with one of his ex-wives probably would have been successful. It had been years since anyone had made her feel so desirable and the revelations a few weeks before about her husband’s behaviour throughout their marriage had thoroughly shaken her, but Rebecca still had enough self-respect and perspective on the situation to kick Paul into touch on that first attempt. Since then he had adopted a lightly flirtatious attitude, which she enjoyed, and the pair of them had very quickly found a healthy workplace rhythm which suited them both.
Paul thought the world of Rebecca. He always had a soft spot for her since they first met when she was nineteen years old, and had been mildly envious of his friend’s successful marriage and home life. His own, he freely admitted, had been a disaster with two divorces and a string of affairs and failed relationships. Although originally his intentions had been less than honourable when he offered Rebecca a job, within the first week he had the good sense to see what a fantastic asset she was to his business and altered his personal expectations accordingly.
Black’s Auctions was established by Paul’s father in the 1980s. He successfully steered the company through the changing times of the antiques trade, his main attribute being willing to move with the times to maintain a profitable business. Although Mr Paul Senior, as he was
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