and shaking her head at pertinent times, but I knew she was in there somewhere. I’d seen it, though Nathan refused to believe me.
‘I’m telling you, you picked the wrong candidate,’ he’d said over dinner after her second day. ‘We need someone with something about them – she’s not even going to be able to interact with clients.’
I’d smiled and shaken my head. ‘She’s young and shy, but she’s quietly ambitious and has a real flair for interior design. She reminds me of someone I used to know.’
He’d smiled ruefully. ‘I give her two weeks.’
Six months later and she’s truly come out of her shell. She’s not only able to interact with clients, but is working on one or two small projects by herself.
‘I won’t say, “I told you so”,’ I’d whispered to Nathan under my breath when she presented her ideas on a new restaurant concept we were pitching for last week.
‘Smartarse.’ He’d smiled, his blue eyes not leaving Lottie.
There was no denying that I felt a tiny sense of satisfaction at getting one over on Nathan. Our friendly competitiveness was part of who we were, whether it be in work, a game of tennis, or playing charades with the girls. But the overriding emotion was one of relief; that in Lottie I might have found a protégé who could take the pressure off me. Nathan was, is, brilliant at keeping the business side of the company ticking over. It’s in better shape now than it’s ever been. But, until Lottie joined, I was the only creative, and to have someone to fall back on, to take the heat off, has meant that I’ve slept a little easier at night.
Although he’s not one to admit defeat, Nathan obviously concedes that having Lottie around is making a difference, as just before he left for Japan he’d championed her for a pay rise.
‘She’s worth her weight in gold,’ he’d said, as he stood in the hall with his holdall in his hand. ‘You should have seen her in the meeting with Langley Kitchens. She had them eating out the palm of her hand.’
‘Er, you don’t have to tell me,’ I had said, laughing. ‘I’m the one who told you, remember.’
‘If I’d thought of it sooner, I’d have asked her to accompany me to Japan.’
‘Really?’ I was taken aback, even though I couldn’t quite work out why. It had been my choice not to go.
‘It’s not too late if you want to come with me,’ he’d said gently, taking me in his arms.
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ I had pulled away, my heart hammering through my chest. ‘Of course I can’t, I’ve got the children to think about.’
‘Your mum would have them at the drop of a hat, you know she would.’
My mind had frantically run through what I’d have to go through to get on that plane with him. My breath caught in my throat as panic crept through every nerve fibre, tingling the tips of my fingers.
‘We’ve discussed this,’ I’d snapped.
‘I’m just saying that there’s still time,’ he’d said as he pulled away from me. ‘That’s all.’
‘I’ll see you on Wednesday,’ I replied. ‘Enjoy yourself.’
‘How can I if you’re not with me?’ he’d said forlornly.
‘It’s Japan, how can you not?’
‘Be good,’ he’d said with a wink as he walked towards his car on the drive.
‘Call me as soon as you land, won’t you?’
When I didn’t hear from him, I frantically rang his mobile every few minutes as the horror stories played out in my mind. The plane had crashed, Japan had had an earthquake, there was a tsunami. By the time I’d eventually reached him, I’d convinced myself that there wasn’t even a remote possibility that he was still alive.
‘Oh my God,’ I’d cried, when he eventually picked up. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m so sorry darling,’ he’d said in a gruff voice, as if I’d just woken him from a deep slumber. ‘I took a call as soon as I got off the plane and when I got to the hotel I crashed out for a few hours.’
‘I thought something had happened to you,’ I said, still with a slight hysterical lilt to my voice, though my chest had stopped hurting.
‘I didn’t mean to worry you,’ he said patiently. ‘I’m absolutely fine.’
I could hear ice cubes clinking in a glass.
‘Are you all set for the big meeting tomorrow?’ I’d asked. ‘Got everything you need?’
‘Yep, Lottie’s sent it across and I’ve got all your mock-ups here. I’ll chat through the scheme with them and