was a lovely fern. Looked just like that one.’
‘Ah . . . that’s . . . that’s lovely Terry,’ I say to him, before backing away slowly.
I put the ferns in various strategic places that also please me aesthetically. I don’t go quite so far as to plonk any of them on people’s desks. That probably wouldn’t go down all that well.
The final trip up from the car brings with it three hanging plants. All of which have strange and complicated names that sound like something from a Harry Potter book.
I hang the Ceropegia linearis up by the entrance to the kitchen, where it dangles pleasingly. The Hedera helix gets strung up in the hallway leading to the toilets, and the Wingardium leviosa takes pride of place just outside the entrance to Nolan Reece’s private office.
And with that, my pot-planting efforts are complete. With satisfied hands placed on satisfied hips, I survey my work with a satisfied look on my face.
Nadia sidles up to me while I’m basking in my own cleverness.
‘Have you considered,’ she says, with a sly smile on her face, ‘that you’re going to be the one watering all of these? You know that, don’t you?’
My face falls. ‘Oh shit.’
‘Yep.’
‘Er . . . how often will I have to do that?’
Nadia cocks her head. ‘Oh, every day Ellie. Every single day.’
‘Balls.’
‘Probably twice.’
‘Crap.’
She gives me a look, and a pat on the shoulder. ‘Hope it was worth it,’ she says, before sidling away again, back to her desk.
We’re about to find out – as Nolan Reece has just walked in.
I’m half tempted to go running up to him to point out my pot-planting efforts, but that might come across as a little too eager. Better to just stand here and wait, while he takes in the environmental glory of it all. I’m sure he’ll immediately want to know who had the great idea to brighten the office up and make it greener.
As he comes towards me, I plaster on a fake but wholly expectant smile. I also try to channel my inner earth goddess as much as I possibly can, by putting my clenched fists on my hips and tilting my chin up slightly, to really hammer home my efforts.
Nolan glances up at me, throws me a quick smile of his own, and powers past into his office. He doesn’t look at the pot plants once – save for a quick glance at the Wingardium leviosa hanging just outside his door.
Bollocks, I remark in the vaults of my mind, as he closes his door behind him.
I look around at the rest of the office to see that most of my work colleagues have clocked Nolan’s indifference to my endeavours, and are smirking like schoolchildren.
A couple of them are also sneezing, it should be noted. I probably should have checked with people about allergies.
Anyway, that appears to have been a complete waste of bloody time, doesn’t it?
. . . no, no. I’m not leaving it at that. I’m £150 down here. I have to make it worthwhile.
Under the gaze of my highly amused co-workers, I beetle my way over to Nolan’s door and knock.
‘Come in,’ I hear him say, and I do just that.
‘Er, Nolan?’
He looks up from where he’s sat at his desk with a concerned expression on his face. ‘Oh, hello, Ellie. How are you?’
Glad you still remember my name, for starters.
‘Fine thanks. Just wondering if you’d noticed the plants.’
Nothing like getting straight to the point, in my book. I learned that in my job. Sometimes, there’s no point sodding around with subliminal messaging, when a bloody great big billboard will do the job.
‘Plants?’
‘Yeah . . . the new pot plants around the office?’
Nolan looks confused, but rises from his chair, walks around his desk and comes to join me at the entrance to the office. He pokes his head out and regards my efforts properly.
‘Oh, that’s very nice,’ he says, but in a disturbingly distracted tone. He then turns and goes back to his desk, still with that furrowed brow and pinched look on his face.
‘Everything alright?’ I ask.
He stares at me for second. ‘Um . . . sort of. The financial situation here is . . . very difficult.’
‘Oh no.’
‘Yes. It’s all quite tricky. We’re going to need to get clients signed up as fast as possible.’
‘Oh dear.’
‘It should all work itself out okay . . . with any luck. I’ve just been with the guys who run Hempawear, and they sound like they might