I tilted my head a little and gave a resigned look.
Charlie laughed. ‘Don’t worry about it.’
‘But I do!’ I said. ‘I always do this! I’m a nightmare!’
‘Rubbish,’ Charlie stated. ‘You’re natural. And – even when misguided – very thoughtful. It’s refreshing.’
‘It is?’
‘It is,’ he said, before taking a breadstick and chomping happily through it.
‘So, is that true, then? What you said about why you started the blog? So you could hide behind a screen.’
‘I wouldn’t exactly call it hiding. Especially not with the videos I do.’
‘No. Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.’ He gave me one of those honest looks. ‘You know what I mean.’
‘I do. And to answer your question, no, not really. Although it’s certainly a benefit. I’d had the blog for a few years but it was an intermittent thing. I was quite bad about posting regularly but it didn’t bother me because it wasn’t really something I was doing to get followers, especially. It was just something I was doing for me. Sort of a way of keeping a record of stuff that I’d read about, things I found interesting and products I’d discovered and really liked. I started getting a few comments and that was nice. They often asked if I could post more often and suggested some things that they’d like to see on the blog. I took notes, and said I’d see what I could do, but I had a full-time job, a boyfriend and a fairly busy social life connected to all that. I couldn’t really see where I would find the time to fit in a more dedicated attitude to blogging.’
‘Obviously something changed.’
‘Yes. You could say that. I was Executive Assistant to a director of a tech company based here. It had done phenomenally well, and with the attention about the whole Silicon Beach thing, it just soared.’
Charlie nodded at the reference to the nickname Brighton had acquired in the last few years as more and more tech companies had begun basing themselves in the seaside town.
‘Everything was going great. The company was doing well. I loved my job and I was good at it. And I know what you’re thinking!’ I said, holding my hand up. ‘What with my faltering ability to engage my brain fully before my mouth goes into action, how could I possibly do a job like that?’
‘Never crossed my mind.’
‘You big fibber!’
He grinned and gave a little shrug.
‘I knew it. Anyway,’ I continued, ‘again, most of it was online contact and, I don’t know. It just seems to be more of a social affliction.’
‘Affliction is a strong word.’
‘You nearly choked to death earlier, thanks to me. I think it deserves a strong word.’
He gave a little head-shake and I continued.
‘So, things were going well. Then an American company started showing some interest. My boss went over there a few times and had some discussions with them and it turned out they wanted to buy the whole thing. He wasn’t prepared to give it all up so he got them to write in a proviso that he be part of the package, retaining an executive position in the new company.’
‘That all sounds good. For him, at least.’
‘It was great for him. Turns out, not so great for me.’
‘If he was still an executive, surely he still needed an assistant?’
‘And he got one. In America. Where the company was going to be based following the buy-out.’
‘You couldn’t go with it? Or you didn’t want to?’
‘Neither, really. I don’t think I would have wanted to, if I’m totally honest. My friends are here. My brother and nephews are here. But when it came down to it, it wasn’t exactly given as an option.’
‘That’s vague.’
‘I’m trying to retain some degree of dignity.’ I laughed.
