‘Oh yeah,’ Murray went on. ‘If they’re impressed with you, they’ll probably offer to extend your contract at the end of it. That’s what happened to me, remember? I was only supposed to be there to oversee one project.’
‘Right.’ Just what she didn’t need, even more bombshell surprises to process.
She’d barely known how to respond to Jamie’s voice note on Saturday morning. She played it for her brother now, since all hope of retaining any dignity was gone and they may as well both wallow in the misery together.
‘Listen to this,’ she said, clicking play.
‘Hey, Ally, it’s me. Jamie. Jamie Beaton. I mean obviously it is. How many Jamies do you know? Actually, scrub that, you might know a few. Who am I to say? It is a common name. Oh God, let me start over. Hi! I had a great time yesterday. I’m here till the ninth, it turns out, umm… Of course, you’ll be busy, preparing for your new job. Which is great, by the way. In case you think I don’t think it’s great. It is, really great. I’m, uh, not very good at these messages. OK, I should go. Umm… OK. Cheerio. And congratulations again. Bye… OK bye.’
‘Someone needs to tell that man how to handle the Day After Phone Call, jeez!’
‘I’m glad you think it’s funny,’ winced Ally.
‘So what are you going to do?’
Ally exhaled hard. ‘He’s leaving soon, you heard him. A couple of days before I head to Zurich, as it happens. What can we do? Other than go our separate ways and be glad we knew each other for a while.’
‘You’re not going to be happy with that.’
Murray was right, of course, but what choice did she have?
‘Our timings were just off,’ she said, injecting as much maturity into it as she could. ‘Right person, wrong time. It’s a mismatch.’
Just like Jamie had explained. There was nothing wrong with either of them, nothing she’d change about him, nothing she needed to change about herself to make them a better couple. Only they were on different paths. A mismatch.
‘We really should have bought some tea,’ Murray said, inspecting his sugar-coated teeth in the sun visor mirror.
‘Totally should have,’ Ally agreed, trying to pack away the sorry feeling in her chest. ‘So, what happens now for you? Don’t you still have a job to go to?’
‘I have no idea,’ said Murray.
‘There’s only one way to find out.’ She buckled her seatbelt and turned the engine over, before tapping his phone through his shirt pocket.
He looked down at it like she’d pulled the pin from a grenade. ‘What?’
‘Call Barbara Huber, our boss. She’s in charge, remember? Not Andreas bloody Favre.’
‘I can’t. What if she knows about us? I’ve no idea what Andreas told her.’
‘You don’t have to tell her anything. Assume she’s got some idea what her office workers are up to in their private time. And you know, maybe a secret affair reflects badly on him, and not you, the innocent party in all this? You didn’t do anything wrong, as far as I can tell.’ She let the handbrake off and pulled out of the parking space.
‘Can’t I just drown myself in donuts for the rest of my life?’
‘Talk with her. If not for you, do it for me.’ They made it out of the multi-storey and onto the ramp for the main road. ‘I’m flying out there in a week. You don’t want me answering awkward questions about your whereabouts when you’ve not had the chance to explain your side.’ She hazarded a side glance at her brother.
He thought for a moment before dialling. As the ringtone sounded he hissed out of the side of his mouth, begrudgingly impressed, ‘Since when did you have all the answers figured out?’
Ally’s smile withered away as Murray spoke with Barbara, the uncomfortable reality sinking in fully; there was still one great big glaring aspect of her life that was far from figured out and she had no idea what the answer was.
Following her feelings for Jamie was impossible, what with her European escape on the horizon, and Jamie was only too thrilled that she was leaving, or at least he wasn’t upset that she was. Besides, he had his all-important transition into the regular police service to focus on, and his family to deal with.
She told herself again that theirs was, unfortunately, a mismatch. Only, every time she remembered the heat of the bothy fireside and the way Jamie had said her name in staggered gasping breaths, his back arching, the silvering scar on his brow flashing in the flames, she couldn’t help thinking how they’d seemed, briefly, absolutely perfect for one another.
23
‘Who’s going to say what?’ said Jamie furtively, the worry on his face reflected back at him onscreen next to his sister’s, wearing a similar frown, inside her own little frame.
‘Maybe a Zoom call isn’t the best way to do this?’ Karolyn said.
