“No,” Pamela replied. “I mean... correct your previous misstatement. The house does require work, but it has potential. It’s a question of how you present it.”
Anna stared at Pamela. “I... I can’t do that,” she stammered. “It’s wrong.”
“You mean youwon’tdo that,” Pamela retorted, her voice icy. “Don’t confuse your stubbornness with virtue, Miss Webster.”
Anna felt a knot twining in her stomach. She cast her eyes down on the glossy surface of her resume, where her own smiling face seemed to mock her. Her fingers traced over the list of job titles, a grim timeline of her lack of allegiance.Just do it, a voice said in the back of her mind.Do what you must to keep this job. Swallow your pride for once.
She lifted her chin, met Pamela’s stare. “Sorry, I can’t do that.”
Pamela said nothing. Then she leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her expensive silk blouse. “Then I’m afraid we have no use for you here.” She reached for a pen and scribbled something down on a pink slip of paper. “Drop this in at accounts on your way out. They’ll see you’re paid until the end of the month. Clear your desk and get out. You know where the door is.” She flicked the paper across the table towards Anna.
Silence hung in the room, thick and heavy like a summer storm. With an exasperated sigh, Anna pushed herself up from her chair. She turned towards the door, leaving the pink slip untouched on Pamela’s desk.
As her hand hovered over the doorknob, she paused. “Pamela?” she said, turning to look back over her shoulder. “I’m glad the Lanes have gone to look at West Heath. I’m sure they’ll be happy there. And you can stick your job where the sun doesn’t shine.”
With that, she stormed out, refusing to look back. She felt a strange sense of freedom as she walked past the closed office doors, lined like soldiers on a parade ground. Well, there it was, another one added to the list. Another bridge burned.
Damn it, Anna,she thought.When are you going to learn?
She stopped only long enough to grab her bag from her desk, then walked briskly to the elevator, her footsteps echoing off the cold marble floor. She was officially done with Holt Estates. Their loss, not hers. Pressing the call button a bit too hard, she stepped inside, kept her chin up, her back straight, and her expression neutral until she’d crossed the reception area, exited through the revolving doors and stepped onto the busy Glasgow streets outside.
Only when she was out of sight of the building’s windows and therefore out of sight of Pamela Holt and any of her employees, did she allow herself to sink onto a bench at a nearby bus stop and press her fingers into her eyes to stop the tears.
Again, Anna?she thought.Again? What are you going to do now?
That was the question, of course. She’d been so sure that Glasgow wastheplace, that here she’d find that elusive thing she was looking for and finally settle down. Seems she’d been wrong.
She drew a shaky breath, rubbing her temples as the noise of the city washed over her. The shrill blast of car horns, the rumble of bus engines, the incessant chatter of people... it was all too loud, all too much.
She took her phone from her pocket and stared at it. There was a missed called from Greg and a text message from Matt. Perhaps she should call one or even both of them. She’d only been on a single date with them and before that it had been Chris and Thingamabob and Whatshisname. They’d had fun, flirted, and laughed, but she’d not wanted to see any of them again.
Her finger hovered over the call back button. What harm could it do? She could call Greg or Matt, arrange a date, and have some fun. After all, she needed something to take her mind off her crappy day. But she didn’t press that call button.
None of them were who she really wanted to see. There was only one man she had any real interest in. She’d met him a few weeks ago at her friend Lily’s wedding. They’d only had an evening together, but it had been one of the best of Anna’s life. They’d laughed and danced, she’d teased him mercilessly and he’d given as good as he’d got. He’d made her feel alive in a way she hadn’t for a long, long time.
Anna, though, had neglected to get his number and after the wedding he’d disappeared without a trace. Ever since, Anna had not been able to get him out of her mind. Why couldn’t it behimthat had left a voicemail on her phone? Why couldn’t he be the one that had sent the text message?
She sighed and dialed her mother’s number instead. As she waited for her to pick up, Anna watched a little girl in a red coat chase after a flock of pigeons in the square while her mother watched on, laughing. Finally, the call connected.
“Mum?” Anna said.
“Anna, love?” her mother’s voice sounded tinny, distant. “I can barely hear you.”
There was a racket in the background, the hubbub of voices and the sounds of hammering.
“Where are you?” Anna asked.
“We’re in Madrid,” her mum explained, a hint of excitement filtering through the static. “Getting ready for the arts festival. I told you about it, didn’t I?”
No, she hadn’t, but that was nothing new. Keeping their daughter updated on their activities—or even their whereabouts—was not her parents’ strong suit. Last she knew, they’d been in Geneva, putting together a grant application for some art project or other. Seems they’d moved again.
“Madrid, huh?” Anna said, a wry smile twisting her lips. “Sounds exciting.”
“Oh, it is!” Her mother exuded enthusiasm, not picking up on Anna’s lackluster tone. “You should see the open square here. Painters, sculptors, musicians... it’sso vibrant.”
Anna closed her eyes and leaned back on the bench as her mother launched into a spiel about all the amazing things that were happening in her life. Anna should have expected it. Her parents weren’t exactly the stable, reliable type, or very good listeners. Anna had spent her childhood being dragged around Europe as her artist parents took whatever jobs they could to make ends meet. Sarah and Malcolm Webster had never been much for parenting, more interested in their art than their only daughter.
And here she was, unemployed again and on the verge of tears in a bustling Glasgow street, while her parents were off on a new adventure, their life a whirlwind of interesting places and thrilling projects.
