‘Yes! Oh that’s fuck— sorry –feckingbrilliant. Does he remember you?’
‘Unfortunately, yes.’
Oliver continued to giggle at my misfortune. I’d forgotten that he knew all about this. I’m so stupid. He found it funny at the time, makes sense that he would now. Pam, however, didn’t look so convinced. She narrowed her eyes.
‘So you have no problem with Phoebe working with someone she’s been intimate with?’
Oliver shook his head. ‘No. I mean, this happened years ago. It would be different if it was someone she had to see every day, or work closely with.’
My heart fell into my stomach.
‘Like Frank?’ I enquired.
‘Exactly,’ Oliver continued. ‘He was the type of guy you had to watch. Manipulative wanker. Not some idiot who still lived with his parents. Did Phoebe mention Frank?’
‘I’m aware of the association,’ Pam replied with a slight smirk. ‘I think we agreed it wasn’t the healthiest relationship to—’
‘He started back in the office on Monday.’
Both Pam and Oliver stopped smiling at the same time. ‘Frank is back?’ Pam asked. Oliver just stared.
‘I had no idea he was coming back!’ I protested. ‘I mean, I knew we were getting a new manager but I had no idea it was him.’
Oliver sat back on the couch. ‘So why didn’t you tell me on Monday?’
‘Because of this!’ I gestured at both him and Pam. ‘Look at your faces! Seriously, you cannot be jealous of him. He’s like fifty now. I never felt anything for him, you know that.’
‘I was jealous of him then, why would you think I wouldn’t be jealous now?’
‘Why were you jealous, Oliver?’ Pam enquired.
‘Because she sometimes chose to spend time with him over me. It was when I was beginning to develop feelings for Phoebe and she was being intimate with some handsome, rich prick who didn’t deserve her. There’s history there now. How can I possibly be OK with this?’
Oh God, this was going horribly wrong. Pam decided to step in. ‘Oliver, do you trust Phoebe?’
‘Of course I do, it’s just . . . I know how these things can escalate. How you don’t plan on them happening but . . .’ His words tailed off.
‘What do you mean?’ she asked.
‘He’s referring to a mutual friend of ours who discovered her husband has been having an affair with someone he works with,’ I interjected. ‘Which is completely different from me working with Frank.’
‘Is that correct, Oliver?’ Pam was looking at his face intently.
‘No,’ he admitted. ‘This has nothing to do with Sarah or her husband.’
‘Then what do you . . .’
The look on his face answered my question. My heart gave one heavy, painful beat and then went numb. Completely numb.
‘Who?’ I asked calmly. ‘Who was it?’
It took Pam a second to understand, too. She then closed her notebook.
‘Look, nothing happened, really. It’s not as bad as—’
‘WHO WAS IT?’
‘A temp. Bethany. She worked with us about a year ago. I didn’t sleep with her, you need to know that.’
