‘I hope so. I know I’m changing the subject a bit, but what are you going to do about those tax guys?’ Molly jerks her head in the direction of my office. ‘It looks like they’re going through absolutely everything. I was talking to Josh about it last night and he said—’
‘You told Josh about them?’ I snap, suddenly furious that my employee has been gossiping about my affairs.
‘Yeah.’ She flushes. ‘I didn’t realise it was a secret. I mean, you can see them through the glass. They’re not exactly hidden from view.’
‘Yes,’ I concede, ‘but no one knows who they are. They could be anyone.’
‘They’re going through your files, Fiona. It’s pretty obvious they’re from the tax office.’
‘Uh, no. They could be accountants, or lawyers or anyone. Look, that’s beside the point. You shouldn’t be gossiping about my private business to everyone.’
‘Josh isn’t everyone. He’s my fiancé. And you never told me it was a secret.’ She scowls. ‘And it’s a business matter, not a private one – I work here.’
I get to my feet and stretch my arms out in front of me, trying to dampen my anger. ‘You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just a bit tense. It’s so disruptive having them here. Puts me on edge. And it’s a real creativity killer, you know?’
She shrugs. ‘What did Nathan say?’
‘About what?’
She looks at me as though I’m losing the plot. ‘About the tax guys.’
‘Oh, well, not a lot.’
She raises an eyebrow. ‘You didn’t tell him?’
I sigh. ‘Not yet. I haven’t had a chance.’
‘You should tell him. He might be able to help.’
I’m not enjoying this straight-talking Molly. I think I preferred it when she kept her opinions to herself.
She sniffs. ‘I don’t plan on keeping secrets from Josh. We’ve promised to tell each other everything.’
Well good for you.I try not to roll my eyes. Sometimes young love can be sickening. They think they’ve got it all figured out. But they just need to give it time. They’ll see that love isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.
‘So, do you think you’re gonna get in trouble?’ She turns to look through my office window, being very unsubtle about the fact she’s talking about them. Now she knows she’s leaving she probably doesn’t feel like she has to be a good employee any longer.
‘No! Why would I get in trouble?’
‘I dunno. They can get you on any little thing, can’t they? My aunt got done for tax evasion and had to pay a massive fine. She also went to prison, but we weren’t supposed to know about that part.’
Her talk of tax evasion and prison is seriously giving me the jitters. I look at Molly’s face and realise she’s loving the drama of it all. I want to tell her to shut up and get on with her work, but how would that look? I suddenly have an unwanted thought that sends my pulse racing – what if it’s Molly who’s responsible for the tax inspectors showing up? I know I can sometimes be a strict boss, but would that drive Molly to do something so awful? I don’t know. All I do know is that she’s enjoying this all a little too much.
She could have left an anonymous tip with HMRC. Maybe she feels that now she’s leaving the area, she’s got nothing to lose. She might have done it out of spite. People can be mean, bitter, all sorts. Over the years, I’ve had a couple of anonymous bad reviews online and I’m sure they wouldn’t have been left by any of my clients, as I always ensure they’re super happy with my work. No, I’ve always put the one-star reviews down to people who are angry and disappointed with their own lives. Either that, or they’re jealous of my success.
I watch Molly as she talks about her relation’s prison sentence, her blue eyes flashing, and her face flushed with the awfulness of it all. Could Molly really be behind my misfortune? Am I overreacting, or have I actually hit upon the truth?
Twelve
TIA
‘Thanks so much for having us all over, Tia.’ Pip gives me a hug. ‘Sorry your kitchen looks like an explosion in a cake factory. Are you sure we can’t give you a hand tidying up?’
‘No, it’ll take me two minutes to shove it all in the dishwasher.’ I survey the devastation and think,More like twohours.
‘If you’re sure…’ Pip slings her bag over her shoulder. ‘Sasha, Milo, say thank you to Tia for a lovely afternoon.’
‘Thank you,’ they repeat dutifully.
