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“Abi,” Sarah said. She kept from smiling at her daughter’s passion, but she couldn’t just let the swearing go.
“Well, it does. It’s pathetic, and people should be locked up for it.”
“I agree,” Kendra said and shared a high-five with Abi.
Sarah shook her head and smiled. She might agree with them. She had been like that once herself, but there was little she could do about local issues anywhere in the country. She didn’t have control over what went on in her own constituency, let alone any other. There were local councillors to deal with local policies. She was just the face of the party and someone for the residents to have a dig at for everything that was wrong in politics. That didn’t stop some people thinking she could solve their problems. If anything, working with local people set her up for failure, and the threat of someone trying to take their discontent out on her was a very real one. Some people were understanding and supportive, but they were never the problem, and they were too few in voice and number to balance the aggrieved. She’d slowly grown tired of her constituency work. It was one of the reasons for wanting to climb the political ladder, so she could spend more time in London. Right now, she would rather stay at home and make eco models with her daughter and Kendra than stand in front of her constituency members and listen to their whining complaints about bins and boundaries. “Right, let’s go,” she said.
8.
KENDRA SCOOTED WITH ONEhand and pressed her mobile phone to her ear with her other. She’d been tempted to follow the route she knew Sarah would take from her Belgravia home into work, but she was struggling with being around her. When Sarah had walked into the bathroom in Wales, she was sure Sarah had seen right through the shower curtain. All her nerves had fired in sync, and the frustration of knowing nothing could happen between them kicked in. She’d been quiet after that, and an unease had settled in her mind on the trip to Todmorden. Thankfully, Abi and her project had pulled her out of her head for a bit. Sarah was married with two children, and Kendra had to do everything possible to avoid being in the same space as her for any length of time, because she wanted desperately to kiss her. The phone clicked.
“Kenny.”
“Hey.”
“How’s the proper job going?”
Kendra bit her lip. “Good.”
“Is it the line, or did you hesitate?”
Malee had a knack of picking up on her moods despite the thousands of miles that separated them. “I was processing,” Kendra said.
Malee laughed. “Question too difficult at this ungodly hour of the morning, or has the office job numbed your brain? What is it, five thirty there?”
“Yeah.”
“Bloody hell, Kenny. Must be good if you’ve opened your eyes willingly before the sun’s up.”
Kendra smiled. She’d been up at four thirty to get into work for six. Today was the day Sarah would find out if she’d been elected. All the indicators were that she had, but Kendra wanted to make the occasion special with a cake and champagne. And she had a shedload of work to do to keep up with what was happening in Todmorden as well as London. “The job’s interesting. Manic, but in a good way.”
“That’s great. How’s your boss? Is she going to win?”
Kendra diverted her scooter to avoid a lamppost that suddenly appeared in front of her. “She’s interesting. I think so.”
“Interesting like a piece of bad news or a piece of art?”
“Ha.” A warm feeling came over Kendra as she recalled them making Abi’s model together. Sarah was easy to be around, except for having to keep a distance to suppress her physical attraction. It had been comfortable, like being in the company of an old friend but with the thrill of novelty and desire. Sarah was more compassionate and alluring than when fronting her work. Though she was undoubtedly excellent at her job, Kendra preferred her softer side. But that side of Sarah also stimulated Kendra’s imagination, and that was the frustrating bit. “She’s like two different people,” she said.
“She’s a politician. What did you expect?”
“It’s not that.” Kendra cruised across a side road without looking, and the beeping horn jolted her from her reverie.
“You like her, don’t you?”
Malee made a whistling sound, and Kendra held the phone from her ear.
“Hey, Kenny. You still there?”
“Yeah, yeah. Still here. I’m nearly at work, so I’ve gotta go.”
“She’s married with a family, Kenny. And she’s your boss. Be careful.”
“I know.” Kendra heard the whine in her own voice, pocketed her phone, and stopped at a different Caffè Nero for her breakfast. She tried to eat, but her stomach wasn’t having any of it. She studied her phone and drifted to articles in the news about Sarah. She imagined ruffling her perfectly styled hair, staring into her brown eyes, kissing her full lips, and touching her breasts. She put her phone face down on the table, cleared her throat, and looked around the almost empty café. Jesus, she had to get a grip of herself, or the next few months were going to be purgatory. She scooted into work, unable to shake off her desire.
Kendra followed Jeremy into Sarah’s office, coffee in hand and doing her best to drop the idea of wanting to kiss Sarah.
“I need the latest data from the energy companies, Jeremy,” Sarah said.
