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She waited for Hugh to leave the department, head up the corridor to his office and she followed. Gabriella watched. Foley’s texting finger positively glowed with power. Y. Y. Y. Y.
She took one look at Hugh, slumped at his desk, honourable and steadfast and looking worried and knew it was N. N. N. N. Didn’t matter how much she wanted Gabriella out, somehow texting Y was descending to the level of dickhead and she couldn’t do it.
Hugh put both hands on his head. Not a good sign. “What’s wrong?”
“Close the door.”
He was spooking her out. She took a seat opposite him and waited.
“I have to make a big decision.” He brought his hands down and rubbed his face. “I thought I’d made it, but now we’re off the hook for the amalgamation it changes things.” He frowned at her. “You’re not saying anything?”
“I thought it was a good idea to shut up.”
“Are you okay?”
“You’re stalling.”
“You’ve been so quiet.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Bullshit.”
She tapped the top of his desk. “We’re talking about you.”
Hugh stood and paced. “I’m worried about you.”
“There’s no need to worry about me. I’m absolutely fine.”
“It’s just, we’ve been here together so long.”
Recognition was like a splash of cold water down her shirt. He wasn’t worried about her secret leaking all over the place broken heart; this was something new. “Oh fuck, you’re quitting.”
Hugh collapsed into his chair. “I wasn’t going to. I couldn’t do that to Roger until we knew whether there was going to be an amalgamation or not, but now … It’s a great offer, more money, work I can be passionate about. God, when you think I use to lay roads and drive a grader.”
“What’s the job?”
“Chief of Staff for the Minister of Planning and Environment.”
“Oh Hugh!” Foley leapt up, rounded his desk, caught Hugh in an awkward sitting down hug and the door opened.
“Well, that’s cosy.” Gotcha, in the form of everyone’s favourite astroturf instigator, stood there, with a smug expression on her perfectly made-up face.
Foley tried to pull away but Hugh held on, stopping her from straightening up by gripping her arms.
“Oh fuck off, Gabriella,” he said. “You should’ve knocked. I was just about to throw Foley over the desk and bang her till her ears popped.”
Gabriella’s mouth flapped and her eyes bulged. “Wh … wh.”
Foley’s laugh came out choked and too loud at the same time, and Hugh barked, “Close the door on your way out.”
It shut with a firm thud and they were alone in their odd clinch. Foley extracted herself from Hugh’s arms. She really shouldn’t be laughing. “I think you’ll have to take the job now.”
Hugh laughed too. He jumped up and hugged her again. He looked like a man who’d shrugged off a nightmare and was moving on with a dream. “I don’t know why she’s so annoying. It’s not like she’s done anything truly appalling, except run your team into a sinkhole; even the Walter thing was motivated by wanting to do the right thing.”
This would be the time to mention the potential catastrophe of the Walter thing. Kind of. Because there was now the actual catastrophe of what Hugh had just said.
“You know she’s going to tell everyone in the team what she saw, what you just said.” It was a horrifying thought; but for the opportunity of Y, Foley didn’t much care.
