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“I'll be over as soon as I can. You get Piddle's stuff ready, and make sure you've put a pot of coffee on.”
Disconnecting, Allee walked back to the kitchen, getting a coffee plunger and extra mug, before walking to the fridge to retrieve the milk and a tin of coffee grounds. She added two heaped spoons to the plunger, knowing Cass preferred her coffee strong and black.
Ten minutes later, Allee returned to the kitchen, sipping her coffee, dressed in fitted slacks and a brilliant emerald green camisole with a creamy, sheer bat-wing style blouse over the top. She didn't need to wait long. When the microwave clock showed 7.15am, Cass was banging through Allee's back door, dressed in ratty jeans and a crumpled t-shirt. Her thick, black hair was tumbled up on the top of her head, bundled into a loose knot. She made her way directly into the kitchen, gathered up the mug of coffee and drank it down in four gulps. Cass switched the kettle back on, moved to the fridge to grab out her coffee grounds, and made up another pot of thick, strong coffee. Allee watched this ritual play out, a small smile tweaking her mouth. Cass had never been a morning person and would never respond with much coherence until she'd started on her second mug of coffee.
“Well,” said Cass, her dark eyes blinking owlishly. “What's the plan?”
“The plan,” replied Allee, “is to leave. I can't do it straight away, but I can't stay in Lalor. I don't think I can even stay in Melbourne. I don't know how he did it, although I can hazard a guess.”
“His contacts?”
“Yeah, I think so. I just hoped that he wouldn't be able to find me here.”
“Okay, where will you go?” Cass asked.
“At the moment, I don't know. All I know is that I can't leave Piddle here alone. He knows how much I love her. I don't think he knows much about you, so she should be safe. Besides, if I stay here, I don't think he'll look for her. Good thing she's mostly an inside cat.”
“I can take her, no problems there. The little Miss will probably think she's on holidays! What are you going to do?”
“I'll stick out the week here. I won't do anything to make him suspect I know. Don't say anything to your uncle, though. Please? I think that the fewer people who understand what's happening, the better.”
“Ha! You did him a favour by renting this place – it'd been empty for months before you asked me to find you a place to live!” Cass hugged Allee with one arm and then continued with a grin. “Don't worry, Uncle Dom won't get all narky at you. He thinks you're sweet.”
Allee glanced down at her watch. “Look, I'm going to have to leave for work.”
“I'll drive you. It'll only take us five minutes to get there. Help me get Piddle's stuff ready, and we can go.”
A couple of moments later, she walked out with her arms struggling to carry bags full of cat food, toys, unopened cat litter, an empty litter tray, and a small scratching post. “I'll drop by tonight after you get home to collect the rest of little Miss' stuff. I'll shove this stuff in the car, you bring the fur-ball!” Cass reassured Allee with a smile as Allee grabbed a favourite titbit to lure Piddle out from under her bed.
“Gotcha!” Allee cried as she grabbed the protesting moggy and bundled her unceremoniously into the cat crate. She grabbed her handbag, mobile, keys and the yowling container and walked out and out onto the drive where Cass' zippy little Suzuki Swift was parked, the passenger doors open and waiting for Allee and Piddle.
Fifty minutes later, Allee walked to the company's offices where she worked, mentally writing her letter of resignation.
Allee had been lucky. Her cousin Antonio was an accountant with a multi-national computer gaming company based out of California, and he had wrangled her a job as an assistant to one of his colleagues in the media department. Her boss, Gareth Pengelly was a wizard with the written word, able to weave a verbal web that made even the most mundane of releases into an enthralling endorsement. In reality, he didn’t need an assistant, but Gareth hated typing up his own releases. So Allee had found herself as his assistant, whose primary functions were to make Gareth his tea, type out his dictation, and listen to him boast about his grown daughters and latest grandchild. Although it wasn't the highest paid position, Allee enjoyed the work and thought she would miss hearing Gareth call out, “Miss Duggan, I'm feeling inspired!” from the other side of the door.
Allee stepped out of the elevator onto the sixth floor of the company's offices, walking down the hall to the pair of rooms that contained her desk. She typed out her letter of resignation. It didn't take long, and it was signed, sealed, and sitting on Gareth's desk within minutes. Walking back to the kitchenette, Allee made his tea in the special mug he’d received from his eldest granddaughter, and after placing the steaming brew next to her letter, she went back to start her working day.
Moments later, Gareth strode through the doorway, whistling jauntily. He wasn't a tall man, in fact he was only slightly taller than Allee, who stood at 5'4”. He had curly grey hair, and a short boxed beard covered his lower face. His sky-blue eyes twinkled with humour, which also showed in the laughter lines that creased his face. He always wore three-piece suits, which sat well on his slight frame. He winked at Allee as he walked by, not noticing that her smile was weak nor the dark circles under her eyes. Allee listened and knew the exact moment when he'd spotted her letter. She could almost hear him frowning and held her breath as the sound of tearing paper made its way through the doorway.
“Allee? What is this?” Gareth called seconds later.
Allee walked into his office, nervously biting her lip, her hands tightly clasped together. Gareth was sitting at his desk, a pair of half-moon reading glasses perched on the end of his nose, a frown on his face. He held her letter before him, and his gaze flicked back to it before again coming to rest on her face.
“Mr Pengelly...Gareth... I, I have to leave. I know it's short notice and that I'm in breach of my contract, but Friday will be my last day. I'm sorry.”
“Don't you like working here? You seem to enjoy your work, and I didn't think I was a hard taskmaster.”
“No, I've loved working here, I honestly have! It's just that something has happened that means that I have to leave.” Allee swallowed and blinked rapidly to dispel the tears she felt forming. “I'm sorry to have let you down.”
“My dear, you haven't let me down. Can't you tell me what's the matter? Can I help in any way?”
Allee was close to tears. Although she'd worked for Gareth for just over seven months, she had enjoyed every moment and had revelled in the relative autonomy that Gareth had given her. His concern was so touching, she almost blurted out the entire sorry story, but she still had problems trusting people, especially men.
“Only if you can give me a new home, a new job and a new life in a new country,” she responded with a wavering smile. Gareth frowned thoughtfully. He tugged his ear, a sure sign, Allee knew, that he was trying to remember something, some vital piece of information.
“Actually, I think I can help, although not with the new country. There's been talk regarding one of our development teams up in Brisbane. Their office manager left, and the company has been looking for a replacement to send up there. It would be quite different to what you're used to doing here, but I think you’d be up to the task.”
Never in a million years had she thought that Gareth would take her under his wing like this. She was unused to such consideration and compassion outside of her immediate circle of family and close friends. She swallowed convulsively, fighting back the tears, trying to stay composed.
