attempts to interject. ‘Maybe I need to look into this, see how many jobs Gina has been signing off for him instead of genuine customers,’ Ally said.
‘You might be onto something there.’
Ally shook her head sadly. ‘As an accountant I have a duty to look into these things.’
Gina banged a stapler down onto her desk to get their attention. ‘Firstly, Ally, you’re not an accountant and, secondly, Dan had a genuine reason for visiting this morning. He has some good ideas about changing the rotas to make things run more efficiently. A proper accountant would see that as time well spent.’
‘Firstly,’ responded Ally curtly, ‘I’m a trainee accountant, which is practically the same thing and, secondly, just admit it that you’re encouraging him. You wouldn’t be coming into work dressed up like a Barbie doll if you weren’t.’
‘Jealous?’ challenged Gina.
‘No,’ snorted Ally. ‘There are no men in my life because that’s my choice.’
‘Liar! You wish Emma was still in hospital so you could go and flirt with her nurse.’
Ally drew a sharp breath. ‘I would give anything for Emma never to have been in there in the first place.’
Emma tried to keep her smile but it trembled. She had found respite in the inane chatter of her friends but her cancer had come crashing into the conversation. Two sets of tear-filled eyes looked at her for strength that she didn’t have. ‘I know,’ she managed to say but she could already feel her throat constricting. She stood up and was about to go to her friends when a flash of colour swept into the room.
‘You’re back!’ screeched Jennifer, rushing over to give Emma a hug and a kiss on each cheek.
Emma looked over her shoulder at Ally and Gina, who had been shocked out of their despair. Ally started sticking her finger down her throat and only just missed being caught out as Jennifer spun around.
‘I told you to text me as soon as she arrived,’ she chided. Jennifer stood with her hands on her hips as she looked from one fixed smile to another. She was wearing a brightly patterned winter coat, its pinks and blues clashing dramatically with her ginger hair, which was cut into a neat bob with a sharp fringe. Ally had jokingly referred to Gina as a Barbie doll, but Jennifer had a far better claim to the title.
‘We wanted it to be a surprise,’ replied Ally, her fixed grin still fixed.
Jennifer turned back towards Emma. ‘I want you to know that I’m doing the best I can but I have been thrown in at the deep end.’
Emma wondered if she was actually expecting her to feel sorry for her. Jennifer had been cosseted and spoiled from an early age by her parents, and when her mum died, when she was a teenager, Mr Bannister had ensured that his daughter lacked for nothing to fill the gaping hole in her life. Working for a living was going to be quite a culture shock for her. ‘Yes, it’s not as easy as it looks,’ Emma said.
‘The girls are helping as much as they can and, of course, Alex is doing his best too. I just hope I don’t mess it all up.’
‘Speaking of the devil,’ muttered Ally as Alex entered the office.
‘Sorry I wasn’t here for you,’ he said, going over to give Emma a kiss on the cheek.
‘Nothing new there,’ Gina chipped in.
Emma gave both her friends a warning look. She had enough battles of her own without playing referee.
‘I’ll go make us all a cuppa,’ Gina said.
‘I’ll help,’ Ally added, and they both disappeared from view.
By the time they came back, Emma was busily tapping away at her keyboard, with Alex and Jennifer peering over her shoulder. Alex had already managed to clear her password, while she was in hospital, to access her computer, but he hadn’t been able to find the files he wanted.
‘It’s all down to my training at Alsop and Clover,’ Emma explained. ‘You can’t be too careful when it comes to security. All my important files are encrypted.’
‘Here, write down the
‘You might be onto something there.’
Ally shook her head sadly. ‘As an accountant I have a duty to look into these things.’
Gina banged a stapler down onto her desk to get their attention. ‘Firstly, Ally, you’re not an accountant and, secondly, Dan had a genuine reason for visiting this morning. He has some good ideas about changing the rotas to make things run more efficiently. A proper accountant would see that as time well spent.’
‘Firstly,’ responded Ally curtly, ‘I’m a trainee accountant, which is practically the same thing and, secondly, just admit it that you’re encouraging him. You wouldn’t be coming into work dressed up like a Barbie doll if you weren’t.’
‘Jealous?’ challenged Gina.
‘No,’ snorted Ally. ‘There are no men in my life because that’s my choice.’
‘Liar! You wish Emma was still in hospital so you could go and flirt with her nurse.’
Ally drew a sharp breath. ‘I would give anything for Emma never to have been in there in the first place.’
Emma tried to keep her smile but it trembled. She had found respite in the inane chatter of her friends but her cancer had come crashing into the conversation. Two sets of tear-filled eyes looked at her for strength that she didn’t have. ‘I know,’ she managed to say but she could already feel her throat constricting. She stood up and was about to go to her friends when a flash of colour swept into the room.
‘You’re back!’ screeched Jennifer, rushing over to give Emma a hug and a kiss on each cheek.
Emma looked over her shoulder at Ally and Gina, who had been shocked out of their despair. Ally started sticking her finger down her throat and only just missed being caught out as Jennifer spun around.
‘I told you to text me as soon as she arrived,’ she chided. Jennifer stood with her hands on her hips as she looked from one fixed smile to another. She was wearing a brightly patterned winter coat, its pinks and blues clashing dramatically with her ginger hair, which was cut into a neat bob with a sharp fringe. Ally had jokingly referred to Gina as a Barbie doll, but Jennifer had a far better claim to the title.
‘We wanted it to be a surprise,’ replied Ally, her fixed grin still fixed.
Jennifer turned back towards Emma. ‘I want you to know that I’m doing the best I can but I have been thrown in at the deep end.’
Emma wondered if she was actually expecting her to feel sorry for her. Jennifer had been cosseted and spoiled from an early age by her parents, and when her mum died, when she was a teenager, Mr Bannister had ensured that his daughter lacked for nothing to fill the gaping hole in her life. Working for a living was going to be quite a culture shock for her. ‘Yes, it’s not as easy as it looks,’ Emma said.
‘The girls are helping as much as they can and, of course, Alex is doing his best too. I just hope I don’t mess it all up.’
‘Speaking of the devil,’ muttered Ally as Alex entered the office.
‘Sorry I wasn’t here for you,’ he said, going over to give Emma a kiss on the cheek.
‘Nothing new there,’ Gina chipped in.
Emma gave both her friends a warning look. She had enough battles of her own without playing referee.
‘I’ll go make us all a cuppa,’ Gina said.
‘I’ll help,’ Ally added, and they both disappeared from view.
By the time they came back, Emma was busily tapping away at her keyboard, with Alex and Jennifer peering over her shoulder. Alex had already managed to clear her password, while she was in hospital, to access her computer, but he hadn’t been able to find the files he wanted.
‘It’s all down to my training at Alsop and Clover,’ Emma explained. ‘You can’t be too careful when it comes to security. All my important files are encrypted.’
‘Here, write down the
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