Page 105 of Cover Story

‘Men like Glenn change the weather, they create a micro climate, don’t they?’ Bel said. ‘You think because they get away with it within that, they’ll get away with it forever.’

‘Forever ends today,’ Erin said, getting a foundation stick out of her bag. ‘When’s this coming out? Wednesday?’

‘Forever ends on Wednesday sounds less cool, let’s go with your first version,’ Bel said. Erin looked gratified.

As she sat with her notepad and her Dictaphone and a nervy raft of questions via Toby, watching Erin being asked to tilt her chin or unfold her arms, Bel thought about how Glenn had underestimated Erin.

As she’d said, his behaviour had gone unchallenged for so long he thought there was no reckoning ever coming. Here was his reckoning, in nose stud and flatform sandals. Her hitherto hidden superpower, courage.

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Bel got back to the office and had half a dozen Post-it notes on her desk with questions from head office.

She and Connor barely looked up from typing and fielding calls, as the sky, through grimy windows, turned to dusk and then to night. Aaron left them at six.

‘All right kids, have a good one. Don’t have been here overnight when I get in tomorrow.’

He loitered by the door. ‘Watch your backs, after this goes live. Remember, in our job, it’s never about the treasure, it’s about the enemies you make along the way.’

Bel made a small ‘got ya’ salute.

‘I can rest easy now,’ Connor said, as they heard the door close. ‘Until Aaron found a wise old grizzled Manc Yoda negative, this was too good to be true.’

‘He’s more of a Baby Yoda, surely? Bel said. ‘The Manc-alorian. You’ve not seen him in winter but he’s got the beige coat.’

‘You find the perfect nickname to annoy him,in my last week?’

They ordered pizzas, Connor nipping out to Marks & Spencer’s for a fresh shirt, as he’d not changed his clothes since the lock-in.

‘Underpants too, all the mod cons,’ he said, slinging a plastic bag on his desk.

‘Let me cue up some music on my phone and you can change in the middle of the room,’ Bel said. ‘How about “Pony”, Ginuwine?’

‘You see, if I said that to YOU,’ Connor said, ‘you and your, as a great man said, “feminist persona”.’

‘We’ve been through this. If you said it to me you’d be implying you wanted to see my arse. Because it’s me saying it to you, I’m turning the tables on objectification while satirising your male vanity. And implying I want to see your arse. Which is obviously non-threatening humour, because who would?’

‘We can let HR adjudicate,’ Connor said, disappearing off to the loo.

They both read each other’s copy before hitting Send.

‘You should have your name alone on the backgrounder, none of that is my work really,’ Connor said.

‘I like the joint byline as a statement of unity and pride,’ Bel said. ‘Also, never give away a byline, Connor, have I taught you nothing?’

‘I could accuse you of a lot but never that,’ Connor said.

Bel had never thought they’d get on, let alone have a rapport. All it took was multiple crises and bonding over men who should have their hard drives seized.

By half nine, they were both pale, shadowed under the eyes and agreeing they’d handle the fresh influx of queries, legals, deadline drama and last-minute checks at first light the next day.

‘I couldn’t have done it without you, Connor,’ Bel said, snapping the buzzing lights off.

‘Thanks, that’s really generous but it’s not true. You could’vedone it all without me, minus the cockup with the photo of my girlfriend on my phone.’

‘All right, please accept that you madealmostevery moment of it better.’

Bel was as surprised and touched as Connor looked to find that this statement was wholly true.

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