Page 9 of Trust in Truth
“No, Margaret’s, ‘Ready, Kat?’” Anna gave an unflattering imitation of their co-worker. “Only Becks and I can call her that.”
“Katherine didn’t seem to mind.”
Anna shot Carrie another look and Carrie winced.
“I didn’t mean she enjoyed it, just that she didn’t seem to care what she was called.”
Anna’s stomach rumbled at the thought of food. She fished out her lunchbox from her bag. It hadn’t escaped her that she had packed an identical lunch for Katherine that morning which was now going to waste whilst she enjoyed her pub lunch with Margaret and not her.
It also hadn’t escaped her notice how Margaret looked at Katherine. She recognised it because it was the same way she knew she looked at Katherine, with a softened expression full of adoration. She was determined to expose Margaret’s feelings for Katherine; the only problem standing between her and her goal was that she had absolutely no idea how to.
It felt like hours before Katherine returned. The clock on Anna’s desk informed her it was only an hour and fifteen minutes from the time they left to the time Margaret’s incessant giggling from down the corridor notified her they were back. As they passed by her desk, Anna scowled at the hand Margaret had placed on Katherine’s back. She wanted to shout at her to get off but restrained herself.
A moment later Margaret passed back again and called out, “Bye, girls.”
Katherine was only a moment behind as she entered the shared office.
“Hi, Carrie.”
“Hi, Katherine. Nice lunch?”
“Lovely, thanks; can’t beat scampi and chips. Anna, do you want to come through?” Katherine nodded towards her office.
Anna picked up her laptop from her desk and obediently followed. She pressed the laptop into her stomach to try and cover the sound of the rumble it was making at the thought of scampi and chips. It then did a somersault at the thought of scampi and chips with Katherine. Her lip curled in revulsion as she visualised Margaret enjoying the meal with her.
The trustees’ office was tidier and more organised than Anna and Carrie’s. It had the Katherine touch about it. There were two desks backed onto each other, like in Anna’s own office, and room enough in one corner to allow for a seating area. Two small sofas accompanied a table with an assortment of potted plants centred on it. With colour-coordinating throws and cushions the sofa felt inviting, especially with Katherine and her stockinged legs on it.
Anna glanced at Margaret’s desk. It was very clean and minimalist. With other trustees potentially using it, no doubt she had to keep it that way. Margaret was only contracted to work from the office a few days a week, and it was rare to see anyone else. The other trustees were all silent partners in the abbey. It struck Anna that Margaret was in most days now. Did that have anything to do with seeing Katherine more often?
Katherine, on the other hand, completely owned her desk, even though she was supposed to be hot-desking too. She was there for a few hours at least five days a week and so had taken it over. The whole office was so personal to her taste and the style of their house that Anna felt Margaret was intruding in a space that essentially felt like an extension of their home.
Having been schooled by Katherine on how they should behave appropriately at work, Anna sat across from her. The lecture should have been directed at Margaret rather than her. She smiled a bit self-righteously at her thought.
“Something funny, Miss Walker?”
Anna fidgeted in her seat and looked over at Katherine as she put her glasses on. Anna melted at the sight. She’d seen Katherine in her glasses a million times, and it made her weak at the knees every time. If she tied her hair up or crossed her legs, Anna transformed into a quivering wreck. She hoped Katherine wouldn’t do that today; they had some serious work to get through, especially now that Katherine had thrown a weekend away into the mix.
“No,” Anna replied with a cheeky smile.
“Good, then stop looking at me like you want to eat me up. Let’s get on with it, shall we?”
Anna smirked and opened her laptop. “As you wish, boss. Right, branding first. Which did you prefer?”
“Option B. The simple outline of the barn is beautiful, and with Nunswick Abbey Barn in the same font, it complements the abbey branding perfectly.”
Anna nodded her agreement. “The only suggestion I have is that we use the brown from A to separate it and give it some distinction from the abbey green. Make it instantly definable.”
“That’s actually a great idea. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I’ll go back to the designers and get a final proof for approval by the trustees. We’ve nearly finalised the leaflet; I just need to get some exterior shots sent over of the barn.”
“It’s a shame we don’t have interiors.”
“We’ll add them before the season starts for the larger print run. Most of the event attendees are regulars and can use their imaginations. We have the artist’s impression too. It will be fine for getting the word out to those coming to the event.”
“Fair point,” Katherine said, sipping from a mug.
“How many invitations went out to lifetime memberships? I think we need to do something special for them and possibly even include our general members. Maybe give them a gazebo and seating with the trustees at the front to get the best view of the firework display and entertainment.”
