Page 6 of Fireworks at Pennycress Inn
‘Yes, yes – well, we’re all the same here at the trust – workers, volunteers, we’re all colleagues.’ Declan indicated the chair next to Zac again.
Polly slipped into it and placed her mug carefully on the table before shifting the chair along, as far away from Zac as she could without appearing rude. With her heart racing, she clasped her hands around the mug, hoping the warmth of the coffee would calm her. It didn’t matter if he was here. It was still her new start, the beginning of her career with the trust and she wasn’t about to let his presence put a dampener on that. Lifting the mug to her lips, she took a long, shuddery breath, hoping no one would see how off-kilter his presence had made her.
‘I would like to formally welcome you both to the team.’ Declan shuffled the pile of papers in front of him before pulling two out and sliding them across the table towards Polly and Zac. ‘Now, I know you’ve both already signed contracts for a temporary position here, but these are to outline your allocated positions and job descriptions, so if you wouldn’t mind signing these, we can then get on with the other nitty-gritty admin stuff before Harold takes you for a tour of our wonderful reserve.’
‘Thanks.’ Taking the contract, Polly looked down and blinked, willing her eyes to focus instead of being tempted to glance in Zac’s direction. Temporary? She didn’t remember Mr Bob telling her it was temporary. And she was sure the contract she’d already signed hadn’t stated anything to that effect. She shrugged. He must mean temporary until the promotion. That made sense.
‘I hate to be this guy, but there’s a typo. I’m here for the role of communications and marketing officer, not fundraising and development.’ Zac turned his contract around and pushed it back across the table towards Declan.
He hated to be that guy.Polly swallowed a snigger. In the two years she’d known and tolerated Zac’s presence, she’d learned one thing about him and that was that he always wanted to be that guy. There was nothing he loved more than to point out someone else’s mistake – and take advantage of it any way he could.
She looked down at her contract. No, she wasn’t being fair, she was letting her feelings about the kiss and the subsequent events cloud her. He was thorough, yes, but he didn’t really enjoy getting one up on someone, even if it had felt that way since the night of the party.
‘No, no mistake. We have had a recent shuffle around here at the reserve, and we have that position covered already.’ Declan slid the paper back across the table as he smiled kindly.
Zac tapped the contract with the tip of his pen. ‘That’s not the position I applied for.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that’s the position we have to fill. I think there must have been a misunderstanding in communication between us and HQ.’
Stealing a glance at Zac, Polly picked up her mug in an attempt to hide the small twitch of her lips as she struggled not to smile.Ha, serves you right, Zachary Sinclair. Maybe you can leave now?
‘But fundraising isn’t my specialism. I’ve worked in marketing for corporate organisations for years. That’s what I do.’ Leaning forward in his chair, Zac frowned.
Holding his hands out, palms up, Declan raised his eyebrows. ‘I apologise for any misunderstanding. You’re both here to be our fundraising and development gurus. We’re having a little trouble with funds at the moment and need fresh eyes…’
Both here to be fundraising and development gurus?Both? Her and Zac? Zac and her? What? No.
Lowering the heavy mug with a bang, Polly watched in dismay as the now tepid liquid rolled down the edge of the ceramic before pooling on the pine table and making its way towards the paper in front of her. Swallowing, she cleared her throat, her voice coming out as a squeak. ‘I was told I would be working in outreach and education.’
Looking from Polly to Zac and back again, Declan pulled the contracts back towards him, waving hers in the air in an attempt to dispel the coffee. Taking his glasses from their spot tucked beneath his beard in the collar of his polo shirt, he placed them at the end of his nose and looked at the contracts again. Tapping his finger against the paper, he then looked back up. ‘I fear there must have been quite the communication error if you were both informed of the wrong job titles. We do have Art and Dennis who, although relatively new to their current roles, are working very well as outreach and education, and communications and marketing officers. I couldn’t possibly ask them to shuffle around again.’
Polly glanced towards Zac, who ran his fingers through his dark glossy hair before slumping back in his chair. Wasn’t he going to question Declan’s decision? Insist he retract the job offer and instead offer them both – ha, or him – the role which had been promised?
Polly cleared her throat. ‘I’m not sure if you know my employment history. I was a teacher and have volunteered in the outreach and education sector of the trust for the past five years.’
Declan nodded. ‘Yes, Mr Bob passed across both of your CVs. Most excellent, both of them, but it doesn’t change the fact that the positions we have available are for fundraising and development officers. Two of them. Now, I can see what a shock this must be to you both, particularly when you had been promised entirely different roles, but, in all honesty, I think this could work to our advantage and yours.’
‘How so?’ Zac shook his head, disbelief etched across his features.
Leaning forward, Declan smiled. ‘Because you’re precisely what we need, both of you. This nature reserve is quite frankly on its knees with regard to funds. We have a wealth of wildlife; we have enrichment opportunities and rewilding projects ready to go. The only thing we lack is funding.’
‘But we’ve already established that’s not in either of our backgrounds.’ Zac straightened his back.
‘Precisely. Over the years we’ve had experienced fundraisers come and go, but there’s one thing they lacked, and I just think you both might be able to provide it.’ Declan wagged his finger at them.
‘What is it?’ Polly frowned.
‘A fresh pair of eyes.’ Declan pointed his finger first at Polly and then at Zac. ‘Or, in this case, two fresh pairs of eyes. You’re coming into the job with no expectations. You’re not going to spout to me that this or that fundraising tactic worked at a reserve down in Devon or up in Cumbria and so will work here. We’ve been there, tried that. Meadowfield Nature Reserve will be a clean slate to you.’
‘I…’ Polly stuttered before falling silent again. Her head was whirring. How was she supposed to take on a job which she had zero experience in? Especially for the trust – the trust which had taken a chance on her, the trust which she wanted to do her best by?
‘And another thing, we’ve been burnt. We’ve had people come and go quicker than a yo-yo. We need people with passion who understand how these things work at a place like ours. Yes, we’re not huge, we’re not offering anything particularly exciting here at Meadowfield Nature Reserve, but what we are offering – a sanctuary for both wildlife and locals alike – is special. We need people to come in and see what we’re missing. To see what those past employees couldn’t see, to see the little things, the things that got overlooked.’
‘Right.’ Polly nodded, still unsure quite what it was he was trying to say. What was she supposed to do? The closest she’d ever come to fundraising was selling raffle tickets behind a stall at the school summer fête. She couldn’t be responsible for raising the amount of money the nature reserve needed to function. She just didn’t have the experience. And if she did take the chance and agree to the new role then she’d be jeopardising the promotion, but if she didn’t take it there wouldn’t even be a promotion opportunity for her… It all felt wrong.
‘Of course, I understand if all of this’ – Declan held his arms aloft, encompassing the small meeting room and the reserve through the window behind him – ‘is out of your comfort zone.’
‘I’ll take it.’ Reaching across the table, Zac snatched the contract back and signed it before glancing across at Polly and raising an eyebrow.
