Chapter 15

Sure enough, Melanie drifted into Sally's office that afternoon. "Hi, Sally. Are you busy?"

"Not that," Sally smiled back. "To what do I owe the honour?"

"'Cos I'm a nosey-parker," grinned Melanie, "and I haven't got that much to keep me busy at the moment so I'm on a wander. Have to keep the troops' morale up, doncherknow?"

Sally laughed. "Have you got time for a cuppa?" she asked.

"Yes, please."

"Coming up," said Megan from next door.

"Eavesdropper," retorted Sally and all three laughed.

"So what do you think of our new project managers?" asked Melanie.

"They're OK. They're clearly switched on and they're nice enough."

"Only nice enough?"

Sally grimaced. "Cliff is so enormous," she said. "Intimidatingly so almost; but he seems pleasant enough," she added hastily.

Melanie grinned. "I know what you mean and I'm bigger than you. Sometimes the great big bears are the soft cuddly ones though."

"Hmph!" retorted Sally. "And a ton weight on top of you." She realised what she had said and went bright pink with embarrassment.

Melanie pealed with laughter. "You're a girl after my own heart," she chortled.

"But you're bigger than me," shot back Sally regaining her equilibrium from Melanie's response.

"And it seems to me," came Megan's voice, "that you're both a couple of dirty minded women ... I rather agree though."

"Your David's a hunk," retorted Sally.

"Yeah but not as big a hunk and then I'm not a seven stone weakling."

"Nor am I," protested Melanie.

"But you haven't got shoulders like I have. I just toss him over."

"Megan!" exclaimed Sally.

All three of them pealed with laughter.

This brought Nick in. "There appears to be undue levity in the outer office during working hours," he said portentously. "Oh! Hello, Melanie, are you the cause or merely aiding and abetting?"

"Both," laughed Melanie.

"Anything I can enjoy as well?"

Melanie, her eyes dancing, sucked in her cheeks and shook her head. "I think not, Mr Braithwaite," she said.

"Oh," said Nick solemnly but his eyes were dancing too, "I think I know when I'm not wanted. I was just wanting my afternoon brightened up."

"Don't worry, I'll be in to see you later," said Melanie and then shrieked with laughter. The other two were unable to restrain themselves.

"Lucky me," grinned Nick. "Megan, I may need you to chaperone me."

There were further peals of laughter from the girls and Nick beat a retreat. Megan brought in two mugs of tea.

"I took that remark about eavesdropping to heart," she grinned closing the door behind her.

Melanie took a sip of her tea. "So," she said, "you've told me what you think of Cliff. What about Helen?"

"I'm not sure. If she's as good as she's meant to be why does she have perpetual queries to bring to Nick? She's in and out of his office like a bloomin' yo-yo."

Melanie said nothing, merely raising her eyebrows slightly.

"It's just that if she's really project manager material surely she ought to be more self-confident."

Melanie nodded.

"I think," said Sally hesitantly, "that she may be after him. Fat lot of good that'll do her though. I see what you mean about him having some sort of hang-up about single women."

"Why do you say that?"

Sally shrugged. "He's always very pleasant and friendly in the office. He's joined the LPO choir and we did joint rehearsals for Haydn's Seasons. He'd chat to me in breaks there. Then one evening he asked me to join him for supper afterwards. It was all right and I enjoyed it but I sensed the shutters going up again."

Melanie nodded again then, with a gentle smile, asked, "I did warn you. Are you falling for him?"

Sally shook her head. "I respect him and I'm learning a lot from him, particularly about how to handle people. One day I made a huge nonsense and he was so gentle and kind that I just burst into tears when he'd gone. No one had ever treated me like that before. Megan came and comforted me but she warned me off him too. She'd noticed the reserve like you."

"And she's right, Sally. His friendliness and warmth are both completely genuine but I think his divorce hurt him deeply."

Sally's eyes softened. "Poor man," she murmured. "How could anyone purposely hurt such a sweet, gentle person?" She realised what she had said and looked down at her desk in embarrassment.

"I agree," said Melanie gently, "but I think Megan and I are right. If you chase him he'll get rid of you."

Sally nodded soberly.

"Poor girl," thought Melanie. "It's like that line in 'Twelfth Night': 'She never told her love but let it feed on her cheek like damask in the bud'. I do hope she doesn't go into her shell and lose her looks because she's a pretty little thing."

She changed the subject. "Are you really not busy?"

"Not at the moment. I will be once the plans for the big new projects start to take shape." She chuckled. "I might be a little busier if Miss Helen brought her problems to me in the first place rather than straight to Nick."

"So how do you stop becoming bored?"

"I've got a personal project I'm working on for my doctorate."

"I didn't know you were doing that."

""It's a correspondence course mostly without any real time limit. While I was on Heatherbrow I didn't really have time but this job is ideal at the moment." She grinned. "You'll probably say I'm redundant and sack me."

Melanie laughed. "No, dear. As the boss's personal technical assistant I wouldn't dare. Anyway, I promised I'd go and see him so I better had. Thanks for the tea, Sally."

She waved to Sally and then winked at Megan as she knocked on Nick's door.

Nick greeted her with a warm smile. "The Happy Wanderer," he said.

Melanie smiled back. "Yes but it's also part of my job to listen to the gossip now and again. I must say, Nick, it's a much happier place these days."

"Well, people have got some work to do. That always helps."

"True but they also like having their boss call in on them and have a natter. Your doing that is much appreciated."

"Thanks, Melanie. I suppose it's my army background. So what gossip did Megan and Sally have for you?"

"They both think that Cliff's size is a bit intimidating."

Nick laughed. "Yes. He's huge, isn't he? What else?"

"Megan commented on the number of times Helen comes to see you. She's too discreet to say so but I think she wonders if Helen is lacking in self-confidence. She didn't seem to be when we interviewed her: quite the opposite in fact."

"Yes, I began to wonder too but I think it's more that she wants to get her first project absolutely right. After all, I did tell both of them that the highest standards of quality and innovation were required."

"Why doesn't she test her ideas out on Sally rather than you every time?"

"Perhaps she feels that Sally hasn't got the experience to make those sort of decisions."

"Mmm. It seems a bit of a waste of Sally. You know she's working on her doctorate in the firm's time because she hasn't got enough to do."