Getting Organised. Carolyn Caterer

enough and Abi was in no doubt that it was this factor that would either make or break the deal.

      ‘I can assure you Imogen that I am not a gossip and am not one to pry. In fact in all the time I was married I never once checked my husband’s credit card statements or read any of his texts on his mobile ‘phone or even checked who he was calling. If I had done I imagine my marriage would have come to an end a good deal earlier. I never asked him questions about where he had been or who it was with and I never ever discussed anything he told me about his company with anyone else.’ Abi hoped that her honesty and sincerity were shining through and that she wasn’t appearing too desperate to have this job. In actual fact she was extremely desperate to get this job. The more Imogen had told her about it the more she was convinced that it was the job for her. She wished she had not gulped down quite so much of her wine when she arrived as she was starting to feel quite breathless with nerves and didn’t want to blot her copybook by having a panic attack in her desperation to secure the role. She breathed slowly and counted to ten in the hope that neither Imogen nor Mabel could see how much her heart was pounding and hoped she looked the epitome of an organised and efficient PA that could be trusted with anything that was thrown at her.

      Imogen looked at her thoughtfully and then delivered her decision.

      ‘To be honest Abi I have been unable to find anyone I would even consider employing on a trial basis, hence my request to Mabel to see if she had any possible leads and lo and behold you move in across the road from her. I suppose she has been checking you out over the past couple of months and it was only a few weeks ago that she first mentioned you to me. You certainly have good enough qualifications, and I can cope with your skills being a little rusty. What I need from you most of all is the ability to sit in the office with not much happening around you and not be driven mad. It would be great to have you there to greet my clients and make appointments by person or over the ‘phone, but they don’t usually arrive more than a couple of minutes before their appointment and they are certainly not into idle chit chat while they are waiting.’

      ‘That sounds just fine to me.’ Abi certainly felt very comfortable about this kind of arrangement as she wasn’t one for idle chatter with strangers herself.

      ‘OK then. Tell you what, why don’t you come in around half past nine on Monday. My first client doesn’t arrive until midday so that will give you plenty of time to get your bearings and start to sort out the office and the paperwork that has started to pile up. Does that sound good to you?’

      Abi nodded.

      ‘That sounds perfect.’

      ‘Well then let’s say a month’s trial. We can discuss pay later but how about this as a starter?’ Imogen picked up Mabel’s pad and paper from the coffee table and wrote a figure down and handed it to Abi. As she looked at it Abi couldn’t believe the sum of money that was being quoted at her. It was half as much again as any job she had seen advertised and it seemed from all that Imogen had been saying that she would be required to work from just eleven thirty until six o’clock Monday to Thursday. If there was an ideal job then this appeared to be it. She swallowed and tried to contain her excitement.

      ‘That looks fine. I will see you on Monday and thanks Imogen. I am really looking forward to it.’

      ‘Me too.’ Imogen reached into her handbag and handed Abi a business card with the address of the office on it and then gave Mabel a big hug before heading off, as she was due at friends for dinner.

      Abi stood looking at the business card in her hand until Mabel walked back into the sitting room and beamed at Abi.

      ‘Well I think that went absolutely splendidly, don’t you?’

      ‘Mabel you are a star, thank you so much!’ Abi threw her arms around her neighbour and hugged her tightly. As she stepped back Mabel could see Abi’s eyes were shining with happiness and enthusiasm. She knew she had found the perfect person to work with Imogen, so the first part of the plan was now complete. It was the second part that would prove to be more challenging, but there was plenty of time for Imogen to work that out and she couldn’t see that Abi would say no once she had fully settled in to her role. Imogen was a great role model and could be very persuasive. Plus Mabel was convinced that this was just what Abi needed. She just hoped that she was going to be proved right.

      Back in her own home Abi was dancing around the living room and whooping with joy. Today had started off in a somewhat depressing fashion as she realised that she had weeks, rather than months, to get a job so that she could continue to stay in the house and pay all her bills. Abi had finally found a place where she felt at home and was not happy to be forced to consider a future which might mean selling her cottage and downsizing to some pokey flat with no garden. Not one usually prone to dramatics, Abi was quite surprised at how strongly she felt and was seriously contemplating the rather depressing idea that she may indeed have to get two local jobs in order to make ends meet.

      The invitation to pop over for a glass of wine with Mabel had been welcomed more as a means of escaping her current financial predicament for a few hours, but in the end it had turned out to be a decision which was going to change her life for the better. Abi could barely believe her luck at the job offer or the fact that she would be working with Imogen, who she had taken an instant liking to on meeting, and she instinctively knew that they were going to get on very well and that Imogen would be a great boss. The added bonus was the salary; it was more than she could have hoped for and matched the kind of pay she would expect to receive if she were to go and work in London, but it was only twenty minutes drive away, which was a bonus in itself. Abi didn’t question Imogen’s ability to pay this well; she had completely understood that Imogen’s clients demanded the utmost discretion and she had no intention of breaking that trust.

      Abi poured herself a celebratory glass on Pinot Grigio and, running a bath, settled down amongst the bubbles and dreamed about her new job and a regular income.

      ***************************************************

      Imogen was happy too, though perhaps not expressing it in such an overt way as her new PA. Mabel had come up trumps, that was for sure and Imogen had immediately trusted Abi, something that was absolutely essential in her line of work. A careless word here or there and it could easily be overheard and then appear in some tabloid newspaper and have a devastating effect on the global markets, not to mention the lives of her clients. In all her years of running her business Imogen had never once said a word out of place and that is why she was in such demand. That was also why she had very few celebrities in her client list; she knew that the nature of their lives actually meant they had no problem with publicity; but they were in the minority and she had always been careful to visit them in their own homes and keep the rest of her clients at the office. But she had soon tired of commuting to London and had concentrated on more local clientele, as she could easily afford to. Sometimes she wondered how much she could charge before her clients decided not to use her. However she wasn’t a greedy person and she made a good enough living as it was, with no reason to test out her pricing theory.

      If anything Mabel had been the one to encourage her to up her prices to ensure she maintained her standard of living, but could also employ a full time assistant to sort out all the appointments, do the filing and balance the books, all of which were tasks which Imogen found both boring and dissatisfying. She felt that the money she would be directing towards Abi was money very well spent indeed.

      Chapter 10

      Monday morning dawned bright and sunny and Abi leapt out of bed with an enthusiasm never previously felt for a job.

      She surveyed her wardrobe and chose a simple white blouse, teamed with a navy suit from Zara and added shoes from LK Bennet. Pearl earrings and a necklace gave her a smart and yet understated look. She wasn’t so keen at having to pull on tights again, but felt this was a small price to pay in return for an income which would give her more than she needed.

      Forcing some breakfast down her, even though she felt almost too excited to eat, she found herself smiling at the change in her fortune. In fact she hadn’t stopped grinning since her job offer on Friday night and was amazed at