Cooking Up Christmas. Katie Ginger

mouth upwards. ‘Alice and Esme Kendrick? Yeah, I remember you guys now. I thought Esme moved to London?’ She’d been the talk of the town having worked hard to get to a good London university and then found a job working for a television company. ‘She was one of the major success stories of our school. Not like the rest of us normal folk.’ He sat back in his chair and played with the telephone cord.

      ‘Yeah, my sister was always super-focused. So, she was hoping to see some places tomorrow. Is there any chance you could line up a few viewings?’

      ‘Yeah, sure,’ Joe replied, grabbing his notebook and pen. It didn’t give him much time, and he wondered what the rush was, but still, business was a good thing. ‘Is she renting or buying?’

      ‘Renting.’

      ‘Any particular times for the viewings?’

      ‘Nope. She’s free all day.’

      He made a note. ‘And what about budget? What type of properties does she like?’

      ‘Budget needs to be as small as possible. She doesn’t want to spend much per month and as beggars can’t be choosers, just show her anything that’s cheap.’

      That was odd, but he made a note anyway. ‘Okay, I’ll call you later with the details. Can you give me your number? Or should I take Esme’s?’

      Alice hesitated for a moment before replying. ‘No, take mine. She’s not really ready to … no, never mind. But if you could call me, that’d be great.’

      Joe took the details and hung up. Esme Kendrick? Now there was a turn up. But what was Alice going to say? She’s not really ready to what? He rested his elbows on the desk, tapping his pen against his notepad. Looks like things were going well for Esme and her boyfriend, presuming she had one, if they were getting a place down here as well as having one in London. Of course she’d have a boyfriend. She was probably married by now, or at least engaged. She was always the most intelligent, not to mention the prettiest, girl at school. Joe could picture her now as a grown woman all pale-skinned and wide-eyed, with that mop of red curls like some Highland beauty from the Middle Ages.

      He went to the filing cabinet and pulled out some brochures for the cheapest rental properties. If it was a holiday or weekend place, why rent? And why the tight budget? It all seemed very strange, but before he could think about it any further, an old male voice from the other side of the office said, ‘Joe, this bloody printer is messing about again. Can you come and unblock it?’

      Filing his questions at the back of his mind, Joe closed the drawer, took a deep breath and replied. ‘Yes, Mr Rigby. On my way.’

       Chapter 5

      London

      Leo paced the streets of London, taking long confident strides amongst the crowds of people leisurely ambling along. The rain was pouring down in great, heavy sheets and the dark sky was solid with cloud. He tutted as a couple came to a sudden stop in front of him to look in a shop window at the elaborate Christmas-themed decorations. With a sarcastic, ‘Excuse me,’ he edged around them and carried on, wishing he was indoors, dry and warm, staring out of his apartment window at the priceless view beyond. He loved looking out of that window at the skyline, a mixture of grand buildings and tall grey skyscrapers.

      It wasn’t a priceless view though, was it? he mused. It had cost a hell of a lot of money – too much money, some had said – but that was London, and London prices. Leo pulled the collar of his coat in tighter. You had to invest in yourself and your future – that’s what people didn’t understand. No one liked to admit it, but the address on your CV could make all the difference to getting that job or not. Take Esme. She’d struggled with finding permanent work until she moved in with him and then, wham, she got that amazing job with Felicity Fenchurch. He’d always prided himself on helping her career like that, encouraging her to be as ambitious as him. It was such a shame it ended the way it did. Esme’s job and them. But then, she’d always been headstrong and now she’d thrown away her career.

      Leo overtook a group of tourists and in his pocket, he tightened his grip on the ring he had bought Veronica. It wasn’t an engagement ring, though he had secretly looked at those too, but he didn’t want to rush too much. Poor Esme. From the look on her face that night, it was almost as if she thought he was going to propose or spring a romantic holiday on her. She’d always been fanciful though and would often let her imagination run wild. The day after they’d split, she’d come at the crack of dawn, even before he was up for the gym, and packed a suitcase, clearing out her clothes and special mementoes, like her memory box. She hadn’t said a word, just moved silently around the room. At first, he’d pretended to be asleep but, realising he couldn’t do that forever, he’d gone and hidden in the bathroom, thankful she had cleared that first. It wasn’t cowardly, he told himself. It was tactful and made things easier for her. It was the least he could do. She must be devastated. But she’d be fine. She was one of those people who’d always be fine. Later, she had texted saying Mark would come and get the last few bits when it was convenient, and he was to contact Mark directly to arrange it. She didn’t want to speak to him, or see him, and to be honest, he couldn’t blame her. He knew deep down he should have given her more time, but it was difficult to say no to Veronica.

      Swerving to the right and cutting up a middle-aged man who was trundling along at a snail’s pace, staring up at all the Christmas lights, Leo charged down the tube station steps. The warm air rose up to grab him, a sudden contrast to the cold air outside. He was meeting Veronica soon and he couldn’t wait to give her the ring. He was sure she’d love it. Still, as sad as things were with Esme, at least now he was now able to move on and be with someone who got him. Someone who was just as ambitious as him. The type of person he was meant to be with. Leo smiled to himself. Veronica was equally as driven, strong and determined, but if she had one fault, it was that she was a little bossy. She had to be, he supposed, being his boss and leading the team, but sometimes she forgot to turn it off when they were together. Since yesterday morning, when he told her Esme had gone, taking most of her stuff, she’d been demanding Leo chase Esme to confirm when she’d remove the last of her things. He’d told her he couldn’t do it yet – it had only been two days since he’d ended it. To phone now would be callous in the extreme, but it hadn’t stopped her mentioning it again in the office this afternoon. Leo suspected Mark knew that he’d allowed someone else to move in already and would no doubt have told Esme. He was glad he didn’t have to face her at the moment when it would still be raw and hurtful for her.

      A train pulled in and he jumped on. Leo was looking forward to going back to his flat and pictured the piles of Veronica’s things already dotted here and there – a spare bag, a book – happy that he’d done the right thing. Esme’s lack of ambition had been holding him back from his life goals for a long time now. Another reason why Veronica was the perfect partner for him. That and her insanely long legs. Together they could achieve anything. They’d started their affair six months before he’d broken up with Esme and a fleeting regret for cheating on her passed through him but quickly faded. Sometimes these things happened.

      He was meeting Veronica at the flat and then they were going to a fancy restaurant where he’d give her the ring. Every time he tried to take Esme to a fancy restaurant she had this annoying habit of trying to figure out exactly what was in a dish and how she could cook it. It had been endearing at first but as things had started to go wrong, he’d found it boring. There was no way Veronica would do something like that. The new watch on his wrist shone as he reached his arm up to hold onto the bar. Whilst at the jeweller’s he’d bought himself a new watch. Well, why shouldn’t he? He’d been through a lot lately, he deserved a little treat.

       Chapter 6

      Sandchester

      ‘So, I’ve got these three properties that are