“Right,” I said. Kira hadn’t mentioned anything about the press at her work. But had I thought to ask? No, I hadn’t. “Ah, has that been very difficult? I have security staff who can . . .”
“Don’t worry,” Dr Tabard waved it off. “Your goons scared off the paps a while back. It’s only a problem whenshe’sat work now and that won’t be for much longer anyway.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Dr Murphy’s not up to the standard to be honest,” Dr Tabard went on. “I guess she thought that because we had a thing for a while that I’d be a pushover as an appraiser, but I don’t compromise my integrity like that.”
“A . . . athing?” My mind was reeling. Did Kira actually sleep with this guy?
“But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s flaky, disorganised, not diligent enough to study for her post grad exams. I’m always honest in my assessments. You of all people must know how unstable she is.”
“She’s not–” I started to defend her and then got distracted by another of this guy’s revelations. “Exams? She’s got exams to study for?”
“Not surprised you haven’t noticed her revising, given her previous results. Too busy getting up to all her crazy antics, no doubt. Rather you than me, mate.” He finished that comment off with a light smack on my arm, which made me clench my fists in annoyance. But it wouldn’t do to punch this guy. And on reflection, it wouldn’t really be fair. If what he said was true (and I wasn’t at all sure about that) it sounded like he’d had his work cut out for him with Kira as a trainee. “Anyway, did you want to know where to find her? I can–”
“No,” I said quickly. I needed to process all this new information before I saw Kira. I knew that she was a ‘free spirit’ and all that, but . . . flaky at work? Sleeping with her supervisor in the past and hoping that would exonerate her with appraisals? Failing exams because she’s too all over the place to study? There was being a fun, good time girl and there was being just plain irresponsible. But this didn’t sound like Kira, not the Kira I knew. I wasn’t going to take this guy’s word for it just yet, but . . . I couldn’t even reliably contact her on the phone – no wonder she was considered unreliable at work. I had to be careful. My reputation mattered. The public liked Kira now, but what if any of this stuff came out? I hated that my dad’s words kept floating back through my mind, but I’d always respected his opinion in the past.
I moved away from Dr Tabard, raking my hands through my hair and unfortunately not noticing the satisfied, evil little grin the other man was wearing as I backed away.
*****
Kira
“Phew! You can relax, people. I made it through the piranhas out there with my virginity still intact,” Mark announced as he burst through into the kitchen.
“Baby, your virginity hasn’t been intact since the nineties,” I told him as he flounced his way over the kitchen table and flung himself down on the nearest chair.
“And, sorry to disappoint,” Henry put in through a chuckle, “but I’m not sure those guys want to do anything inappropriate with you.”
“There are many forms of rape, Henry,” Mark countered. “My image was very nearly immortalised in print without my consent.”
“Did they eventakeany pictures, Mark?” I asked through a grin. Mark sniffed and waved me away.
“That is not the point, smartarse. Now get me a tea – I’m dying here. Oh, hello,” he said, turning to Kim and Danny, who both had their lips pressed firmly together, their shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, “I’m Mark.”
Kim and Danny had been over a few times now, and after poker yesterday I’d asked if they wanted to come along tonight. Henry had warned me to ‘tone down my bullshit’ so as not to scare them off. I did not tone anything down of course – my ‘bullshit’ was hilarious and perfect to help break the ice with Henry’s mates. Tonight would be great for them. And I was right. Reconnecting with his old friends was the best thing he could have done.
With their encouragement, he’d even looked into going back to his management consultancy job. He’d been off for a year, but Danny had told him they weren’t getting the clients like they were before Henry left. Apparently, Henry was a ball breaker when it came to sorting out failing companies. Before he’d had his diagnosis, he’d been working seventy-hour weeks and pulled in a massive salary. With that and his family money there had been no pressure to go back to work, and seeing as Henry had been in deep depression mode, he’d been happy to just drop off the grid.
But anyone that driven had to miss it. I personally couldn’t see the appeal of working in the City, but to Henry it had meant everything. So he had an interview set up for next month with the partners of his old company (one of which was Danny).
As for Kim, it was becoming almost painful to watch her with Henry. She stared at him with her heart in her eyes most of the time she was here. He was more secret in his observation of her, but when I did catch him staring it was with the same level of desperation. I wondered if the loss of Kim (even if self-inflicted) after his diagnosis a year ago had been one of the main triggers for Henry’s depression. He certainly seemed more at peace now that she was back in his life, even as just a friend. But, as for anything romantic happening, he was dead against it.
I’d tried to talk him out of that mindset but it was useless. He thought Kim deserved a better life than the one she would have with someone like him and all the baggage he would bring to the relationship. He wouldn’t hear me out about the options they had, about how the antiretroviral therapy had reduced his viral load down to undetectable levels so he couldn’t transmit the virus to anyone – how they could even have children safely, when it came to it. Henry was stubborn.
Even Barclay, who’d been reticent about the reintroduction of Henry’s old friends, was now pushing for Henry to do something about Kim. But Barclay had seen the change in Henry over the last four weeks and all he wanted was for his brother to be happy. Despite his fears that Henry’s friends would leak his diagnosis to the press, nothing had come out and that was enough for Barclay to trust their loyalty.
“Hi, Mark,” Kim said, putting her hand out for him to shake, which he ignored in favour of an enforced hug and a couple of cheek kisses. “I’m Kim – the girl Henry ignored for a year and now keeps at arm’s length because he’s a big, fat, twatting coward.”
Silence filled the kitchen until Mark gave an awkward laugh.
“Wow, that wasquitethe greeting,” he said.
“Good for you, Kim,” I said into the silence that followed. “While we don’t quite have time for Henry to pull his head out of his arse now, I’m sure that’s given the stubborn twat some food for thought. Now, let’s move out people.”
This was my way of giving Henry time to digest Kim’s words before he reacted on instinct and shut her down, which I could see from his agonised expression he was gearing up to do.
I’d sort out Kim and Henry later. Right now I needed to focus on tonight. It might not be saving thewholeplanet, but it would make a difference to some people. Yes, okay, it was an unconventional way to raise money, but when had I ever been conventional? And at least this time the press would be workingforme, doing what I wanted them to do and telling the story I wanted them to tell.
