Free Doing the Right Thing by Alexis Lindman Page B

meet you.
    Maybe he should reconsider.”
    Addie got up and turned. Now was the moment for a meteorite to hit the building, but she’d accept a flash flood or a voracious man-eating plant as reasonable alternatives. The older guy put out his hand. He was laughing.
    “Jack Magelan.”
    “Addie Winter.”
    She couldn’t look at Will.
    “Have we met before?” Jack asked.
    “We’ve never been introduced, I’m certain,” Addie said.
    She watched the blond one’s eyes flick between her and Will and knew he’d recognized her.
    “Hi, Addie, I’m Ed Mansell,” he said. “Will’s brother.”
    Addie shook his hand and then looked at Will. “Hello, again,” she said.
    “Will Mansell.” He held out his hand.
    Addie felt as though she’d been asked to pet a great white shark. She swallowed hard and put her hand in his. His face was blank. Will shook her hand so fast it was hardly a shake at all. Addie cringed with humiliation when she realized he wasn’t going to acknowledge he knew her.
    “Addie only works for us part-time. She’s a general dogsbody,” Delia said.
    Addie bristled. “I need a pay rise then. I thought I was a private dogsbody.”
    Ed turned a laugh into a cough.
    “Excuse me,” she muttered and fled to her desk, her face burning.

    * * * * *
    Addie kept her head down all morning. She looked as though she was working hard, but she wasn’t. She sat struggling with the invoicing when Daisy came over.
    “Genghis has made me so mad I can’t speak,” Daisy said.
    “So you’re not going to tell me why?”
    Sarcasm was lost on Daisy. “Course I am.” She perched on the edge of Addie’s desk. “I’ve got to do the secretarial work for both the new guys as well as her. I mean that’s like doubling…tripling my work load.”
    “Poor thing.” Addie tried to sound sympathetic.
    Since Daisy had plenty of time to do her nails, plan her week’s TV viewing in fluorescent orange marker and spread gossip, no wonder the prospect of working a full day appalled her.
    “Still, they are gorgeous,” Daisy whispered. “Even the older guy. He’s worth millions. Magelan’s is one of the largest travel and leisure companies in the country.
    I’ve been on Google. Jack’s married with seven children. He’s a devout Catholic. Seven boys. Fucking hell.”
    “Yep,” Addie said. “It probably was.”
    Daisy got that after a moment and giggled.
    “What about the other two?” Addie asked.
    “Management consultants from London. Brothers. Not married. Will’s the eldest.
    He’s the one with dark hair and gray eyes. They’re on contract to Magelan’s ’til Christmas, but they have another job in Leeds so they’ll be in and out of the office. Ed’s lovely. I really like him. Mr. Sexy Eyes. Parents live in Shropshire. No pets. Apparently, they’ve rented a house in Alwoodley. Will’s favorite color is black. Ed’s is red. Will drives a Lexus. Ed has a Porsche. He said he’ll let me have a ride in it. They both like Thai food, but Ed doesn’t like bony fish…oh, or jelly.”
    “God, Daisy, do you know their collar size as well?”
    “Both seventeen.”
    Addie laughed.
    “I was going to check on shoe size, but I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea,”
    Daisy said.
    Addie guessed they already had the right idea.
    “So what’s going to happen? Should I ring the Jobcentre?” Addie asked.
    Daisy shrugged. “Everyone’s been called in, including drivers and the managers from the travel agencies. Genghis said they’re going to speak to us all this afternoon.
    Bob’s buggered off to buy a yacht and Jack Magelan’s gone back to London. I bet it’s Will who does the sacking.”
    Daisy moved on, spreading the Ebola virus and Addie sighed. How much did she need this job? Working two days a week in the language school didn’t pay enough to live on, but she couldn’t work alongside Will Mansell. He and his brother were probably sniggering over poor desperate Addie, who’d not only invented