Free High Stakes by Robin Thomas Page B

around the nearly full office. Even though official starting time was 8:30, hardly anyone arrived that late, except losers. Pete followed me to my desk.
    ‘When do you want to get started?’ He was grinning at me. He thinks he’s got it aced, I thought.
    ‘Never,’ I said.
    ‘Oh well, saves time. I’ll just let Shel know the decision’s been made for her.’
    ‘Shut up, Smartass.’
    ‘Looks like we’re off to a good start. Come on, chill. We’ve got to work together so let’s make the best of it. Why don’t we read over the policy and bounce a few ideas over lunch. ‘
    ‘Thought you’d already done that?’
    He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Yeah, when I first joined Calco. As for ideas, I’ve always got them in spades. ‘
    ‘As in shovelling it?’ I raised my eyebrows.
    ‘Oh, you are one clever cookie. You can either work with me or not, Kate. I don’t give a damn. Just make your mind up. The outcome is going to be the same anyway.’
    I took a deep breath, ignoring the last provocative remark. ‘Right, let’s make one thing clear first, though. No bullshit. We don’t like each other, never have. That’s a given. But we’ll call a truce for now. Let’s play it straight up and honest. No games.’
    ‘Agreed.’ He held out a hand and I shook it. His hand was firm, warm and his smile looked genuine. I didn’t trust him a millimetre.
    ‘OMG, the world’s coming to an end. Did I actually see Pete and Kate shake hands?’ Mike Carmichael’s voice boomed through the office and several curious glances shot our way.’
    ‘Shove it, Carmichael. Business only — not that it’s any of yours!’ I gave him a death stare and he chuckled, and then turned back to his computer.
    ‘Lunch at noon?’ Pete asked.
    ‘Yeah, somewhere quiet away from this lot.’
    ‘Meet you at Shannon’s then.’
    I nodded and he went back to his desk.
    I glanced at my watch. 7:59. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet and already it was a lousy day.
    9:35am: Nearly through the PD document. Time for coffee number four, which wasn’t bad, considering my last one was 6:55. Still couldn’t believe what Shel was making me do. I’d rather climb Mt Kosciusko starkers in July. I’d rather swim in shark-infested waters clutching a leaky meat tray. I’d even rather be a contestant on Master Chef and I hate cooking. I walked past Pete’s cubicle. His feet were on the desk and he was talking on the phone. He gave me a casual wave as if we were best buddies. What was he up to? Thoughts ricocheted in my head as I got a coffee from the canteen.
    ‘Hey, Kate,’ Carmichael’s head popped around the corner, ‘you got a thing going with Pete?’
    I glared at him.
    ‘Just asking.’ His pale, freckled face broke into a grin and he ran a hand through his untidy red hair.
    ‘Shelley gave us a project to work on together, is all.’ I shrugged.
    ‘Wow, when is World War Three?’
    ‘We’re adults. We can be civil.’
    He looked at me.
    ‘Well, we can.’
    ‘Sure.’ He twisted his cup in his hands.
    I turned to head back to my desk.
    ‘Kate?’
    ‘Yeah?’
    ‘I was wondering, you free tonight? You want to have a drink after work? A few of us are going to a new wine bar open on George Street. They’ve got a guitarist there.’
    ‘Thanks, but I can’t make it. I’ll probably be working late. Shel wants this thing finished by Monday.’
    ‘Yeah, sure. But it is Friday, you know.’
    ‘As if that matters around here.’ I lifted my eyebrows.
    ‘Right.’ He laughed.
    9:40 am What just happened then, I asked myself? Did Mike Carmichael ask me out? Or was it a group kind of thing? Either way, I didn’t care. He wasn’t my type and I’d made a resolution never to be involved with anyone at work. It made life too complicated. Anyway, I hardly had time for relationships. I wanted Shelley’s job by the time I was thirty. By then she’d have moved on. I knew the work it would take, and this promotion was the first step. No way