had not gone because he had not wanted her to? She frowned. Why should she need to employ such deceit? She and Mark had always been totally honest with one another.
Mark saw Ryan leaving Deborah's office. He had been on his way there himself to apologise for his surliness this morning, but now he abruptly changed his mind.
He had never liked Ryan; he admitted that freely. There was something about the man, about his attitude to life and to other people, that irked him. Ryan, while paying lip-service to the views and opinions of others, nevertheless still managed to betray an arrogance and lack of consideration for any viewpoint but his own which left Mark breathless... and envious?
No, of course not. But he was aware that in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of his peers here at work, according to the ancient code of male approval he would be judged inferior to Ryan.
Ryan was a swaggering, macho buccaneer of a man who, despite the fact that modern conditioning demanded that his male peers disapprove of him for those traits, still, because of those very characteristics, secretly appealed to a part of the male instinct.
And the female? Did Deborah perhaps secretly despise him and wish he were more like Ryan?
Mark frowned. Was it really Deborah's contempt that he feared, or his own? Was it in her eyes that he feared comparison with Ryan, or his?
His thoughts were too uncomfortable to pursue; they opened up a vein of insecurity and weakness within himself from which he instinctively retreated.
As he walked back into his own office he almost bumped into the girl coming out. He frowned as she dimpled a smile at him, wondering who she was. She had a small, curvy figure and the confidence to show it off, amusement lightening her eyes as she saw him studying her.
'Sorry,' he apologised wryly.
'Don't be,' she responded unexpectedly. 'I was enjoying it.'
She had gone before he could make any further retort, the scent of her perfume lingering behind her.
'A computer? And just how the hell are we supposed to afford that?'
Sally gave an exasperated sigh as she heard the anger in Joel's voice, intervening, 'Don't bother your dad with that now, love. We'll talk about it later.'
She waited until Paul had left the kitchen before turning to Joel and asserting, 'There was no need to be like that with him. He was only asking. Have you heard anything yet about the factory?'
'If I had, don't you think I'd have told you?' he responded irritably.
Sally gritted her teeth. She knew how worried he was, but didn't he realise how difficult he was making it for her...for all of them.. .with his moodiness and bad temper? It wasn't their fault that he might be going to lose his job.
Guiltily she looked away from him. She had tried to be sympathetic, but she had her own problems. Sister was pressuring her to work more hours on a regular basis but she was already overstretched, trying to keep things organised at home and working as well. And Joel didn't help.
'Do you have to leave your things all over the place?' she demanded crossly now as she glared at the jacket he had dropped carelessly on the table.
'It wouldn't be there if Paul hadn't stopped me to pester me about his damned computer,' Joel growled back. 'It would be on my back and I'd have been out from under your feet. It's really good to know how much I'm wanted in my own home.'
'Well, it's your own fault,' Sally responded defensively. 'If you weren't so bad-tempered all the time, snapping at the kids for no reason, behaving like..
'like what?' he challenged her. 'Like a man who's about to lose his job and doesn't know where the hell his next wage packet is coming from or if there's going to be one?'
'You don't know yet that you will be made redundant,' Sally protested, 'and besides...'
'Besides what?'
She took a deep breath. She hadn't meant to tell him like this; she knew how he felt about her working even part-time.
'Sister wants me to work full-time... It would mean a lot
Mark saw Ryan leaving Deborah's office. He had been on his way there himself to apologise for his surliness this morning, but now he abruptly changed his mind.
He had never liked Ryan; he admitted that freely. There was something about the man, about his attitude to life and to other people, that irked him. Ryan, while paying lip-service to the views and opinions of others, nevertheless still managed to betray an arrogance and lack of consideration for any viewpoint but his own which left Mark breathless... and envious?
No, of course not. But he was aware that in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of his peers here at work, according to the ancient code of male approval he would be judged inferior to Ryan.
Ryan was a swaggering, macho buccaneer of a man who, despite the fact that modern conditioning demanded that his male peers disapprove of him for those traits, still, because of those very characteristics, secretly appealed to a part of the male instinct.
And the female? Did Deborah perhaps secretly despise him and wish he were more like Ryan?
Mark frowned. Was it really Deborah's contempt that he feared, or his own? Was it in her eyes that he feared comparison with Ryan, or his?
His thoughts were too uncomfortable to pursue; they opened up a vein of insecurity and weakness within himself from which he instinctively retreated.
As he walked back into his own office he almost bumped into the girl coming out. He frowned as she dimpled a smile at him, wondering who she was. She had a small, curvy figure and the confidence to show it off, amusement lightening her eyes as she saw him studying her.
'Sorry,' he apologised wryly.
'Don't be,' she responded unexpectedly. 'I was enjoying it.'
She had gone before he could make any further retort, the scent of her perfume lingering behind her.
'A computer? And just how the hell are we supposed to afford that?'
Sally gave an exasperated sigh as she heard the anger in Joel's voice, intervening, 'Don't bother your dad with that now, love. We'll talk about it later.'
She waited until Paul had left the kitchen before turning to Joel and asserting, 'There was no need to be like that with him. He was only asking. Have you heard anything yet about the factory?'
'If I had, don't you think I'd have told you?' he responded irritably.
Sally gritted her teeth. She knew how worried he was, but didn't he realise how difficult he was making it for her...for all of them.. .with his moodiness and bad temper? It wasn't their fault that he might be going to lose his job.
Guiltily she looked away from him. She had tried to be sympathetic, but she had her own problems. Sister was pressuring her to work more hours on a regular basis but she was already overstretched, trying to keep things organised at home and working as well. And Joel didn't help.
'Do you have to leave your things all over the place?' she demanded crossly now as she glared at the jacket he had dropped carelessly on the table.
'It wouldn't be there if Paul hadn't stopped me to pester me about his damned computer,' Joel growled back. 'It would be on my back and I'd have been out from under your feet. It's really good to know how much I'm wanted in my own home.'
'Well, it's your own fault,' Sally responded defensively. 'If you weren't so bad-tempered all the time, snapping at the kids for no reason, behaving like..
'like what?' he challenged her. 'Like a man who's about to lose his job and doesn't know where the hell his next wage packet is coming from or if there's going to be one?'
'You don't know yet that you will be made redundant,' Sally protested, 'and besides...'
'Besides what?'
She took a deep breath. She hadn't meant to tell him like this; she knew how he felt about her working even part-time.
'Sister wants me to work full-time... It would mean a lot
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