Getting him Back by Anna Pescardot

Chapter
One
Honeymoon
blues
     
    I should
have been in Saint Lucia, lying on the beach while my new husband
rubbed suntan lotion on my back. Instead, I was at my desk typing
up a report for the boss from hell. She’d given it back to me twice
already and I knew she’d go mad if I got it wrong for a third time,
but my mind wasn’t on the job. All I could think about was Mark- my
first real love - my childhood sweetheart. I looked at the words on
the screen. They seemed to merge into a blur as I tried to stop
myself from crying again. Doreen, who sits next to me, gave me a
sympathetic look. ‘Are you all right, love?’ she asked.
    ‘ I’m just
fed up.’ I hammered the keys on the keyboard, trying to release the
pent up anger inside me. Once the last sentence was complete, I
gave it a quick proofread before taking it to Mia’s office. Mia
looked up from her laptop. ‘I hope it’s going to be perfect this
time.’ She took the papers from me and scrunched up her eyes as she
read, her concentration etching a small line between her eyebrows.
She sighed and tutted. ‘This is not good enough - again. You know,
Terri, if this is the best you’re capable of then I am seriously
going to have to look for a new PA.’ I felt like telling her to do
just that but I needed the money and right now, my job was all I
had going for me, even though it was utterly boring and full of
stress.
    ‘I’m sorry,
Mia. You know I’ve had personal problems.’
    ‘ You
can’t bring personal problems into the workplace. I’ve told you
that before. It’s completely unprofessional. For your information,
I happen to have personal problems of my own – not that you’d know
unless I told you. I keep my problems to myself and I refuse to let
it affect my work.’
    I found
it so hard to remain calm. ‘I’m trying my best. Just let me know how I can improve the
report and I’ll do it.’
    She
rolled her eyes. ‘That’s what you said last time. I’ve added the
amendments. Maybe you should get Doreen to check it before you
bring it to me. I need it done before close of play today so I
suggest you get back to it.’ She threw the papers towards me and
turned her eyes towards her laptop. ‘And close the door behind
you.’
    I went back to
my desk and was pleased to find a nice hot mug of tea and a scone,
which Doreen had bought from the cake trolley. Doreen was great.
She was like a second mum. ‘Thanks, Dor. This is just what I need.’
I bit into the scone and savoured its sweet, sickly taste. It
masked the bitterness I was feeling.
    ‘ Did she
give you a hard time?’ Doreen asked, nodding at my
report.
    ‘What do you
think? She’s such a cow. I’m sure she does it on purpose.’
    ‘ I don’t
envy you, love. I’m just happy I have Steve. He never makes a
fuss.’
    ‘ Yeah,
but you’re good at your
job though. I’m rubbish. I don’t know how I got this job in the
first place!’
    ‘You must have
done something right.’
    ‘Either that or
nobody else would work for her!’
    ‘You’ve got a
point there!’ Doreen laughed and nibbled her scone.
    Mia
Cowell was head of the marketing department and she made everyone’s lives a
misery. She had the right name: Mia, because all she thought about
was herself – me, me, me and Cowell, because firstly, she was a
total cow and secondly she was as sarcastic and judgemental as
Simon Cowell, only not as funny and likeable. And to top it all she
was annoyingly pretty. She was as tall and slim as a catwalk model
with long dark brown hair and sharp green eyes, which slanted
upwards like a black panther’s. She drove a black car too, a black
sports car. I refused to believe that she had personal problems. I
bet the only problem she had was whether she’d get her hands on the
latest designer bag before anyone else did.
    After
Doreen had given her seal of approval, I took the report into Mia’s
office. I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions if she threw it at
me again. Her face remained