life.’
‘But you’re brilliant as my PA,’ Michael argued, still annoyed at being put out.
‘I’m sorry. You’ll just have to find someone else.’
The relaxed atmosphere around the table was completely shattered. Everyone was tense. Lucy could hardly believe Ellie had come to this decision. It was like a rejection of both brothers, and the reason she gave... What direction did she want to take from here? Shutting herself off from two great careers made no sense.
‘Why not try out Lucy as your PA?’ Harry suggested to Michael with an airy wave of his hand. ‘She’s probably as brilliant as her sister.’
Panic instantly welled up in Lucy. No, no, no! screamed through her mind. She wasn’t Ellie. She could never be like Ellie. She begged help from her sister with her eyes.
‘It’s not her kind of thing,’ Ellie said firmly.
Michael was not put off, turning to remark quizzically, ‘You do work in administration, Lucy.’
‘I’m the front person who deals with people, Michael,’ she stated, her stomach in absolute turmoil. ‘I don’t do desk work. I’m good at helping people, understanding what they want, helping them to decide.... There’s quite a bit of that in cemetery administration. And I like it,’ she added for good measure, pleading for him to drop the issue.
He grimaced in frustration.
She reached out and touched his hand, desperate to restore his good humour with her. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t fill Ellie’s place.’
The grimace slowly tilted up into a soothing smile. ‘I shouldn’t have expected it. You are a people person and I like that, Lucy. I wouldn’t want to change it.’
Relief poured through her at having crossed this tricky hurdle without having to spell out why she’d be such a hopeless alternative to her sister.
‘I hope you’ll give me a good reference, Michael,’ Ellie said, drawing attention away from Lucy.
He sighed and turned to her. ‘It will be in the mail tomorrow. I hate losing you, but I wish you well, Elizabeth.’
It was a fairly graceful acceptance of the situation, but Lucy was extremely sensitive to the fact that the congenial atmosphere around the table was not about to resume. Tension emanated from Harry. It was obvious he didn’t like this decision, either.
‘Thank you,’ Ellie said, nodding to Michael.
Case closed.
Except it wasn’t.
Stony glances were being exchanged between the brothers. Frustration simmered from both of them. No one chose to eat any of the petit fours that accompanied coffee. Nothing was going to feel good until Michael and Harry cleared up their differences, which could be done only by leaving them alone together. Apart from resolving that problem, Lucy was also anxious to query Ellie about her reasons for leaving the PA job with Michael.
Had turning thirty hit her hard, triggering this sudden desire for change?
Or did the decision have something to do with foreseeing a bad outcome for the relationship Lucy had entered into with Michael? Ellie might not want to be around him if he let her sister down, and maybe she believed that was going to happen, complete with some horrible emotional fallout. If she was acting on that belief...Lucy inwardly recoiled from the idea. She would hate it if anything she did mucked up her sister’s career.
As soon as Ellie had finished her cappuccino, Lucy pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. ‘I’m off to the ladies’ room. Will you come with me, Ellie?’
‘Of course,’ she said, immediately rising to join her.
The moment they were closeted away, Lucy confronted her, determined to learn the truth. ‘Why are you leaving your great job with Michael? He’s not happy about it.’
Ellie shook her head. ‘It’s not my mission in life to keep Michael happy,’ she said drily.
‘But you always said you loved that job.’
‘I did, but it’s high pressure, Lucy. I didn’t realise how much it demanded of me until I came out here. I don’t want to be
‘But you’re brilliant as my PA,’ Michael argued, still annoyed at being put out.
‘I’m sorry. You’ll just have to find someone else.’
The relaxed atmosphere around the table was completely shattered. Everyone was tense. Lucy could hardly believe Ellie had come to this decision. It was like a rejection of both brothers, and the reason she gave... What direction did she want to take from here? Shutting herself off from two great careers made no sense.
‘Why not try out Lucy as your PA?’ Harry suggested to Michael with an airy wave of his hand. ‘She’s probably as brilliant as her sister.’
Panic instantly welled up in Lucy. No, no, no! screamed through her mind. She wasn’t Ellie. She could never be like Ellie. She begged help from her sister with her eyes.
‘It’s not her kind of thing,’ Ellie said firmly.
Michael was not put off, turning to remark quizzically, ‘You do work in administration, Lucy.’
‘I’m the front person who deals with people, Michael,’ she stated, her stomach in absolute turmoil. ‘I don’t do desk work. I’m good at helping people, understanding what they want, helping them to decide.... There’s quite a bit of that in cemetery administration. And I like it,’ she added for good measure, pleading for him to drop the issue.
He grimaced in frustration.
She reached out and touched his hand, desperate to restore his good humour with her. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t fill Ellie’s place.’
The grimace slowly tilted up into a soothing smile. ‘I shouldn’t have expected it. You are a people person and I like that, Lucy. I wouldn’t want to change it.’
Relief poured through her at having crossed this tricky hurdle without having to spell out why she’d be such a hopeless alternative to her sister.
‘I hope you’ll give me a good reference, Michael,’ Ellie said, drawing attention away from Lucy.
He sighed and turned to her. ‘It will be in the mail tomorrow. I hate losing you, but I wish you well, Elizabeth.’
It was a fairly graceful acceptance of the situation, but Lucy was extremely sensitive to the fact that the congenial atmosphere around the table was not about to resume. Tension emanated from Harry. It was obvious he didn’t like this decision, either.
‘Thank you,’ Ellie said, nodding to Michael.
Case closed.
Except it wasn’t.
Stony glances were being exchanged between the brothers. Frustration simmered from both of them. No one chose to eat any of the petit fours that accompanied coffee. Nothing was going to feel good until Michael and Harry cleared up their differences, which could be done only by leaving them alone together. Apart from resolving that problem, Lucy was also anxious to query Ellie about her reasons for leaving the PA job with Michael.
Had turning thirty hit her hard, triggering this sudden desire for change?
Or did the decision have something to do with foreseeing a bad outcome for the relationship Lucy had entered into with Michael? Ellie might not want to be around him if he let her sister down, and maybe she believed that was going to happen, complete with some horrible emotional fallout. If she was acting on that belief...Lucy inwardly recoiled from the idea. She would hate it if anything she did mucked up her sister’s career.
As soon as Ellie had finished her cappuccino, Lucy pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. ‘I’m off to the ladies’ room. Will you come with me, Ellie?’
‘Of course,’ she said, immediately rising to join her.
The moment they were closeted away, Lucy confronted her, determined to learn the truth. ‘Why are you leaving your great job with Michael? He’s not happy about it.’
Ellie shook her head. ‘It’s not my mission in life to keep Michael happy,’ she said drily.
‘But you always said you loved that job.’
‘I did, but it’s high pressure, Lucy. I didn’t realise how much it demanded of me until I came out here. I don’t want to be
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