Humbug by Joanna Chambers Page A

“What?”
    “You need to lighten the fuck up. It’s fucking Christmas.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Jesus, the world doesn’t stop just because it’s Christmas. I’m so sick of it. Every year, the season gets longer, and everyone starts winding down earlier. It’s ridiculous.”
    “I’m a nurse, Quin. I know the world doesn’t stop—unlike you, I’ll actually be working on Christmas Day so don’t give me that bullshit.”
    “Fine. Don’t give me yours. You’re off today—I’m not. And thanks to you, I’m going into the office feeling bloody knackered.”
    She looked guilty at that. “I’m sorry, okay? I had this idea that you were finishing that big project you’d been working on. Didn’t you say that yesterday morning?”
    “Well, yes, but just because the project’s complete doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to do,” I exclaimed. “There’s internal reports to be filed and our final bill to be sent out—I need to go through all the time records before I process the invoice. Plus I want to pick up with Phil in London to see if he could use anyone else on his new Singapore project, which should be kicking off this week.”
    I wanted in on that Singapore job. For one thing, I wanted the billable hours. I prided myself on my utilisation rate, which had made me one of the top-performing senior associates in the UK this year. If I could persuade Phil to use me, I’d avoid the inevitable couple of weeks of post-project downtime and keep those figures up—with Christmas coming up, there was a good chance Phil would end up under-resourced. More important than the billable hours, though, was my five-year plan. I planned a lateral move to the London office this year, and Phil’s team was my top target.
    “ What? ” Freddy’s voice distracted me from my thoughts and when I glanced at her it was to find her staring at me as if she thought I’d gone mad. “Why on earth do you want to go straight onto another project? Even you must need a break sometimes, and it’s Christmas , for God’s sake. Let this Phil guy sort out his own project.”
    I sent her a patronising look. “One of the best things about my job is that I get to travel all over the world. And I’ve never been to Singapore.”
    Freddy looked distinctly unimpressed. “Oh come on, it’s not like you’ll get to see Singapore. Even if you get the chance to go over, you’ll just end up sticking your stuff in a hotel room then working twenty-four seven till you drop from exhaustion before hauling your arse back to England.”
    For a moment, I felt deflated—she was probably right after all. But then I reminded myself that visiting Singapore wasn’t the point. It was just what I told people when they wondered why I was offering myself up for more work, and at Christmas too. The truth was, it didn’t matter whether I was put on the team that flew out to the client’s HQ or whether I was stuck at my desk in Manchester as part of the remote office function. I wanted two things out of this: a good timesheet and to impress Phil. That was all that mattered.
    “I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” I said at last. “You might not be ambitious but I want to get somewhere in life.”
    That annoyed her. I could see it in the curl of her lip and the way her gaze suddenly narrowed.
    “Oh yeah? And where is it you want to get to? Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re in danger of disappearing up your own arse.”
    My irritation flared at that. “Yeah, well, by the look of you, you’ve already disappeared up yours,” I shot back spitefully.
    And just like that Freddy burst out laughing. She laughed so hard she fell back against the cushions on the sofa in surrender, tears running from her eyes and painting her cheeks with lines of watery black. Eventually, I laughed too, somewhat reluctantly, infected by her helpless, generous mirth.
    “You’re such a bitch, Quinz,” she gasped after a while, between giggles. “I