we’d been able to pass a collecting plate around at that exact minute, I suspect we’d have got enough to have funded the Centre for the next ten years.
Somewhere at the back, the solitary sound of a hand clap began. The sound grew and spread until it seemed that almost the whole room was applauding. Katie turned to me, her eyes shining, and taking my hand gave it a squeeze.
“I think we did OK.” She said.
“You were brilliant,” I replied.
The hesitant silence that followed was broken by the arrival of a delighted looking Ian Jacobs.
“Excellent, Jack,” he began. “You really managed to touch them, and with this audience that’s some achievement. And as for you Katie, all I can say is if you ever get tired of counselling, there will be no shortage of people wanting to take you onto their sales team.”
With that he swept off to say farewell to a group who were collecting their coats and preparing to leave. Katie looked at me, as if she was waiting for me to speak.
“I might get off home as well, if you’re sure that George can take you home,” I said.
We both glanced over to where George was standing, surrounded by a small group of people, talking animatedly with his diary open in his hands.
Katie smiled, “It looks like it may be a while before he’s ready, but yes I’ll be fine. You go.”
I had a sense of incompleteness, but could think of nothing else to say. “Goodnight then,” I managed.
Suddenly Katie’s head bobbed forwards and she kissed me on the cheek.
“Thanks for making it such a lovely evening, Jack.”
The walk home was bitterly cold, but I swear that the place where she kissed me was still tingling when I went to bed.
Chapter Eleven
As soon as I got into bed I realised that there wasn’t much chance of sleeping. Partly it was the adrenaline rush from the speeches but mostly it was because my head was buzzing with thoughts of Katie. It was perhaps the first time I realised fully just how much I had come to depend upon Jennifer to talk things through with. I was really going to miss her advice, and the way she would challenge my thoughts. By morning I hadn’t slept, but I had made two decisions.
The first was that Katie and I would go on as before, as work colleagues and nothing else. I was probably only imagining that there was any interest on her side anyway. Besides which, I had realised when Liz left that I was clearly incapable of maintaining any sort of deep relationship, and resolved that it was better for everyone if I settled into a relatively solitary state. Now, when I was feeling more fragile than I cared to admit, even to myself, was hardly the best time to change that position.
The second decision was rather less painful. I decided that it was time I went to see “Jane” again and perhaps I could take a Christmas present for “Susan”. Accordingly, I gave her a ring from work and arranged to see them on the following afternoon.
George arrived in the office just before midday, and was clearly still buzzing from the night before.
“What a success!” he enthused. “By the time I left last night, I already had five appointments arranged, and about a dozen others gave me their number so I could call to arrange a meeting. You and Katie were magnificent – I’ll have to use you both more often.”
“If all these meetings go well, you won’t need to.” I replied. “Just try and make sure you put aside some money so that we can have this place redecorated.”
George looked slightly sheepish. “It’s funny you should mention that.”
I had a feeling I was going to regret this, which was confirmed as he continued.
“Ian Jacobs was so thrilled with how it went last night, that he’s offered to buy all the materials we need to redecorate. He’s picking me up later on to go and choose paints and so on. The only drawback is that we’ll have to do the actual decorating ourselves.”
“And when did you have in mind?”
“Well, I thought it might
Somewhere at the back, the solitary sound of a hand clap began. The sound grew and spread until it seemed that almost the whole room was applauding. Katie turned to me, her eyes shining, and taking my hand gave it a squeeze.
“I think we did OK.” She said.
“You were brilliant,” I replied.
The hesitant silence that followed was broken by the arrival of a delighted looking Ian Jacobs.
“Excellent, Jack,” he began. “You really managed to touch them, and with this audience that’s some achievement. And as for you Katie, all I can say is if you ever get tired of counselling, there will be no shortage of people wanting to take you onto their sales team.”
With that he swept off to say farewell to a group who were collecting their coats and preparing to leave. Katie looked at me, as if she was waiting for me to speak.
“I might get off home as well, if you’re sure that George can take you home,” I said.
We both glanced over to where George was standing, surrounded by a small group of people, talking animatedly with his diary open in his hands.
Katie smiled, “It looks like it may be a while before he’s ready, but yes I’ll be fine. You go.”
I had a sense of incompleteness, but could think of nothing else to say. “Goodnight then,” I managed.
Suddenly Katie’s head bobbed forwards and she kissed me on the cheek.
“Thanks for making it such a lovely evening, Jack.”
The walk home was bitterly cold, but I swear that the place where she kissed me was still tingling when I went to bed.
Chapter Eleven
As soon as I got into bed I realised that there wasn’t much chance of sleeping. Partly it was the adrenaline rush from the speeches but mostly it was because my head was buzzing with thoughts of Katie. It was perhaps the first time I realised fully just how much I had come to depend upon Jennifer to talk things through with. I was really going to miss her advice, and the way she would challenge my thoughts. By morning I hadn’t slept, but I had made two decisions.
The first was that Katie and I would go on as before, as work colleagues and nothing else. I was probably only imagining that there was any interest on her side anyway. Besides which, I had realised when Liz left that I was clearly incapable of maintaining any sort of deep relationship, and resolved that it was better for everyone if I settled into a relatively solitary state. Now, when I was feeling more fragile than I cared to admit, even to myself, was hardly the best time to change that position.
The second decision was rather less painful. I decided that it was time I went to see “Jane” again and perhaps I could take a Christmas present for “Susan”. Accordingly, I gave her a ring from work and arranged to see them on the following afternoon.
George arrived in the office just before midday, and was clearly still buzzing from the night before.
“What a success!” he enthused. “By the time I left last night, I already had five appointments arranged, and about a dozen others gave me their number so I could call to arrange a meeting. You and Katie were magnificent – I’ll have to use you both more often.”
“If all these meetings go well, you won’t need to.” I replied. “Just try and make sure you put aside some money so that we can have this place redecorated.”
George looked slightly sheepish. “It’s funny you should mention that.”
I had a feeling I was going to regret this, which was confirmed as he continued.
“Ian Jacobs was so thrilled with how it went last night, that he’s offered to buy all the materials we need to redecorate. He’s picking me up later on to go and choose paints and so on. The only drawback is that we’ll have to do the actual decorating ourselves.”
“And when did you have in mind?”
“Well, I thought it might
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