Somewhere in Sevenoakes by Sorell Oates

appreciate the hard work, Helen. Don't sleep under the desks though, I don't want the cleaners complaining.”
     
    The girls watched him leave the office.
     
    ”Serious guilt-rush,” said Helen.
     
    ”I know,” agreed Maddy. ”I think work is wearing him down, to be honest. I hope he's okay.”
     
    ”Geoff's fine. He always bounces back. Heart and soul of the office.”
     
    ”Too true. I couldn't imagine this place without him. Hope it was a bad day and nothing more serious.”
     
    ”Should we make more calls,” suggested Helen, trying to focus Maddy on the task at hand.
     
    ”We've rang ninety-nine mobile phones Helen, without success. It's impossible to factor every combination in because of the poor handwriting. Besides which, Geoff's already having a rough time. I don't want him having a heart attack when the next phone bill comes through given we've rung all those mobile numbers. They aren't cheap calls. Maybe we should leave it to fate.”
    CHAPTER 9
     
    ”We're not leaving it to fate,” announced Maddy, as Helen sat opposite her Wednesday morning.
     
    ”Take it James wasn't on the train last night or this morning.”
     
    ”No, he wasn't.”
     
    ”You're looking very angry Maddy.”
     
    ”I am. I've not had a wink of sleep.”
     
    ”Love wasn't meant to be easy.”
     
    ”Helen, seriously, I am grateful for your help but clichés only serve to annoy me.”
     
    ”Sorry,” she apologised, smirking.
     
    There was silence as Helen pretended to work, waiting for Maddy to reveal the latest developments. As she suspected, Maddy's private resolve didn't take long to break.
     
    ”I got up super-early this morning, took a cab to Sevenoaks and I swear I walked those car parks till my feet ached. I looked at every car till an hour after the departure of his normal train and that white Audi never parked in the station. I even scouted the nearby streets, in case he's the free parking type. No car.”
     
    ”When did you get in then?”
     
    ”Five minutes before you. Geoff's in a right mood and on my case about work, which means I'm going to have to chase the entire department to get everything he wants done by the end of today. It's hard enough to keep my focus. This whole James thing is turning out to be Mission Impossible.”
     
    ”What should I do then?,” said Helen attempting to pacify her.
     
    ”Tell everyone I'm not a complete cow when I chase them for up-to-date accounts on all our contracts. Geoff needs them before lunch, I can't start collating and reporting until everyone has emailed them over to me.”
     
    ”What about James?”
     
    ”What about him? I can't force him to love me. I can't force him to like me. It feels futile at the moment. I'm best off locking my heart and throwing away the key.”
     
    ”Who's being melodramatic now? Heart, locks and keys; talk about clichés.”
     
    Helen saw Maddy's eyes well up.
     
    ”I was only trying to be funny.”
     
    Maddy stared at the ceiling. Something was wrong and she couldn't pinpoint exactly what. Her entire life was spiralling in directions she'd never envisaged. She'd spent so much time creating manageable conditions that one variable thrown into the mix had her feeling useless to regain control over her life. Having successfully managed to prevent the tears, she met Helen's concerned face.
     
    ”How can I work on getting James back, when everything is kicking off in the office? This is going to sound weird but I feel like there's something going on that we know nothing about.”
     
    ”They're probably making a new director or getting in a partner.”
     
    ”Yeah, and James is stuck in the hospital with his very sick mother after his car and wallet were stolen,” she said sardonically.
     
    Helen returned to her work, leaving Maddy to her mood. The tension in the office was palpable. Maddy dropped the reports in Geoff's office without saying a word to him. She chewed on a pen, studying the piece of paper