Flora's Lot by Katie Fforde (13 inch ebook reader TXT) 📕

she swept up as much as she could easily. Theplace had to stop looking like there had been an earthquake before anyone elsearrived. She dumped the debris in the bin, then she regarded thepaper, hanging from the ceiling in a way that no onecould possibly avoidseeing - or indeed bumping into. Howevermuch she swept and dusted, that paper would betray her. What a disaster.

Drawingpins? Could she pin it up out of the way? No, theywould never hold in all the crumbling plaster. Then sheremembered seeing a tub of Copydex in a drawer.That would be perfect! She could stick the paper back up,stuff what she'd already pulled down in the bin, andthen wipe and polish away all traces of her abortiveattempts at decorating. Fingers crossed Charles wasn't in too early.

She wasjust standing on the chair, teetering a little as shereached up, holding the glue in one hand, the brush inthe other when the door behind her opened.

‘What theblazes are you doing?' Charles demanded loudly,making Flora jump and dislodge the chair.

He caughther before she fell but before she could thank himhe took a deep breath and started. 'What the bloody helldo you think you're doing? You could have broken something if you'd fallen!'Thinking he was concerned for her, she wasabout to reassure him, but hethundered on. 'The place is covered in rubble! Is that you thinkingyou'd move on from Bargain Hunt and play at ChangingRooms orsomething?'

‘Charles! Calm down! I—'

‘ForGod's sake, Flora. Those computers aren't paid for yet! If anything happens to them, we're stuck, we can't buynew ones.'

‘I was just trying to help!'

‘Trying tohelp? Trying to sabotage the whole caboodle more like!Honestly, Flora, I've had enough. The sooner you go backto London and leave us to get on with our work, the better!’

As she'dslithered through Charles's arms on to the floor,Flora had felt guilty. She had been foolish, she could havedamaged the computers with falling dust anddetritus and she had been quite willing to apologise. But not now.

‘Leaveyou to rot in your own failure more like! There are breweries round here that haven't had piss-ups for years because you couldn't organise them! Thisbusiness is going from bad to worsebecause you have less business sense than my cat!'

‘Lessbusiness sense than your cat! Grow up, Flora. You're being infantile.You—'

‘Infantile!'Now Flora was really furious. 'How dare you? From the moment I walked in here, you've behaved appallingly. You took one look at me and decidedI was just young and silly and pointless.'

‘Well, if the cap fits—'

‘And youwere determined not to listen to a word I said.You're so stuck in your ways that you can't even imaginethat a fresh pair of eyes can see something you can't.Yes, I'm younger than you, but I'm not a child! And I do have something to contribute.'

‘Don'tbe ridiculous. You're playing at country life and country living. You're just a spoilt little princess used to getting her own way and as soon as youget bored you'll run off back to London.’

Spoiltlittle princess? Flora couldn't believe it. 'What on earthmakes you think you know me so well? You knownothing about me – because you and your bloody fiancéecan't think further than getting rid of me. But you'redestroying Stanza and Stanza in the process!'

‘You have absolutely noright to say that!'

‘Oh yes Ihave, because in case you've forgotten, I'm the senior partner here!’

A look ofshock passed across Charles's face and Flora herselffelt rather shocked that she'd been so blunt. She hadn't meantto say that. 'You're nothing of the kind!' he shouted.'You just happen to own more than me owing to the blundering of a poor oldman who must have been suffering from senile dementia when heleft anything toyou, let alone half a business!'

‘Hehad not got senile dementia, he was perfectly lucid and perhaps he left it to me because he knew whata crap job you were making of it!'

‘Idoubt that! I expect he was just seduced by your big brown eyes and pretty ways. He was just manipulated by you, same as every other sucker you getyour claws into!'

‘What the hell are you talking about?'

‘You know perfectly well what I'm talkingabout. Don't try and play the innocent withme, because unlike most of the people round here, I'm not fooled!'

‘Andnor am I! Just because you're your father's son, the women round here seem to think you're God Almighty. Well, not me! I know what a hopelessbusinessman you are.’

Theyconfronted each other, both breathing hard. Flora felt alittle dizzy, possibly because she'd used up so much breathshouting at Charles. Charles was flushed; his usuallyordered hair was falling over his forehead.

‘I may notbe Richard Branson but at least I never pulled the building down about ourears! Now could you try and get this lot cleared up beforeAnnabelle gets here.'And he stormed past her out of the door.

Flora shookher head to clear it. Anger lent her wings and veryquickly she got the office looking more or less as it hadbeen. She turned on both computers and, much to herrelief, they both worked. But once the adrenaline faded, shefelt exhausted and horribly near tears. She went intothe Ladies', to wash, and then slipped out to the shop tobuy a bar of chocolate. There was something inchocolate that made it good for you, she told herself.

She metCharles in the passage. He looked down at her, asfrosty and far away as Everest. 'I apologise if I said anything inappropriate,' he saidformally.

If? 'Iaccept your apology, if that is what it is,' she replied,thinking that 'I apologise' is what you say if you're not remotely sorry. 'I probablysaid things I shouldn't have, too.’

Henodded, and then stalked out of the back entrance to the car.Flora suddenly longed to go home to bed.

Chapter Ten

 Flora spentmost of the rest of the day in a mild state of shock,with her files, where she could do no damage. She left promptly, while Charles wasout, and said goodbye to people briefly.She was fairly sure she'd hidden thefact that anything was wrong, but when she got home, she saw that there was still quite a lot of plaster in her