Tell That to My Heart Read online

  Running late as usual, Mim was thankful the coffee shop was conveniently situated on the same row as the Yorkshire Portions’ office on Smiddersgate. She loved the atmosphere, which was always warm and welcoming, and exactly what she needed on a dull, grey Monday – well, any day, actually. Her eyes scoured the tables, skimming over the sea of heads and, though the café was heaving, she easily managed to spot her friends – thanks to Anna’s baby-pink hair – sitting in one of the much-coveted booths. She made her way over to them, squeezing through the tables in a flurry of apologies to the other diners whose shoulders she clipped with her new oversized bucket bag.

  ‘Hi, guys, sorry I’m late.’ She reached her friends and, noting the small fabric bundle of their coats and bags occupying the space beside Anna, slid into the seat beside Aidey where she breathed out a noisy sigh of relief. ‘Crikey me, I thought I was never gonna get here.’

  ‘Hey, no worries, you’re here now,’ Aidey said with a smile that lit up his eyes, making him look impossibly handsome. Mim smiled back, something indiscernible swirling in her stomach.

  ‘That was good timing, drinks should be here any minute. Anyway, what took you so long, I thought you were supposed to be following right behind? Nice coat, by the way, Mimbo.’ Anna watched as Mim undid the buttons of her faux fur jacket.

  ‘Thanks – for the drink and the compliment – you won’t believe it, but I picked it up from the Labrador Rescue charity shop at the top end of Smiddersgate, so though it’s new to me, it’s actually second-hand. I couldn’t believe my luck when I spotted it hanging on the rail for a tenner. And I got this fab bucket bag, too; that was just a fiver.’

  ‘Wow, amazing bargains; you were obviously meant to go into the shop on that very day at that very time. The bag’s cute, it’d be enormous on me, but it’s perfect for you being lovely and tall.’

  ‘I think you could actually fit inside the bag, Anna,’ Aidey said, laughing.

  ‘Hey, you!’ Anna-Lisa flicked his arm with the back of her hand. ‘Anyway – before I was so rudely interrupted – I was going to say I absolutely love the coat, it’s gorgeous, looks really good quality, doesn’t it, Aidey?’

  ‘It’s very nice, Mim,’ he said humouring them good-naturedly. He regularly got dragged into their conversations about hair and makeup or clothes, and they would teasingly ask his opinion.

  ‘Why, thank you, Aidey,’ said Mim. ‘Even though I got it for a steal, it’s actually designer, look.’ She flashed them the label. ‘And it looks like it’s never been worn, either.’

  ‘If that’s the case, you were lucky it hadn’t been snapped up by those people who go to charity shops looking for designer stuff to buy then re-sell on eBay or Depop for a small fortune,’ he said.

  ‘Ooh, check out the man with his finger on the fashion pulse but is sitting looking all innocent over there in the corner.’ Anna-Lisa giggled.

  ‘See, despite what you think, I do listen to what you two talk about.’

  ‘Good to know,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  ‘Actually, it might come to me selling stuff on eBay if I lose my job at Yorkshire Portions, or if I get so fed up I hand my notice in,’ said Mim.

  ‘And I might be joining you.’ Aidey’s smile dropped.

  ‘Well, if you two leave I’m coming with you. I don’t think I could stand being stuck in an office with Honey.’

  ‘Do you think she’s really that bad?’ asked Mim. ‘Or do you think we’re judging her because of what happened to me? I mean, after all, it was Rick who cheated on me; it wasn’t really her fault, if you think about it, just she seemed to get more of the blame heaped onto her while he got off with just looking like a player, which knowing him he’ll have been quite chuffed about. That hardly seems fair, does it? You could almost say it’s sexist.’

  ‘Is she pissed?’ Anna-Lisa looked at Aidey, horrified.

  ‘I reckon she must be.’

  ‘Mim, chick, she’s every bit as bad as him; she pursued him knowing he had a girlfriend. That’s a big no-no in the sisterhood as well you know. Then the little witch went and had the bloody brass neck to rub your nose in it. And I couldn’t give a shit if you think she got more of the blame than that knob-head you went out with; from what I can gather, her big gob had a lot to do with it.’

  ‘In case you were wondering, Anna’s very much on the fence about her.’ Aidey chuckled, earning himself a scowl from Anna-Lisa.

  ‘You know I’m right; tell her, Aidey.’

  ‘Anna is right; you’re too soft, Mim. Don’t let Honey trample all over you again.’

  ‘Hey, I’m only playing devil’s advocate; I just wanted to make sure we weren’t judging her unfairly or making her feel unwelcome at Yorkshire Portions because of it, that’s all.’ She leaned across and put her coat on top of the pile beside Anna.

  Anna-Lisa shook her head in frustration. ‘Mim, you’re not talking sense. Think back to how upset you were when you found out about her and Rick. And think back to the day she arrived last week; how she was with you, and how she’s done all she can to wind everyone up.’ She turned to Aidey. ‘I definitely think Mim’s still pissed from Saturday night.’

  ‘It’s looking more and more that way,’ he said.

  ‘I wish.’ Mim laughed. ‘Trust me, I still think she’s a cow for what she did, and I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her. I just had a sudden thought that she might try to accuse us of bullying her, or excluding her or something, especially after what she said to you this morning.’

  ‘What, because I stood up to her?’ asked Anna-Lisa.

  ‘Actually, Mim might have a point; we’ve seen how Honey twists things,’ said Aidey. ‘I don’t agree with Mim that we’ve misjudged her or anything like that, but I think we should be very wary of her. And don’t forget what your sister said about her experience of working with her, Anna.’

  ‘Agreed, we should definitely be wary of her,’ said Anna.

  ‘Yep, agreed,’ said Mim. ‘And now no more talk of that girl over our precious lunch break or I’ll end up with indigestion.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ said Aidey.

  ‘Ooh, perfect timing, here’s the drinks,’ said Mim.

  ‘Hi, guys, how are you doing today?’ asked the waiter. He set three earthenware mugs down on the table.

  ‘Hiya, Ed, this looks good,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  ‘Now then, Ed, we’re good, thanks, how’re you?’ asked Aidey.

  ‘Chai tea latté, you’ve no idea how ready I am for you,’ said Mim, making everyone laugh.

  ‘I’m good thanks – busy as ever – your food won’t be long. I’ll catch you later.’

  When Ed had gone Anna-Lisa turned to Mim. ‘Anyway, you were going to tell us why you landed here late.’

  ‘Uh, yeah. I’m afraid I’m going to have to bring up “you-know-who’s” name again.’

  ‘S’alright, we’ll make allowances, just this once,’ said Anna.

  Mim smiled. ‘I was late thanks to Honey, quizzing me about Caspar again; honestly, talk about being interrogated. Wanting to know what I knew about him, and how the Pallister-Biggs knew him. Asking again what we talked about in the car on the way to and from work. Why he’s still doing it when the roadworks aren’t so bad this week, if he ever mentioned her, if I thought he fancied her, had I noticed the way he looks right into her eyes when he’s talking to us, as if there’s only her in the room; I honestly thought I was never going to escape. I had to make a quick dash for it when she got a call from Simon to go to his office.’

  ‘Ughh! Rather her than me. I’ve been keeping well out of his way since he came on to me.’ Anna pulled a disgusted face.

  ‘Oh, I think she’d be able to handle him, that one,’ said Aidey. ‘And I think he’ll know it, too, especially if she’s grown up around them, being his aunt and uncle’s goddaughter and everything. He’ll have had plenty of time to see her in action and get the measure of her.’

  ‘True, and vice versa.’ Mim swirled a spoon a
round her drink. ‘Though something tells me she likes the attention from him.’

  ‘Hmm, after what Aidey said about how she looked when she was leaving Simon’s office this morning, I know exactly what you mean,’ said Anna. ‘And I hope you don’t mind, Mim, but I let slip to Aidey about you and the Dark Count.’

  ‘Oh.’ Why had she done that? ‘It’s okay, I know you won’t say anything, will you, Aidey?’

  ‘Of course I won’t, it’s none of my business, but, as one of your oldest friends, I will say I think you should watch him – and that’s not just because of what happened with my job. There’s something about him I’m not sure of, and I got the feeling he was trying to stitch me up the other day.’

  Anna-Lisa snorted. ‘That doesn’t surprise me. And I hate to say it, Mim, but he seems to be sniffing around Clarissa quite a bit; and I don’t think it’s all work-related.’

  ‘I agree,’ said Aidey.

  ‘Look, I know you both mean well, but I honestly think you’ve got him all wrong; he’s just a bit different to us, that’s all.’ Mim chose to ignore the unpalatable fact that her friends shared her misgivings.

  Just then, a waitress arrived with a large tray holding their food, a welcome change of subject.

  ‘Mim, that look on your face is just like Herbert’s when he’s watching us eat.’ Anna-Lisa giggled.

  ‘Looking at what you two have ordered, I’m beginning to understand exactly how he feels.’ She laughed. ‘Everything looks delicious and I’m so hungry I swear I could eat a scabby horse between two mattresses.’

  Aidey cut a slice from his portion of slow-roasted beef cheek and popped it onto Mim’s plate. ‘There you go, don’t say I don’t give you anything.’

  ‘Thanks, Aidey, you’re a babe.’

  ‘So I’m told. Want some, Anna?’

  Anna-Lisa shook her head. ‘No, thanks, I doubt I’ll be able to eat all of this salmon, it’s bigger than me.’

  Mim cut a slice of her herb roasted chicken breast and popped it onto Aidey’s plate. ‘See what a lovely friend I am, I wouldn’t do that for just anyone, you know.’

  ‘Thanks, Mim, you’re a babe, too.’

  ‘Anna?’ Mim nodded to her plate.

  ‘No thanks, chick.’

  ‘That was the right answer.’ Mim giggled taking a forkful of the beef cheek Aidey had given her.

  The friends spent a few moments tucking into their food, enjoying the comfortable silence between them. Mim tapped her foot and nodded along to the R&B playlist as she chomped away, the flavours in the salad dancing on her tongue; sometimes spicy, sometimes earthy and sometimes sweet. She finished her mouthful, pondering for a moment before she stole a herbed roast potato from Aidey’s plate.

  ‘This is seriously good,’ she said. The others nodded enthusiastically.

  ‘Mmm. It’ll save me having to cook something big for dinner tonight. Caleb can see to himself, if he can be bothered to pull himself away from his computer, that is,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  ‘Ah, do I detect a hint of annoyance there, Anna?’ asked Aidey.

  ‘It’s not so much annoyance … well, maybe it is a bit, but you both know he’s always been keen on his computer games, only now it’s become something more like an addiction with him. He’s on that bloody computer the whole time. I’ve even known him get up extra early on a morning to squeeze in a quick go at slaying dragons or whatever it is he does. Honestly, you’d think he was a fifteen-year-old with no responsibilities, not a grown man of twenty-seven the way he goes on.’ Anna-Lisa sighed resignedly. ‘He behaves like he’s single, too, we never do anything together; we don’t even nip out to the Mucky Duck for a quick pint anymore.’

  ‘Oh, Anna, you look sad.’ Mim reached across the table and gave her friend’s hand a squeeze. It wasn’t like Anna-Lisa to let a man get to her like this.

  ‘Yeah, that’s seriously out of order, Anna. You need to have a word with him,’ said Aidey.

  ‘Oh, I’m alright, just a bit brassed off with him, that’s all; it feels like he’s taking me for granted. Anyway, enough about that boring old fart, I’m not going to let him take the edge off us enjoying our food.’

  Their conversation was interrupted by the loud rattle of coffee beans being ground in the machine, filling the air with their delicious aroma.

  ‘How’s your lovely mum, Aidey?’ Mim felt a change of subject would be helpful.

  ‘She’s good thanks. In fact it’s her fiftieth coming up soon, so Hamish and me are keen to get her a really nice gift. We thought a day of pampering over at Kirkbythwaite Hall Hotel followed by dinner and an overnight stay for her and Dad would go down well.’

  ‘Ooh, that sounds lovely and thoughtful; she’ll love that. And I can’t believe Shona’s going to be fifty, she could easily pass for a good ten years’ younger,’ said Mim.

  ‘She so could.’ Anna-Lisa nodded in agreement.

  ‘I’ll tell her you said that, it’ll make her day,’ Aidey said with a smile.

  Mim had a soft spot for Aidey’s mum whom she’d met on a few occasions when she’d popped into the Yorkshire Portions office. She was a bubbly, friendly woman with a trim figure thanks to her dedication to Pilates and running. She sported a short asymmetrical bob with a scattering of subtle, golden highlights. Mim loved how she wore skinny jeans and crisp white shirts with chunky brown brogues; she was fashionable but not in a way that didn’t suit her age. It was fair to say she was the polar opposite of Mim’s mother who favoured anything that was too short and too tight, and if it was too revealing, then even better. Her clothes most certainly didn’t suit her age.

  ‘So you don’t think she’d rather have something to keep, you know, something, like an object, to remind her of her fiftieth?’ Aidey asked.

  ‘No way. She’ll come away with heaps of wonderful memories of her time there and they last forever,’ said Mim.

  ‘Plus the fact it’ll mean a lot to her that you and Hamish put thought into the gift, knowing how much she’d enjoy it. And, to be honest, I think it’s a bit old fashioned to buy presents as keepsakes for milestone birthdays,’ said Anna-Lisa. ‘After all, who wants to clutter up their home with stuff that just reminds you you’re getting older?’

  ‘Oh, right. I didn’t think of it like that,’ said Aidey.

  ‘And, what you could do, rather than just hand her an envelope with the voucher in, is pop over to Kirkbythwaite Hall Hotel and buy a box of the products they use in the spa there, then wrap them up with the envelope.’ Mim felt pleased with herself that she’d come up with this idea.

  ‘Good plan, Mimbo.’ Anna-Lisa nodded.

  ‘Oh, I like the sound of that; we were actually wondering how we could make it look like a nice gift, there’s not a lot you can do with a humble envelope really. And they actually sell the stuff they use, do they?’

  ‘I believe so, and it’s supposed to be absolutely gorgeous, too,’ said Mim.

  ‘Wow, I’m really chuffed I ran it by you two, I’d never have thought of that. I’ll mention it to Mish tonight.’

  ‘Glad we could be of service.’ Mim beamed.

  ‘Anyway, with that sorted, I don’t suppose either of you have any idea what’s going on at work?’ Aidey asked. ‘Surely you can sense the atmosphere as much as I can, it seems to have intensified since last week. I’ve got a horrible feeling some more changes are going to be sprung on us and it isn’t half making me feel uneasy. There was a lot of whispering going on between Catherine and Simon this morning when I walked past her office; I got the impression they weren’t very happy to see me at work so early; like they were wanting to discuss things without anyone else being there. It was very odd.’

  ‘It’s not just you, Aidey, me and Mim can sense it, too. I mean it’s bad enough the way you two have been treated without worrying about other things happening.’

  Mim nodded. ‘And don’t forget what happened with poor old Dennis who suddenly left or was sacked, or who knows what, so Simon could take over the acc
ounts,’ said Mim. ‘And is that legal anyway, to push someone out of their job without any notice? It’s like what they did with Aidey.’

  ‘I don’t suppose the Pallister-Biggs care whether anything’s legal or not; they just seem to do what they like and bugger the consequences; they just bully their way to get what they want. And since when does Simon know anything about accounts?’ asked Anna-Lisa.

  ‘Since he took Dennis’s job apparently. And I honestly don’t know how he’s going to manage that role as well as being the production manager, but I dare say we’ll find out sooner or later. Having said that, Clarissa’s always carried him anyway, so she’ll be the one who has the problem of the extra workload,’ said Aidey.

  ‘Makes you wonder what other nasty surprises Catherine and Kenneth have up their sleeves,’ said Anna-Lisa wryly.

  ‘Ughh! Don’t, say that. There’s so much going on my brain can’t keep up.’ Mim’s shoulders sagged.

  ‘Same here,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  ‘And have either of you noticed the car Simon’s suddenly driving?’ asked Aidey. ‘It’s a flash, top of the range Audi; it’ll have cost a fortune. I’ve no idea how he’d be able to afford that. I mean, I know his aunt and uncle own the magazine, but his wages aren’t going to be that high, are they?’

  ‘Is that the swanky motor that’s parked beside Catherine’s battered old Volvo out the back of the office?’ asked Anna. ‘I thought it must’ve been some cheeky person parking there without permission. Did make me wonder why the old bag wasn’t up in arms about it.’

  ‘Yep, it’s his.’

  ‘It’s the same with Caspar and his fancy wheels, I suppose,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  Ughh! Mim’s heart sank to her boots.

  ‘I wonder how he’s managed to afford it?’ she continued, looking enquiringly at Mim.

  ‘He works for his parents at the weekends sometimes; they have a company apparently, and he helps them out. From what I can gather, they’re quite well-off so maybe they pay him well.’ Her cheeks started to burn and she felt herself squirm under the weight of two sets of eyes boring into her.