Changing Places by Colette Caddle Read Free Book Online Page A

fixed him with a steady gaze. ‘We work as a team here, Ollie. Vinny told you the idea so that it could be progressed. Let’s not waste any more time. Our customer has been
waiting long enough.’
    For the next hour they discussed the charities they could approach and knocked together a shortlist to put before Sue. ‘Right, guys, thanks.’ Jill stood up and gathered her papers.
‘I’ll let you know what the boss says. If she’s happy with it, we’ll take it to the customer tomorrow.’
    ‘Will Vinny be doing the presentation?’ Rebecca asked.
    ‘Not my decision, but of course, I will suggest that.’ Jill nodded at the others and left the room.
    She was back in her office before she let herself breathe again. ‘Bastard, bastard, bastard!’ she groaned as she slipped behind her desk, sat down and kicked off her shoes. She felt
completely crushed by that little slimeball and he hadn’t even been at the meeting. The realization that Vinny’s idea was way better than her own was devastating. For the first time,
Jill began to question her ability. Maybe she wasn’t quite as good as she thought.
    ‘Rubbish!’ she admonished herself, recalling the dozens of excellent campaigns she’d come up with over the years. Maybe she was just tired or needed a break. Or maybe there
were too many distractions in her life. She thought of Andy and how he’d made her late for work this morning. That wouldn’t be happening again, she promised herself. She was going to
have to watch Vinny Gray. She had underestimated him. Now she’d have to praise him lavishly to Sue, insist that he do the presentation to Cauldwell’s and watch her back every minute of
every day from now on.

Chapter 5
    Despite her own worries, Jill did remember to phone Rachel as she’d promised Anna. ‘How are you?’ she asked.
    ‘I’m fine,’ Rachel said, sounding anything but.
    ‘Let’s go for a pint,’ Jill suggested.
    ‘Can’t. Gary’s out.’
    ‘Then I’ll come over.’
    ‘Oh – okay then.’
    Ignoring the lack of enthusiasm in her cousin’s voice, Jill hung up and hotfooted it over to Malahide, stopping at an off-licence on the way. After some hesitation, she bought two bottles
of wine.
    When Rachel opened the door, she raised her eyebrows at the two bottles. ‘It is only Monday, Jill.’
    ‘One is non-alcoholic,’ Jill told her, as Rachel led the way into the living room.
    ‘Ah.’
    ‘Now, where’s the corkscrew?’
    ‘Anna shouldn’t have told you,’ Rachel said when they were seated with glasses in their hands.
    ‘She didn’t have to,’ Jill said gently. ‘I’d already guessed. But why the secrecy?’
    ‘Oh, I don’t know. I just haven’t found the right moment to tell Gary.’
    ‘Don’t you think he’ll be happy about it?’
    ‘Yes, of course. Don’t worry, I’ll tell him. Now, how are things with you?’
    Jill allowed her cousin to dismiss the subject. She knew from experience that Rachel wouldn’t talk until she was ready. ‘I’ve had a pig of a day. I really screwed up.’
She prattled on about Cauldwell’s and Vinny and watched her cousin relax before her eyes. It never ceased to amaze her that Rachel seemed to accept her career without question but resented
Anna’s, visibly bristling when her sister even mentioned her job. But then Rachel had always been a bit in awe of her older sister. Jill sometimes thought that the only reason Rachel had got
married and had Alex was because she wanted to beat her sister to it. She seemed to need to be first at something. Of course, Anna was completely oblivious to this.
    Rachel had abandoned the non-alcoholic wine and gone to make some camomile tea. ‘It calms me down and keeps me from strangling Gary and Alex,’ she joked when she returned.
    ‘Is Gary still working long hours?’ Jill asked, topping up her own glass.
    ‘Yeah, never stops, God love him.’
    ‘You don’t sound very happy about it.’
    ‘Oh, I just get a bit fed up being on my own