Clara Bounces Back by Lacey London

Author:Lacey London [London, Lacey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SSO Publishing
Published: 2017-10-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

After the bizarre meeting with Stelios earlier, it took us a good couple of hours to persuade Janie to take on the mammoth task of being our representative for the next seven days. Today has been both mentally and physically draining and just when I thought it was over, I now face the biggest challenge of all.

Convincing Marc and Oliver that I’ve made the right decision was never going to be easy, but now that the words have tumbled out of my mouth, I’m feeling less confident than ever in my choice.

Looking at the two stunned faces staring back at me, I silently pray that they don’t give me a hard time.

‘Good one!’ Suddenly bursting into laughter, Marc takes off his glasses and bats my arm playfully. ‘You really had me going there!’

Smiling awkwardly, I shake my head and chew the inside of my cheek. This is not how I hoped this conversation would unfold.

‘You’re not joking, are you?’ Oliver whispers, his jaw dropping open in shock.

‘Of course she’s bloody joking!’ Laughing out loud, Marc bends down to stroke Pumpkin as she runs across the balcony. ‘Even Pumpkin wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave the future of the company in the hands of Janie…’ Marc’s words fade into silence as he studies my face closely. ‘Right, Andrews?’

‘Please don’t freak out.’ I say gently, searching for something to add to my story that will make it seem plausible.

‘Clara!’ Oliver cries in despair. ‘Why? Why would you do this?’

Blood rushes to my face and I look down at the ground in embarrassment as Marc pushes himself up and walks away. When Stelios demanded to deal with Janie, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal, but seeing their reaction is making me view things in a whole new light. Have I really just thrown away our last chance at salvaging the business?

Hearing Marc gabble to himself hysterically, I force myself to walk over to him and place my hand on his shoulder.

‘How the hell did you think this was a good idea?’ He seethes, leaning over the balustrade. ‘All you had to do was get the damn contract signed.’

‘He wouldn’t sign the contract.’ I protest mildly, not wanting to argue with him. ‘Stelios demanded seven days to assess the proposal and he also demanded that he deals exclusively with Janie.’

Staring down at the streets below, Marc swears angrily.

‘Don’t think we came to this decision lightly. We didn’t hand it to him on a plate.’ A police car fires past the building and I wait for the sirens to fade into the distance before continuing. ‘You said to do whatever it takes. It was this or he walked.’

Oliver strides across the balcony and joins us by the railing, his expression slightly softer than it was a few moments ago. ‘Letting him walk wasn’t an option, I’m aware of that. It’s just… my mom, really?’

Scratching his spotty arm, Marc refuses to look me in the eye.

‘Stop that.’ I scold. ‘You’re going to scar.

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