Finding Home: A brilliant feel good romance by Lauren Westwood

Author:Lauren Westwood [Westwood, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781784975883
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published: 2016-04-01T06:00:00+00:00

- 20 -

On my way to work on Monday morning, I amuse myself by trying to decide which of the weekend debacles was most humiliating. From the three disastrous viewings, to the Christmas party and its aftermath, it’s impossible to pick a winner. But surely, it’s statistically impossible for everything to go wrong forever.

As I walk into the office and nod to my colleagues, immediately I sense a collective flashback to the shenanigans at the Christmas party. I sit down at my desk and turn on my computer. Claire asks me if I made it home all right after the party. ‘Yes, thanks,’ I say, my cheeks hot with embarrassment. I go about the business of checking my emails. Before I’ve even deleted the day’s spam, Mr Bowen-Knowles’s office door bangs open. He blusters out, without a hint of regret or apology, and gets straight down to business.

‘Amy,’ he says sternly, ‘I’ve just had a Mr Patel on the line. You showed him a property over the weekend?’

Everyone looks at him, then at me. I shudder at the memory of what I’ve tallied as the fourth most humiliating experience of the weekend: getting chased out of a crack house by squatters.

‘That’s right,’ I say.

‘Well, he’s just phoned with an offer. Sounded fairly genuine to me. The financing is already in place and he wants to exchange this week, if possible.’

Although I recall all too well Mr Patel’s enthusiasm with the laser measure, still, I’m stunned.

‘He said you convinced him that it had great potential.’

‘I did?’ I practically choke. ‘I mean… yes, I did.’

Mr Bowen-Knowles’s lip curves up in what might be construed as a smile. Not the wolfish, lecherous grin I’ve seen from him before, but one that is almost genuine. One that, despite his behaviour at the Christmas party, almost smacks of respect. And I realise that for better or for worse, this job is for real, and I can do it. I look around: Claire is smiling; Jonathan is glaring; Patricia is putting on lipstick.

Mr Bowen-Knowles comes over and shakes my hand. Then he heads back into his office. I sit back in my chair, my hand smarting from his firm grip. I may or may not ever get my name on the top of the sales chart. I may have made a complete arse of myself at the Christmas party, but I wasn’t the only one. I may have sent a decent bloke packing without so much as a proper goodnight kiss. I may be living with my parents and causing them perpetual disappointment because I haven’t inherited the Scrabble gene. But none of that matters right now. What’s important is that I’ve made a sale. And that’s something I can be proud of.

*

After the dose of good karma, the morning goes by quickly, and soon it’s time for lunch. Claire invites me out for a sandwich. We sit outside the Assembly Rooms, watching the tourists, and she fills me in on the Christmas party antics that

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