Girl on the Run (7 page)

‘
Yes?’ He sounded slightly annoyed. He listened for a moment. ‘That's Ok. Don't worry about it.’

He listened some more. His face softened.
‘You too. Listen, I've got to go. I've got someone visiting.’

He shot a quick glance at Jane.
‘Yes.’

There was some babble
on the other end. He rolled his eyes. ‘I'll email you tomorrow. Bye.’ He hung up, smiling. ‘My sister,’ he said, by way of explanation.

Jane glanced at her watch. It was eleven-thirty and she had to be at work tomorrow. She hesitated, not wanting to bring the evening to an end.

Marsh noticed her checking her watch. ‘I guess we should think about getting you home.’

‘
I still have my Oyster card. It was in my pocket.’

‘
Oh no, I can't let you take the tube at this time of night. Especially after all that's happened to you this evening.’ He reached for the phone. ‘I'll call you a taxi.’

Jane opened her mouth to protest. Apart from anything else, she had no money on her.

‘I'll pay,’ he said, as though he'd read her mind. ‘I insist.’

Once Marsh had ordered the taxi, he opened one of the curtains.
‘Do you mind if I turn some of the lights out, so that we can see the taxi when it turns up?’

When she shrugged, he turned the dining area lights off and they stood side by side, watching the road below. They chatted about work and London, but Jane could barely concentrate on what she was saying. She was hyper aware of him standing next to her.

He felt so big and warm and safe. She wanted nothing more than to close the small gap between them. His chest was so close she would only have to move a tiny bit to rest her head against it and hear his heart. Just when the temptation was getting unbearable, a taxi turned into the road.

‘
There it is,’ said Marsh, his voice sounding strained. ‘We'd best get out there before he beeps and wakes Mrs Watkins on the ground floor.’

As he helped her into her coat, Jane said,
‘I never got to say thank you.’

‘
I didn't do much.’

‘
No, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along. And dinner … was lovely too.’ She raised up on her tiptoes and, with her heart hammering in her ears, she kissed him on the cheek, just next to the dimple.

Marsh froze.

For a moment they stood there, their faces millimetres from each other. Jane forgot to breathe. The world seemed to stop still. Suddenly there was a beep from outside.

Marsh looked into her eyes. He placed a light kiss on her cheek.
‘No funny business,’ he whispered, his breath warm on her skin. ‘I promised.’

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

What happened? What happened? What happened?? I hope I didn't interrupt when I phoned last night.

##

From: Marshall
, To: Stevie

No, you didn't interrupt anything. We were just talking.
What happened? Well, it's a long story
.
　I was leaving the office to run home and I saw someone being hassled.So naturally, I ran to see if I could help. There was a woman being mugged by two men. I shouted and ran towards them. They ran away
.
　It turned out the woman was Jane. God knows why she decided to use the shortcut at night. You'd think she'd know better. She's from Manchester
!
　Anyhow, she was all shaken up. I offered to take her home, but she didn't want to go there. So, I took her to the flat, gave her a cup of tea and some pasta. We were just chatting about stuff and you rang
.
　That's all
.
　Marsh.

##

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

What do you mean 'that's all'? Didn't you snog her?

##

From: Marshall
, To: Stevie

No
,I didn't snog her. I wanted to. But I didn't. It didn't seem right to take advantage when she was all shaken up. That would make me a total shark, wouldn't it
?
　Besides, when I invited her back to the flat, I promised no funny business
.
　M.

##

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

What did you do that for
, you idiot
?
　God, no wonder none of your relationships last more than a month, apart from Dominique the bitch. It's this gallant crap you insist on pulling.

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

And there was me thinking it was because I lived with my little sister. Silly me.

##

From: Stevie
, To: Marshall

Ok
, even if that was the problem, you have no excuse for the last year when I've been away at uni?

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

Apart from the whole Dominique thing?
If we exclude that, I have no excuse. I hang my head with shame.

##

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

Wait a minute.
A self-deprecating joke?? You like her! You really,REALLY like this girl
!
　Which means you are a super big GIANT idiot for not kissing her. What am I going to do with you
?
　I hope you're at least going to ask her out today. So that you can snog her without feeling like you're taking advantage.

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

I'd like to ask her out, but you know how badly things can go wrong when I date people from work
.
　We work in the same team, which means we wouldn't be able to avoid each other. At least with Dominique, she was at the other end of the office
.
　Also, I'm trying to make partner, remember. I've already had one warning about office relationships – cue Dominique again. I can't risk another
.
　Besides, Jane's just come out of a bad relationship. I think she still feels a bit fragile about it. It's probably not a great idea for me to land her with another one.

##

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

Fine. Fine. Whatever
.
　But you DO like her, don't you?

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

She's pretty. She's clever
.She's nice. She's interesting. And I feel totally at ease when I'm talking to her
.
　So yes, I like her. But she's still a work colleague, so I can't ask her out
.
　Sorry to disappoint you
.
　Marsh – boring old fart
.
　PS: Of course, all this makes it very distracting to work with her.

##

From: Stevie, To: James, Cc: Louise Edward
s



Ji
m,
　I think Marsh likes this Jane girl. But he's refusing to ask her out because they work together. Can you talk some sense into him
?
　I'm CC 'ing Lou in case she has any good ideas about it. Stevie.

##

From: Stevie, To: James

One other question Jim. What's Jane's last name
?
　Stevie.

* * *

Jane yawned and switched her computer on. It had been a long night and she was still shattered. It had taken a lot of effort to drag herself into work on time.

Ruth's head appeared above the partition.
‘Late night?’

‘
Eventful. I had my purse nicked.’

‘
Oh my god, are you Ok?’

Jane decided not to tell the whole story about her and Marsh.
‘Yes, I'm Ok. Just a bit pissed off. I had to buy a new phone and a new handbag to put it in on the way into work. It's a real pain.’

‘
If you need to borrow a bit of money to tide you over …’ she said.

‘
That's really kind of you,’ said Jane. ‘But I think I'll be Ok.’

‘
Well, the offer's there.’ Ruth sat back down.

‘
Thanks.’ Jane opened up her email.

* * *

From: Polly, To: Jane

We heard you sneaking in during the small hours last night. So? What happened? I want details
.
　Pol.

##

From: Jane, To: Polly

Nothing much happened. I told you he rescued me from the muggers. After that, we went to his flat
.
　He made me tea and got me to phone the police. Then he cooked me dinner. He made pasta sauce from scratch, Pol. He just got the ingredients out and cooked. No fuss. And it was delicious. I didn't know men could cook like that. Ash's idea of cooking me dinner was to make me a tuna sandwich
!
　Marsh was a total gent the whole time. We talked
.
　He's so NICE. And so grown up – especially after Ashby and his mates! Apparently, Marsh's parents died when he was twenty-one and his sister was thirteen. So he's had to look after his sister all that time. She's at uninow. She lives in the flat with him during the holidays
.
　I found out he was single, by the way. He's had a disastrous relationship fairly recently and has been single ever since :-)? Jane.

##

From: Polly, To: Jan
e



So, did you pull? Are you going to see each other again?

##

F
rom: Jane
,
　To: Polly

No, didn't pull. I thought for a moment that he was going to kiss me
… but then he didn't – well, he kissed me on the cheek, but I don't think that really counts. He did promise that he wouldn't try anything when he first invited me to his flat. I guess he was keeping his word. Of course, now all I can think about iswhat it would have been like if he DID actually kiss me
.
　I have a huge pile of work to do, but I can't concentrate. Aaargh!

##

From: Polly, To: Jane

Hang on
, hang on. He's good-looking, he's charming, he can cook, he's single. He lives with his sister. AND HE DIDN'T MAKE A MOVE ON YOU. Are you sure he's not gay?

##

From: Jane, To: Polly

NO. At least, I'm pretty sure he's not. His last relationship was with a woman in the office
…
　And he isn't camp.

##

From: Polly, To: Jane

Not all gay men are camp, you know
.
　There's one sure way to tell. Does he fold his clothes up neatly, or just throw them on the floor? Pol.

##

From: Jane, To: Polly

If I knew the answer to that, we wouldn't be having this conversation
.
　I have a plan. I'm going to ask him out for dinner. To say thank you.

From: Marshall, To: James

Help
!
　My life has suddenly gone wrong. In order of increasing importance
:
　1. I have four working days before I have to give Susan my opposition draft. I've been wracking my brains to come up with some decent arguments. I have a few, but no really good prior art document to hang it on. The ones I have are, at most, tenuous. 2. I have three patent drafts due in by next week. I'm going to have to phone at least one client and ask for a time extension. I hate doing that. It looks really unprofessional
.
　3. Stevie's dating some prat who keeps borrowing money off her. When I try to tell her so, she gets annoyed with me. I thought she would have grownout of the whole 'you're not Dad' thing by now
.
　4. Last, but not least, I really like Jane and I can't ask her out because she's a work colleague. I know Keith is already trying to put the oar in with the partners. I can't give him more ammunition. I'd like to keep away from Jane, but it's a bit difficult when I work with her every day. She's so damn lovely, I can't concentrate on my work. Just shoot me
.
　Marsh.

##

From: James, To: Marshall

Sounds like a mess all right
.
　Can't help you with the time management issues. I'm sure you'll cope with your usual style
.
　I'll see if Lou has any ideas on how to help with the Stevie situation. Perhaps a quiet woman to girl chat
.
　Regarding Jane … How MUCH do you like her
?
　Jim.

##

From: Marshall, To: James

I like her a LOT! It was all I could do not to kiss her last night
.
　And in a weird way when I'm with her – outside of work, I mean – I feel like everything is just … right. Which is odd, since I haven’t known her very long. Marsh.

##

From: James, To: Marshall

Sounds like you
’ve got it bad
.
　So, ignoring it and getting on with life isn’t an option then
?
　Assuming the answer is no, why not wait until after the partner’s meeting. Then ask her out. You’d have to keep things discreet, obviously. Set a few ground rules etc. But there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work that way
.
　Jim.

##

From: Marshall, To: James

That's a good idea. Why didn't I think of that??

##

From: James
, To: Marshall

Because this love stuff is turning your brain to cheese
.
　I was like that when I first met Lou. Luckily, I was a student back then and didn't need to do much thinking
.
　Jim.

##

From: James, To: Marshall

>>
It was all I could do not to kiss her last night
.
　Hang on, what happened last night? Why did you fail to kiss her
?
　My secretary tells me that Jane got mugged last night. What's going on exactly
?
　Jim.

##

From: Louise, To: James, Stevie

So, our Marsh has fallen for someone
.
　Hurrah! About time too
.
　From what Jim says, she sounds like a nice girl – not like that bizarre Dominique woman. What did he see in her? Yes, we must persuade him to do something about it
.
　Lou.

##

From: James, To: Louise, Stevie

Dominique was a force to
be reckoned with. Once she set her sights on Marsh, the poor man didn't have a chance
.
　I hate to burst your bubble ladies, but I think Marsh is right about not dating work colleagues. It would be best if he did nothing about it until AFTER the partner's meeting. He has worked very hard for this company and deserves a bit of recognition. It would be a shame to throw it away because of a girl
.
　Jim.

* * *

Jane looked through Marsh's door. He was frowning at a patent and scribbling notes in the margins. She knocked.

He looked up and smiled.
‘Come in. How are you feeling today?’

‘
I'm fine, thanks.’ She went in, but didn't sit down.

‘
What can I do for you?’ He looked back to his work, as though anxious to get back to it.

Jane fidgeted with the sleeve of her blouse.
‘I wanted to thank you for everything yesterday.’

Marsh waved her thanks away.
‘Don't worry about it. It was nothing.’

‘
No, it wasn't nothing. So … can I buy you dinner? To say thank you.’

Marsh appeared taken aback.
‘You don't have to do that.’

‘
I'd like to.’

He appeared to study the paperwork in front of him.
‘Um …’

He was going to refuse, she could tell. She had been wrong about how he felt and she had been so certain.
‘It's no big deal. You don't have to.’ She started to back away.

‘
Oh no.’ He looked up again, his eyes flicking to the doorway behind her. He lowered his voice. ‘It's just not a good idea to mix work and fun …’

Jane could feel that her face was bright red now.
‘Right.’

‘
But,’ he said quickly, ‘as you say, it's just dinner to say thank you, right?’

Jane held her breath.

‘So, that sounds fine. When did you have in mind?’

‘
How about Friday night?’ That way, if things went really badly, they wouldn't see each other until after the weekend.

Marsh pulled his diary towards him and leafed through.
‘Um … the week after would be better for me. How about Wednesday?’

‘
Sure. Next Wednesday then. Great.’

‘
Hang on, I'll just write it in.’ He scribbled in the book. ‘There, you're in the diary now. So it's official.’

‘
Well, I'd better get back to work I guess.’

‘
I'm looking forward to it.’ His dimple flashed.

‘
Me too.’

* * *

From: Marshall, To: James

Jane was just in here. SHE asked ME out! She wants to buy me dinner to say thank you for helping her last night.
I suggested next Wednesday. The partners meet that day, so by Wednesday night the decision will be made
.
　Marsh.

##

From: James, To: Marshall

Well done
.
　I don't know how you do it. I've never been asked out by a woman. Ever
.
　Jim.

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

Ok
, just to let you know. Jane and I are going out to dinner next week. She wanted to buy me a meal to say thank you
.
　Marsh.

##

From: Stevie, To: Marshall

YAY!!! I'm very excited for you. You'd better kiss her this time
!
　You'll have to give me a full report the next day. Ok, maybe not a FULL report. There are some things I don't need to know about my big brother
.
　Lov
e
　Stevie.

* * *

Jane stared at her computer screen and tapped a nail on the edge of the keyboard. The night before, she had been convinced that Marshall liked her, but now she wasn't so sure. His reluctance to accept her invitation had surprised and upset her. No wonder he had been such a gentleman the night before. It was easy to be chivalrous if you're not tempted to go any further.

Thank goodness she hadn't thrown herself at him. That would have been terribly embarrassing. The trouble was, she still fancied him and she would have to sit through dinner, knowing he was just being friendly. She just knew she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about kissing him the whole time. It made her warm just thinking about it.

She placed her hand against her cheek. It was a major disadvantage having such pale skin.

* * *

From: Jane
,
　To: Polly

Well, I asked him out. He didn't seem all that keen. I'm all embarrassed now
.
　Jane

##

From: Polly
,
　To: Jane

Ouch. That doesn't sound good. I bet he's gay.

##

From: Jane
, To: Polly

You're not helping.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. It was Keith. He ignored Ruth and looked at Jane.
‘I heard you got mugged. Are you Ok?’

Jane frowned. It had been less than half an hour since she'd told Ruth. Gossip travel
led really fast in the office.

She didn't want any more attention.
‘It wasn't such a big deal. More of a bag snatching, really.’

Had Marsh been telling everyone about how he rescued her? She hadn't thought he would be the sort, but then she'd been wrong about people before.

She had been wrong about Ashby.

‘
I thought it was more serious than that,’ said Keith. ‘Mind you, Sally does tend to exaggerate.’

Jane forced a little laugh.
‘No. No big deal at all.’ She wondered how Sally knew.

‘
Well, if you need anything, my door is always open.’ He turned to leave. ‘I'll see you later.’

When Keith had left, Ruth popped her head above the partition.
‘I'm sorry. I didn't realise you didn't want people to know. I mentioned it to Val when I gave her my last set of dictation notes. She must have told Sally.’

Jane sighed. Val was Marsh's secretary. Sally was Keith's. If the secretaries were talking about it, then the whole company probably knew by now. The last thing she wanted was people taking an interest in her life again. At least this time they'd be asking her how she was and not talking in hushed whispers when she passed. And there would be no photographers waiting to snap when she was least expecting it.

‘It's Ok,’ she said. ‘It really wasn't anything major. Just a bit of hassle to lose my cards and phone. That's all.’ At least now she knew it wasn't Marsh telling people about what had happened.

Ruth sank back down into her chair, mouthing
‘Sorry’ again.

Jane waved the apology aside. She opened up the file she was working on and got back to work.

* * *

From: Stevie
, To: Marshall

Marsh, I've just
Googled your friend Jane. Turns out there'sanother Jane Porter, from Manchester. That Jane used to go out with Ashby Thornton. Isn't that a weird coincidence
?
　Stevie.

##

From: Marshall, To: Stevie

Oh, I see what you mean. They do look similar.

##

From: Marshall
, To: Stevie

I did a little digging. Comparing Jane’s Linke
dIn profile to the various bits of information from articles about Ashby Thornton’s girlfriend, it would seem they both went to the same university. It seems too much of a coincidence. So, I think they’re the same person, but she seems to have changed her appearance a fair bit. I’m sure she has a good reason for not wanting to be recognised, though. Best to respect her wishes. M.

##

From: Stevie
, To: Marshall

Does it bother you? The girl you fancy is famous!

##

From: Marshall
, To: Stevie

Why should it bother me that she went out with someone rich and famous and talented?
Marsh.

##

From: Stevie, To: James, Louise

Ok
, I Googled Jane. Turns out she's famous. She used to go out with Ashby Thornton. She was all over the magazines when she and Ashby split up. He cheated on her with a girl from
Hollyoaks
. It was a TOTAL scandal. The mags said she'd disappeared. Looks like she reappeared in your office! Wow! Although, I'm worried now. What does a glamorous ex-WAG want with my brother??? Stevie.

##

From: James Edwards, To: Stevie, Louise

Who the hell is Ashby Thornton?

##

From: Louise
, To: James, Stevie

Jim, do try and keep up. Ashby Thornton is a pop singer. He's the latest thing, according to
all the celebrity mags. Stevie, don't worry about it. Just because Jane used to be in the public eye, doesn't mean she's going to hurt Marsh
.
　As for what she sees him – what are you talking about? He's gorgeous, he's successful, he owns his own flat and to top it all off, he's a lovely man. What's not to like? Lou.