F Is for Fiona

We left the lift, Gavin waiting as he should to allow a woman to go first, and walked up to Kate's desk in the foyer to the office suite. She looked up and raised an eyebrow as if to say 'OK? How did it go?'

I smiled positively, I didn't need to say more. She followed me into my office. Gavin waited outside while I got the basics sorted.
"The walk round. Ten o'clock? Which departments, Fiona?"

I always went down onto the shop floor mid-morning, showing my face and checking up. With six big sectors in the store I couldn't usually do them all in one go, so I usually picked two, almost at random, and went round checking over the displays and the stock and the staff and so on, I could cover two sectors well in 45 minutes.

"I'll do the lot today, Kate. Skip through quickly this time. I need to show my face, to let people at least begin to get used to my new situation."

"Good idea. You've a bank meeting at 11.30, Jeff Green rang to confirm. To do new signatures and so on. And Ms Harrison called. She's had to reschedule, she says she's very sorry but her husband has some sort of commitment tomorrow so she's hoping to do lunch here today. She want a quick response, shall I get her mobile? She's in the Redditch branch now but can get here for 1 if that's OK?"

I thought quickly. I didn't really want to make a decision on meeting someone from head office again so quickly but I just said yes - think about any problems later. I didn't think Emma would be a problem - eventually after talking things through on her previous visit she had seemed rather positive. I could just give her lunch in the café, of course. Probably the best idea. When I mentioned this to Kate she agreed and said she'd sort the details a little later, after she'd called to confirm the visit. I could just do the other five departments on the tour, them fit in the café at lunch.

I opened my office door to go in, to start on the post and so on - and I had to stop. I looked over towards my desk, in surprise. Once, on Valentine's Day a few years back the Bakery people had sent me a bunch of flowers. But this time - there were loads, five or six large bouquets on the desk and on the chair beside it. I looked across at Kate.