A Temp For Christmas

PART ONE: Can cheery Gabriel bring any seasonal joy into the heart of festivities-phobic, workaholic Carole?

Opening chapters of our festive serial

Lawyer Carole Collins looked up to find her PA, Mandy, standing in the doorway. Dressed in a tracksuit, she was sporting a pair of crutches and had a cast on her foot.

Carole closed her eyes. Her overworked brain had simply conjured up a nightmare scene – a vision of how bad things could get in a worst-case scenario – and when she opened her eyes, all would be well. Mandy would be standing there dressed in a business suit, holding her notepad; the model of efficiency and calm that oriented Carole’s day.

She opened her eyes. The tracksuit, the crutches and the cast were all still there. “I can explain…” Mandy said.

“We’ll have to walk and talk,” Carole said as she took a bundle of papers from her desk and stood. “I have five lawyers from the other side on the Simpson matter waiting for me in the meeting room.” She paused. “Can you walk?”

Mandy nodded.

“But I fell. I need an operation. I’m going to be out for five weeks.”

Carole came to a halt.

“Five weeks? The Simpson deal needs to be delivered in January and with Christmas in the way…”

“I’ve already rung the agency – they’re sending over a temp.”

“A temp for Christmas?”

“I know – it’s the last thing you need. I’m sorry but it can’t be helped.”

Three hours later, Carole showed her visitors out and crossed to her office. She paused by Mandy’s desk. Sitting in her chair was a handsome man with a mop of curly hair.

“I’m Gabriel Dunn,” he said, thrusting out his hand. “Pleased to meet you.” “Carole Collins.” She shook his hand. “I’m here to cover for Mandy. I hear she fell over her little boy’s bike. Not even a fair fight. Bike barely had a scratch.” He smiled.

His strong Irish accent was warm and friendly. Carole felt slightly less agitated.

“Can I get you a drink? It was a long meeting. You must be gasping.”

“Thank you, yes. I’ll have a…”

“Latte. Mandy briefed me,” he said.

Carole was typing up her notes from the meeting when Gabriel came in carrying the coffee.

“Thank you,” she said as he put the mug down. “There’ll be a lot to follow up on from this morning, so I’ll email you my notes as soon as I’ve finished them.”

“Yes – of course, ma’am.”

“You can call me Carole.”

“May I ask a quick question, Carole?” “You may.”

“What shall I get for Mandy?”

“Get for her?”

“As a get well present. Fruit, flowers, chocolates maybe?”

Carole frowned. “She’s got five weeks off work at our busiest time of year. I’d say that’s a present in itself, wouldn’t you?”

She returned her gaze to the screen. Then, relenting, she added, “Flowers or chocolates, whatever you think best.”

Carole sipped her latte as the customary Monday morning meeting came to an end. She sensed a sudden nervousness in the room. Gary, one of her deputies, cleared his throat.

“We were wondering what we were doing about Christmas?”

“Doing?” Carole repeated.

“In terms of a Christmas do and… er.…time off over the holiday.”

Carole sighed. As hard as she tried to ignore the twenty-fifth of December, other people kept pushing it into her consciousness. There really ought to be a law against it.

“There”ll be a meal at the usual restaurant. Mandy booked it months ago. Gabriel can circulate the menu and take everyone’s orders.” She gathered her papers and prepared to stand.

“And time off?”

Carole looked up to find them all staring at her.

“The Simpson matter is the biggest thing this team is dealing with at the moment. I hope to negotiate a settlement by January. Every day between now and then is crucial in achieving that goal. Crucial. I will be working on the days between Christmas and New Year and so, therefore, will you.”

She swept out of the room, not wanting to hear the expressions of disappointment or anger that would flow from her announcement. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t been warned. Even without the Simpson matter, working between Christmas and New Year had happened the previous year. They should all be used to it by now.

Carole flicked her donotdisturb sign on, shut her door and closed her blinds. She could already sense the chill wind of animosity blowing towards her. Why did they do it? Why did they make her feel bad? Couldn’t they see she just wanted the whole blasted holiday to disappear in a puff of smoke?

An hour later, an email from Gabriel popped up on her screen with the choices from the Christmas menu. She typed N/A beside her name and went back to work.

Just before lunch, an email arrived in her inbox from Gabriel.

Coffee?

Please.

The latte appeared on her desk a few minutes later.

“Thank you,” she said, not looking up. She sensed him standing there. “Do you need something else?”

“Just a couple of things. I’ll make it quick,” he said.

Carole watched as, ominously in her opinion, he shut the door.

“You’ve put notapplicable beside your name on the Christmas menu.”

“That’s right.”

“Do you have a special dietary need I don’t know about?”

Carole narrowed her eyes trying to

She flicked on her do not disturb sign. She could already sense the chill wind of animosity. Why did they do it?

decide if it was a genuine question or whether he was baiting her.

“I put that because I’m not coming.” He looked genuinely shocked. Mandy hadn’t warned him, then.

“You’re not coming to your own Christmas party?”

“It’s the firm’s party, not mine.”

“Even so. From what I can see, you work harder than anyone else here. You deserve a night off courtesy of the company.”

“I prefer not to go. You may go in my place if you like.”

“That’s very kind of you but I’d prefer it if we were both there.”

“That’s as may be. Anything else?” He shuffled his feet.

“The others have asked me to talk to you about the Christmas break.”

Hereitcomes, she thought, aplea aboutthetimeoffbetweenChristmasand NewYear. She had to admire the chutzpah of her staff. Send in the new guy to take the flak.

“We were wondering how you would feel if a few people took the time off as annual leave…”

“How many is a few?”

He cleared his throat. “The majority, actually, but we could operate with a skeleton staff,” he said quickly.

Carole sat back in her seat with a sigh. “Why are they all so desperate to be at home? Most of them will spend the time slouched on their sofas watching television, eating chocolate and drinking alcohol with their extended family, most of whom they don’t even like.”

“Sounds good to me,” Gabriel said with a grin. “Perhaps you should try it some time,” he added boldly.

She threw him a sharp look.

“And where do you stand in this mutiny, Gabriel? Are you part of the skeleton crew left aboard ship or are you abandoning us too?”

“I wouldn’t call it a mutiny,” he said. “If you’re working, I’ll be working,” he added.

“Don’t you have a sofa and a tub of Celebrations calling to you?”

“My family is in Dublin. If I wasn’t working, I’d be going home for the holidays for sure.”

Exhausted by the thought of days of antipathy, Carole picked up her pen.

“I’ll agree to a skeleton staff – but I don’t want to hear any whining about who gets the time off and who doesn’t. I’ll leave you to organise it.”

Gabriel nodded.

“I’ll see to it. And thank you. I know the team will appreciate it.”

Carole watched from the corner of her eye as Gabriel was practically mobbed in the open-plan office. He had only been with them a handful of days and yet he was already a popular member of the team. It all seemed so effortless for him.

Holly had been like that; the life and soul of any party; her darling twin sister. Carole looked at Holly’s picture on her desk – the two of them together, skiing in Switzerland. Holly looked gorgeous and radiant, her skin glowing from the exercise and fresh air.

Pain knifed through Carole and she angled the photo away, so she didn’t have to look directly at it.

She sipped her coffee as she watched the team shaking Gabriel’s hand and slapping him on the back. They obviously hadn’t expected the new guy to succeed where Mandy had failed, but they were clearly delighted that he had.

Carole was glad. If it really meant that much to them and she could still keep the Simpson deal on track with the skeleton staff, then it was a good outcome for everyone.

She sighed. In the war of attrition that surviving Christmas had become for her, Carole knew some skirmishes were best concluded swiftly. That way she could preserve her energy for the bigger battles to come – like the one looming with her mother and brother, who seemed more determined than ever to get her home for the holidays this year.

She thought about the call from Russell the day before.

“Spending Christmas on your own again this year is simply not on. It’s not healthy, for one thing.”

“I’ll be fine,” she told him.

“Are you depressed? Is that it?”

“I wasn’t before you phoned.”

“Very funny, Sis. I miss her too, but life doesn’t stop because we lose someone.” “I have to go, Russ.”

“I’ll pick you up on Christmas Eve and drop you back on Boxing Day morning. It’s barely twenty-four hours, thirty-six at most, I promise. The kids would love

for you to be there. As for Mum, she’ll be like a dog with two tails to have her family back together again.”

“Not quite together.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’ll think about it.”

It had been a moment of weakness; a ploy to get him off the phone as much as anything else. But Carole knew that it was only a matter of time until her mother followed up on the call and her heart sank at the prospect.

She didn’t have to wait long. It was nearly seven when her mobile rang.

“Hi, Mum.”

“Hello, darling.”

“What can I do for you?”

“What can you do for me? Really, darling, I’m not one of your employees. You’re still at the office, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Mum.”

“You should be at home. You’ve got a lovely flat although goodness knows why, you’re never in it.”

Carole balled her fist and prepared herself for what was to come. The same conversations were taking place up and down the land, and before the accident she had happily participated in the yearly jamboree. Now, everything was different. She caught her breath and waited.

“Hugo and I were wondering what you were doing for Christmas?”

There it was. Carole let out the breath she was holding and released her tightly clenched fist.

“Working.”

“It’s Christmas.”

“I’m aware.”

“Your brother and Sophie are coming with the children. Russell said something about picking you up, so I assumed…”

“You’ll have a houseful, then – you won’t even miss me.”

“But I do, darling. I miss you terribly. You and your sister both.”

“I can’t be there, Mum.”

“Don’t you think it’s painful for all of us? Shutting out your grief is not dealing with it, darling.”

Carole remained silent, just waiting for the kicker. It always came.

“Holly would want you to be here.”

And there it was. Bang, right between her eyes. She knew her mother was in pain, too – that she was using every weapon in her arsenal to get her point across – but still Carole resented it.

“Everyone grieves differently, Mum. Just let me do my thing.” Please!

She heard her mother sigh.

“The invitation is an open one. You can turn up any time you please. It doesn’t matter when. Please tell me you’ll think about it, darling? Even if only for lunch.”

“I’ll think about it,” Carole said. It bought her time if nothing else.

“You should go home now, darling. You work too hard. I love you.”

“Love you too, Mum.”

Carole cut the connection. Would it always be like this? How she wished she could go to sleep on the twenty-fourth of December and wake up on the twentyseventh with the whole blessed carnival over for another year.

A noise from the open-plan office pulled her from her thoughts. It was probably security doing their rounds. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of Gabriel swearing.

Opening her door, Carole was confronted by the sight of an enormous Christmas tree on its side. Gabriel was at the pot end nearest the meeting room, while Joe from security was trying to manoeuvre the rest of the tree through the double doors.

“What on earth are you doing?” Carole asked, before adding, “What is that?”

“It”s a pretty sorry excuse for a Christmas tree just now but it’ll be beautiful in an hour or so,” Gabriel said. “What’s it doing here?”

“Come on, ma’am. where’s your Christmas spirit? I thought a tree would brighten the place up. Bit of tinsel and some lights and it’ll be the best Christmas tree on the fourth floor.”

“It’ll be the only Christmas tree on the fourth floor,” Carole pointed out.

“Even better.” He grinned. “Less competition. Your man here was just helping me get her into position.”

Carole watched as between them the two men levered the tree upright. The top was an inch short of the ceiling.

“You couldn’t get a bigger tree?”

“We could have but it wouldn’t…” Gabriel stopped, realising Carole was not speaking literally. “You’ll love it when it’s decorated. Make you feel all Christmassy.” Dear God!

“Just that Christmas tree smell takes you back to childhood, don’t you think?”

He was right; it did. But for Carole it was not a box she wanted to open because the memories of Holly would be waiting inside. She turned away.

“Why don’t you like Christmas?” “Please make sure you vaccuum up all the needles. And use a step ladder to decorate that… thing and make sure someone is at the foot of the ladder for health and safety.”

“Yes, of course, and yes, I will. Why don’t you like Christmas?” he repeated. “I just don’t.”

“No point asking you to be my person at the foot of the ladder then?” he said with a half-smile.

“None whatsoever,” she replied.

Holly would have loved the tree, Carole thought. Holly would have jumped at the chance of decorating it. She would have taken childish delight in the pretty lights and the baubles. Holly would have been the one to reach up and put the star on the top. Carole felt the top of her nose pinch as loss hit her like a tidal wave.

Gabriel came into her room with a latte and a kindly smile a few minutes later. “Peace offering?” He proffered the mug.

“There’s no need.”

“You looked upset.”

“I’m fine.”

“She said, lying,” Gabriel rejoined with a smile. “If you do ever want to talk, I’m your man. Having four sisters makes me a good listener.”

“Understood.”

“And if the tree’s upsetting you, I can always move it to Accounts.”

“No, leave it. The team will like it.” “You never know – once it’s decorated, the boss might like it too.” He winked.

She raised her eyebrows.

“Don’t push your luck.”

BY ELLIE HOLMES

NEXT WEEK: Will Carole be able to resist Gabriel’s charms. Pick up a copy of My Weekly, on sale December 1.

“No point asking you to be my person at the bottom of the ladder, then?…”