Sue Fortin - United States of Love

‘Okay, no problem.’

Towels put away, Anna sat down at the kitchen table and typed Jamie's website address into the laptop. The company logo appeared, a fancy hand drawn with wavy lines reaching out across an image of the world. She skimmed over the homepage, speed-reading. Relocation packages, various different levels of service – Silver, Gold, Platinum. Specialising in international relocations and assistance.

Anna flicked around the website, jotting down some things she thought she should remember. It might help to impress at tomorrow's interview. Then she clicked on ‘About Us’. There was a picture of Jamie smiling easily at the camera, his fair hair cut short with a slight side parting. Scrolling down, there was a picture of a footballer in a red and white kit standing next to Jamie. She read the caption underneath it. Patrick Ardoin, Arsenal FC . Anna assumed that Jamie had links with football clubs; it would make sense, as there were so many foreign players these days. She vaguely remembered Mark talking about Ardoin, saying what a good defender he was.

As a pro-footballer in his younger days, Mark had always been appreciative of Arsenal's 'rock solid back line'. Unfortunately, Mark's premiership career had only consisted of six first team starts.

Anna felt that familiar pang she always experienced when she thought of the accident that had not only brought about the end of Mark's playing career, but had also caused her to miscarry what would have been their second child. Another little boy. She closed her eyes and tried to shake the thoughts out of her head. She hated thinking about the last few years of their marriage; it was too painful. She turned her attention back to Jamie's website and clicked on ‘Testimonials and Clients’.

‘What you looking at?’ asked Mark, peering over Anna's shoulder.

Anna jumped, unaware that Mark was there. She snapped the lid down on the laptop.

‘Trunky want a bun?’ she teased, well, half-teased.

‘That's a pretty impressive CV,’ said Jamie, putting down the printout of Anna's résumé she had emailed the day before. ‘I was particularly impressed by the fact that you completed your Modern Languages degree through the Open University. That couldn't have been easy with a young child.’

‘No, it wasn't at times,’ acknowledged Anna. ‘But going to a brick uni wasn't an option.’

‘Work with the tour company is definitely over then?’

‘Well, put it like this. My P45 landed on the doormat within twenty-four hours of the meeting. So I think it's pretty safe to say I no longer work for them.’

Jamie leant back in his chair, his fingers steepled. ‘I can't guarantee work day in, day out initially. It quite often depends on whom you're assigned to, where they are located, whether it's a one-off assignment or an ongoing working arrangement. For example, you could be assigned to a family who are relocating from abroad and need lots of things sorting – moving home, schools, bank arrangements and so on – in which case you would be with them for several weeks or even months. On the other hand, it may be a one-off business meeting, or you may be needed to translate or help interview a live-in nanny or gardener. Something like that could be one day or a few days.’

‘It sounds fine. I’ve still got the couple of mornings I do at the tea rooms midweek.’

‘The work here doesn’t always involve translating. Sometimes it’s a bit more like PA work. Are you okay with that too?’

She nodded. ‘Absolutely. It sounds great.’ She genuinely liked the sound of it. She may even be able to give up the two mornings at the tea rooms.

‘Okay, let's give it a go, shall we?’ Jamie sat forward and tapped at the keyboard on his laptop. Then he paused, as if struck by a thought. ‘The PA work I mentioned, you all right working for Tex?’

Anna felt a little flutter in her stomach. Working for Tex? Could she work for him? Then again, could she say no to Jamie? Would that jeopardise her chances of getting this job? She realised Jamie was waiting for an answer.

‘Err… yes, that’s okay by me.’

‘You sure?’

‘Absolutely. He seems nice enough, I’m certain we can work together well.’ She wasn’t sure if Jamie was convinced.

‘I can always assign you to someone else, it’s just that Tex thought someone with local knowledge would be ideal.’

‘What, he asked for me?’

‘Pretty much. I told him I was interviewing you today and that’s when he suggested it.’ Jamie looked evenly at her. ‘I must admit, I have my reservations. You know he can be very charming.’

Anna felt the flutter in her stomach turn into a knot. Jamie was warning her Tex was a charmer. A ladies’ man. She looked directly at Jamie. ‘I’m sure he can be, but don’t worry, I never mix business with pleasure.’

A timely knock at the door brought the conversation to a halt. Yvonne poked her head in the room and smiled when she saw Anna.

‘Hi! How are you?’ she enquired.

‘I'm fine thanks. You?’

‘Great, thanks.’ Waving some papers in her hand, Yvonne looked over at her husband. ‘Thought you might need these. Time sheets, expenses forms, personnel form.’

‘Excellent! What would I do without you? Actually, while you're here perhaps you can go through them with Anna. You're much better at that sort of thing than me.’ Jamie gave Yvonne his best angelic smile and fluttered his eyes at her.

‘Quit with the puppy dog eyes, Dixon,’ joked Yvonne, then coming into the office, beckoned Anna. ‘Come on, you're with the Queen of Forms now. Let's sit over there on the sofa and go through them.’

‘Thank you, darling.’ Jamie grinned at his wife.

Anna dutifully followed Yvonne over to the black cube sofa and began going through the various personnel questions with her.

‘Okay, that's all done,’ announced Yvonne after fifteen minutes. ‘All explained and filled out as necessary.’ She put the form Anna had just completed into a wire tray marked ‘filing’ on Jamie’s desk.

‘Thanks ever so much for this,’ said Anna as she was leaving. Funny how it now seemed to be a double-edged sword. And one she didn’t want to get cut by.

‘So there you have it. I am now going to be working for a relocation company and my first job is in Arundel. How ideal is that?’ Anna said to Mark and Luke as the three of them sat at the table, having finished their evening meal. ‘Thought it was about time I did something different. A new challenge.’ She crossed her fingers under the table at the lie, well, manipulation of the truth.

‘Well done, Mum.’

‘All I've got to do now is finish translating that document,’ said Anna, eyeing the green folder on the bookshelf. ‘I'm not going to put all my eggs in one basket. I'm still going to keep the translating work going.’

‘Perhaps I should do something like this Jamie's doing,’ mused Mark as he broke off a piece of garlic bread. ‘Sounds like he's doing all right. A nice house in Surrey that must be worth a bob or two. Working from home, just organising people. He must be raking it in.’

‘You're doing okay though, aren't you?’ asked Anna. Somewhere in the back of her mind alarm bells were ringing.

‘Oh yeah, everything's fine,’ responded Mark, then changed the subject swiftly. ‘Thought I'd visit my parents tomorrow.’

‘Oh, right,’ said Anna trying to keep up with the turn in conversation. ‘What about Luke?’ Mark looked blankly at her. ‘You were going to take him with you but he's got school tomorrow.’

‘I can have the day off,’ interjected Luke. ‘Well, that's if Dad doesn't mind me going with him.’ Luke looked at his dad expectantly.