Chapter 6

SIX

20th December

‘Yes, Ma…No, Ma, I'll have to eat breakfast or I'll faint. I can't not eat, the meal isn't until two…You're scared I'll what? I'll bloat and not be able to get in my tux? I was only going to have a bowl of cornflakes…Put crackers in my pocket? I don't think that's a good idea,' Leo and I listen to Frank's phone call in the office, trying not to eavesdrop or laugh.

Unfortunately, it's been like this for the last week as the wedding day has approached. It's been phone calls telling Frank to come to the house and be part of multiple family dinners, asking him if he has clean socks and handkerchiefs for the wedding, and ensuring he understands the timings of the day. He has to be at the church for ten thirty and no later. TEN THIRTY! his mother texts him in big letters.

Frank hangs up the phone and rests his head on his computer desk.

‘All good, Franco?' Leo asks him.

‘It's just a day,' he says, looking completely broken, trying to muster up the goodwill to get through this. ‘If I can survive tomorrow, I'll be fine,' he says turning to me. ‘Are you sure you want to do this? I am giving you the option to back out now so you won't have to endure my ridiculous family.'

‘I have a dress now. I even did my nails,' I wave my red manicure at him that I treated myself to a few days ago. ‘If I can say anything, it feels like you need some support at this thing. Worry less about me and think about your duties for the day.'

‘What does an usher do exactly?' Frank asks. I am a little worried that he asks this question only now.

‘You give out orders of service, advise people what side of the church to sit on, walk old ladies to pews and charm them,' Leo informs him. ‘I was an usher for one of my sisters.'

‘Yes, Frank. Focus on charming all the old ladies,' I suggest.

‘How does one do that?' he asks, panicked.

‘Compliment them, say you saved this seat especially for them and then wink,' Leo says a little too assuredly.

‘What if they don't look nice?' Frank asks.

‘Then you tell a tiny white lie as it's the decent thing to do,' I inform him.

Frank proceeds to wipe his hands down his jeans. I do worry for that boy, I really do. ‘And like I say, don't worry about me, I'll find you at the church.' Frank nods. At least I'll be one less thing to stress about. ‘I can stuff my handbag full of crackers,' I joke.

‘You heard that?' he says, mildly embarrassed.

‘Mate, I know all the ins and outs of this wedding and I'm not even going,' Leo says.

‘You just don't know my family,' Frank moans. ‘It's very stressful.'

‘Most families are,' Leo sympathises. ‘I love my clan but I like them in small doses too. Here…' he tells him, raising an arm to the air, ‘have some chocolate, take a breather.' He tosses a chocolate Santa over in his direction and Frank catches it perfectly, ripping open the foil and biting into ch ocolate Santa's head like he's done him some great injustice.

The well-placed chocolate in this place is my doing. I'm all about the festive. I insist on at least some form of Christmas attire, whether it's a hat, socks or a jumper and I am lucky that the lads humour me. The only thing everyone has rebelled against is the singing Santa which would activate every time you walked past. Someone was very quick to take the batteries out the day after he made an appearance.

‘URGH, PEOPLE!' a very unseasonal voice trails into the room as Jasper reappears. The boys did a round of rock, paper, scissors to decide who would have to go upstairs and fix the network connection in admin, when really I should have sent Leo. Jasper is unusually grumpy at the moment – so much so that someone called him The Grinch in an email to me. That's mean. That's just his face.

‘Did it not go well then?' I ask him.

‘It's like you go up there and they're complaining about the strength of the Wifi and a dodgy connection, and then you realise it's because Vanessa is trying to download new software that's already in her computer and Shelly is sitting there watching Virgin Falls .' He rants using his hands, his face that strange crimson colour it goes when he's not impressed with life.

‘And I am sure you were very diplomatic about voicing your concerns.'

‘I may have told Shelly to do some work and spoiled the ending of Season One for her. Maybe.'

I guess it could be worse. The last time accounts nearly downloaded a virus that would have taken down the entire system, he started to track all their online activity and shamed a gentleman called Terry who had an online gambling problem. In Jasper's words, he saved that man from himself.

‘Here,' I tell him. ‘It's done now. Last day, have some chocolate…' I throw him a chocolate Santa too. Jasper takes Santa and knocks him against the edge of his desk, shattering him into bite-size pieces, before tucking in. He slumps down in his chair.

I look at the clock. ‘Look, you should go early,' I tell them, spying Frank still hunched over his desk.

‘Really?' Jasper says. ‘To be fair, I could do with the shopping time. I still haven't got anything for my mum.'

‘Price range?' I ask him.

‘Forty to fifty pounds?' he says, puffing his cheeks out.

‘Cashmere,' I tell him confidently. ‘Get into Oxford Street if you can bear it and head to John Lewis. A cashmere scarf is a gift for life.'

I see all the boys bow in reverence as they take in this infinite wisdom.

‘And you…' I say, turning to Frank. ‘Go and chill. Leo, take him for a drink or something?'

‘Oh, we have plans,' Leo tells me. ‘Frank and I are having a date night.'

Frank looks over at me and nods with scant enthusiasm, while Jasper laughs under his breath. ‘Yes, Leo and Ben convinced me to get a proper haircut.'

I clap my hands, a little too excitedly, beaming over at Leo for the intervention. Well done that man.

Leo grins. ‘It's our Christmas gift to him. A haircut, proper shave, tidy up the brows, wax the nostrils.'

‘Something I didn't think I needed but hey,' Frank says, almost insulted. ‘Will it hurt, Leo? I have a very low threshold to pain.'

‘The date? I've been told I'm very gentle,' he jokes and I laugh, maybe louder than I should.

‘Not funny,' Frank says, alarmed.

‘Just think of the pizza at the end,' Leo reminds him, like he's taking a child out for a treat. Frank perks up at the mention of pizza .

‘That's very good of you, Leo,' I tell him, catching his eye. He shrugs off the compliment, but I like how he's looking out for Frank. ‘It sounds like a perfect date night. I hope you put out at the end.'

Frank cackles with laughter and for a moment, I'm glad we've managed to lighten his mood.

‘Right, get out of here, all of you. Half the building have signed out so I am sure I can cope.'

They all look at me. It's the last day in the office, people will have signed out even if they're still in the office. I know this because I went up to client management to quality assess their new monitors, and they were all recording a Christmas TikTok and tucking in to mince pies and mulled wine for lunch.

‘Are you sure?' Leo asks me.

I nod, wanting him to know it really is fine. ‘You guys log off, go get Frank ready for tomorrow and have a good night.'

They smile at me, Jasper a bit too eager to shut down his computer and start packing his bag. I mean, it's three o'clock – it's only a couple of hours grace but it's Christmas, it's the least I can do.

‘Oh, and there are gift bags…' I say rushing to my feet, reaching down below my desk. ‘It's not much. Just some fun things to get you through the holidays.'

‘Did the company sort them?' Leo asks as I hand his over to him.

‘Oh no, this was me. It's silly really.'

He puts his hand in his bag and pulls out a joke book, opening it up at the first page. ‘Why was the computer cold? It left its windows open.' And with that he gives a laugh that's rare for Leo, it comes deep from the belly, and I'm happy to see him express the emotion.

‘They're all IT jokes. And there's socks and chocolates and stuff,' I say nervously as I did spend an extraordinary amount of time curating them.

‘They're brilliant – thank you,' Leo says. ‘I guess I'll see you on Christmas Eve, yeah? You still up for driving together?'

If I know little about tomorrow's wedding, I know much less about my pending adventures with Jasper and Leo. Leo has told me to pack a coat and given me a lot of advice about socks. Jasper on the other hand tells me to bring my best chess game as he's going to slay me. The uncertainty is a worry but also mildly exciting.

‘Yes, please. I'll get to yours early. Do you have a choice of travel sweets?'

‘Starburst.'

‘Done,' I say holding my hand out to close the deal. As he puts his hand into mine, there's a look. I can't quite read it. Maybe I should have offered a variety of sweets? Something more substantial like a sandwich? His fingers clasp around mine and we catch each other's eyes and I can't talk, my face numb from the contact.

‘These bath bombs you've put in, are they coloured? Will they stain the bath?' Frank asks me, forcing Leo and I to part. I see him clawing his way through his bag and pulling out the phone charger cables I put in for each of them. Once a tech girl, always a tech girl.

‘I guess you'll find out after your date tonight,' I joke. ‘Can you both fit in your tub?

‘You are so funny,' Frank says, pulling a face at me.

‘Someone in this office has to be…' I reply.

‘Did you want to join us for pizza?' Leo mumbles. ‘When you've finished here?'

I turn, smiling. ‘Oh no, I don't want to be a third wheel. You go groom our Frank.'

He smiles but the look in his eyes possibly reads disappointment. What I really need to say is unlike Frank, I may bloat if I eat pizza tonight and I only have the one dress option.

‘I might join you for pizza,' Jasper interrupts, putting a hand to Leo's shoulder. ‘We're not going to Pizza Hut though, are we? Can we go to Pizza Pilgrims at least?'

‘Pizza snob,' Leo replies.

‘It's called taste, Leo.'

The banter continues and I watch as Leo zips up his duffel coat and slides a dark green beanie over his head.

‘Maggie, I will see you on Sunday, yes?' Jasper asks me, alluding to my Christmas plans at his family home after the wedding. ‘I will see you at Waterloo, train leaves at 3.03.'

‘Am I waiting under the big clock?' I ask him.

‘God no. Don't be a cliché. I'll meet you by Marks maybe it's a good idea to chill down here, eat some of my Christmas chocolate and watch some Netflix to fill the time. Is it sad that I'm glad the computers will have some time to shut down and rest over the holidays, that I worry about them like they're human? But then I see an incoming message that tells me I have a new email. I go to my inbox to access it. The message is from Jan in HR.

Hi Maggie,

Hope this email finds you well and ready for the festive season.

Before you leave today, would you be able to have a quick meeting upstairs with me? It won't take long. We also have doughnuts.

KR,

Jan