Over the following few days, Gina cleared her inbox, chased invoices, signed up three new properties and had lunch with two potential new clients. She even cleaned the coffee machine, being mildly nauseated at the green mould in the drip tray. When was the last time anybody had cleaned it? It looked like the answer was never. Gina thought Bernie was the most toxic thing in their office, but it turned out she was wrong.
Amy confirmed there had been no more strange transactions from their business account, and Gina had sent Bernie a message telling her to meet on Friday to discuss next steps. Gina wasn’t sure Bernie was going to show, but she’d run it past India when she’d told her she was coming to Birmingham, and India had told her it was the right course of action. Gina couldn’t stand around waiting for Bernie to contact her. She was taking back control.
She peered up at the clock on their office wall. White with large black numbers. She and Bernie had chosen the classic style together, one of their first purchases when they’d opened three years ago. Gina had met Sara not long after, and she’d been a fixture on the office sofa for months afterwards.
Gina racked her brain for memories of those interactions. Had there been a frisson between Sara and Bernie then? Was anything going on when she’d still been with Sara? She made a face. She didn’t want Sara anymore, but she couldn’t think about she and Bernie sharing the same woman at the same time. Bernie had said it had only been going on for a couple of months, but Bernie had lied to her this whole time. How could Gina trust her now? The plain fact was, she couldn’t.
The clock ticked around to midday. At two minutes past, Bernie walked in.
Gina clenched her buttocks. She almost expected Sara to follow. When she didn’t, Gina’s shoulders relaxed. Then she remembered what Bernie had done. She had to keep control in this situation and not fly off the handle. That would get her nowhere. This was about her future, not her past.
“Thanks for inviting me.” Bernie stopped short of Gina’s desk, seemingly not sure where she should stand. Eventually, she moved towards the coffee machine. “You want one?”
Gina shook her head. She sat while the machine whirred.
Bernie brought it over to her desk and walked up to her cheese plant. She touched the soil, then looked up. “You’ve been watering Connie?”
Gina nodded. “She shouldn’t suffer in our divorce.”
Bernie said nothing, just swivelled her chair to face Gina, sucking on her top lip. She looked up, but couldn’t hold Gina’s eye for long.
Gina sighed before she spoke. “You know what, I’ve been thinking about this ever since we last spoke. After I left you the other day, I drove, I burst into tears, I wasn’t sure what the fuck was happening. But now, I’m just tired. Of your lies.” She stood up and walked around her desk, before settling her bum against the edge of it. “It’s not even that you’re seeing Sara. We’ve been broken up a year.” Gina pressed a finger to her chest. “It’s more that you lied to me. That you allowed her to take the company card and spend on it. That you stole money for her.”
“I didn’t steal, it was a genuine mistake.”
Gina shook her head. “Cut the crap, Bernie. Give me some credit. Once is a mistake. Twice maybe. There are 13 instances of cash being withdrawn. That’s not a mistake.”
“They’re not all Sara. Some were client gifts.”
Gina gave her a steely stare. “You really need to stop defending yourself. It’s not a good look.”
Finally, Bernie hung her head. If she’d come here for a fight, it was the wrong tactic.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Sara.” Bernie spoke to the floor.
Gina held up her hands. “You can see who you want. Why you would want to is a different matter, as you’ve seen the inside track. But who am I to judge? I fell for it.” She stood up. “That’s not what I want to discuss.” She paused, holding Bernie in place with her stare. “But honestly, what the fuck are you thinking?”
Shut up, Gina. This is not what you agreed to talk about.
Bernie looked up but didn’t reply, so Gina pressed on. “I want to buy you out of the business. I’ve got Amy to print out all of our assets and I’ve got our accountant to prepare what we need. There’s a figure in it I think is fair. I knocked off what you owe me for all the Sara expenditure. Plus, a little more. I’m pretty sure the swell in client dinners and gifts over the past two months haven’t all been legit.”
Bernie dropped her gaze. That was confirmation enough.
“Like I said, you can fuck who you want, but I can’t be in business with someone who’s going to let Sara anywhere near our money. Nor can I be in business with someone who lies to me.”
“What if I don’t want to sell? Because I don’t. I love working with you. We make a great team, you know that.”
“We did, past tense. You should have thought about that before you started fucking my ex behind my back.”
“How long does she stay your ex for? You said it yourself, you split up a year ago.” Bernie got up and leaned on the edge of her desk, facing Gina.
She was close enough for Gina to lean over and punch her. She wasn’t a violent person, but after that last comment, Gina was seriously considering it.
“I can’t trust you anymore, Bernie. That’s the crux of it. Look at the figure and get back to me. I emailed you all the information. There’s no going back.” Gina was surer of that final sentence than she had been of anything in her life. It was time to branch out on her own. She wasn’t sure where she would get the money to give to Bernie, but perhaps she could ask her parents? They had the money. Would they lend it to her? If she went with India to Birmingham, she could ask them in person.
Maybe the Birmingham trip was a sign.