Towards the end of a boring Thursday several months later, Rosie glanced at the time display in the bottom right-hand corner of her computer screen. She sighed inwardly and concluded that her chance of leaving work on time this evening was approximately zero.
It was 5.56 p.m., and her ten-hour shift was supposed to finish at six.
The customer she was currently dealing with – a Mr Geoffrey Bathurst of Eastgate Close, Whitchurch, Shropshire – did not seem ready to face facts, preferring instead to rant down the phone at Rosie in the mistaken belief that she had some power to alter them.
He blustered on relentlessly about Cover 4 U’s ‘erroneous, unconscionable, frankly OUTRAGEOUS’ decision not to pay his recent car insurance claim. The firm had rejected it on the grounds that his wife – the named driver on the policy – was apparently not the main user of the gigantic Range Rover Velar that had been backed into a neighbour’s garden wall. In fact, the neighbour in question had informed Cover 4 U’s investigator that the diminutive Mrs Bathurst was a rather nervous driver – terrified to get behind the wheel of what she alternately referred to as ‘her husband’s pride and joy’ and ‘that ludicrously expensive penis extension’. By all accounts, she was barely equal to pootling around their village in her own Mini Cooper – let alone tackling country lanes in a car not much smaller than a minibus.
Thanks to six years’ experience as a Cover 4 U claims handler, Rosie understood that this was a classic case of fronting: fibbing about who drove a vehicle most frequently in order to secure insurance at a lower price.
She had so far refrained from using the word ‘fraud’ during this evening’s conversation with Mr Geoffrey Bathurst, as she strongly suspected he wouldn’t care for it. However, fraud was the operative term here – as well as Cover 4 U’s justification for not buying Mr Bathurst a new back bumper or replacement brake lights.
‘I’m sorry you’re disappointed, sir,’ Rosie said into the mouthpiece of her headset, seizing the opportunity to speak when the man took a moment to draw breath. ‘Unfortunately, our investigators found that the information you gave us when you took out your policy wasn’t accurate. That means we’re unable to pay your claim.’
‘This is unacceptable!’ Geoffrey Bathurst bellowed. ‘Shameful! I’ve paid the premium every month! This is not on. Not cricket. Not British!’
‘I’m sorry, sir, but there’s nothing more I can do,’ Rosie said calmly. ‘Your claim can’t be taken any further.’
She hoped very much that if she continued to repeat this mantra, Mr Bathurst would demand to speak to her manager. Rosie wasn’t allowed to suggest it herself – and didn’t dare to in case the call was being recorded – but passing this guy on to Martin would kill two birds with one stone.
First, it would mean she could get out of here for the night – something she was keen on doing as quickly as possible, not least because she was meeting Niamh for dinner. Secondly, it would reroute Mr Bathurst’s warpath in the direction of her smarmy, self-satisfied boss.
Martin was universally disliked among his team of claims handlers, and justifiably so: he was a small, mean-spirited man for whom the mere suggestion of power over others was intoxicating. When he’d refused a perfectly reasonable holiday request from Ellie last week, the act had affected him like a shot of tequila. He’d spent the whole day with a smug smile on his face that Rosie – as well as the rest of her colleagues – had longed to wipe off it.
‘Not good enough!’ Mr Bathurst continued, bringing her back to the here and now. Rosie winced as his volume increased in direct proportion to his outrage, causing her cheap plastic headphones to vibrate.
‘Isn’t it your job to solve this problem? To sort this out?’ he demanded.
Rosie raised her eyes to the polystyrene-tiled, fluorescent-lit ceiling and swallowed a groan. It was 6.06 p.m. ‘My job is to process claims, sir, which has now been done. As I said before, I’m sorry you’re not happy with the outcome but there’s nothing further I can do.’
‘Not happy is something of an understatement,’ Mr Bathurst barked. ‘Do you have any idea how much spare parts for this type of vehicle cost, young lady?’
Oof. Young lady. If this conversation continued much longer, Rosie would score a full house on the Problem Caller Bingo card Ellie had given her at last year’s Christmas party – a joke present that Martin had made clear he ‘did not find funny in the slightest’.
Rosie resisted the urge to inform Geoffrey Bathurst that she was thirty-two years old. Nor did she point out that she had no idea how much Range Rover parts cost, though she imagined they were extortionate – on which basis, she might have avoided reversing into a stationary obstacle that stood a clear metre off the ground … especially in a car that doubtless had both cameras and sensors designed to prevent such mishaps.
‘I suppose your silence means you have no concept of how much this is going to cost me,’ Bathurst went on. ‘Well, I can tell you I’ll be making a complaint. You – JOBSWORTHS like you – you’re part of the problem, you know. No common sense, no proper education … it’s all computer says no. YOU’RE what’s wrong with this country.’
This, Rosie couldn’t help thinking, was a bit rich. She’d done well at school, worked hard and paid her fair share of tax. Perhaps more pertinently, unlike the man on the other end of the line – who she now imagined was a red-faced, Barbour-wearing boomer – she was fundamentally honest.
Rosie was also kind to strangers, would do anything for the people she loved and (though she’d never admit it to her boyfriend) regularly fed the stray cat that lived in the alley behind their flat. However, because she was well-practised at not rising to the bait from irate customers, she kept this to herself, merely explaining: ‘You’ll find the complaints procedure you need to follow on our website, Mr Bathurst. Or if you’d prefer, I can send you the relevant forms in the post first thing tomorrow.’
The man spluttered incoherently, wrong-footed by Rosie’s refusal to defend herself or argue with him.
‘Is there anything else I can help you with today, sir?’ she asked, keeping her voice light, pleasant and dignified.
‘No. I don’t imagine there is!’
‘Then thank you for calling us today. Have a lovely evening,’ Rosie said sweetly.
She clicked to end the call and breathed a deep sigh of relief.
‘That sounded rough,’ Ellie said from opposite her, smiling over the flimsy partition between their workstations. ‘I could hear him blow-harding at you from over here.’
‘I’ve had worse,’ Rosie said, shrugging. ‘At least he didn’t swear at me. He was just your typical “obviously in the wrong but determined to dig in” kind of caller. He owns a car worth at least fifty grand, yet lied when he took out the insurance for the sake of saving about seventy quid. Now he’s pissed off about the price of the spare parts he’ll have to shell out for.’
Ellie made a face. ‘What a knobhead.’
Rosie nodded, laughing as she removed her headset and logged off her computer. Ellie’s Lancashire accent, which Rosie adored, rang with casual disdain in a way her own Essex twang never could.
‘You here late tonight?’ she asked.
Ellie nodded and grimaced, her pretty face contorting in dismay. ‘On till ten.’
‘Ugh,’ Rosie said. ‘Commiserations. The good news is, there are doughnuts in the break room. Just avoid the ones masquerading as chocolate-filled – they’re coffee-flavoured and unspeakably disgusting.’
Ellie laughed, then asked: ‘You in tomorrow?’
‘Yeah. Short shift, ten till four. You?’
‘Same, see you then. Now get out of here while you can. Save yourself. Martin’s stomping about upstairs with a face like a smacked arse. If I were you, I’d disappear pronto.’
Rosie shuddered, briefly wondering what fresh hell awaited them at their next ‘quick team catch-up’. Shaking the thought away, she pulled her coat from the back of her swivel chair and shrugged into it.
‘See you tomorrow,’ she said to Ellie as she headed for the exit.
‘’Night,’ Ellie said, pressing a button to pick up a new call.
As the office door swung shut behind her, Rosie heard her friend brightly utter the words that punctuated their work days: ‘Thank you for calling Cover 4 U Insurance. How can I help you this evening?’
About half an hour later, Rosie tumbled into a booth in her favourite Italian restaurant, sweaty and dishevelled from rushing. It was a small, family-run establishment just off Wanstead High Street – a no-frills diner that offered delicious, freshly made fare in old-fashioned but comfortable surroundings.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ she told her best friend, who was already sipping from a large glass of red wine. ‘I got stuck on a call and then the bus took forever to turn up.’
‘Not a problem,’ Niamh said, waving a hand. ‘Let’s get you a drink, shall we?’
‘Please,’ Rosie sighed, shoving off her navy-blue coat and thinking, not for the first time, that it had definitely seen better days.
Niamh – fashionably attired in a loose jersey minidress that subtly highlighted her height and slenderness – caught the attention of a waitress, beckoning her over so Rosie could order a glass of iced water and her own red wine.
‘So,’ Niamh said as the drinks arrived a moment later. ‘Is it safe to assume you were dealing with a less-than-satisfied customer?’ Rosie loved Niamh’s voice – she still sounded unmistakably Irish, despite the fact that she’d spent nearly twenty years in the UK.
‘A classic,’ Rosie nodded. ‘Some rich old duffer who’d lied when he took out his policy, ranting at me because it wouldn’t pay out …’
‘I’ve no idea how you put up with it,’ Niamh said.
‘It pays the bills,’ Rosie shrugged. ‘And I don’t hate it.’
‘Hardly a ringing endorsement.’ Niamh’s eyebrow arched as she looked at her friend.
‘Come on, now, we can’t all be high-flying marketingslash-events innovators.’
Rosie put air quotes around the final four words, grinning widely as Niamh cringed.
‘You know that isn’t what I call myself,’ she argued. ‘It’s just what they put on the company website.’
‘Did they put it on your LinkedIn profile, too?’ Rosie asked, raising an eyebrow mischievously.
‘Oh, shut up,’ Niamh laughed, and threw a piece of breadstick at her.
‘I will if you will,’ Rosie told her, deftly plucking the breadstick from the front of her stripy t-shirt so she could point it at Niamh. ‘I don’t want to talk about work all night.’
‘Because you don’t want the standard lecture on how you’re too good for that place?’
‘Precisely.’
‘But you are too good for that place,’ Niamh argued, her dark brown eyes wide. She swept her long braids, some of which were decorated with shining silver beads, over one elegant shoulder. ‘You’re six years into a temporary job, Rose. Whatever happened to going back to uni? Pursuing your dreams?’
‘Niamh,’ Rosie moaned, not wanting to dwell on her aborted attempt at getting a degree. ‘Life happened. Rent. Grocery shopping. The gas bill. And I’m not sure I ever really had a dream beyond not living with my parents.’
‘So that’s it. Life goal achieved?’
‘Maybe. God knows, James’s new job is swish enough for the both of us. “Chief Information Officer” sounds impressive, right? And I daresay I’m as happy as the next person – though I’ll be happier still when I’ve got a massive bowl of pasta in front of me.’
Rosie prayed this clumsy attempt to change the subject would work. She and Niamh had known each other since they attended the same sixth form and, although their lives had taken quite different directions, remained incredibly close. They could talk to one another about anything, but Rosie’s career – or lack thereof – had long been a sore point between them.
Their waitress reappeared to take their order, and both women requested the day’s special: penne pasta with shredded courgette, chilli, pecorino cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds. Rosie asked for a side of garlic bread for good measure, ignoring the dire voice in her head that warned against eating so much refined starch.
‘Double carbs? Nice work,’ Niamh said. ‘Do I take it there’s still a moratorium on them at your place?’
‘Sadly, yes,’ Rosie confirmed. ‘I can barely remember the last time I ate a meal that wasn’t designed to perfectly reflect James’s macros.’
‘Sounds like a giant pain in the arse,’ Niamh said, ‘mainly for you, since I assume you’re the one cooking dinners devoid of rice, bread and potatoes?’
‘Well, yeah – you know James isn’t the best in the kitchen. And as far as giant arses are concerned, I’m pretty peeved mine hasn’t shrunk in the past couple of months, despite almost daily consumption of kale.’
‘Your arse is lovely just the way it is,’ Niamh told her, laughing.
‘It’s really not,’ Rosie replied. ‘I feel worse than ever about it just lately – and the rest of me, too, of course.’ She gestured at herself, her fingertips sweeping up and down to indicate her head, chest, stomach and everything else currently concealed beneath the Formica-topped table.
Niamh frowned. ‘You are gorgeous,’ she said. ‘I hate hearing you shit-talk yourself – I thought you’d vowed to stop doing it.’
‘I know,’ Rosie mumbled. ‘And I have. But I suspect body positivity is easier for those of us who’ve never been above a size eight.’
‘You can’t live your life worrying about whether you meet other people’s bullshit expectations,’ Niamh said sagely. ‘I might be slim, but have you any idea how many times I’ve rocked up to meet a client I’ve spoken to on the phone, only to witness their shock that I don’t look like one of The Corrs? Somehow, nobody imagines an Irishwoman who’s less Enya, more Zendaya … Anyway. What I’m saying is, anyone worth bothering with will appreciate you as you are. They won’t fixate on what you’re not.’
‘All right,’ Rosie said. ‘Point taken. It’s just hard with James constantly quaffing protein shakes and droning on about CrossFit. At least he’s stopped trying to convince me to do it with him.’
Niamh guffawed heartily at this. ‘Sorry, sorry … It’s just the idea of you trying to lug a tyre around or do that thing with the ropes …’
‘I know,’ Rosie agreed, giggling too. ‘Though to be fair the idea of James doing it would have been ridiculous a few months ago. For the first nine years of our relationship, I was the healthy one: walking everywhere, the occasional park run … actually eating foods that grew in nature and didn’t come in foil trays from Deliveroo. Until recently, James’s only form of regular exercise was strolling to the corner shop when we’d run out of Coke and crisps.’
‘D’you think it’ll stick?’ Niamh asked. ‘I mean, not to be negative, but I remember his “I’m going to learn to ride a motorbike” phase. And that time he got obsessed with brewing his own beer. And the several weeks he spent insisting he could play the ukulele.’
Rosie shook her head and grinned. ‘Who knows? He seems pretty committed at the moment, and the healthy eating thing is broadly a good development – but I won’t be sorry if he rolls it back a bit and allows bread in the house again at some stage.’
Niamh laughed again. ‘So is he looking all ripped, now? Has he developed muscles in places you’d never previously suspected they might lurk?’
‘Er. Not really, no. I mean, he’s lost some weight, obviously – but it’s not like he’s turned into Magic Mike over the summer.’
‘Pity …’ Niamh said, spearing a piece of penne with her fork the second their food arrived. ‘I wonder what brought on this fitness mania, though? Health scare? Midlife crisis?’
‘We are not middle-aged,’ Rosie insisted.
‘Did you hear from Gather yet?’ Niamh asked suddenly, remembering that her friend had been awaiting feedback on a volunteer position she’d interviewed for. Gather was a charity helpline for under-25s, and Rosie had applied to answer calls for a few hours each week – an easy investment of time now James spent so many mornings and evenings at the gym.
The organisation helped young people navigate issues with relationships, education, family and housing by lending a kind, non-judgemental listening ear. It was the sort of work Rosie had once imagined she’d do professionally – and it was exciting to think she could find some fulfilment of an old ambition without completely upending her life. She might not have the psychology degree or counselling training she’d hoped for, but she could still make a difference to people in need.
‘I did!’ she said, unable to stop herself from gushing. ‘I’m in! I’ll start my training in January.’
‘That’s brilliant!’ Niamh cried through a mouthful of pasta. ‘Ah, Rose, I’m made up for you.’
‘Thanks,’ Rosie said, grinning. ‘Believe it or not, the day job helped. I’ve spent a lot of time connecting with people on the phone …’
‘Excellent. What did James say when he heard the news?’
Rosie took a sip from her wine glass and considered how best to respond. Niamh tipped her head to one side, regarding her quizzically.
‘Er. Well. The whole thing had sort of slipped his mind,’ Rosie said eventually.
A line appeared between Niamh’s eyebrows and the corners of her mouth turned down.
‘OK,’ she said, seeming annoyed. ‘So he can remember the exact mix of different nutrients in his favourite brand of protein powder, but he can’t remember this? It’s a big deal for you.’
Rosie tore a corner off her garlic ciabatta and chewed it thoughtfully. ‘Not ideal, I agree. But he has had loads going on lately. He’s been in his own head a lot.’
Niamh scoffed at this, and Rosie sensed she was reining in a major rant.
‘I’ve actually started to wonder if, with the promotion, and the eating, he’s started to think about the future more. Our future.’
‘Do you mean … you think he’s finally going to propose?’ Niamh’s jaw seemed to slacken with shock.
‘I dunno. Maybe? Fingers crossed, I guess,’ Rosie said. ‘It is our ten-year anniversary next month. And I seem to recall you telling me Brendan got all weird when you went on that holiday to Barbados, right before he asked you to marry him.’
Niamh smiled indulgently at the memory. ‘He did, the absolute plank. I freaked out on the last day because I thought he was going to dump me – he’d been so off the whole time we were there … I was screaming at him about how he’d never find anyone better, and he said, “I know, that’s why I’m trying to work up the courage to propose to you.” And then he showed me the ring. He’d been carrying it around for almost a fortnight, trying to find the perfect moment.’
‘So romantic,’ Rosie sighed, glancing at the glittering emerald on her friend’s left hand.
Niamh snorted. ‘Romance is in pretty short supply in our house these days,’ she said. ‘As is sleep.’
Rosie wasn’t surprised that Niamh hadn’t asked whether she’d accept James’s proposal, should it materialise. The answer was obviously yes.
Rosie had spent the past few years wondering if and when James might feel ready to take what, for her, had always been the next logical step in their relationship. After getting married, she hoped they’d have children – even though Niamh’s recent experience of pregnancy and early motherhood had been intense to witness, never mind live through.
Niamh and Brendan, her husband of three years, had ten-month-old twins. Eva and Rory were Rosie’s honorary niece and nephew, and she loved them to pieces – but she didn’t envy her friends the prolonged period of broken nights, blurry days and endless bottle feeding they’d been through in the months since the twins’ arrival. Niamh was back at work now, trying to navigate a new normal, but the babies still weren’t good sleepers. Rosie inspected her friend’s face as they ate, noting the shadows beneath Niamh’s eyes and the new, enhanced sharpness of her cheekbones.
‘How is everything, with you being back at work?’ Rosie asked.
‘Oh, it’s fine,’ Niamh said airily. ‘All good. An adjustment, but everyone will get used to it.’ Rosie noted her firm and final tone, and elected to hold back her questions about how Niamh was managing, for now.
The waitress returned to clear their plates, and two portions of tiramisu were ordered.
‘I know what I’ve been meaning to ask you,’ Niamh said a few minutes later, through a mouthful of espresso-soaked sponge, chocolate and cream. ‘What’s the latest on Nameless Neighbour?’
‘He isn’t nameless,’ Rosie said, rolling her eyes. ‘We just don’t know what he’s called.’
‘He’s so mysterious,’ Niamh murmured. ‘So enigmatic. So … fit.’
Rosie laughed. ‘You literally saw him for about thirty seconds in the corridor.’
‘Which was plenty long enough to determine that he is, objectively, the best-looking man I’ve ever seen in real life.’
‘What about Brendan?!’ Rosie demanded, scandalised.
‘Oh, Brendan’s handsome, he’s lovely, I adore him, blah blah blah. But your man in the flat upstairs? He’s Hollywood-hot. What is it that’s written on his post again?’
‘Everything I’ve ever seen comes addressed to “A. Thomas”,’ Rosie said.
‘And you’ve no idea what the “A” stands for, even though he’s lived upstairs since June? That’s, what … three months?’
‘Correct. James regularly speculates on the A, naturally. Could it be Arsehole? Axe-murderer? Adolf?’
Niamh sniggered. ‘He’s still pissed off about the bike thing?’
‘Very,’ Rosie nodded. ‘Though to be honest, I never thought the Post-it was “passive-aggressive”. It was perfectly polite, and A. Thomas was probably right about the bike blocking the front door and being a fire hazard. Plus all the dirt it tracked onto the carpet for the cleaner to clear up.’
She smothered a smile as she remembered how mad James had been when their neighbour insisted the offending mountain bike be stored in the shed to the rear of their flat, rather than left leaning against the post table in the hallway. He’d complained about it for days, conceding only because Rosie pleaded with him not to cause trouble. After the death of their old upstairs neighbour and landlord, Mr Bettini, the building had changed hands – and Rosie didn’t want the property investment firm that now owned it to have any cause for an early review of their tenancy agreement.
‘So A. Thomas is a safety-first, fire-aware neat freak, as well as crazily handsome …’ Niamh said dreamily, tapping her credit card against the reader their waitress had brought over. ‘Interesting.’
‘Stop it,’ Rosie ordered, grinning and wagging a finger at her friend. ‘He just wants to be left alone. And you are married. With twins.’
She paid her half of the bill and the waitress moved on, leaving behind a silver tray stacked with after-dinner mints. With some effort, Rosie resisted the urge to eat one and sweep the rest into her handbag.
‘Balls. I’d almost forgotten about them,’ Niamh groaned. ‘I suppose I should be getting back. What are the chances Brendan’s managed to get both kids bathed and into bed, d’you reckon? I’m thinking slim to none.’
‘I couldn’t possibly say,’ Rosie told her, holding both palms up. ‘But I’m rooting for him – and you.’
‘I know you are,’ Niamh said, grasping Rosie’s hand across the tabletop and squeezing it tight. ‘And I’m in your corner too, you know. Always.’
‘I’ll let you know if James does pop the question,’ Rosie said. ‘You’ll be the first person I call.’
For a split second, Niamh’s smile seemed to falter – perhaps, Rosie thought, because of what this said about her friend’s difficult family relationships.
‘You do that,’ Niamh told her, recovering her composure and grinning brightly as they made their way out of the restaurant. ‘Keep me posted.’