Beth clenched her jaw.
‘Excuse me?’
‘You heard. You’re fired. I want you off the premises. Leave your pass with Lola on the way out.’
‘But… you can’t do that! You have no grounds.’
‘I think you’ll find I can.’ She picked a pile of papers up from her desk.
‘I have here your application form, along with the details you submitted to Human Resources on your first day.’
Chloe slid the documents towards Beth.
‘That is your signature, is it not?’
Beth nodded.
‘And there, in the top left-hand corner of your contract, what does that say?’ Chloe pointed an immaculately-manicured, glossy scarlet nail at Beth’s name, tapping it twice. The sound seemed to echo around the room.
‘It says Beth Carter.’
‘Yes. And is your name not in fact Kitty Carter?’
‘No, I–’
‘There is no record of you legally changing it. I had Margot check.’
‘No, I… I didn’t.’
‘So you lied. When you applied for this job, you lied about who you are.’
‘No–’
‘You lied, Beth. And therefore the contract is null and void. You fraudulently gained employment at my company using a false identity.’
Chloe picked the papers up, tossing them across the desk at Beth. They scattered to the carpet around her feet.
‘This isn’t fair!’ Beth shouted. ‘I’ve given you everything. I have gone above and beyond time and again, cancelled holidays, put you first over my family. I have bent over backwards to be a model employee and help you make money! And this is how you repay me? Look at me, Chloe. I’m your friend. It’s me!’
Beth placed her hands on Chloe’s desk, staring straight into her eyes.
Chloe cleared her throat.
‘We are a family company. We have a reputation to uphold. I can’t risk it getting out that… you work for us. Now I suggest you get out of my office, before I have you thrown out.’
Beth turned, storming out of the room. She marched down the corridor. As she reached the top of the stairs, Lola bounced up from behind her desk.
‘Er, your pass!’ she yelled irritably, with the assumed authority that only a receptionist can believe herself to hold.
Beth ignored her, carried on walking, blocking out the shouts of protest.
She ran down the spiral staircase and exited the building, slamming the door hard behind her. She turned, kicking it, much to the bewilderment of the passing tourists.
‘Fuck you!’ she screamed at the building.
She turned and hurried down the lane, her eyes stinging.
‘Beth!’
A voice called after her. She ignored it, carried on walking. A hand suddenly gripped her shoulder, spinning her around. Margot stood in front of her. Beth couldn’t read her expression.
She stared, ready for the insults.
Instead, Margot grabbed her, pulling her into a hug. The familiar scent of Margot’s perfume filled Beth’s nostrils, and she relaxed into the embrace.
‘Are you okay?’ Margot asked.
Beth shrugged.
‘I can’t quite… I mean, I don’t really know what to say.’ It was rare for Margot to be lost for words.
‘I’m sorry, Margot, I really am.’
Margot pursed her lips.
‘You’ve nothing to apologise to me for. I’ll be honest, I did wonder after you told me what was going on the other night, but it was a shock. But, darling, come on, it was a long time ago. I am here for you, no matter what.’
Beth nodded.
‘Chloe fired me.’
‘I know. I’m sorry. She made me look into your contract, I had no choice. My hands were tied. I’ve got to get back, but don’t worry. You’ll get through this. If you need any legal advice, you can call me, any time. Okay?’
Margot hugged her again, then turned and tottered off back down the alley towards the office.
Beth sighed. She’d half expected this. It had been such a long time since it had happened that she’d almost forgotten how much it hurt.
The rejection. The vitriol. Friends turning their backs on you. Disowning you. These things had made Beth the woman she was today. Whether or not that was a good thing, she wasn’t sure.
As the smell of Margot’s perfume dissipated, Beth made a decision. She had to pay someone a visit. Someone she hadn’t seen for a long time. She pulled her phone from her bag and typed the name into a search engine.
She was easy enough to find.
48
She still resided in Birmingham. Surprisingly, the same area. Perhaps she cherished the memories? She lived in a bigger house now, a nicer street. But she hadn’t moved far in over thirty years, compared to how much Beth’s life had changed in that time; the distance she had come.
Finding her general location had been the straightforward part. Getting an address had proven trickier. It had taken a few phone calls, and a fair bit of cash, but Beth had eventually found what she was looking for. She’d been so bloody-minded when she decided to do this. But now, sitting outside the house, Beth wasn’t feeling quite so brave.
She deliberated for well over an hour, and on more than one occasion she nearly started the engine and drove away. But the time had come. Beth finally had to face her demons, whether she liked it or not.
She locked her car, and slowly forced herself through the gate, and along the path. As she approached the door, a mixture of feelings swam around her head.
Trepidation.
Sorrow.
Feeling a knot in the pit of her stomach as she got closer, she was unsure when she last felt so nervous.
The garden was immaculate. The lawn mowed neatly in wide stripes. An abundance of rose bushes lined the perimeter, the blooms now past their best, but still pretty. Their perfume filled the air, reminding Beth of her mother. Smiling sadly, she reached the front door, resisting the urge to run away. Suddenly feeling seven years old again. She wanted to vomit but held it back. She had known this would be difficult, but
