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Neil looked at me, and I averted my eyes, pushing his coffee towards him.
“Thanks,” he said.
“Did you manage to get everything done last night?”
“I did, thanks to you.”
“I’m glad it’s sorted. What was all that paperwork about, anyway?”
“I’m pushing through a lot of changes before the union’s deadline. They have demands I’m striving to meet.”
“I didn’t know you were so involved with the union.”
“You didn’t notice the lack of strikes since I started?”
“No, but now that you mention it…”
“Our factories have been neglected for years under Patterson. Fixing them is my top priority.”
Neil’s conviction surprised me. I’d never known anyone in the head office to care for the factory workers. The usual reaction to their constant strikes was a lot of eye rolling and grumbling. But Neil was taking action.
“The next time I visit the factories, I’ll take you with me,” he said. “It’s important you understand that side of the business and their working conditions.”
“Sounds like a good idea. What about this morning’s meeting?”
“Yes. Come with me. I want to introduce you to our biggest national client. It’s a casual meeting. Nothing to prepare. David and Aroha are supposed to be joining us, but last I heard, they might not be coming. They’re busy with their own lot of paperwork, so it might just be us. Be ready at ten.”
The meeting was at a cafe in Ponsonby. Neil loomed over my desk when it was time to leave. I followed him down to the main entrance where Winston awaited in the black Audi. Winston opened the back door for Neil. I hopped into the other side. The interior was flawless, as usual. Winston seemed to take great pains in keeping the car in immaculate condition, as if it were his pride and joy.
We were about to pull out when there was a sharp knock on the window. David and Aroha were outside. Neil rolled his window down.
“Room for two more?” David asked.
“I thought you weren’t able to come,” Neil said.
“There’s been a change of plans. No time to organise another car. Can we go with you?”
“All right. Get in.”
I cringed inwardly. David and Aroha’s presence never failed to resurface the awkwardness of the Amelia Crook incident. I didn’t know how much they knew or what Neil had told them, but so far, they’d never brought it up, and I hoped it stayed that way.
David took the front passenger seat next to Winston. Aroha asked me to scoot over into the middle seat. Now I was crammed in between her and Neil. I paid little attention to Aroha, but I was painfully aware of just how much of me was touching Neil. Boy, was he tense. So was I. We were pressed far too close for comfort. I could feel him all down my side, his warmth radiating out. I had to dip my hand in between us to buckle my seatbelt. I groped around, trying to find the buckle without success. Neil glowered. He reached down and fished it out for me, the contact of his hand against my outer thigh sending a fluttery feeling all through my body.
“Thanks.” I clicked my seatbelt on.
The drive to Ponsonby was quick. Winston dropped us off right in front of the cafe. David held the door open for us as we filed in.
Neil scanned the room. “They’re not here yet.”
The cafe was large, with tables in long vertical columns. An abstract art print decorated the otherwise blank white walls. The clientele looked like professionals. A few people were working on laptops.
“What drinks do you want?” Neil asked, slipping his wallet out of the inner pocket of his suit jacket.
“Flat white for me, ta,” David said.
“I’ll have a mocha,” Aroha said.
“Amelia?” Neil asked.
