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  “Oh, okay. Well, if it’s under contract, the termination fee might be a little high. Does that bother you? Or if you have a partner or colleague who needs a phone, you could give them this one and sign up for an additional handset?”

  “I don’t mind paying out this one. It’s my fault for not thinking the decision through a little more. I should bear the cost.”

  “No problem. I’ll talk to the activations department anyway and see if we can get you a discount.”

  His eyes crinkle in the corners as he smiles. “Thanks. Oh, and I didn’t buy it from this particular store. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “No, that’s fine. We’re a franchise, but we’re connected all over the country. Do you want to take a seat over there, and I’ll bring over the newest Android phones for you to look at?”

  “Just get me the latest Samsung Galaxy.”

  “Done.”

  I grab a phone from out the back. Cam is doing his best to look busy, but I know he’s watching. I can practically feel the annoyance emanating from his pores. I don’t really know why, though. It’s not like he should get every high value customer that enters the store.

  I sit back down and put the box in front of the customer. “Do you mind if I write down a few details from your licence?”

  “Of course not.” He pulls a wallet from his pocket and hands me his licence. Wow, that’s a good photo. I don’t know anyone who is photogenic on their licence. I quickly check the name. Patrick James.

  “I’ll just look up your account, and then give activations a quick call.”

  “Thanks.”

  He leans back in his chair and puts his hands behind his head. He seems very relaxed, considering it’s the middle of a work day.

  I dial activations and surreptitiously study his appearance while I wait. He reminds me of Harvey Specter from Suits, with that awesome combed back hair and almost Joker-like mouth. His skin is lightly tanned, so he either spends a lot of time outdoors or he gets it sprayed on.

  “Activations, Josie speaking.”

  I snap myself out of my Patrick-induced trance. “Oh, hi. It’s Lauren from Loony Rob’s at Albion.”

  “Hi, Lauren. What can I help you with?”

  “I’m just after an early termination fee for a Patrick James. Phone number…” I quickly slide a scrap of paper and pen over to Patrick so he can write it down.

  He writes with immaculately formed characters and pushes the paper back to me. One side of his lip quirks in amusement. I don’t know what he finds so funny.

  “Zero three one eight, five four one, two six zero.”

  “Just a moment, please. Do you mind if I pop you on hold?”

  “Go for it.”

  I hear the muzak play and cover the receiver with my hand. “She’s just calculating it for you.”

  “Great. Before I forget, do you have a card or something? Just in case I have any problems later?”

  “Oh, um, the store manager has some on the counter near the register. You can have one of those.”

  He studies me for a moment and then smiles easily. “Okay. I’ll grab one on the way out.”

  I quickly glance up to see if Cam is still listening. Judging by his barely concealed smirk, I’d say the answer is yes.

  Josie returns to the call. “Lauren?”

  “Yep, I’m here.”

  “Thanks for waiting. Okay, you’re looking at two thousand, two hundred, because he still has twenty-two months left on the contract. Is there a problem with the handset, or any extenuating circumstances?”

  I look at Patrick, who is still watching me in a disconcerting way. He gives me the impression that he could probably afford the fee, but I’d love to help him out. And not just because of those gorgeous eyes. I always try and find the best possible deal for my customers. For a brief moment, I contemplate using Cam’s trick with the coverage guarantee. But I can’t. I refuse to lie to anyone to achieve a goal.

  “Um…” I quickly open the intranet and scan all the recent memos. I need to find something that will allow me to get Patrick out of his contract ethically.

  And then I spot it. I remember reading about it the other day. I can use this.

  “Actually, I wanted to take advantage of the offer that was advertised last week—you know the one about trading in your old phone and obtaining a credit for the new one, because the company is donating a bunch of handsets to people in need?”

  “Oh.” Josie sounds puzzled. “I don’t know if I’ve seen that promotion. Will you give me a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  Josie puts me on hold again. Patrick’s expression is now one of curiosity. I boot up the program I need to complete the upgrade in an effort to avoid looking at him.

  Josie comes back. “Well, what do you know? I’m not sure whoever approved this initiative intended it to be used the way you’re requesting, but regardless, there’s no disclaimer about the dollar value of the phone, or a minimum wait after signing the last contract. So I’m going to go ahead and approve that upgrade for you. Tell your customer he’s a lucky man. I’m sure head office will close that loophole very soon.”

  “Great. Thanks for your help.”

  “No problem. Okay, that’s all processed at my end. Your reference number is AFG0264.”

  “Thanks again! I really appreciate your assistance.”

  “Have a great day.”

  I hang up and fold my hands together. “I got you out of your contract at no charge.”

  “I’m impressed. And all I have to do is give the other phone to you so you can pass it on to someone in need?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Very clever.”

  I beam. “Now, let’s get you all set up with this new handset.” I fill out another contract and then help him install a few of the apps he wanted restored. After making sure everything is to his liking, I stand up and hand him a bag containing the paperwork and box. “Thank you for doing business with us.”

  “Thank you for being so helpful.” He holds out his other hand for me to shake. I take it, and feel a zap of tingly electricity shoot between our palms. He gazes at me for a second until I look away.

  I step back. “Thanks again, Patrick. I hope the new phone goes well.”

  “I’m sure it will.” He looks like he’s about to say something else, but then notices Cam staring at us. He smiles one last time and leaves the store.

  After he’s gone, Cam does a slow clap. “That was impressive.”

  “What? I did everything legit.”

  “Sure you did. Taking advantage of a philanthropic cause like that. It was totally legit.”

  “At least I didn’t have to lie.” And it goes to show I was right to keep on top of all the memos that come through the store.

  Cam nods at the business card holder on the counter. “You forgot to give him your number.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Oh, come on. He was practically fucking you with his eyes. Please don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

  “You’re disgusting.”

  “I underestimated you. Maybe I should be worried. You have an unfair advantage with the twins there.” He points to my chest and I involuntarily wrap my arms around myself.

  “You’re lucky I don’t report you to Chris for sexual harassment,” I warn.

  He roars with laughter. “Can’t handle the heat, sweetheart? Feel free to pull out of our bet now. It’s only going to get worse for you from here on in.”

  I’ve had enough. I need some air. “I’m not pulling out of the bet. But I am going to the post office.”

  “Have fun!” he chuckles after me.

  God, I really hate that guy.

  THREE

  I’ve regained my cool by the time I return twenty minutes later. I did actually go to the post office, something the guys have decided is my job, because it’s a woman’s thing, apparently. I’m not exaggerating. Chris literally said that to me when I started. And that’s why C
am didn’t even flinch when I threatened to report him for sexual harassment. He knows Chris wouldn’t do anything about it. But I have to admit, I’m glad I had an excuse to leave the shop today. It gave me a chance to regroup.

  I don’t consider myself particularly fragile, but I do feel unsettled by everything that just happened. I suppose Patrick could have been flirting, but it definitely wasn’t as obvious as Cam implied. And I don’t think I would have pursued anything even if Patrick had asked me out. His licence put him at thirty-eight, and I’m only twenty-three. I once dated an older guy and he continually treated me like I had zero life experience. He would always say things like “When you’ve been out in the real world for a while, you’ll see what I mean” whenever he wanted to win an argument. I swore off dating anyone more than five years older than me after that.

  Cam is serving another generic businessman when I sit back down at my desk. I ignore him and calculate my sales for the day. Not too bad. It’s not dramatically higher than my other days, but thanks to Patrick, I’m doing pretty good. It will be interesting to see how Cam is faring.

  When the shop is empty again, I check in with him. “What’s your commission?”

  “Just over two hundred. You?”

  “The same. What happens if we tie?”

  “We won’t.” He looks at the clock. “We still have an hour and a half.”

  “All right.” I turn my head from side to side as if preparing for a boxing match. “Time for the final round.”

  My next customer is only a small contract, but Cam’s is too. As the minutes tick by, we both stare anxiously at the door, hoping our next sale will give us that edge over the competition.

  At four-fifteen, a gorgeous woman in her mid-twenties strolls in. Cam’s face falls when he realises he won’t be able to talk to her.

  “Hi,” I say, walking up to her. “How can I help?”

  “Oh, hey. I hope I’m not too late. What time do you close?”

  “Not for another forty-five minutes. You have plenty of time,” I assure her.

  “Okay, great. I’m the office manager at Carlisle Real Estate and we’ve just opened a new office. I need to buy a few phones for the staff who will be working there.”

  I don’t want to get too excited until I know exactly what I’m dealing with. “No problem,” I say cautiously. “How many staff are we talking about?”

  “Uh, I have all the paperwork in here.” She holds up a briefcase. “But off the top of my head, I think it’s twelve.”

  It takes every fibre of my being not to break out into a victory dance. I have totally won today. I don’t even have to look at Cam to know he’s seething.

  “We’d better get started then,” I tell the woman. “Sorry, what was your name?”

  “Erin.”

  I point to my name badge. “And I’m Lauren. Do you want to take a seat and we’ll sort out the contracts?”

  “Sure. My boss said to just get new iPhones on the two hundred dollar plan for everyone. They all need a lot of data, because they’re always on the road.”

  “We can certainly do that.” My head is spinning at the thought of how much commission twelve phones on our highest plan will equate to. That’s almost another week’s worth of pay! I’m not sure I even care if I lose the bet now. Although, I definitely do not want to be Cam’s slave for a month. It doesn’t matter anyway. There’s next to no chance he’ll land a client this size in the next forty-five minutes. I’m pretty much home-free.

  “Do you need all the handsets right now?” I ask. “Or would you like me to have them delivered directly to your office tomorrow?”

  “Oh. Actually, if you could have them delivered tomorrow, that would be perfect. Transporting them all on my own would have been a bit of a nightmare.”

  “We’ll take care of everything,” I promise her, letting out a silent sigh of relief. We don’t have twelve of the new iPhones left in stock today. I’ll have to call up and get some urgently couriered over for tomorrow.

  I start printing out all the contracts. Thankfully, Erin’s office is organised and she has all the relevant paperwork with her so I can do a bulk corporate order. It’s at this point, I finally sneak a glance at Cam’s desk, but he’s disappeared.

  While Erin’s order is relatively straightforward, the sheer number of phones being put on contract takes time to process. I’m worried Cam will try to claim some sort of loophole if I don’t enter everything into the computer by 5pm. But at four-fifty, when I still have a few left to do, I notice Cam still isn’t at his desk. I start to feel uneasy.

  Five minutes later, a guy walks through the door. I recognise him as one of Cam’s regulars. He looks around. “Is Cam here?” he asks.

  Cam miraculously reappears out of nowhere and ushers him over to his desk. They talk so quietly, I can’t hear what they’re saying. Hmm…

  I keep one eye on him as I finish up Erin’s contracts and put all her copies in a manila folder, ready for her to take back to the office.

  “Thank you so much,” she says as she leaves. “It’s a refreshing change to deal with someone who isn’t a sexist douche. I’ve been in here before and was treated like a pre-schooler.” She shoots the briefest of looks at Cam. I frown.

  “I’m very sorry for the way you were treated in the past. Our company policy is to make everyone feel comfortable, so I’m disappointed you experienced otherwise. But I’d like to thank you for such a smooth transaction today. I used to work in real estate, so I know how hectic it can be. You were very organised.”

  “You have your real estate licence?” she asks.

  “That’s right. I worked at Hunter Properties on the Sunshine Coast.”

  “Oh, I know them! They do a lot of high end stuff. Why did you leave there to work here?”

  “Long story. Let’s just say I needed a change of scene.”

  “Ah. Well, if you decide you need another change of scene, give us a call. We always have room for great salespeople.”

  “Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind.”

  She gives me a little wave and leaves. That was nice. But I won’t be calling her. I don’t think I could ever go back to real estate.

  I add all my paperwork to the rest of the day’s sales and start packing my stuff away. I obviously can’t gloat or mention our bet while Cam still has a customer, so I figure it can wait until tomorrow. I make a call to head office to have twelve new handsets delivered to the store in the morning before heading for the door.

  Just as I’m leaving, Cam stops me. “Oh, Lauren? Can you please check how many of the new Galaxies we have out the back? I’m just trying to work something out here with Jim.”

  My mouth falls open. Come on. One of Cam’s best customers happens to just stroll in five minutes before closing time on the one day Cam and I have a bet going? I don’t buy it.

  “We have five,” I say without missing a beat. “I checked earlier. I have to do some stuff for Chris on my way home, so I’ll see you tomorrow.” I leave before he can argue further. Chris doesn’t really need me to do anything, but I don’t want to look unprofessional in front of Jim.

  I wonder what story Cam fed him to make him come in at such short notice. And what kind of verbal contortions he would have to perform to convince the activations department to upgrade multiple phones before their contracts were up. I know for a fact Jim’s handsets are only a few months old.

  What a cheater! Cam can’t bear to see me win, so he called in a favour.

  Agh! I wish there was a stronger word than hate. Despise or loathe sound pretty good, but they don’t quite represent the depths of emotion I’m feeling towards my colleague right now.

  I think I need to start looking for a new job. I’ve only been at Loony Rob’s for six months, but it’s clear I was way too hasty in accepting the position there. Of course, I knew I wasn’t thinking straight at the time. I just needed something I could step into without any effort. But it’s not a healthy environment for me.

 
I stomp towards the train station. My temporary high from dealing with Patrick and Erin has completely dissipated.

  As I sit on the train, waiting for it to carry me to my apartment in the Valley, I consider my options. I probably need to do something drastic, like put in my notice, which will force me into action. I’ve always worked well under pressure. But what would I do? I can’t bring myself to sell cars, or pharmaceuticals, so I’m stuck with industries that don’t pay as well for sales. Also, I don’t want to take a new position and find out it’s the same as the one I’m in now. I mentally assess my current financial situation. My savings account isn’t exactly overflowing, but it has a few thousand I set aside for a rainy day. All the rest of my money is tied up in an investment property I co-own with my brother Josh at Sunshine Beach—and he made me agree to hold onto it for at least ten years before we sold it. So I can’t use any profits from that. It has good long-term tenants in it anyway, which means they pay for the small mortgage we have left on it.

  If I lived on instant noodles for the next four weeks while I served out my notice at the phone store, I could probably put away an extra month’s worth of money. That should give me enough time to find something else. And I’m sure Katie would be cool with anything I wanted to do. I’ve covered for her before when she’s had it tough.

  I’m feeling more optimistic when I step off the train at Fortitude Valley. I hate being trapped in an unsatisfactory situation. It’s nice to have a plan. I wonder if anyone at the shop would even care if I left. It’s not like Rob is ever there. He just lets Chris run the place. And Chris spends all day locked in his office out the back. He doesn’t deal with people if he can help it.

  Cam will probably be stoked if I quit. Finally, no more competition for him. But it won’t matter to me, because I’ll be somewhere new and way more awesome.

  I hum to myself as I enter the Cathedral Village lobby. I love living here. Katie and I share a two-bedroom apartment near the building’s resort-style pool. It’s not the largest of living spaces, but it makes up for it with its own private covered courtyard. That’s where we eat most of our meals, since there’s not enough room inside for a dining table.