Love Heart Lane. Christie Barlow

       Chapter 1

      Staring out of the window, Felicity Simons sat nervously at her boss’s desk. As she admired the view across the city of London, she wasn’t in any doubt that this was the best seat in the building.

      It was only a few seconds later that she spotted her boss through the glass walls of the office, her size-eight figure tottering along the plush red carpet on her high heels, wearing the usual well-tailored suit with distinctive buttons that oozed designer brand. Her crimson blouse matched the colour of her nails and made Felicity feel unrelentingly beige in her dowdy brown tunic and scuffed patent shoes.

      Eleanor Ramsbottom had arrived at Little Browns department store six months ago, and Felicity had always felt inferior in her boss’s company, knowing from the outset that there was no chance they’d ever hit it off. After sixty years of steady trade, the store had landed itself in financial difficulty and Eleanor, the daughter of a rich businessman, had rescued the store from closing. At the time everyone had been grateful, all the staff thankful that their jobs had been saved – until they’d had to work under Eleanor Ramsbottom, who lacked warmth, compassion and basic people skills.

      The second Eleanor glided into the room Felicity bristled. She was aware that she was forcing a smile, putting on a happy face, but she needed this conversation to go in her favour. Under the desk, Felicity had her fingers firmly crossed. She watched as Eleanor pulled out a chair and shuffled some papers into a neat pile before finally settling down at the desk. Clasping her hands in front of her, she stared towards Felicity.

      ‘My secretary said you needed to see me urgently. It must be urgent to want to see me at 5 p.m. on a Friday night, have you no home to go to?’ Eleanor asked, as she flicked a glance towards the clock on the wall.

      Felicity took a breath, knowing home was exactly where she didn’t want to be, because right at this moment in time Adrian would be moving out. They’d lived together for six months, but Felicity had known within hours of him moving into her flat that she’d made a huge mistake.

      Initially, Felicity had been swept away on a tide of passion – Adrian was overwhelmingly sexy, after all – but the second she found herself picking up his dirty laundry despite the washing basket being within reaching distance, the lust had worn off and real life had smacked her right between the eyes.

      ‘I would like … if at all possible…’ She paused. ‘…Some time off.’ Felicity was relieved to finally get the words out in the open.

      ‘You don’t see me to book time off.’ Eleanor’s manner was curt. ‘You know what to do, fill in your request form and pass it to your team leader and I will authorise it within due course, after I’ve checked the chart.’

      Eleanor was always about the charts.

      ‘Unfortunately, that’s not possible; I would like two weeks off from Monday.’ Felicity was thankful her voice was steady because inside she felt all jittery and even more so when Eleanor released a long, shuddering sound underneath her breath. Felicity could already feel the disapproving tension in the room. She watched Eleanor slouch back in her chair, twisting her wedding ring round and round before letting out a half laugh then fixing a serious expression back on to her face.

      ‘For a second there, I could have sworn you asked for two weeks off from Monday, and with it being Friday afternoon … not to mention the January sales, one of the store’s busiest times, where we need every hand on deck to reach our targets, and that includes yours, Felicity – both hands.’

      Felicity shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ‘I wouldn’t ask … but…’

      ‘The implication … leaving us in the lurch.’ Eleanor was a trifle short. ‘What’s so important you need time off at such short notice?’

      Felicity swallowed the lump in her throat and hoped the tears wouldn’t cascade down her face. ‘My grandmother has passed away and I need to go home, to my family.’

      As conversation stoppers go, this one threw Eleanor for a second.

      ‘I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important and I have enough annual leave for two weeks,’ added Felicity quickly.

      ‘I’m sorry to hear your sad news,’ Eleanor finally offered, keeping her gaze fixed on Felicity. There was a veil of politeness, covering up disappointment at the loss of potential drama.

      ‘Thank you,’ replied Felicity.

      ‘Where is home?’ That was the first personal question Eleanor had ever asked Felicity.

      ‘The Scottish Highlands,’ replied Felicity taken aback. ‘A little village called Heartcross.’

      Eleanor sighed and made a vague despairing gesture with her hand. ‘If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call and we will see you back here two weeks on Monday.’ There was nothing in Eleanor’s tone that offered any real compassion; her face was expressionless. Felicity watched Eleanor stand up, a clear indication this conversation was over and that this was her cue to leave.

      Felicity forced her lips into a smile and couldn’t get out of the office fast enough. She grabbed her coat from her locker and paused only briefly on the steps outside the department store. The sign illuminating ‘Little Browns,’ had once held a special place in her heart. A family-run business that had cared, this store had given her a chance and provided her with an opportunity. She’d worked here for nearly the last eight years after arriving in London on a whim, ready for a change from village life. She’d had grand ideas of seeking her fortune, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, looking for adventure. But things hadn’t been easy. She’d left Heartcross under a cloud and had spent much of her time in London trying to block out the past, especially Fergus. But it was always there. He was always there in the back of her mind.

      Recently, when things had changed at work and Eleanor Ramsbottom had arrived on the scene, the days had become even less enjoyable and now Felicity was questioning what she was actually doing here. She found herself thinking about home more and more, and how she’d distanced herself from that life. She came to realise that she missed Heartcross, the good friends she’d left behind and of course, her mum and her gran.

      Feeling glum and seriously hankering after a gin and tonic, she turned and weaved in and out of the masses of people who were powering up the busy high street towards the tube station. Felicity dug her hands deep in the pockets of her coat and fought back the tears of sadness as a pang of guilt hit her hard. As she jumped onto the packed tube and headed towards her flat, thoughts of Heartcross were still very much on her mind; memories of the small bustling village in the Scottish Highlands where she’d grown up, the place she had wanted to escape from, suddenly enveloped her and gave her an overwhelming feeling of comfort and belonging.

      In the last eight years Felicity had been home on numerous occasions, but they were always fleeting visits with excuses that she couldn’t take time off work. And that’s exactly what they were – excuses.