Chapter One
She sat alone in the silent factory, the girls had long since gone home and with them they had taken the low hum of the machines, the tinny radio noise and the incessant nattering. She could never work out why the sounds from the factory floor had made her so much less productive during the day than the empty silence she sat in now, but most days she preferred the factory like this. Quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
She checked her watch, Simon was running late, she'd turned the computer off half an hour ago in anticipation of his arrival. She had resorted to Googling information about golfers to impress the clients she would most likely be late to meet now. She would've called Simon to cancel ten minutes ago as he was running so late, but truth was she was so flattered when he had asked to talk to her about doing some work experience in the factory that she was giving him a leeway she didn't usually grant people.
Finally, she heard the factory door creak open and shut, but she froze when the voice she heard next was not that of her former step son.
"Si, I still don't understand what we are doing in-" Peter followed his son into the factory office, stopping dead when he saw a flash of anger across his ex-wife's face.
"What's he doing here?" she motioned to Peter, her eyes staring at her former step son.
"He has a name," Peter waved.
"Look," Simon tried to explain. "You two have been dancing around each other for months and it's getting really boring for everyone else."
"So, you're not wanting to talk to me about a work experience placement?"
"Not exactly, no."
"Right then," she rose to her feet, throwing her phone in her bag and grabbing her coat from the back of her chair. "I have a dinner to get-"
"You know what today is don't you?" Simon asked them both as they looked blankly back at him. "It's your wedding anniversary."
"The day he pulled your babysitter you mean?" she sighed, gesturing to Peter.
"And we've gone from zero to Tina in five seconds flat." Peter rolled his eyes.
"Did you put him up to this?" she rounded on her ex.
"I set this up on my own," Simon removed Carla's keys and her phone from her bag.
"Oi! Give me them back!"
"Everyone can see you two should get back together."
"Give me my stuff back Simon," Carla's voice was low as she held her hand out.
"Even mum and Auntie Toyah were saying it today."
"Si, me and your dad are just friends…"
Carla trailed off as she watched Simon turn on his heel and sprint out the door, she followed him with Peter hot on her heels, but by the time she had caught him up he had already slammed the door behind him and locked it.
"I've got both of your phones; the factory phone has been cut off and I've got the only set of keys!" he shouted through the locked door. "I'll be back for you in the morning."
"Simon Barlow, you open this door right now!" Carla screamed through the door but he was gone. "Simon? Simon! Simon Barlow!"
Peter chuckled next to her.
"You set this up, didn't you?" she looked at him accusingly.
"And there's the death stare, could level cities that thing. I wouldn't want to be Simon tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? You don't actually think we're staying in here all night, do you?"
"I'll be in the office when you've exhausted all escape options."
Carla busied herself double checking all of the doors, he could hear her angrily muttering to herself as he slowly span around in circles on her office chair. It was in here that he had first found her absolutely plastered, that was the first time he realised how fragile she really was. He still didn't quite understand why she had fallen for him all those years ago, the more he had got to know her, the more in awe of her he had become and the less her feelings for him made sense.
She came bursting back in to the office like a tornado, having checked and double checked all of the exits. She picked up the factory phone, dialling a number and listening, throwing it across the office when it became clear that it had been disconnected. She moved to her desktop, turning it on and waiting impatiently for it to start up.
"A real chip off the old block isn't he?" she seethed as she waited impatiently for the computer.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You would."
The computer screen lit up and she typed in her log in details but it flashed up that her password was incorrect. She tried again, but the same message flagged up. She slammed the keyboard angrily when it happened a third time.
"How has he locked me out of my own system?" she raged.
"If only he could use his powers for good and not evil hey?"
"When I get my hands on him I am going to kill him. Literally kill him. I've got a client waiting for me at a dinner I'm never going to make."
"And here was me thinking you got all dressed up for me."
"Oh please," she rolled her eyes, sitting back in her chair.
"Soon as it's going to be such a long night, shall I brew up?" Peter rose to his feet.
"Coffee, strong enough-"
"-to stand a spoon in. I know." He smiled as he headed for the kitchen.