As Friday arrived, Caroline was nervous. She really had no idea what Judith was planning. Judith had a strong will, a biting tongue and few boundaries which meant Caroline had no idea what she was in for. She hated being unprepared for anything; it made her feel stupid and reminded her of all her failings. Even worse, she knew the disadvantage of working on the fly was likely to be right in Judith's comfort zone.
Caroline carefully rolled the new architectural drawings for the library remodel and slid them back into the tube. She freshened up in the staff bathroom, checking her makeup and clothing were immaculate. She studied herself in the mirror, wondering what Judith now saw in her that she hadn't apparently seen at any time in the last 8 years. She shook her head to clear the thought, took a few deep breaths to steady herself and headed out the front door of the school at precisely 11.55am.
A black limousine was waiting.
The driver, suited in the uniform of a chauffeur, stepped out of the car, strolled confidently around the back of it and opened the wide door to the sumptuous rear section. The driver was a picture of dark, lean androgynous beauty with hips that offered a subtle suggestion of womanhood.
Unable to resist casting an appreciative eye over Caroline's form, the driver cleared their throat before confirming, "Dr McKenzie-Dawson?" The voice was rich in timbre with a hint of Indian heritage in the notes.
Caroline nodded, stepping into the limo, the plush leather seats squeaking as she settled. After a brief introduction, the driver was silent, allowing Caroline the freedom to observe without distraction while her mind ran through strategies for dealing with Judith. It struck her that lunch would have all the social niceties of a friendly game of tennis; everyone wearing a delighted grin while strategising ways to wipe the floor with their opponent.
The ride, as it turned out, was thankfully short. As expected, the restaurant was the most pretentious in town. Judith was sparing no expense, but the over-the-top gesture was lost on Caroline, who could afford the same and was unimpressed.
15-love to Caroline.
Judith stood and walked to greet Caroline, her well-fitted suit and maroon waistcoat flattered her figure and gave her an air of butch confidence. The smouldering gaze was just for Caroline, and for the first time Caroline could see how John could have been so captivated. She swallowed uncomfortably, not expecting to be ogled in such a blatantly sexual way or to be on the back foot quite so quickly.
15-all.
"Caroline. Lovely to see you," Judith purred, gesturing to the chair she held out for Caroline, clearly intent on maintaining control of the situation as long as she could. "Thank you for...coming."
Caroline couldn't restrain herself and rolled her eyes. With practiced manners she continued, "Thank you for the invitation." Reaching for the wine, she noticed Judith had found a favourite of hers. She nodded in appreciation while a waiter sprinted over and obsequiously poured her a glass. She noticed the absence of a wine glass on Judith's side of the table, nodding again to acknowledge her dining companion's abstention.
They managed to politely discuss Lawrence, who'd continued to spend time with Judith, although Caroline wasn't sure if it was the company he craved or the pocket money. Either way, he'd seen more of Judith in the last few months than she had and she was interested to hear Judith's take on how he was going. She was pleasantly surprised Judith seemed intent on pushing Lawrence towards something more engaging and lucrative than sitting on his arse and playing video games with Angus, quite a shift since John had moved out, apparently.
Once the main meal was finished, Caroline threw down the gauntlet.
"What am I here for, Judith?"
Judith smiled, enjoying Caroline's company but delighted the game was back in scoring territory. "I've been thinking about that fire of yours, and how you might be having trouble getting the gym rebuilt. It's been nearly two months and when I drove past this morning, construction hadn't started. Is it on schedule, or are there problems?"
Caroline casually twirled the stem of the wineglass, watching Judith's face for any telling details. "It's going well. The architects have drawn up fresh plans, and permission for most of it was granted by the council a couple of years ago, so we're nearly there." She tilted her head a fraction, as if wanting to see Judith from a different perspective. "Why?"
Judith smiled, trying for open but only managing to look secretive. "I'd heard there was trouble with the funding."
15-30.
Caroline steeled her gaze and was silent, waiting to see if Judith played from the baseline or was a serve and volley player.
Judith continued, having trouble hiding a little smirk. "I was thinking you might need some extra funding, for naming rights, or something."
Caroline's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"I know the library was damaged as well, so you could name it the Judith Tyzak Library, and I could provide some of the cash, but if it's all paid for..."
Caroline shifted in her chair before responding, giving herself a moment to rework her defence. "Not all the funding has come through." She leaned forward slowly, trying to appear interested but not eager. She had no idea why anyone would want their name on anything, but was happy to receive extra cash if it enabled the students to have their gym and library back in working order. "How much were you thinking?"
"How much are you short?"
Caroline stared at the tablecloth for a moment, wondering how much to share. She doubled the figure she needed, in case she needed room to bargain. "Four hundred thousand."
Judith whistled. "That's more than I was expecting. Are you building the Taj Mahal?"
15-40.
Caroline glared at her, hating having to justify herself to this particular woman, of all the women on the planet. "I'm expanding the library. I'm adding a special games room for parallel play, to reduce the bullying during break times of students with anxiety or who are neurodiverse, and to increase the engagement of students who need time out during class times. The rest of the cost is an upgrade to the equipment in the gym; the new gear is more expensive, that's all."
Judith smirked, clearly enjoying the power of the moment.
Caroline changed tack, her smile not reaching her eyes as she coated her vocal blade with honey. "Was it just naming rights you wanted? How big do you need your name to be?"
30-40.
Judith scowled at her. "Okay. I deserved that." She looked at her fingers on the table, moving them like a keyboard was underneath them. "Actually, there is more." She studied Caroline, watching her lean back in her chair, clearly expecting the worst.
"No, not like that. Well, obviously I'd like that, but no, not what you're thinking."
Caroline folded her arms across her chest. "You do know I'm practically married, and as much as my ex-husband liked to screw around with you and probably half of West Yorkshire, it isn't something I'm ever going to do."
Deuce.
The icy blue stare had Judith raising her hands in defence. "No, really. I had something else in mind, less...less...not that."
"Okay." The stare still had a sub-zero windchill factor, but at least Caroline was still there, listening.
"I want to have lunch with you, once a week, for the next three months. That's it. No more, no less."
"Lunch?" Caroline gawked at her incredulous. "Every week?"
"Oh, and I want to have dinner with you and Gillian at yours, a couple of nights, and to go to a family event. Doesn't matter what."
Caroline was flummoxed. "Why? Why would you...why?"
Judith leaned forward, glancing left and right to see if anyone else was within hearing distance. She beckoned Caroline to lean in too, beckoning again when Caroline was slow to respond.
She whispered conspiratorially, "Vikings."
Caroline's jaw dropped open before she burst out laughing. "Vikings!" She blurted, laughing while Judith shooshed her.
"Keep your voice down! I haven't told anyone. You're the first to know."
Caroline wondered if pixies or fairies were soon to be unleashed into the conversation. She observed Judith for a few moments, wondering if perhaps Judith's lack of alcohol indicated something else. She leaned in, lowering her voice a little, "Are you on any medication?"
Advantage Caroline.
Judith bristled, exclaiming, "No!" before muttering, "Although sometimes I'd like to be."
"Okay. So what's this got to do with me?"
"I need a family; family dynamics and I won't be using the names, you won't be recognised, and you'll be the only one to know—"
"No. Definitely not," Caroline stated firmly, shaking her head for emphasis. She'd been down this path with John and she was not going there with Judith.
Judith sighed, before admitting, "The thing is, I'd write about my own but I don't...my family aren't like that. I never...my sister only calls when she wants money, and my parents are..." Judith gulped down some water, gathering her thoughts. "Look, I need a family. Yours is mad and complicated and wonderful to write about and will be perfect for a bunch of bloodthirsty Vikings from the 9th Century. I get to write about the family dynamics," she paused, using the time to sit up straight to drive home the trade off, "And you get your gym. No one will be recognisable because I don't want anyone to know."
Caroline sat back in her chair, astonished that she was even considering the proposal. Whatever she'd thought Judith would offer her today, it certainly wasn't this. She had a large swig of wine, carefully watching Judith's face as if it would give her a more complete picture, or at least a better idea of Judith's motivations. All she could see was the excitement of a writer determined to get what she needed to write. It reminded her of John in the early days, when the hunger of a new story had him by the throat.
Caroline could see Judith was smart enough to let her think about the offer. She waved to the waiter and ordered them both coffee. By the time the coffee arrived, Caroline was firing questions at the writer about the project, asking how her family would be used, what aspects of their story would be included, and how easy it would be to recognise any of them in the finished book. By the end of it, Judith had nearly talked Caroline into it.
"I'll have to speak with Gillian, obviously. She won't tell anyone, but I need to clear it with her."
"Listen, I get that, but it can't go further," Judith warned. She was sure Caroline could keep her mouth shut, but she didn't know Gillian well enough to gauge that.
"What about the naming rights? You still want that?"
Judith cackles. "I couldn't give a fuck about having my name up on the school, but we'll need a cover if I'm going to donate that much money."
"You could make the donation anonymous."
"I'm not that... perhaps it doesn't have to be official, but you could quietly let it slip out. The PR people at MetaFable would love that, and it would get me out of the shit with them."
Game to Caroline.
Caroline, trying not to gloat, nodded. She had heard from William that the publisher was getting fed up with the author's alcoholic hijinks, but Caroline had been knocked around enough by life to extend kindness to someone else who'd been floundering. "I could organise that, make it look like you wanted it to be anonymous."
"You get your gym, and I get—" Judith swallowed, a hint of desperation showing before she added, "The information I need for my new book. It's a win for both of us. Yeah?"
Caroline nodded. "I'll think about it."
Judith smiled encouragingly. "Great. I'll see you next Friday for lunch. You can tell me your answer then. You like Zara? I'll send them to pick you up again next week."