Authors notes: Thanks for the reviews. There's not many chapters left now,but here's Chapter 18. Will update soon. Please Read and Review.
Chapter 18
Andrea is sitting at work, tapping away at the computer.
"Miss Dunbar?"
"Yeah." Andrea turns round to see the solicitor in charge.
"Can I have a word a minute?" The solicitor known as Mr Phillips asks gesturing to his office.
"Erm, yeah." Andrea replies getting up from her desk.
"This is it Andrea, your about to be sacked." She mutters to herself.
She enters the office and sits in the chair that Mr Phillips indicates.
"Ah, right then. Miss Dunbar." Mr Phillips smiles.
"Yeh …" Andrea responds waiting to hear the words.
"We've been suitably impressed with your work here."
"Oh." Andrea says surprised, she herself wouldn't have exactly said she was employee of the year.
"An opportunity has come up that you might be interested in. We're expanding the firm and are setting up a new office in the Berkshire area. We'd be needing a secretary for the office. So before we started searching I thought I'd offer the job to you. The salary will be a considerable amount more than what we're offering here."
"Err, Well, erm thanks. I'll have to think about it though."
"Yes. Yes of course, take your time and let us know." Mr Phillips says extending a hand to Andrea.
Andrea shakes his hand and makes her way out the office, sitting herself back down at her desk.
She just sits there for a while staring at the computer screen, thinking through the conversation she'd just had with her boss. When he'd asked for a word she'd thought that was it, she was being sacked, after all she'd never been the model employee. Not so long ago she would have accepted the job offer straight away but that was before Neil had got in touch, when not only the extra money would have been a good thing but the prospect of moving farther away from Sunhill, from her past, would have been an idea definitely welcomed by Andrea.
Neil having got back in touch had definitely changed things though, and although with how things were between them at the moment, Andrea would like nothing better than to get away, there was Annabelle's growing relationship with her father to think of and knowing Neil, he'd be far from happy about Andrea moving even farther away. There also is of course the small matter of Andrea herself not wanting to move too far away from Neil because no matter how much he has annoyed her lately, she can't help missing him and there seems to be no stopping the small niggling feelings of regret over having turned down the option of moving in with him.
The door to one of the solicitors' offices opens and Andrea quickly turns her attention back to her work. It's one thing being offered a promotion but losing it the very same day for not working, is not really an option.
It's not until later that evening that Andrea has any time to think over the job offer again. She's exhausted after finally managing to get Annabelle to settle down. She'd already been up half the previous night with Annabelle, who's suffering from a bad cold and doesn't seem to stop crying.
Having made herself a cup of tea, Andrea settles down on the sofa, and mentally starts to weigh out the pros and cons of accepting the job, with its attractable better pay packet and the less so appealing fact of having to move out the area.
It's not long however before Annabelle's cries once again fill the air.
Andrea sighs, putting her cup down and getting off the sofa. She tired and fed up with constantly attending to Bella the past few days, the only time she's got any peace has been at work and even then it wasn't exactly the peacefulness Andrea was looking for.
"Ssshhh, Bella. Come on." Andrea says softly rocking her daughter in her arms trying to calm her.
She sits on the sofa with Bella, trying to catch Bella's attention with some of her baby toys. But it seems Annabelle is having none of it and continues to wail.
This continues for at least another five or so minutes, all the while Andrea herself getting increasingly more and more wound up.
Eventually, having decided she can take no more on her own, Andrea grabs her home phone.
Neil is sat at his desk, in his office, finishing up after a stressful day at work, when his mobile rings. Taking the phone from his jacket pocket he glances at the phones display to see who the caller is and is surprised to find Andrea's name across the screen.
Neil looks slightly concerned, the way things have been its unlikely Andrea would be phoning unless something had happened with Annabelle. So he hits the answer button, virtually straight away.
"Andrea?" He says. Not noticing the door to his office having suddenly opened, to reveal Samantha Nixon, who deciding that this is perhaps not such a good time, puts a pile of papers on top of a cabinet by the door and makes a quick exit.
Back in CID, she bumps into Phil. "Your friends with the DI aren't you?"
"Sort of why?" Phil responds.
"Looks like he's got himself a new woman." Sam comments.
"Yeh?" Phil says.
"Yeh, he was busy on the phone talking to an Andrea." Sam says, clearly having no clue over who this Andrea is.
"Andrea?" Phil questions, "He sound all right on the phone?" He asks becoming interested.
"Yeh, why you know her?"
"Andrea, yeh. Look Sam don't say anything alright this is between you and me."
"Yeh go on."
"It's Andrea, Andrea Dunbar."
"Andrea Dunbar!" Sam repeats, "As in the journalist."
"Yeh, they've um had a kid."
"What?" Sam asks, looking completely shocked, "When did this happen?"
"Look i'm not sure Sam, but listen you've got to keep this quiet. Neil could lose his job."
Just then, Neil walks out his office clearly leaving work.
"Everything alright?" he asks, "Sam, that report have you done it yet?"
"Fine Guv." Phil says, shooting Sam a warning look.
"Yeh, Guv I put it on the cabinet by the door."
"Right okay." Neil says glancing back at his office before deciding to leave the report until the morning, more concerned about getting over to Andrea's. "Right then, I'm off, something's come up." Neil says and heads out of CID.
"I don't believe this!" Sam says, "How long have you know Phil? I suppose that's why he's not with his wife anymore."
"It's complicated Sam. And anyway it's none of your business so just keep quiet about it will you." Phil says before also exiting the room.
Leaving Sam to decide what to do about what she's just heard.