So I‘ll come straight out with it. Take a seat.‘

Scott lit a cigarette and Emma hoisted herself onto the bar stool opposite his large, untidy desk.  A  wall  of  boxes  filled  with  vodka,  tequila  and  cigarettes  –  the  stock  deemed  most nickable‘  –  blocked  out  the July  sunlight  in  a  small  dark  room  that  smelt  of  ashtrays  and disappointment.

Scott kicked his feet up onto the desk. The fact is, I‘m leaving.‘

You are?‘

Head office have asked me to head up the new branch of Hail Caesar‘s in Ealing.‘

What‘s Hail Caesar‘s?‘

Big new chain of contemporary Italians.‘ 

Called Hail Caesar‘s?‘

That is correct.‘

Why not Mussolini‘s?‘

They‘re going to do to Italian what they‘ve done to Mexican.‘

What, fuck it up?‘

Scott looked hurt. Give me a break, will you, Emma?‘

I‘m sorry, Scott, really. Congratulations, well done, really—‘ She stopped short, because she realised what was coming next.

The  point  is—‘  He  interlocked  his  fingers  and  leant  forward  on  the  desk,  as  this  was something that he‘d seen businessmen do on television, and felt a little aphrodisiac rush of power.  They‘ve  asked  me  to  appoint  my  own  replacement  as  manager,  and  that‘s  what  I wanted to talk to  you about.  I want someone  who isn‘t going anywhere. Someone reliable who  isn‘t  going  to  run  off  to  India  without  giving  proper  notice  or  drop  it  all  for  some exciting  job.  Someone  I  can  rely  onto  stick  around  here  for  a  couple  of  years  and  really devote themselves to . . . Emma, are you . . . are you crying?‘

Emma shielded her eyes with both hands. Sorry, Scott, it‘s just you‘ve caught me at a bad time, that‘s all.‘

Scott frowned, stalled between compassion and irritation. Here—‘ He  yanked a roll of coarse blue kitchen paper from a catering pack. Sort yourself out—‘ and he tossed the roll across the desk so that it bounced off Emma‘s chest. Is it something I said?‘

No,  no,  no,  it‘s  just  a  personal,  private  thing,  just  boils  up  every  now   and  then.  So embarrassing.‘