On Sunday night, Harri had dreamed of Andy. She often does. But this time, she did not wake weeping, or pawing the space beside her in the bed.

‘Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt,’ said Andy, in the dream.

‘You old ham!’ said Harri. ‘When did you learn that?’

‘Am dram!’ said Andy. ‘I was Lucio in Measure For Measure! Epping Forest Summer Stock, 1988! You knew that.’

‘Did I?’

‘I’m sure I told you!’

‘What else did you tell me?’

‘Don’t lose the good. Don’t…’

Harri is ambivalent about religion, and she’d eat a bag of crystals before she entertained the notion that she might be a spiritual person. But for once, she didn’t feel bereft, betrayed, abandoned all over again. It was more as though her subconscious had given Harri, and her idea, a benediction. Now, as she stares at her screen, pretending to work, and hugging her secret hard, Harri realises that convincing Imogen to join her might be the toughest challenge she faces. But if she can get Imogen to come on board, she can do anything.

Chapter Forty-Eight

The start of another love story

Imogen

I guess that’s it. Harri has made up her mind. She’s planned it. She is going to take me out of the office, to spare my feelings, buy me a luxury lunch to soften the blow, and then—that will be the end of my journalism career.

Tristan’s kind counsel made me believe that I could go out fighting. I spent the whole of Sunday planning and plotting my argument, working out how I might advocate for my worth. Surprisingly, it was a life affirming exercise. They say—and by ‘they’, I mean ‘Google’—that the key to managing any kind of difficult talk, and getting your desired outcome, lies in visualisation. You’re supposed to imagine the conversation and work out how you would like it to go, and how you can take control of any negativity by anticipating it and practising your response.

Initially, all I could visualise was Harri standing over me and calling me a ‘disgrace to journalism’ as I cried into my sleeve while mumbling ‘Please, please don’t fire me’. But I’ve done some research. I have solid evidence of how I’ve boosted the profile of The Know. My pieces have grown the site’s social media following by over 30 per cent (I’m underestimating, because I’m not wildly confident about my maths) and they make up over 75 per cent of the site’s shares. I’m not going to mention this to Harri, but if they need to fire anyone, Tabitha really does not give much bang for her buck. My bang is as figurative as it is literal.