One Hundred Names (Special Edition)

think?’
    ‘I’m sorry, what do I think about what?’
    ‘About taking the job.’
    ‘Where are your family based?’
    George seemed confused. ‘Cork.’
    ‘When is the event?’
    ‘Here’s the thing, I haven’t been terribly organised. It’s next week. Friday. But Nigel – or I – can give you all the details you’re looking for.’ He leaned forward, his face intent. If Eva was any less beautiful, Kitty suspected George would have left the room a long time ago.
    ‘That’s very close. I usually take a few weeks at the very least.’
    ‘Weeks?’ George’s surprise reflected Kitty’s feelings exactly.
    ‘How many gifts are you thinking of?’
    ‘Oh, let’s see, Nigel has all these details but … one for my grandfather’s birthday, and one for my sister and her husband-to-be.’ He concentrated on a bit of invisible fluff on his trouser leg and picked at it and flicked it to the ground before finding another. ‘Oh, and there’s one other for another person.’
    Kitty felt genuine disappointment at that, not for herself – George had barely looked her way since he’d entered the room, his attention had been entirely on Eva – and not just for business reasons. Kitty had to bite the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from saying anything. It was obvious who the other person was, but he had been so charming, and though Eva was professional and a woman of few words she had clearly been responsive to him. Kitty could see that, and now there was a nice little connection between the two, which just made him saying what he had to say all the more awkward.
    ‘For your girlfriend?’ Eva asked, professionally.
    ‘Yes.’ He cleared his throat. ‘It’s a one-year thing,’ he practically mumbled.
    One final-year thing, Kitty thought to herself.
    ‘An anniversary,’ Eva said, making a note in her book. ‘Let me just explain how I work, Mr Webb—’
    ‘Call me George, please.’
    ‘George,’ she smiled. The connection was back and Kitty was invisible again. ‘I like to spend time with the people I’m buying gifts for. I like to see who they really are, what it is they really want and I choose items designed solely for them. I’m not sure if your assistant explained that to you.’
    ‘No he didn’t.’ George seemed uncomfortable with that. ‘I could just give you a budget of say, three thousand? And you could find something for them within that budget. Do you work on an hourly basis? I’m not sure how this works, because if you do, it really doesn’t matter about spending time with them, I’m willing to pay you a fee that makes it worth your while.’
    ‘I’m probably not the person you need for this,’ Eva said, which surprised Kitty. He was willing to pay her anything and she was turning it down. She wanted to throw her notebook at Eva’s head. ‘I think what you’re looking for is more of a personal shopper. You describe the person, they find the gift. A nice perfume for your mother, perhaps matching luggage tickets and passport holders for your sister and her husband, that kind of thing?’
    ‘Brilliant, that’s brilliant,’ he said, lighting up. Then he looked at his watch again and that frown returned; he was even later now.
    ‘I’m sorry, George, this job isn’t for me.’ Eva smiled and stood.
    He sat on the couch and looked up at her in confusion. Then he realised what was going on and stood too. ‘Okay.’ He shook her hand, a bit put out, a bit annoyed. ‘Thanks for coming. I’ll make sure Nigel shows you out. I’m late for a meeting,’ he said. He took one last look at her, an intrigued one, he nodded at Kitty, said goodbye and left the room.
    Nigel reappeared immediately and he, Kitty and Eva rode the elevator in silence.
    ‘Why did you suggest Eva for George?’ Kitty asked Nigel.
    ‘Is this for your piece?’ He said the word
‘piece’ as if it were a dirty word.
    ‘If you want it to be.’
    ‘I don’t.’
    ‘Fine, then, it’s off the record.’
    He gave her a sarky look, then looked at Eva to answer the question. ‘I’ve worked for him for six years and for six years I’ve had to do all his lists. Birthdays, Christmas, christenings, you name it. I think it’s time his grandfather stopped receiving handkerchiefs and ties, though they were of the finest quality, of course,’ he said, complimenting himself.
    ‘Does he have a nice family?’ Eva asked, which Kitty thought was a rather unusual question.
    ‘Nice? They’d make you