He hung up, picked up the coffee cup and used it to gesture to the closed door. “You want people to think we’re on with each other.”
Foley opened the door; he could have his way for now. She went back to the bookshelf and did annoying things and watched Hugh try not to twitch.
“Where’s my orange?” he said.
“Couldn’t spare one.”
He laughed then grimaced. “You put fingerprints all over that.”
It was a hunk of perspex. An appreciation award from a local business. Foley put it back on the shelf facing the wrong way. “It’s a dust collector.”
“It’s my dust collector.”
She slumped in Hugh’s visitor’s chair and rolled her eyes at him.
“What’s with all the oranges?”
“I’m scared of scurvy.”
He fought off a laugh. “Did you make sure Gab saw you bring me coffee?”
Foley picked up Hugh’s stapler and studied it. He was so on to her. “So, it’s Gab now, is it?”
He held his hand out for the stapler, wiggling his fingers. “Give it up about her already. It was a fair fight.”
She bypassed his hand but put the stapler down. “Wasn’t.” Hugh pointed at the door and Foley got up and closed it.
“She has more on paper experience than you. And she’s already been through an amalgamation. You know Roger is terrified about that,” he said.
“That amalgamation is the reason she needed a new job and just because Mr Mayor is terrified of something that might not happen, he doesn’t get to employ friends.”
Hugh put a hand over his head, rested it there. It was a gesture he’d developed when he started losing his hair, as if he was trying to hold what remained of it in place. “It was entirely above board, there was an external panel. Gab got the job the same way you got your job here, there’s nothing sinister about it.”
“I got my job here because I was doing you.”
Hugh choked on a sip of coffee. “Not your lollipop girl job, your indoor voice one.”
Unconvinced, Foley said, “Friend of the mayor.”
“Nat has you believing it’s a conspiracy.”
“I didn’t need her help to believe that. I could’ve done the job. I deserved it.”
“No one is disputing that.”
“If that was true, I’d have gotten the job.”
Hugh’s other hand went to his head. Now he looked like he was trying to stop his brains from doing a volcano number. “Tell me what’s really going on with you.”
“Gabriella looks at me as if she thinks I just rolled out of bed and don’t know the first thing about how to do this job, but on the other hand she’s just so nice, considerate, reasonable.” Foley tugged at her shirt, mostly so she could avoid looking at Hugh. “I hate her.”
He laughed. “You don’t hate anyone. You don’t have it in you to hate anyone.”
Now she looked at him. Arms folded over his chest, watching her. “I hate you. I’ve always hated you.”
He smirked, and when she didn’t give him lip for that he leaned forward, hands to his desk. “What else is going on? Tell me about the cliff clinger.”
“Don’t call him that. His name is Drum and between the rangers, the lifesavers and the maintenance crew, we’ve known that for a long time.”