Past imperfect - страница 2

Tasia said darkly, "Open it. Maybe there's just a penny-worth pendant inside."

Please, not the ring! Lera swallowed hard. She had a bad feeling about it. She didn't want to open the case, but Tasia was right. If it was just some small item that was being pushed at the jewellery shop as the change or some free gift, then that would be fine. It would be no worse than a box of chocolates, maybe even cheaper. However, such trinkets are usually packed in plastic bags, not cases. But she could hope, right?

Finally, Lera snapped open the lid and gasped. The girls stood up and stared inside. On a cushion of dark blue velvet lay earrings, shaped like bird wings or laurel branches. The noble gleam of reddish gold was barely visible behind the sparkle of countless definitely non-glass stones. Lera shut the case with a snap and threw it onto the table, as if it had stung her. The girls watched Lera intently and in silence.

"Well, at least it's not a ring," Tasia said almost plaintively.

"If it were a ring, it would be a good time to be scared," Sveta agreed.

"And now? Isn’t it a good time?" Lera asked nervously, not addressing anyone in particular. "These earrings are worth more than my monthly salary! No one makes such expensive gifts without serious intentions!"

"I agree," Karina nodded.

"Maybe you should go to the police?" Vasya said uncertainly.

To her own surprise, Lera liked the idea very much. The gift had, frankly, scared her. Suddenly, Irina Konstantinovna's voice rang out from the door, stern and authoritative.

"What do you all have here? Why are you huddled together like kittens around a bowl of milk?"

The girls jumped in surprise and turned around. They really looked like naughty preschool kids. The boss, stood in the doorway. She was a stern, gray-haired skinny lady, dressed in her usual elegant outfit. Marat loomed behind her.

Without waiting for a response, Irina Konstantinovna marched into the room. Having adjusted her glasses on her nose she looked at the centre of the spontaneously formed circle where the ill-fated case lay. She didn't share her employees' reverence for jewellery gifts so she snapped the lid, then she blinked and chuckled after a barely noticeable astonished pause.

"And who is the lucky one?" the boss said after having managed to control herself.

All eyes instantly turned to Lera, unwittingly giving her away. Lera's cheeks flushed treacherously. Like many redheads and pale-skinned people, she blushed incredibly easily.

"A rich admirer?" the boss asked a little more dryly. "Remember, Larina, if you go on maternity leave…"

"Irina Konstantinovna, I don't know who this gift is from," Lera said hastily, with fervour.

For some reason, Lera was very embarrassed because Irina Konstantinovna thought she was openly being given expensive gifts. The woman's eyebrows rose in disbelief, and then she took a closer look at the girl's concerned face, she chuckled again and drawled.

"Really? Well, well… Then, come on in, you're the first to enter my office. We can talk about it along the way."

The boss occupied the largest office space in the company – the meeting room. She hosted particularly demanding clients here to discuss business, having seated them exactly facing a wall densely covered with certificates and photos.

And in honesty, she had a lot to be proud of. Only Lera had brought Irina Konstantinovna seven copies of her language certificates and diplomas. Other girls, too, were also not limited to one language or one educational institution.