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Why did Meg's new boss keep texting? He was driving her crazy

- Lynne Hackles

It was my grandparents' birthday. They shared the same date, which always made it feel extra special.

From their living room, I gazed out of the window at the summer sunshine that made their garden sparkle. The wild-flower seeds Grandad had sown under the apple trees were in full bloom. The yellows, golds and blues looked like jewels in the sun. I watched my grandfather bend and pick a bunch of them and wondered what he was doing out there. Gran had asked him to lay the table for lunch.

'Where's he got to, Meg?' she asked, her words bursting into my thoughts.

At that moment Grandad turned, saw me watching him and put a finger to his lips. I wasn't going to let Gran know he wasn't in the kitchen.

'He won't be long now,' I said and changed the subject quickly. 'I've a new boss at work. Well, he's newish. It must be six weeks since he arrived.'

'Do you like him?' Gran asked.

'It's taking me time to get used to him. He's rather demanding.'

'Well, you know what they say, a new broom sweeps clean. I expect he'll have his own ideas about how the office should be run.'

'That's not what bothers me, Gran. It's just that...'

Our conversation was disturbed by a shrill beeping. 'It's him,' I said, checking my phone. 'My boss.'

'It must be important for him to text you when you're off for the week. You can't ignore him. I'll go and see what your grandad's up to before we die of hunger.'

What Gran didn't know was that my boss had been texting me every day. I'd been looking forward to the break even though I had nothing planned. Meeting friends, seeing my grandparents, catching up on some jobs and just relaxing was enough to fill the time.

But Gran was right. There was a tiny chance this message could be about something important. There was a big deal for the company on the horizon. Maybe it had something to do with that...

I stared down at the screen in disbelief. 'What?'