After a week and a half, Bea returned to Small Heath and was going to stay with Polly again. But before that she went to see Tommy at his office.
"What happened to your face?" he asks when Bea comes into his office.
Bea's hand instantly raised to her cheek bone, bruised and with a cut.
"Oh, nothing. It was Bonnie. He has been teaching me how to fight and defend myself... He warned me many times what he was about to do, but I still failed to defend myself."
"I'll uh... make sure to leave you free time to go and practice with Bonnie," Tommy says slightly impressed.
"So, you'll give me a job?" Bea asks with excitement.
"If you'll take it," he confirms.
"Do tell me more," Bea encourages.
"Well, Lizzie suggested a few people to take her job as my secretary, but I don't like any and I've just gotten rid of the last of Lizzie's list. So, there is a job opening."
"As your secretary? How is the pay?"
"Good. The exact same I offered Lizzie," Tommy says sliding a piece of paper to Bea.
Bea looks at it and smiles before leaning back on her chair.
"Is that what you'd pay if I was a man?" she dares.
"I don't discriminate. This is what I'd pay any secretary of mine."
"Fine, then... I want two more shillings. Per week."
"Per week?" Tommy raises his brows but remains calm, smoking his cigarette.
"What? Shelby Company Limited makes a lot of money. Two more shillings isn't that much."
"Let's do it this way... you start by getting this amount, and if I see that you're worth that extra 2 shillings—"
"Per week," Bea adds.
"Per week..." Tommy agrees. "Then we'll do it."
"Great! Should have asked for 5," she says, since it was so easy for Tommy to agree.
Tommy smiles but doesn't deny it.
"I know that you did some work with Michael in New York, and this isn't as... challenging. But, in the future, we can always talk about progressing in your career at Shelby Company."
"I would love to keep that opportunity open," Bea agrees. "By the way, how is Lizzie? She'll give birth soon, right?"
"She's doing fine and awaiting the baby eagerly."
"That's good."
"You'll start your job next week. As you know I'm still running for parliament, so you'll need to catch up on all of that business and my schedule."
"Absolutely!"
"I see you are enthusiastic. I hope it keeps up."
"I'm sure it will. It's what I've wanted for a while — an actual job at the Company."
"Before you go, I want you to be honest with me," Tommy says putting out his cigarette. "Did something happen? At the time you sent me the letter."
Bea licked her lips as they had suddenly gone dry.
"Nothing happened, Tommy."
"What went wrong?"
"It was just... a little argument. Nothing much, we moved passed it."
"Did you?"
"Well... passed that one yes, but... I guess it kind of all went wrong when I told Michael I was coming back to Birmingham."
"How so?"
"I guess it was my fault... since I only told him I was leaving the day before."
"He reacted badly?"
"He sort of asked me to stay with him."
"That seems all right."
"And when I told him I was definitely leaving, he proposed."
"He—he proposed? To you?" Tommy was shocked. Of everything he could imagine, that was not on the list.
"I denied him, not in a kind way and... well, what's done it's done."
"What's done is done," Tommy repeats. "So, you've got bad blood with him, or something?"
"I hope nothing time won't heal."
"All right well... Apart from that you enjoyed your time in New York, right?"
"I did, yes. It was a great experience."
Tommy nods and then tells her she could go if there was nothing else she wanted to say. Bea stands up and leaves Tommy's office.
Bea went to The Garrison with Finn and Isaiah that night. They were drinking and Finn was, once again, drunk.
"You're working for Tommy now, then?" Isaiah confirms.
"I start next week. For now, all I am is Tommy's secretary, but hopefully, in the future, I may be able to progress and have a more important role in the company. I can do just as much as Michael can, so..."
"You should work at the Betting Shop, with me."
"No, thank you. I'd like some civilized surroundings whilst working."
"Did you not enjoy working with me, Bea?" Finn asks hurt.
"The lady is not going to fall for you when you're behaving like a needy baby, Finn" Isaiah mocks, rubbing Finn's head.
"She already has." Finn smirks at Bea, drunk.
"How delusional are you?" Isaiah wonders, thinking that Bea would never fall for him.
And with that Bea knew that Finn hadn't told Isaiah anything about them, and that assured her that she was somewhat safe with him and keeping things private.
"I think it's time to go home," Bea announces after another hour at The Garrison.
"No way!" Isaiah refuses. "It's your first night officially back and you're cutting it short? I don't think so, Bea."
"If it were for me, I'd go on, but I don't think he's up to it," Bea declares.
"I'm going to another pub," Isaiah states.
"Yeah, feel free. I'll just drop him at the Shelby home."
"I'll help you with him then."
The three of them walked to the Shelby Home and Isaiah often had to make sure Finn was walking straight ahead instead of making some deviation. When they finally got there, Isaiah helped Finn inside, whilst he mumbled.
"You can stay here, Bumble. I want you to stay here."
"Why does this prick call you 'Bumble'?"
"Don't know," Bea lies. "He's probably just too drunk."
"And why does he want you to stay?" Isaiah asks now with a smirk, as if starting to put the pieces together.
"Afraid he'll choke on his own puke?" Bea mocks.
"Do you need me to take you somewhere?"
"No, don't worry. I guess I'll just stay here since the house isn't empty."
"So, you are staying... Bumble," Isaiah affirms, as if knowing what they didn't tell him.
Bea was about to tell him not to call her that when Finn suddenly looked alert.
"Don't call her 'Bumble'!," Finn states. "Only I can call her that. Isn't that right?" he asks looking her way.
Bea contains her smile. "Yes, whatever you say, Mr. Shelby. Off to bed now. Go on."
Since it was Bea ordering him around, he did what she said without protest.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Isaiah," she says before he leaves.
"See you, Bea."
"Make good choices, wherever you're going."
"Sure will."
Bea closes the door and then goes to Finn, who's sitting down on the stairs, holding the rails, as if he was going up and had fallen.
"You all right?" she asks half-amused, half-concerned.
"I want to stay with you."
"You are with me," Bea points out with a chuckle.
"Not just today," Finn admits, drunk.
Bea slightly rolls her eyes, goes up a few steps and stops next to Finn and sits down.
"You're drunk," she says.
"I am," he says with a smile. "But even when I'm not, I want you to stay with me. Every day I think of you. When you were in New York, knowing that even if you wrote to me, I wouldn't be able to read... I felt useless... unworthy."
"You're not useless and you're definitely not unworthy of anything," Bea assures with a soothing tone. "It doesn't matter if you can or cannot read. There are a lot of people who can read and don't deserve anything they have."
"Still..."
"You're drunk and you are, like Isaiah said, behaving like a baby." Bea regret sounding so harsh when he was showing his concerns. "You are worthy of everything you have, and everything you want."
"And of you?"
Bea raises her hand and caresses his cheek. "I often wonder if I deserve you..."
"And you want me?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have returned."
Finn seems relieved by her words and, feeling the same relief as him, Bea softly pulls him to her and kisses him. Finn moves quickly, his arms embracing her, not allowing her to pull away from the kiss for a while.