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‘There’s supposed to be an amazing burger place on Long Street,’ Nathan tells me as we head home from our Friday-morning run. ‘Do you fancy trying it out tonight?’

‘Sure, why not? What time?’

‘I’ll order a taxi for six-thirty to get us there for cocktails at seven. How does that sound?’

I smile at him. ‘The perfect way to finish another tricky week.’

‘Do you think you’re making progress, though?’

‘Actually, I do. Leon evidently thinks I’m in cahoots with Jeremiah to break up his team, and it’s true that a lot of the manual work they do today should be replaced with automation, but I reckon he might get away with a bit of light restructuring. They’ll be flat out to begin with if they implement my proposals, because there’s a lot of work to do to reconfigure the stores.’

‘And the famous Jeremiah?’

‘Actually appears to be listening to me and respecting that I know what I’m talking about. He’s still as prickly as a hedgehog, but I’m learning how to stay on his good side, I hope. He’s suggested I should continue my wine education with a trip out to Stellenbosch this weekend. It’s a longer journey – about an hour – but he says there are some amazing vineyards out there. He’s given me a list. I’ll drive this time if you like, assuming you’d like to come with me, of course.’

‘It’ll have to be tomorrow,’ he reminds me. ‘We’re already booked for the shark diving on Sunday.’

‘I hadn’t forgotten. Are you sure I can’t contribute to the cost, though?’

‘No. It’s something I want to do and you’re doing me the favour by coming along to take pictures for me.’

‘I’ll buy dinner tonight then. Actually, NGRS will, but you know what I mean.’

He laughs. ‘It’s always much easier to be generous when there’s an expense account behind it. Unfortunately, while eating may be considered a necessity, shark diving isn’t, so I don’t think the tax man would take kindly to me submitting a claim.’

‘One more question,’ I say to him as we enter the building and head for the lift. ‘As it’s technically a weekday today, will you still know about your work this evening? I’m starting to be convinced that you’re actually a spy, you’re so secretive about what you’re actually doing here.’

He grins. ‘Normally, all work knowledge ceases at 5 p.m. on a Friday and doesn’t return until at eight on a Monday morning at the earliest but, although I quite like the idea of you seeing me as James Bond, it seems only fair to bend the rules a little. It’s nowhere near as exciting though, trust me.’

‘Hmm. And the science of retail is, I suppose,’ I remark playfully.

‘You’d be surprised. I’ve learned a lot and found it really interesting.’

‘You’re definitely a spy,’ I tell him with a smile. ‘You lie too convincingly.’

* * *

‘Right, spill the beans before I ask the manager if he has a spotlight I can shine in your eyes,’ I say. The restaurant is busy, but Nathan had the foresight to phone ahead and get us a table, so we’re settled with our drinks and menus. Nathan has gone for a cold beer and, after toying with the idea of a Negroni, I decided to play it safe with a glass of white wine. I don’t want a repeat of last weekend.

‘Don’t we want to order first?’ he asks, with a mischievous look on his face. ‘I’m always much more responsive to interrogation with a full stomach.’

‘Nuh-uh,’ I reply firmly. ‘It’s already nearly seven, and I don’t want to run the risk of falling foul of some new imaginary deadline. Call centre. South Africa. Speak.’

‘Fine. So, we’ve talked about how honesty can make a world of difference in the way businesses deal with their employees and customers, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘But call centres bring their own unique difficulties because you’ve got to convince the person you’re trying to communicate with to give you airtime before you even start. If they’ve got call blocking, you’re basically dead in the water. Statistics show that only 2 to 3 per cent of cold calls to consumers actually result in a sale.’

‘So why do it? Everyone hates it, and it must be miserable for the people in the call centres as well.’

‘Good question. Because, incredibly, even those discouraging results make it worthwhile – just. As long as you keep your costs as low as possible, which is where putting your call centres in places where labour is cheap comes in.’

‘Yes, but that brings its own issues, doesn’t it?’

‘A truckload of them. I’m sure you can name at least one relative who’s complained that they can’t understand people from the Indian subcontinent?’

I smile. ‘My mother, for a start.’