‘I agree,’ Lily said. ‘Short breaks do help a lot in these situations.’
‘Firstly, thank you but if I go to England I’ll probably stay with my brother and his wife. And secondly, no offence but is either of you really qualified to give me relationship advice? I mean, look at you both. Look like you’re completely right for each other. Lovely together when you stayed with us all those years ago. Lovely together now. Rampant outdoor sex all night last night. And yet do you have any kind of relationship?’ Woah. Norm in this new incarnation was far too forthright.
‘Erm,’ Matt said.
‘That’s a conversation for another time,’ Lily said. ‘Focusing on you and Carole, Norm, she’s probably going to be really upset when she finds out.’
‘I doubt it.’ Norm’s chin wobbled and Lily hugged him again.
‘Why don’t you wait and talk to her?’ she said.
‘No. I’m going. I think it’s over. I don’t think she’ll care at all that I’ve gone. She’ll probably just be delighted.’
‘I really do think you just need to talk. It’s never going to be completely over, is it, until both of you want it to be for good. Maybe you do need a bit of time apart but then – and yes I know I’m not one to give relationship advice – but I think after that talking would really help and things will probably be okay then.’ She looked up at Matt across Norm’s head. He was watching her, smiling crookedly. It felt like there were some parallels between what she’d been saying to Norm and her relationship with Matt.
Norm sniffed. ‘Maybe. I don’t know. I need to go now, though, before she gets back.’ He opened his car door and got inside. ‘Goodbye.’ And off he drove, with Lily and Matt waving at the car.
‘Waving did not feel right there,’ said Matt.
‘I know. Like he was off on some lovely jaunt instead of walking out on forty years of marriage. I really hope they can resolve this.’
‘Me too. Hopefully Carole will go after him when she’s read his note.’ Matt put his arm round Lily and pulled her against him.
‘Lucky we decided to stay so that Carole will have company.’ Lily slid her arm round his waist and turned her face up to his and he kissed her.
‘You secretly pleased that you don’t have to get on a tiny plane today?’ he asked.
‘Well, duh. Totally.’ Also secretly pleased that she was going to get to spend more time with Matt. It would besonice to curl up somewhere cool and have a snooze together now.
‘Maybe we could go and grab half an hour’s sleep while we wait for Carole to get back,’ Matt said.
‘Good plan. My room?’
Some time later, Lily heard a strange sound outside her bedroom window and dragged her eyes open. She smiled at the sight of Matt sprawled in the bed next to her and then reached for her phone to check the time. Woah. They must have been asleep for a good two or three hours.
There was that strange sound again.
She nudged Matt awake and he mumbled something and wrapped his arms round her.
‘What’s that noise outside the window?’ she said. ‘Is it crying? Is it Carole?’ Crying wasn’t really the right word; it was more like wailing.
‘What?’ Matt let go of her, jumped out of bed and opened the shutters a little to peer through them. He turned round, his eyes wide. ‘I think Carole’s singing next to the swimming pool. I think that’s some classic Aretha Franklin.’
Lily joined him at the window. ‘Yeah, I think you’re right. It’s “Respect”. Not that mournful. God. This is awful. I hope she isn’thappythat Norm’s gone. Or ambivalent. Becauseheclearly isn’t happy. I’m totally expecting him to want to come back within about two weeks.’
‘Two weeks? I think more like two days. Or even two hours. I mean, I think he started wavering before he’d even got in the car. I was thinking a short sharp shock like this might be great for them. But not if Carole’s happy that he’s gone.’
‘I think we should go and find out.’
When they got out to the pool area, Carole, still warbling, was reclining on a sunlounger in a sundress and shades, with a magazine on the little table next to her, holding a cocktail with a straw in it like a mic and looking like she was giving Aretha everything she had.
‘She looks really happy,’ Lily whispered.
‘Maybe it’s bravado. Maybe the shades are hiding tears.’ Matt took a few steps forward. ‘Carole. Hi. Are you okay?’
Carole jumped and squawked and half her cocktail went flying.
‘Sorry, we didn’t mean to surprise you.’ Lily moved closer to her. ‘Carole, are you alright?’
