‘Fine. Going to the gym a lot. I think he’s missing me. He said he was, anyway.’
‘Good. Keep him on his toes,’ Stella said wryly. But she’d clocked the uncertainty in Louise’s voice. ‘Have you two got any holiday plans, with or without the children?’
They’d been on a few glamorous-sounding trips in the past, just the pair of them.
Louise shuffled her feet. ‘We might go to Mallorca in August, when the kids are away with their dad. It depends on Josh’s work. He says he can’t commit to anything till he’s finished his current job.’
‘That’s a pain. Remind me what the job is?’
‘This brand-new housing development in Camberwell, which he’s project managing. There have been loads of hiccups, mainly with the suppliers.’
Stella frowned. ‘Isn’t that par for the course? Surely he can take a week off to go away with you?’
‘I hope so,’ Louise replied with a shrug. ‘It’s difficult when you can’t plan anything till the last minute. I expect we’ll manage something.’
‘Fingers crossed. How do the children get on with him now?’
Stella knew this had been a problem in the past. Josh had no children of his own and didn’t seem particularly interested in Will or Amelia or make much of an effort. Not surprisingly, they weren’t that keen on him, either.
‘Oh, it’s fine now. Things are much easier on that score,’ Louise replied, a little too quickly. ‘They don’t see a lot of each other, to be honest. I mean, everyone’s so busy.’
Stella raised her eyebrows and was about to probe further, but Louise shut her down.
‘Anyway, they’ve got a dad. They don’t need another one. It’s simpler keeping the two sides of my life separate. Everyone’s happier.’
After that, they briefly discussed Marina again, and Stella promised not to ruminate. She had to cross her fingers behind her back, though.
Once Louise had confirmed that Jon was in his room, Stella quickly filled her in on his extraordinary outburst this morning. She knew he and the others might be down soon, so she wouldn’t have long.
Stella expected Louise to be shocked, but hadn’t predicted how furious she’d be, too.
‘How dare he put that on you when he knows how fragile you still are?’ she said hotly. ‘It’s incredibly selfish of him. It’s not fair on you or Jemima, for that matter. What if she finds out? And what about your kids? It would be so confusing for them. Their mum’s dead best friend’s husband? Horrific! Besides, you and Al aren’t even divorced yet.’
‘I keep thinking about him,’ Stella admitted, changing direction for a moment. ‘I know I only said that to Jon to put him off, but it’s actually the truth. I think I’d be a teeny bit jealous if I found out Al was seeing another woman.’
Louise frowned. ‘I’m sure that’s normal. You were together such a long time, after all. But for God’s sake, don’t do any toing and froing. It wouldn’t be fair on Al or the kids. You’ve got to stick to your guns and see this thing through. You’ll feel so much better once the divorce is sorted.’
Stella was doubtful, but didn’t say so. She could imagine how annoying it would be for Louise, who’d given her so much support through the separation, if she suddenly turned round and said she and Al were giving their marriage another try.
Besides, she didn’t think Al would be up for it. He seemed to be moving on.
‘Let’s have some music.’ Louise turned on the radio and they listened to some Greek folk songs while she divided up the lamb skewers.
The sharp, metallic, slightly nasal sound of the bouzouki instruments grated on Stella’s nerves, but she didn’t complain. Louise was jigging to the music and enjoying herself.
‘Do you want a drink?’
They both jumped at the sound of Jon’s voice. If he’d appeared five minutes earlier, he’d have overheard their conversation.
‘Good idea.’ Stella turned down the volume and tried to act casual. ‘There’s a bottle of rosé in the fridge. Shall we open that?’
He fetched three glasses from a cupboard and pulled out the bottle of rosé. While he unscrewed the lid and poured the wine, Stella noticed his hands were trembling.
‘Yamas!’ she said fake-cheerfully once they all had a drink. She’d heard locals using the word when they chinked glasses.
After taking a sip, she glanced up to find Jon staring at her with damp, mournful eyes.
‘I’ll set the table,’ she said hurriedly, picking up the wooden tray she’d laid with cutlery, glasses and plates. She couldn’t wait to get away. He was making it hard for her to breathe.
