‘She won’t be long. Maybe half an hour.’
‘Or maybeyoucan help?’
‘I will if I can.’ He taps his fingers together.
‘Thank you!’ I give him a grateful smile and go on to explain. ‘Would you mind giving me your opinion?’
‘Sure. On what?’
‘Okay, so which of these two dresses do you prefer?’ I hold them out timidly, laughing internally at his facial expression. I can tell he hates both of them and is trying to work out how to spare my feelings.
‘Can I ask what the occasion is?’ he says tactfully.
‘I’ve made friends with a couple of the mums from school and we’ve arranged to go out for a drink tonight, but I really can’t decide what to wear. They’re quite glamorous women, and, well, you can probably tell from my clothes, I’m not very up on fashion.’ I give a sad laugh. ‘Anyway, I’ve whittled my choices down to these two dresses. To be honest, I don’t think either of them is up to it. The mums are all so fashionable and I’m afraid I don’t have a clue.’ I swallow and stare at a spot on the floor. ‘They’re probably all going to laugh at me.’
‘Of course they won’t!’ Robert reaches forward to touch one of the dresses. ‘What material is this?’ he asks.
‘Not sure.’ I make a pretence of looking at the label. ‘Nylon and polyester.’
Neither of us speak for a moment. Robert shifts in his seat and I break the silence.
‘It’s okay, you don’t have to say it – the dresses are hopeless.’
‘No,’ he protests, ‘not at all. I’m just deciding which one would… be best.’
Sighing, I pretend to examine the dresses along with him. ‘I wish I had half of Gemma’s style. She always looks amazing.’
‘Well… why don’t you borrow something of hers?’ he suggests. ‘You’re roughly the same size – maybe you’re a little smaller. But I’m sure she’ll have something suitable. And Gems won’t mind.’
I bite my lip and widen my eyes. ‘Are you sure? She’s not here for me to ask and I don’t want to overstep the mark.’
‘It’s no problem at all. Come on, let’s go up and have a look in her wardrobe. I’m sure we’ll find something to impress those mums.’
‘Wow. That would be brilliant. Thank you so much.’
I smile to myself and follow Robert up the stairs and into his bedroom.
Thirty-Three
On my way home from the office, the traffic is light and I let my mind wander over the day’s events. Work was uneventful, everything ticking along pretty smoothly. Now that we have a nanny, I don’t feel quite so stressed about juggling everything. That’s good, surely. So why do I have this little finger of doubt tapping away at my chest?
I came away from my lunch with Amelia worrying about Robert being attracted to Sadie. But I realise how silly I was to let Amelia spook me. My sister-in-law had a bad experience with Robert and so she’s naturally suspicious, but Robert and I are soulmates. We’ve never had cause to doubt or mistrust one another. I’ve never been jealous of another woman taking his attention. And Sadie is… well, she’s certainly a lot prettier than I first thought, but she’s also homely and serious. She seems young for her age. I’m really not worried.
I turn into our driveway at exactly seven o’clock. As I step out of the car into the autumn evening air, I smile, excited at the prospect of seeing Eva and Katie, of reading them a bedtime story. Missing out on last night’s trip to the theatre has made me appreciate my daughters even more than usual. And I’ve been thinking about them all day. I think sadly of Amelia and James, and their quest to have a family. I hope they get their wish soon.
Stepping into the hall out of the chilly wind, I’m expecting the girls to come running up to me with tales of their day, as usual. But the hallway is quiet. A strong scent of perfume hangs in the air – musky, with tones of vanilla, making my nose twitch. Ahead of me, the kitchen door is closed, yellow light spilling through the gap at the bottom. Snatches of adult laughter filter through the door. Has Robert got friends over? I can’t remember him saying anything about it. I check my reflection in the hall mirror, just in case. Check my teeth for lipstick. I’m fine. I’ll do.
I open the kitchen door and am confronted with an unexpected scene of domestic cosiness. Sadie and Robert are sitting at the kitchen table having a glass of wine together. For a second, I feel as though I’m intruding. Like I’ve interrupted something private. The smell of perfume is stronger in here. It must be Sadie’s. It catches in the back of my throat and I swallow.
‘Hi, Gemma!’ Robert says. ‘Shall I pour you a glass?’
‘Hi, guys,’ I say, feigning breeziness to cover my discomfort. ‘How are you? Where are the girls?’
‘I put them to bed early,’ Sadie says. ‘Hope you don’t mind. They were shattered after last night.’
‘Ah, that’s a shame. I was hoping to read them a story.’
‘Don’t worry, I already read to them. I should think they’ll be fast asleep by now.’ Sadie scrapes her chair back and stands up. ‘Right, thanks for the drink, Robert. I should get going.’
