Page 11 of The Work Husband

‘Okay?’ he asked. ‘Please don’t cry. I hate it when people cry because it makes me cry too, and then I feel like a right plonker.’

I sniffed and blew my nose. The threat of tears seemed to have subsided, at least for now. ‘I think you’re safe.’

‘Thank God for that. Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or are you just going to sit there all day looking like you put your cashmere jumper in the tumble dryer by mistake?’

I managed a smile, touched that he’d remembered that this had, in fact, happened to me. And that I’d cried about it. At work. To Jamie.

‘I… it’s stupid.’

‘And? You’re talking to the man who once had a meltdown because the sandwich shop put salad cream on my egg bap instead of mayo. Admittedly, I was hungover to all fuck, but still. You can tell me. I won’t judge.’

‘Like I could forget salad cream-gate.’ Like anyone could. Particularly the poor man in the sandwich shop, who was probably still in therapy for PTSD. ‘But this is different-stupid.’

‘Go on. A problem shared is a problem that saves us from doing any work for the next half hour.’

I took a gulp of my coffee. It wasn’t properly hot any more, but it was milky and comforting, especially as Jamie hadn’t stinted on the sprinkles. If I was being ridiculous and overreacting, I knew he’d tell me and that would make me feel better. And if I wasn’t – well, maybe I’d feel better anyway.

I said, ‘Sam didn’t come home last night.’

Jamie’s eyes widened. ‘Shit, Georgia. Is he okay? Do you know where he is?’

I nodded. ‘At work.’

‘So at least he’s safe, right? But… I mean, where was he?’

‘In Manchester.’ I took a breath and added miserably, ‘Seeing his ex.’

Jamie stared at me for a moment, eyes still wide with shock. ‘Wait, what? How did you find out?’

‘He told me.’

Hesitantly, I spilled out the whole story. How Sam had been weird and silent since receiving Ava’s text. How he’d announced that he was getting the train up north to see her. How he’d messaged at seven in the evening to say he was going to be late, then not picked up his phone when I rang him at midnight, then messaged again to say he’d missed the last train and wouldn’t be home.

‘Okaaay.’ Jamie looked at me, his head on one side. I could see his mind working as he searched desperately for the right things to say – the things that would make me feel better without being meaningless platitudes. ‘That’s not great, is it? But he was in touch with you basically the whole time, right? It’s not like he was sneaking around behind your back.’

‘Yeah, I know. But… he never talks about Ava. This whole thing came totally out of the blue. And she was – I mean, the two of them were serious. Like, serious, serious. So I can’t help wondering if she wanted to see him because she wants him back, and I won’t be able to do anything about it.’

‘Georgia.’ He still had that How do I make it so she doesn’t cry again? look on his face. ‘Come on. Is Sam your boyfriend or a car you nicked off this Ava woman? Does he have agency, or is he a stray cat you took in and now its owner’s tracked it down and wants it back?’

‘You think I’m overreacting?’

‘I genuinely think you probably are. Maybe she’s getting married and wanted to tell him, and the two of them got drunk chatting about old times. Maybe she’s been working on a research station in Antarctica and now she’s back, she’s touching base with all her old mates. There could be a million innocent explanations. I know where I’d lay my money.’

‘You think so?’

‘Of course. Talk to him like an adult. Come on – you can do it. A tenner says everything will be fine. He loves you, Georgia. He’s hit the bloody jackpot with you. He’d be an idiot to chuck it away over some random ex, and Sam’s not an idiot, is he?’

Relief washed over me. I had been ridiculous. I had been overreacting. The worry I’d felt since Ava’s first message and Sam’s prolonged silence the previous day, coupled with a sleepless night, had made me imagine things that weren’t there, panic about something that hadn’t happened and wasn’t going to.

Confiding in Jamie had been the right thing to do.

Then he added, ‘Of course, if it does turn out there’s something dodgy going on between them⁠—’

‘Then what?’

‘Then you’d have to do something drastic to get him back.’

I laughed, and it sounded almost normal. ‘Like what?’