Page 14 of The Golden Girls’ Road Trip

Fiona looks so troubled, I almost don’t want to ask, but the truth has to be got at if we can ever move forward here.

‘Not cancer then?’ I ask as lightly as I can.

‘Mum was hit by a drunk driver. Her head injury was catastrophic and Dad had to make the decision to turn off her life support. It was an unbearable level of grief that he suffered afterwards; he was desperately down.’ She leans in closer and lowers her voice. ‘He was suicidal.’

‘Oh, my God, that’s awful. Poor Leo, and you too. How terrible for you both.’

‘It’s why I’m a bit surprised to be honest.’

‘That he didn’t tell you about me?’ I ask.

‘That there even is a you. He’d always said he couldn’t contemplate another relationship.’

Without thinking it through, I take my hand from my pocket and place it onto the table between us.

‘He asked me to marry him,’ I say. ‘But now, I’m not sure if that’s what he really wants.’

Fiona gasps and lifts my hand up to look closer at the ring.

‘That’s Mum’s,’ she says, a look of pure hurt on her face.

I begin to pull it from my finger as if it’s going to burn me and there’s an agonising few seconds where I think it won’t come. With some painful twists and turns I do get it off and it sits on the table between us.

‘What was he thinking?’ Fiona says in a small voice.

‘I’m so sorry, I had no idea,’ I say, and she shakes her head.

‘It’s not your fault. How could you have known?’ She looks at me then, properly looks at me. ‘It’s because you look a bit like her, I think.’

I cast my mind back to the photo I saw of Brenda, but can’t really remember any similarities.

‘I mean, if you had a haircut, you’d look very much like my mum.’

I feel a bit sick. The espresso sits nastily in my stomach with every chance I might be seeing it again.

‘I think it’s best if I go,’ I say, suddenly very keen to vacate the café before Leo returns.

‘Maybe it would be best to wait for Dad and talk to him. I’m not angry about him seeing you, or even about him proposing, really. I’m just a bit upset about the ring.’

‘Understandably,’ I say. ‘And you’ve got your own upset to deal with too. I’m sorry to hear about your marriage. You must be devastated.’

‘It’s been a long time coming to be honest. Things haven’t been right for a while.’

Rock solid, Leo had said.

‘Paul wanted to have children and I didn’t. He thought I’d change my mind, but I was never going to.’

‘Your dad told me that you wanted children,’ I say without thinking. It’s really none of my business.

‘Did he?’ She looks surprised. ‘Not true at all. Dad always wanted me to have kids; he likes the idea of being a grandad. It’s just not for me and, anyway, I’m so busy with this place.’

‘Leo said you were devastated about the break-up. I think he may have been over-egging the situation, because it looks like you have everything under control,’ I say.

‘You know what he’s like; a worrywart, bit possessive of me, especially after Mum. He likes to be needed. Don’t get me wrong, Connie, I am upset about the failure of my marriage, but it was inevitable and I’m very philosophical about it all.’

‘It seems I don’t know what he’s like. He’s been spinning me quite the yarn,’ I say, feeling like I’ve had a cold slap across the face. I’m starting to wonder about Leo’s motivations. I look like his dead wife; my son is having a baby and Leo desperately wants to be a grandfather. I start doing the maths. Simon and Diana may have only just told me about the pregnancy, but they have known for… I work back through the weeks. Simon and Leo are close and there’s every chance my son could have told him back at Easter when he first found out. It was when the proposal happened. Surely, Leo isn’t capable of such deceit. But Fiona said he was desperately depressed, suicidal, he could be capable of anything. I feel so sad for him, but also confused and honestly a bit stupid too.

I stand up and pull my bag onto my shoulder. Fiona stands too and slips Brenda’s ring into her pocket.