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Her first emotion on waking that morning had been one of relief. Laure was leaving on Saturday, which meant there were only two more days to get through before she got her life back. She’d immediately hated herself for being uncharitable. But the truth was, Laure was harder work than she’d thought.
She moved toward the house, bracing herself. But there was no sign of Laure hovering in the hall, or running down the stairs to meet her. Maybe she hadn’t heard her come in. Iris kicked off her trainers, peeled off her socks and tiptoed to the kitchen, desperate for a drink. She pulled the drawer to the right of the dishwasher open and reached for a glass. Her hand came to a stop in mid-air. There were no mugs or glasses, just packets of pasta and rice and other foodstuffs.
Frowning, she walked to the other side of the kitchen, to the row of cupboards near the cooker, where those foodstuffs should have been.She opened the doors one by one and found not just glasses, but mugs, plates, bowls and other small dishes, all removed from the drawers near the dishwasher and rehomed into the cupboards.
“You’re back!”
Iris whipped around. Laure was standing in the doorway. “You rearranged the kitchen,” she said, unable to keep the accusing tone from her voice. But Laure seemed oblivious and nodded happily.
“Yes. I thought it was funny that you would keep cups and plates in a drawer. You never did before.”
“No, not until I realized that it was more practical to empty the dishwasher straight into the drawers next to it instead of having to cross over to the other side of the kitchen,” Iris said curtly. “Same with the food; near the cooker is more logical.”
“Oh.” Laure looked crestfallen. “Do you want me to put it back to how it was before?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay. It’s just that I’ve made a decision about Paris.”
Iris put a smile on her face. That morning, she’d reminded Laure to book her Eurostar ticket.
“Great. Let’s go and sit in the garden and you can tell me about it.”
The terrace was almost too hot for Iris’s bare feet. She hopped over it quickly, jumped onto the grass and headed for the swing seat, Laure following behind.
“So, which train are you getting?” Iris asked, once they were settled.
Laure turned earnestly toward her. “I’m not. I’ve decided not to go to Paris this weekend. I’m not ready. Pierre hasn’t had the decency to phone, he’s only ever communicated by message. I asked him this morning if he’d come to a decision about his daughter and he said he hadn’t. So what’s the point of me going?”
“To talk,” Iris said desperately. “The two of you need to talk.”
“Not until he comes to a decision,” Laure said stubbornly. “He knows where I stand, we’ve been messaging about it. It’s either me orhis daughter. If Pierre chooses to be part of his daughter’s life, I won’t be in his. It’s as simple as that.”
Iris took a breath. “What about your job? Can you take more time off?”
“No, it’s not easy in the advertising industry at the moment. I spoke to my boss and he said they can’t carry me indefinitely. I don’t have any more holiday to take, and they don’t want me to take unpaid leave.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“I’ve already done it. I resigned.”
“Oh, wow. Right.” Iris reached up, took the elastic from her hair, then shook it out, trying to find something to say that wouldn’t sound like a criticism, because she couldn’t believe that Laure had given up the well-paid job which she’d always enjoyed, especially in the current economic climate. But she couldn’t find anything.
Laure reached over and placed her hand on her arm. “Don’t worry, I have savings, I won’t be a burden on you and Gabriel.” Iris did a double take, alarm shooting through her body.Laure intended on staying longer?“That is all right, isn’t it?” Laure continued.
Once again, Iris found herself searching for something to say. “I thought you’d be going to see your mum. She must be worried about you.”
“She’s not. She said she’s sure Pierre and I would work it out and that all couples go through bad patches.”
“Did you tell her Pierre has a child?”
“No. I’d only get an ‘I told you so’ lecture. She’s always said I’d regret giving up my chance to have children, pointing out that Pierre could have one anytime if he changed his mind.” She gave a bitter laugh. “She was right.”
“Have you told Pierre you’re not going back this weekend?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
