Page 87 of The Fallback

Susan smiled sweetly over her coffee cup. ‘You know what I meant, darling.’ She pretended not to hear her daughter’s barbed tone.

‘Actually, it was really strange,’ Rosie said. ‘It sounds silly now but I pined for him so much after he left. I spent so long wondering what my life would have been like had he stayed.’

‘Really?’ Susan said, putting down her coffee cup, her turn to be surprised.

‘Yes, Mum, really,’ Rosie said, irritated that her mother had interrupted her midway through her confession.

‘I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.’

‘Why?’ asked Rosie, suddenly intrigued by what her mother might say next.

‘Oh, well it’s not like I knew him,’ Susan said in an off-handed manner.

‘But?’ prompted Rosie. ‘What were you going to say?’

‘Well, I only met him the once, remember, at your graduation, but he seemed, how shall I put this?’ Susan paused and looked thoughtful. ‘A little self-obsessed, shall we say?’

Rosie gaped at her mother. ‘Did you really think so?’

Rosie wished she had talked to her mother about this at the time, perhaps if she had, her history might have been totally different? Although probably not; Rosie would have just been annoyed at her mother’s assessment of Connor and it would have done nothing to stop Rosie falling for Mitch.

‘Absolutely,’ Susan said firmly. ‘I just remember that everything we did that day was becausehewanted to do it. Even down to what time we went for dinner. And I just felt sorry for his mother who looked as if she knew she had raised a monster!’

Rosie stifled a giggle. ‘Hmm, yes but she was incredibly uptight herself. It’s funny though, Mum. I never realised that about him then. And then suddenly last night it was as if I was meeting him for the first time. He just wasn’t the person I remembered.’

‘Well, that can happen when you haven’t seen someone for a long time,’ her mother said teasingly.

‘Ha, bloody, ha,’ Rosie retorted. ‘You know what I mean.’ They both sipped their coffee in silence.

Susan broke it, musing, ‘It’s funny you talking about Connor like that. I don’t think I knew at the time how serious you must have been about him.’

‘Mum,’ said Rosie sharply. ‘I was moving to bloody London to be with him!’

Susan gave her a look. Rosie knew she didn’t appreciate the language. It wasn’t that Susan necessarily disapproved of swearing, she had just always told Rosie only to use it when it was strictly necessary. And apparently it wasn’t deemed necessary while in a cafe with your mother.

‘I suppose I never saw him as being the person you would end up with,’ Susan said obliquely.

Rosie took a deep breath. ‘Right.’ She paused. ‘So are you going to tell me who the sort of person you thought I would end up with might be?’

Although she couldn’t keep the irritation out of her voice, she was also intrigued by what her mother’s answer would be; Susan did have annoyingly perceptive insight as Rosie had established during the course of this coffee date.

‘I don’t think that’s my place to say,’ Susan replied, chancing the wrath of her daughter who looked to be completely out of patience. But then, being incapable of leaving it there, Susan continued, ‘I always thought and hoped that you would end up with someone kind. You’re so good at looking after yourself, you always have been, but I hope that one day you’ll find someone who will be just as good at looking after you. Someone who is a good friend to you.’

Rosie’s mind inexorably drew to Mitch. He was someone kind, he was someone who was good at looking after her. But when she thought of Mitch now, she thought of the kiss and the look on his face afterwards. She shook her head, trying to shake loose these images and hoping her mother wouldn’t notice her doing so and start asking probing questions. Rosie’s phone pinged and she reached into her pocket. ‘Shit!’ she exclaimed.

‘Rosie!’ Susan admonished, looking around as if hoping that no one had heard her daughter’s expletive.

Rosie didn’t have the heart to explain that it was probably a given that ninety-nine per cent of the clientele and staff in this cafe had heard muchmuchworse already that morning. She also didn’t have the time to explain this, because her phone was alerting her to a text message from Rachel telling Rosie that she needed to be sending that press releaseright nowif she valued her career in academia.

‘Sorry, Mum,’ she said typing a quick response to Rachel. ‘I’ve got something really urgent to send.’

Susan frowned but seemed to accept the explanation. ‘I should let you go anyway,’ she said. ‘You need to get on with work.’ Susan stood up from the table and handed Rosie her bag. ‘But I will say that I’ve always thought the best basis for a relationship is friendship,’ Susan said, starting to pull on her coat. ‘All that passion…’

‘I’m sorry?’ Rosie said in surprise looking up from her phone where she had been looking for the press release email that she had carefully saved, and wondering what she had missed and why her mother was now harping on about passion.

‘I was saying,’ Susan said, now handing Rosie her coat, ‘all that passion, it wears off after a while; you can’t always be at it.’

‘Oh, Mum, please!’ Rosie begged, snatching her coat. She did not want to have this conversation with her motherever, and especially not in a public place and when she was distracted by an urgent email to send. Rosie held her phone in one hand, scrolling down to the email with the press release as she and Susan walked to the door of the cafe.

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