Page 92 of Be More Lucy

They sat in silence until Hannah was safely indoors and out of earshot.

‘Everything ok?’ Em asked Mark.

‘Yeah, mostly. It’s difficult learning to live with someone. But I guess we’ll manage. How’s Lucy?’

Em didn’t know what to say. Distraught. Still sobbing over you if I so much as mention your name. The truth wouldn’t help. ‘She’s keeping busy, throwing herself into her work.’

‘I thought she’d have a new man in tow by now.’

Em shook her head. ‘No.’ She left it at that. ‘I’m feeling tired as well. It’s been a busy few days. I think I’ll head to bed and leave you two boys to catch up.’

Jack came to bed about half an hour later. Em was awake reading her book. He looked puzzled. ‘You said you were tired?’

‘It was an excuse to leave you two alone to talk.’

‘Thank you.’ He got undressed and climbed into bed beside her.

‘How is Mark really?’ Em asked in a low voice, unsure of how much sound carried around the apartment.

‘He asked me how we managed to live together,’ Jack whispered back.

‘What did you say? By buying a bigger home?’

‘That’s one solution. I think Hannah’s hard work at the moment, judging by what he said. She likes everything just so. She’s pressuring him to get rid of a lot of his things.’

‘They do need to make room for the new addition.’

‘It sounds like it’s more about imposing her taste rather than fitting in the baby equipment. Compromise doesn’t seem to be in her vocabulary. If it wasn’t for the baby, I think he’d have suggested they call it a day.’

‘Poor Mark. Poor Hannah as well.’

Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you warming to her?’

‘Well, it’s a difficult situation, and she has been pleasant to me this holiday. Perhaps now I’m a fledgling TV presenter, I’m far enough up the food chain to warrant some respect.’

‘You won’t say anything to Lucy about any of this, will you?’

‘No. It wouldn’t help either of them, sadly.’

Jack turned out the light. ‘I’m very lucky to have you.’

‘Yes, you are,’ she laughed.

48

Lucy phoned Em for a catch-up. She’d been so wrapped up in the Mark disaster that she’d forgotten to ask Em how Jack’s documentary filming was going. And she vaguely remembered one of their locations was Malaga. There might be some news about Mark.

‘How’s everything?’ Em asked.

‘All work and no play,’ said Lucy. ‘But I’m okay with that.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yeah. It’s November. It’s cold and the nights are longer. Time to snuggle down for the winter. I’m sure I’ll feel more outgoing in the spring. If I keep telling myself that I ought to believe it.’

‘You sound like an old bear.’

‘Thanks!’ Hibernating sounded like a good idea. The thought of sleeping for four months and then emerging again when the heartache had gone away was appealing. But she still needed to know what was going on with Mark. ‘Enough about me. I want an update on your foreign travels with the monkey puncher.’

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