Page 95 of The World Outside My Window

Slowly, though, she began to realise that her new friends are all on her side. They were all taken in by Jim’s charm too, and are as horrified as she is that he was living a double life all this time, and none of them had the faintest idea.

Laura told Carol about her discovery first, in the hope that she’d save her the job of telling everyone else. Carol, of course, did exactly that, and over the course of the next few days all of Laura’s neighbours – and new friends – came over to tell her how sorry they were. Carol brought round a home-made cottage pie, Arthur offered to mend the broken fence panel between their front gardens; Jane came round with a bottle of wine and they shared sob stories about terrible exes, Sonja came over to talk to her about the legal implications of Jim’s bigamy which, it turns out, is her speciality, while Marjorie and Faye came round with biscuits and an offer of a tarot reading whenever she feels ready.

Then there was Ben. Kind, loyal Ben. He stayed away at first and Laura began to worry that he didn’t want to know her any more – that he’d seen her at her most vulnerable and didn’t want anything more to do with her. She couldn’t admit even to herself how confused and hurt she was by this, but eventually, a week after their trip to London, she knocked on his door, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

The door swung open. ‘Laura!’ he said. He seemed pleased to see her but didn’t invite her in.

‘Hello, stranger,’ she said, hoping he’d detect the anger simmering in her voice.

‘I—’ He stopped and ran his hand over his face and his body deflated like an empty potato sack ‘God, I’m sorry, Laura.’

She took a step closer. ‘Is everything okay?’ He looked up at her with his deep blue eyes and held her gaze for a moment.

‘Yes, fine. I’m so sorry I haven’t been to see you. I—’ He hesitated again. ‘I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me.’

‘Why would you think that?’

He looked over her shoulder, then stepped back. ‘Look, do you want to come in? I feel like we’re on display standing here.’

‘Sure.’ Laura followed him into his kitchen where he flicked the kettle on.

‘Tea?’

‘Thanks.’

He took two mugs from a mug tree then turned to face her, leaning back against the worktop. ‘So. How are you?’

‘I’m all right,’ Laura said. ‘Getting there.’

He nodded. ‘Good.’

‘Ben.’ She swallowed. ‘Is everything all right? With us, I mean?’

‘Us? Course.’ He gave a nervous laugh.

‘Right. Only, I haven’t seen you since – well, since we got back last week after… everything. Have I done something to upset you?’

He cleared his throat. ‘God no, absolutely not.’ He ran his fingers through his hair and she tried not to notice how attractive he looked with his hair all dishevelled. The air between them pulsed for a moment, pulled taut like a piece of string, thrumming with tension. ‘I’m sorry, Laura, it was wrong of me to ignore you. I just – I didn’t want to intrude. I didn’t know if you’d want people coming and going all day.’ He looked at his feet. ‘I should have come to check you were okay.’

She shook her head. ‘I don’t need looking after,’ she said, looking him right in the eye. ‘But I do need friends.’

‘Of course you do. I know.’ The kettle clicked off and the steam rose into the air but neither of them moved. Then Ben’s mouth curled into a grin. ‘I see Carol’s been over quite a bit.’

Laura smiled back. ‘Yes, she has. She’s been very kind.’

‘I bet she’s loved every minute of it.’

Laura let out an unexpected burst of laughter. ‘Yes, she has. But she means well.’

‘I know she does.’

The laughter broke the tension, and Laura stayed for a cup of tea and made Ben promise to come and see her. He kept his word, and they’ve seen each other a few times a week at one or the other’s home since then – along with Jane and Simon and anyone else who happened to be around. She’s been so grateful for everyone’s kindness, for their unexpected friendship when she needed it the most. Especially Ben’s.

As she goes to answer the door now, she checks her appearance in the hallway mirror before she opens it, and finds herself hoping that it’s Ben.

‘Hello, dear!’ Carol says and Laura can’t help but smile. It’s the second time Carol’s been over today already. Arthur hovers behind his wife, looking apologetic.

‘Hi, Carol, Arthur. Everything okay?’

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