‘Hey,’ Rain said, trying to keep her voice casual. ‘Wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon.’
‘Rain, I’m really sorry about earlier,’ Lauren said, her voice nervous and regretful.
Rain forced a laugh. ‘No worries. Let me guess, the husband came home?’
There was a heavy pause on the other end. ‘Can we meet up for a drink tonight? There’s something I need to talk to you about.’
Rain had a sudden, sinking feeling that whatever Lauren had to say, it wasn’t going to be good.
‘Sure,’ Rain heard herself say, even as her heart whispered, ‘No, don’t’. ‘When and where?’
‘Seven o’clock, at Gazelles in Soho?’
‘Okay. See you then.’
Rain hung up, a hollow feeling spreading through her chest. Call it intuition, call it experience – but as she stared down at Fay’s lovelorn scribbles, she couldn’t shake the sense that heartbreak was lurking just around the corner, ready to pounce.
Chapter Six
Jake poured a generous measure of whisky into his glass, the clinking of ice cubes resonating in the air. He turned towards Lauren, offering her the same, but she declined with a shake of her head. Alcohol, she knew, wouldn’t mend the deep-rooted issues between them; only parting ways with Jake could do that. The nonchalant attitude he maintained about their loveless marriage never ceased to amaze her. It was as if he were indifferent to the fact that they hadn’t shared a moment of intimacy in years. It was merely an inconvenient truth he chose to ignore.
Yet despite contemplating a divorce numerous times, Lauren couldn’t bring herself to sever ties with Jake. The thought felt too daunting, especially as her mother, Eleanor, would never allow anything that would tarnish the family name. This was even despite the full knowledge that the love between Lauren and Jake was long gone.
Though it was unspoken, Lauren knew of her mother’s regret of not having a son, and in some way, Jake served as a substitute. When Lauren was just eight years old, Eleanor suffered a miscarriage, an event that left a lasting mark on their family dynamic. Even now, Lauren vividly remembered the profound sadness Eleanor struggled to conceal, a sadness that lingered in their home like a shadow, shaping their interactions and relationships.
It was for this reason Lauren found herself unable to harbour resentment towards her mother’s complex emotions that bound her to Jake. Instead, she empathised with her mother’s unspoken grief. It was a sacrifice Lauren had willingly made to maintain her mother’s happiness.
Sydney, Lauren’s sister, was a different story. She would never tolerate the kind of situation Lauren had resigned herself to. Sydney was a free spirit, following her heart wherever it led with a reckless abandon that Lauren both admired and envied. For the past two years, that heart had led her straight to Oliver – a man twenty years her senior but who seemed to bring out a youthful, carefree side of Sydney that was a joy to witness. Lauren adored Oliver for his kindness and integrity, but sometimes she wondered if Sydney saw in him the father figure they’d never really known due their father’s untimely death when they were small children.
Jake’s petulant voice cut through Lauren’s musings. ‘I don’t know why I always get dragged into these bloody meetings,’ he complained, settling onto the sofa.
‘It’s the least you can do, considering how well you’re compensated.’
‘Oh, don’t start with that again.’ Jake rolled his eyes. ‘You have no idea how mind-numbing it is.’
‘You know what I find mind-numbing? Listening to you whine about a job most people would kill for,’ Lauren snapped, her anger bubbling over.
Not for the first time, she cursed herself for marrying Jake in the first place. She’d been so young, so unprepared for the reality of an unexpected pregnancy and the pressure to ‘do the right thing’. With each passing year, the walls of the life she’d built closed in a little tighter, until sometimes it felt like she could scarcely breathe. Trapped by her mother’s expectations, by the vows she’d made, by her own paralysing fear of change.
‘You know what? Maybe one of these days I’ll take off, give you a taste of what it’s like to be left in the lurch.’
‘The only one you’d be hurting is Ben,’ Lauren said evenly, refusing to rise to the bait.
Jake let out a bitter laugh. ‘Sometimes I think that kid is the only thing that gets a human reaction out of you.’
Lauren’s nails dug into her palms. How dare he insinuate that she didn’t care about anyone but their son? Ben was her world, yes – but that didn’t mean there wasn’t room in her heart for others.
‘Do what you want, Jake,’ she said wearily. ‘I’ll pick up the pieces, like I always do.’
He raised his glass in a mocking toast. ‘To the mother of the year, ladies and gentlemen.’
White-hot rage surged through Lauren’s veins, but she tamped it down. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of engaging, wouldn’t let him draw her into another pointless argument that would leave her both bitter and drained.
The sudden chime of the doorbell was a welcome interruption. Without a word, Lauren turned and left to answer it, letting out a squeal of happiness when she saw Sydney standing there.
‘Syd, I didn’t think you’d get back from Paris in time,’ Lauren said as she pulled her sister into a fierce hug.
Sydney squeezed her back, laughing. ‘What, and leave my partner in crime in the lion’s den alone? Never.’
Lauren grinned, already feeling lighter. ‘I was just trying to come up with a plausible excuse to get out of this meeting. I’m pretty sure the only one Mum would accept is my untimely demise.’
‘Even then, she’d demand a post-mortem before she believed it,’ Sydney said, with a slight shake of her head.
Looping her arm through Sydney’s, Lauren steered her away from the living room and Jake’s prying ears, leading her instead to the sanctuary of her private office.
As they settled onto the sofa, Lauren turned to her sister, eager to catch up. ‘How was Paris?’
Sydney stretched languidly, the toned muscles of her arms flexing. ‘Productive. But God, I missed Ollie. And you and Ben, of course,’ she added with a wink.
Lauren noted the deliberate omission of Jake’s name but chose not to comment. ‘I’m glad you’re back. We’ve missed you too.’
‘So, any idea what this super-secret meeting is about?’
Lauren shook her head, biting her lip. The strained relationship between Sydney and their mother was a sore spot, one she tried to smooth over as best she could. But Sydney had always chafed against Eleanor’s controlling nature in a way Lauren never had.
‘Your guess is as good as mine.’
‘With my luck, it’ll be something designed to piss me off,’ Sydney said, crossing her arms.
