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‘That’s correct,’ Alex told her. ‘Gambled the housekeeping away regularly like the bloody cliché he was.’

‘How’s he doing now?’ Leigh asked earnestly.

‘He’s in GA, so… We’ll see.’

‘That’s positive. And your mum?’ Leigh asked.

‘Remarried,’ Alex said briefly.

‘Great,’ Leigh smiled.

Alex didn’t want to keep talking about her parents. ‘How about yours?’

Leigh let out a little sigh. ‘They got divorced a few years ago.’

‘Ah, OK.’

‘I was thrilled.’

Alex nodded. ‘Yes, I can imagine.’

‘Yeah. But then they told me they’re getting remarried this June,’ Leigh went on.

Alex was shocked. ‘They are?’

‘Ain’t love grand?’ Leigh said sourly.

Alex felt a flash of sympathy. ‘Shit. No chance that’s gonna work out, I assume?’

‘Deeply unlikely.’

‘So they’re getting remarried because…’

‘At a guess, they miss the drama. I literally can’t imagine any other reason at this point. By the time they got divorced, my dad was casually calling my mum Fuckface on a daily basis. Her pet name for him was Micro-dick.’

‘How do you come back fromthat?’ Alex exclaimed, more drawn in than she meant to be.

‘I’m not qualified to explain that. But I don’t have to. Not my problem anymore.’

Alex nodded. ‘I get that.’

Leigh frowned and took a larger sip of wine than usual. When she’d put the glass down, it seemed like her entire mood was different. Peppy. ‘Speaking of acrimonious divorces, how’s Isabelle doing?’

Alex was jarred by the mood shift but tried to roll with it. ‘Oh, she’s great. Freedom looks good on her.’

‘She dating yet?’ Leigh asked like it was off the top of her head.

But Alex knew better. She laughed. ‘When her divorce isn’t finalised? That would be a bit silly, wouldn’t it?’

‘People have needs,’ Leigh countered. ‘Especially after a bad breakup.’

‘Isabelle is not a cat in heat. She has control of herself.’

Leigh snorted. ‘That much we know.’

Alex decided to let that one go.

The food arrived. It looked good. Alex realised she was pretty hungry. She began to dissect her food into small bites, the better to be prepared for curveballs. She wouldn’t be caught chewing like a goat if Leigh tried to trick her again.