Page 110 of The Honeymoon Affair

‘She’s still your wife,’ I point out. ‘But I haven’t thrown a strop about it.’

Although I’m throwing one now.

‘Look, I’m sorry about Steve being here,’ I say, a little more calmly. ‘Believe me, the last thing I want is him in my house. But he can’t manage by himself and he needs some support. What was I supposed to do?’

There’s a pause before Charles replies, and then he tells me that it was very unfair of Steve to put me on the spot, but that he understands, though he can’t help feeling jealous.

‘Jealous?’ I laugh. ‘You’ve nothing to be jealous about.’

‘My beautiful fiancée is shacked up with a younger man,’ he says. ‘Of course I’m jealous.’

‘A younger man who can’t actually move without help,’ I point out.

‘Oh, all right,’ he concedes. ‘Let’s talk in the morning.’

‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’

I breathe a sigh of relief as I end the call.

Ariel

I get into the office early because I’ve lots of emails to answer and calls to make. I’m always happiest when I’m working, when I’m doing good deals for my authors and spreading the news of their achievements as far and wide as I can. Today I’m thrilled to tell Penny Blackwater that I’ve got a great offer for her next book from a really prestigious US publisher, and I’m just as excited as her when she shrieks with joy down the phone. Penny’s news puts me in a great mood for the rest of the morning, and I’ve been working for four hours without a break when my phone rings. It’s Josh Carmody. We haven’t spoken since I dropped him home in a cab, although he did text the following day to apologise for drinking too much.

He’s brisk and businesslike as he talks about a glitch in the accounts programme that has been sorted, and says that even though I didn’t really need to know about it, he likes to keep me in the loop. I thank him for that and ask how things are going with Paula. He says he’s got a solicitor, and I laugh when he tells me the name, as it’s the same woman I’ve got looking after my own divorce.

‘Sheedy is great,’ says Josh. ‘So smart.’

‘Efficient for sure,’ I agree. ‘In our case, most of the work is already done. It’s getting it over the final hurdle that matters.’

‘Don’t you find it difficult while you’re still working with Charles?’

‘No, because we’ve been amicable about everything.’

‘I wish Paula and I were amicable,’ he says.

‘You’re not?’

‘She’s looking for so much, and I don’t . . . Oh, feck it, Ariel. Maybe I’m so angry with her that I’m making it more difficult than it needs to be.’

‘Charles and I worked out the finances very quickly,’ I told him. ‘If you tell yourself you’re paying for a peaceful life rather than giving her something for nothing, it’s easier to deal with.’

‘You got a good deal out of him,’ Josh points out.

‘That’s because I’m a good negotiator.’

‘Would you be available to meet for lunch again?’ he asks. ‘Perhaps point me in the right direction?’

‘I’m sure Sheedy is already doing that,’ I say.

‘All the same, it’d be nice to get another viewpoint,’ he says. ‘Also, I promise to stick to water. I’m mortified that I drank too much the last time we met.’

‘Oh, don’t worry about it,’ I say. ‘We’re all entitled to drown our sorrows from time to time. Let me check my diary and I’ll send you some dates.’

‘Perfect,’ says Josh. ‘Looking forward to seeing you, Ariel.’

I realise as I put my phone away that I’m looking forward to seeing him too. Josh is a decent guy and I want to help him if I can.