‘So, how was your day?’ he asks eventually, and we start a low, murmured conversation that soothes me.
‘Sleep now,’ he says at last, in that masterful way of his. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow – same time, same place.’
‘I’ll be here,’ I say.
I can’t wait…
‘So,Luca’s your fuck buddy!’ Yvonne didn’t waste much time before cutting to the chase the next day. ‘When did this happen?’
‘Just in the last few weeks.’
‘And you’ve been seeing him? Like, more than once or twice? Unbelievable!’
‘Thanks a lot,’ Claire said drily.
‘Sorry – no offence. It’s just Luca doesn’t usually like to repeat himself, if you know what I mean.’
‘Well, it’s not serious or anything.’
‘I know that,’ Yvonne said. ‘I mean, it’s Luca.’
Her dismissive tone was getting on Claire’s nerves, but she stopped herself jumping in and defending Luca because she knew Yvonne would take it the wrong way. Still, at least now that it was out in the open, she didn’t have to think of an excuse to talk about him with Yvonne.
‘What’s his surname, by the way?’ she asked.
‘Why?’ Yvonne narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ‘What do you want it for?’
‘What do you think I want it for?’ Claire laughed. ‘Identity theft? It’s not top secret, is it?’
‘Why don’t you ask him?’
‘I will. I just keep forgetting.’ And it wasn’t really the sort of thing you could ask someone mid-shag. It seemed abit late at that stage to be worrying that you hadn’t been properly introduced. She’d have to pay more attention to the signatures on his paintings the next time she was in his flat.
‘Okay, I’ll tell you,’ Yvonne said. ‘But I’d better not find you doodling it in your copybook and trying it out with your own name.’
‘Promise,’ Claire said, rolling her eyes.
‘It’s Ffrench-Carroll.’
‘Hmm,’ Claire smiled, cocking her head thoughtfully. ‘Claire Ffrench-Carroll. That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?’
‘Don’t make me regret telling you.’
‘Mrs Ffrench-Carroll. Luca and Claire Ffrench-Carroll. Where’s my copybook? I feel a doodle coming on.’
‘Seriously, Claire?—’
‘You’re too easy.’ Claire grinned. ‘He mentioned that his mother had written a book, and I thought I might check it out. That’s all, okay? Nothing sinister.’
‘Oh! Yeah, she wrote a book about Luca,’ Yvonne said, grimacing as if she’d detected a bad smell.
‘It’s about adopting Luca and his sister, isn’t it?’
‘Well, that comes into it. But it’s mainly about how she wasn’t able to bond with Luca and never felt any connection with him.’
‘Oh God.’
‘It was a big bestseller at the time, apparently. I vaguely remember my mum talking about it. It was quite controversial. She got a lot of praise for being so open and honest about her feelings. But some people thought she shouldn’t have written it – including Luca. It’s a very touchy subject with him.’
