Luca wasn’t the only one Claire was fretting about. She was also anxious about what Mark did when she wasn’t with him. Though they had spoken almost daily on the phone since she’d got back, it had done nothing to put her mind at rest, and when she asked him what he was doing in the evening, she was always on full alert for any mention of Sophie. She thought she trusted Mark, but she still felt insecure at the thought of him spending time around Sophie, even if it was in a group.
‘So, what are you up to tonight?’ she asked, when he called her on Tuesday night.
‘Oh, nothing much. Just having a quiet night in with Millie. I have a lot of reading to catch up on.’
‘Anything else planned for the week?’
‘Well… it’s Patrick’s birthday on Thursday, so we’re going out for that.’
Had she imagined it or was there a cautious note in his voice?
‘We?’
‘Yeah, everyone – the usual suspects.’
‘Will Sophie be there?’
‘Sophie, Olivia, Andy, Jamie – the whole gang,’ he said casually – perhaps too casually?
‘Well, have fun,’ she said, determined not to sound needy or paranoid. ‘I wish I could be there.’
‘I wish you could too. Hey,’ he said then, ‘why don’t you hop on a plane and come?’
‘Nah, I can’t,’ Claire said, happy he’d asked. He wouldn’t want her there if he had something to hide. ‘Wish Patrick a happy birthday for me.’
‘Will do.’
‘And enjoy New York.’ A thought suddenly occurred to her. ‘Mark… is Sophie going to the wedding?’
The moment’s silence on the line told her all she needed to know before he said, ‘Er… yes, she’ll be there.’
‘Oh. Well… have fun.’
‘Thanks,’ he said, subdued. ‘And when I come back I’ll organise a trip over to Dublin as soon as possible.’
‘Great! Looking forward to it.’
When Thursday evening rolled around, she still couldn’t help feeling anxious at the thought of Mark being out with Sophie. There was no doubt in her mind that Sophie would go all out to win him back. She would just have to trust Mark not to let himself be won.
‘Luca hasn’t been around for ages,’ her mother said to her that evening, when they were watching TV together.
‘I know.’
‘No chance he’ll come over tomorrow, I suppose?’
‘No, I— I think he’s busy.’
‘Aw, that’s a shame. He’ll be missed.’ This was true. He was already a great favourite with Espie’s friends, who had been asking after him last Friday, obviously disappointed he hadn’t turned up.
‘Ah, well,’ her mother continued. ‘I suppose a guy his age has better things to be doing at the weekend than hanging around with a bunch of old fogeys.’
Yeah, Claire thought sadly – like going out on the prowl.
‘And so do you. You should be off out with him. You know you don’t have to be here, don’t you? Not that we don’t love having you…’
‘I know. But I wouldn’t be out with Luca anyway.’ She sighed. Maybe she was kidding herself that they could be friends. Thinking back, he had been humiliatingly eager to get rid of her when she had called round to his flat after coming home from London. Besides, where would she fit into his life now? If his social life centered on picking up women for casual sex, she would only cramp his style. ‘Like I said, he’s busy. He’s doing a lot of work at the moment.’
‘Well, I hope he’ll still come to my birthday party next week. You’ll ask him again, won’t you?’
