‘Hi. Are you still in Bologna? Is your father-in-law okay?’
‘He’s feeling slightly better, thank you. I’m still working remotely in Italy but hope to be back home at the beginning of September. Shall we meet then?’ he said. ‘You can update me on Essie’s novel. Have you heard anything more from the journalist?’
‘Not personally, but she’s been speaking to people who know Essie. I’ve just got back from Dubfest in Croatia.’
‘You wentthere?’ he said.
‘Yes. I had work to do.’
‘Hmm,’ he said, leaving a long pause. ‘Perhaps you should come over to my office, to talk? I’ll look at my diary when I get back to the UK.’
Liv pursed her lips. It sounded official and she wondered what Anthony had to tell her. Maybe it was something to do with Essie’s will. ‘Great,’ she said, thinking she could finally show him the bee-shaped cufflinks. ‘I look forward to it.’
When she returned to the sitting room, Johnny was sitting stiffly on the sofa. His lips were a fine line as he stared at his phone. He’d attempted to make a few paper planes and they were strewn around the floor.
‘Are you okay?’ she said. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Stuff.’
‘Do you fancy a brew? Essie has this posh coffee maker. It looks like a robot and takes capsules. Sometimes it spits at you.’
He shook his head and didn’t look at her.
She sat down on the other end of the sofa. ‘Is anything wrong?’
‘Nope.’
Something was ruminating in his head. Liv took hold of his ankle and pulled his socked foot onto her lap. ‘Come on. What’s the matter?’
He worked his mouth as if plucking up the courage to say something. He glanced at her and back down again. ‘Are you and Dad splitting up?’ he said quietly.
His question made Liv feel like she was cartwheeling and couldn’t stop. ‘Oh my God,’ she gasped. ‘No. What made you thinkthat?’
He stretched his neck. ‘You closed the kitchen door to talk to someone. Dad’s always in the coat cupboard on the phone…’
‘I was talking to Essie’s solicitor. Dad talks to Katrina.’
‘You went on holiday on your own, and keep coming home late from work and at weekend, too. You and Dad argue. I wondered if, you know…’ He left a long silence. ‘There was someone—’
‘What, like anaffair?’ Liv interjected.
When Johnny dipped his head, it felt like a skewer through her heart. She squeezed his toes, trying to hide her horror. ‘I’m busy, that’s all. I’m not seeing anyone else. Honestly. I wouldn’t do that. Me and your dad, we’re…’ She struggled to find the right word. ‘We’re… solid.’ Even as she said it, it sounded hollow to her.
Johnny rubbed his nose and was quiet for a while. ‘My mate saw his dad with this other woman. His dad swore it was nothing. Then he left home and moved in with her.’ He shrugged. ‘His parents are splitting up.’
Liv’s skin felt sore, as if pricked by a thousand needles. She felt sure there must be blood specks on her dress, but the fabric was clean. ‘You, your dad and Mack are all I’ve ever wanted…’ she said, letting her words fall away. When had she started to want so much more? Maybe when she got the job with Essie?
‘Will you both be okay when I go to uni?’ Johnny said.
‘We’ll be fine,’ Liv said, muffling her own concerns. ‘We’ve been married for over twenty years. There’s nothing to worry about. We’re both busy with work at the moment. It’s a rough patch, but not between us. It’s other things in our lives.’ She smiled at him, and knew it didn’t reach her eyes.
She’d only been nineteen when she met Jake. At the time she didn’t give it a second thought. Now it seemed so young. If Johnny told her he was settling down with someone, at his age, she’d think it was foolish at worst and optimistic at best. She’d ask him what the rush was and tell him to take his time.
She remembered for their third or fourth date, Jake had taken her to Paperpress before they went out to dinner. His face lit up as he told her about the printing presses and showed off his bookbinding tools. He’d made her a leather-bound notebook and demonstrated how to apply gold leaf to her name on the cover. When he’d finished, he handed it to her on his palms, as if it was a cushion displaying the crown jewels.
‘Gosh, thank you, it’s so beautiful. What should I write in it?’ Liv said. It seemed too precious to use. No one had ever done anything like this for her before.
‘Whatever you like. Shopping lists, reminders… the names of our children.’
