Page 112 of The Little Board Game Café

‘If you’re home by the eleventh, you could come to my launch party,’ she said. ‘Probably a good idea if you do come, actually, given what happened last time. Though I’m not serving anything with nuts in this time. And Marjory’s promised to put her teeth in.’

‘She didn’t have her teeth in?’

‘Course she did. That was my attempt at a joke.’

He laughed. A bit late. But he laughed.

Rachel probably had a razor-sharp wit. If she didn’t work as a… Well, Emily didn’t know what she did, but no doubt she was so hilarious that she could have done stand-up for a living.

‘And you’re very welcome too, Rachel,’ she added. ‘Do you like board games?’

‘I can’t stand them.’

Emily could see that Rachel and Ludek made an attractive couple, but if she didn’t share his favourite hobby…? And games were more than a hobby to Ludek. They were his passion. This was like her and Peter, wasn’t it? Him not sharing – or even appreciating – her love of cooking and baking. Wanting to watch documentaries on National Geographic when she wanted to watch Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

Would Rachel be insisting that Ludek’s stacks of boxes were all relocated to the garage sometime soon? Was there a glimmer of hope?

‘I will definitely be there,’ said Ludek. ‘And I’ll talk Rachel into coming along too.’

Perhaps not.

Rachel glanced at her watch. ‘I ought to go.’

‘Could you please bring me some pyjamas in tomorrow?’ Ludek said to her. ‘I hate wearing these things.’

He pointed at his hospital gown, standard issue, blue and white, in the thinnest of fabrics. Such weird things, hospital gowns. So undignified. Emily hated the way they gaped open at the back. Although… a sudden image of Ludek’s arse came to mind, which seemed so very inappropriate with him being injured and his girlfriend standing right beside her.

‘I’d best go,’ she said. She had to leave first; she didn’t want to be there to witness them kissing each other goodnight.

‘If you’re at a loose end tomorrow, Em,’ said Ludek, ‘I’d welcome another visit.’

‘Yeah, sure,’ she said and her heart gave a little flutter. He was still keen to see her, even though he was dating Rachel.

As a friend, she reminded herself. He just wants you as a friend.

She said goodbye, then turned and left, without a backwards glance. Down the long, antiseptic corridors. Past Costa Coffee. Out through the double doors. Past the smoking shelter where several patients in wheelchairs and on drips were puffing away, and towards the car park where she guessed that Kate would be waiting.

Emily saw her friend as soon as she turned the corner. She was leaning up against her car. Even from forty metres away, Emily could see her pose was provocative, her gestures flirtatious. The hand through the hair. The head on one side.

She was talking to a man on crutches. It was only as Emily drew closer that she realised who he was.

‘Kate,’ she said.

‘Emily, look who I’ve found.’

‘Hello, Rob,’ said Emily.

*

‘Shame,’ said Kate, putting the car into first gear. ‘We could have given him a lift home, but he said his mate was picking him up. How was the hospital? Did you cope?’

‘Just about. It was hard to keep a lid on the memories. I’m glad you were here to meet me.’

Kate pulled out of the hospital car park, turning left onto the main road. ‘And how was Ludek?’

‘He’s okay. Recovering. His girlfriend was there.’

Kate stole a sideways glance at Emily. ‘He has a girlfriend? Oh, Em. Are you okay?’