Page 7 of The Little Board Game Café

‘Or asked me to go? You could have let me resign. It’s embarrassing. The thought of walking back into that office, and everyone knowing.’

‘But there are four others. Frank, Tom—’

‘Yes, but they’re not engaged to you.’

She knew she was whingeing. Frank – well, he was getting on a bit and might never find another job. And Tom, she thought with a pang. Tom’s wife had just had a baby. Emily was lucky really. Here she was in a fancy restaurant whilst they were probably wondering how to make ends meet. She couldn’t bear to think about it.

Peter ran his fingers through his perfect hair. ‘I’m sorry. But it is good timing.’

‘Good timing? How d’you make that out?’

‘With the wedding coming up? You must have tons to do for that. Finding your wedding dress, for a start.’

Emily was about to tell him that she’d already found her perfect dress, but was interrupted by the arrival of her king scallops. She lowered her nose towards the plate. They smelled heavenly.

‘I’ve already bought my dress. And the wedding isn’t for another eleven months.’

‘You have a dress already? But Mother was looking forward to choosing it with you.’

‘I chose it with Kate.’ In the hospice shop in Huddersfield. But he didn’t need to know that.

‘I see. She will be disappointed.’

Emily shuddered at the thought of a shopping trip with her MIL2B. Heaven only knew what sort of a dress Florence would have made her buy. A meringue skirt, probably, with too much lace and a high neckline.

‘Okay, so you’ve got the dress,’ said Peter, ‘but there must be loads of other things to organise. Don’t all brides dream of having plenty of free time to attend to all the little details?’

‘Your mother’s been sorting all the little details. I haven’t had much say.’

‘Ah. Perhaps I should have a word.’

‘No, leave it.’ Emily cut into one of the scallops. ‘I won’t have much time for organising the wedding.’

‘You won’t have much time?’

She’d been about to say, ‘I’m thinking of buying a café.’

Only something stopped her. There was no point upsetting him when it was just a pipe-dream. She didn’t have the courage to buy a café, she knew that. So instead, she said, ‘I’ll be job-hunting. And perhaps making a few changes to the house – small ones, don’t worry – so it feels more like home.’

‘You will run them past…’ He bit his lip. ‘That sounds wonderful, Em. Absolutely wonderful.’

A week ago, she’d have been delighted to hear Peter say that he was happy for her to make the house more homely. But now, she realised suddenly, she wasn’t bothered.

*

Later that evening, in an unusual act of rebellion, she took her clothes off and dumped them on the bedroom floor. Peter liked to put things away – either in the laundry basket or back in the fitted wardrobe. She watched to see if he’d notice, but he was busy hanging up his suit jacket on a padded coat-hanger and zipping it into a protective cover. She watched as he turned and clocked the crumpled pile of discarded garments. She silently dared him to pick them up; she knew he was itching to. He glanced at her, but left the clothes where they were and slid under the duvet beside her.

She turned her bedside light off, faked a yawn with almost Oscar-winning prowess, gave Peter a quick peck on the cheek and turned away from him. He’d be hoping for sex; it wasn’t set in stone, but they almost always had sex when he’d taken her out for dinner.

But surely he couldn’t expect sex with her on the day she’d been fired?

Fired. By. Him.

Yes, it seemed he could.

He put an arm over her and pulled her into a spoon. He nuzzled her neck, his fingers gently caressing her stomach and creeping up towards her breasts. He was interested in more than a cuddle. She normally wanted this. Normally no matter what mood she was in, she wouldn’t be able to help herself succumb to his advances but tonight… Well, it turned out that being made redundant wasn’t great for the libido.

‘Not now,’ she said. ‘I’ve got too much on my mind.’