‘Sorry, sir. I don’t think she is.’

‘Saw you talking to Vick,’ said Spiro when he went back to the table.

‘She’s a lovely girl. But I was looking for Suki, or for Claire, the owner.’

‘Look – she’s right over there.’

Josh turned in his seat, and there Claire was, just coming down the stairs from the offices. He felt his heart falter in his chest as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs and talked to Vicky. Then she looked over to where he was sitting and her eyes met his. The smile died on her lips and she turned away.

Josh went over there, caught her arm.

‘Let go of me,’ said Claire.

‘Claire, for fuck’s sake.’

‘I thought I could cope with this but I can’t. You going back there again, back to her.’

‘I didn’t go for her, I went for Aysha. God, are you jealous?’ Josh laughed at that. ‘You don’t need to be. Don’t be stupid.’

‘No? Well, she clicks her fingers and you run back there like a fucking lapdog,’ snapped Claire. ‘I hate her! God, Josh, will you leave me alone? You’re making me crazy! I don’t even recognize myself any more.’

‘Claire . . .’

‘No!’ she shouted. Heads turned. Claire took a breath and looked him straight in the eye. ‘Leave me alone. OK?’

99

99

Josh was in despair. Claire was hopping mad at him. She hadn’t even given him a chance to break the news about Eva’s death. He had never seen his sweet-natured Claire lose it like that. He was feeling the pressure, and now he realized that Claire was feeling it too, badly. But he’d done as she asked: he’d withdrawn, left her alone, hoping she’d cool off, hoping this wasn’t going to be the end of things between them.

Miserably he moped about the sidewalks, strolled in Central Park, where the leaves were turning russet and gold, and starting to fall. He went down the gym and trained, but for the first time in his life he didn’t feel like making the effort. What was his life, really? It was a pitiful lie, a half-life caught between two continents. And if Claire gave up on him, he was well and truly fucked.

One afternoon he took lunch in a diner and walked back to his hotel. Went up to his suite and lay on the bed. The bolster down the centre seemed to mock him. Nah, she wasn’t coming back. He’d blown it. He picked the bolster up and lobbed it across the room.

‘Fucking thing,’ he shouted, and then there was a knock at the door.

‘Ah, sod it,’ he moaned, rolling to his feet and going to the door, expecting housekeeping wanting to tidy the room.

Claire was standing there, her face set with determination.