Until recently, I’d naively believed this to be one of the many secrets of a happy family, but sadly, the theory hadn’t worked out so well for us.

Chapter 24

24

After numerous failed attempts to contact Adrian the previous evening, I packed the kids’ lunches, took Payton to school and then called the clinic.

‘Wood’s Podiatry,’ sang our lovely young receptionist, Kristen. ‘How may I help you?’

‘Hello. I’m calling to make an appointment,’ I said, trying to alter my voice so she wouldn’t recognise it.

‘Wonderful. And have you seen any of our podiatrists before?’

‘No. But my good friend Davy Edwards’—one of Adrian’s most frequent patients who’d been seeing him for years—‘recommended Dr Wood.’

‘Oh yes, Mr Edwards is right, you won’t find a better podiatrist than Dr Wood. What exactly is your appointment for?’

I cleared my throat. ‘I have some awful bunions that are super painful when I walk.’

‘Ouch,’ Kristen sympathised. I’d trained her well. ‘When were you hoping to come in?’

‘As soon as possible; I’m in a lot of pain and don’t want it to deter from the enjoyment of my holiday.’

‘Of course not. Hmm. Dr Wood is generally pretty booked up but let’s see what I can do for you.’ I heard tapping on her keyboard. ‘Or perhaps I could slot you in with one of our other podiatrists?’

‘No, thank you. After Davy’s recommendation, I’d be disappointed if I didn’t see Dr Wood.’ And, I added silently, I’m sure he’d be horrified if I talked to any of his employees about my true complaint.

‘Ooh, you’re in luck,’ Kristen exclaimed. ‘We’ve just had a cancellation. Could you be here by midday?’

‘Today?’

‘Yes.’

I gulped. That was sooner than I’d expected. But maybe that was a good thing—I’d have less time to chicken out.

‘Of course,’ I said, knowing this was Adrian’s last appointment before he took his lunch break and so we’d have plenty of time to talk. ‘Thank you.’

When I strolled into the clinic a couple of hours later, Kristen smiled from behind the reception desk. ‘Ashling, long time no see. How are you?’

I held a shaky finger to my lips as I glanced towards the closed door of Adrian’s consulting room. ‘I’m Louise Murphy today.’

It took her a couple of seconds to connect the dots. ‘Oh. Right.’

I smiled at the twinkle in her eyes. Just how much did she know about what was going on between Adrian and me? Or rather not going on? ‘Is Dr Wood running on time?’

She nodded.

‘Thank you.’