‘It’s too early to be talking about anything like that,’ Lauren said. ‘Zak’s a good friend. He makes me laugh. He’s single. Available.’

‘And I’ll be available too. In time.’ Her lover flailed his hands. ‘You can’t just walk away from your family overnight. These things take time. I have to make plans.’

‘We had five years, Jude. You had five years.’

‘I’ll leave,’ he promised. ‘Georgia knows all about us now. We can move in together.’

‘Wait a minute,’ Lauren said. ‘You told me that you’d already moved out.’

‘And I had,’ Jude insisted. ‘Sort of. Georgia wanted me to go home and try again. What could I do?’

‘You’re back at home?’

‘Well, I . . .’

‘Did you ever actually move out at all?’

‘I, er . . . it’s not that easy, Lauren. Trust me. It’s not that easy.’

‘Then make it easy,’ she said. ‘Stay with your wife. Stay with your family. Try to be a good husband and a good dad. Because I don’t want you any more, Jude. It’s over.’

‘I love you,’ he said. ‘I can make this up to you. We could go back to how we were.’

‘I can’t do that any more. I want someone full-time in my life. Not just the scraps.’

‘No.’ Jude clutched her arms. ‘It can’t be over. It can’t be. What will I do without you? We can rescue this. It’s not too late.’

Her twin sister had said that this would be their year to turn their lives around, that it was never too late to start living, to go all out for what they wanted. But sometimes it was too late. Sometimes you had to stand back and accept that your moment had passed.

She looked at Jude and something in her demeanour must have told him that there was no going forward, no going back for them. His face crumpled and he sagged to his knees.

‘I’m so sorry, Jude, but it is too late,’ Lauren said. ‘That’s exactly what it is. It’s just too late.’

Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Zak came back bearing a tray laden with cups, an enormous teapot and a pile of cakes. ‘They were rushed off their feet in there,’ he said, ‘but I thought I might as well wait. Did you miss me?’

Lauren was still standing, gazing out over the river, watching as the bedraggled figure of her ex-lover disappeared out of view. This time, Jude had taken the more conventional route of the small stone bridge by the café.

‘What?’ Zak said, following her eyes. Then he looked like he was about to drop the tray as he peered at the man retreating into the sunshine. ‘Is that who I think it is?’

Lauren nodded and sat down, heavily.

‘I don’t need to ask what he was doing here.’

‘No.’

Zak put the tray down. ‘I’m flabbergasted.’

‘Me too.’