On the other hand, Tom was looking great. He was all dressed up in a dark blue suit and a white shirt and I realized I didn’t recognize them. He must have been shopping for clothes on his own. I had a vision of a personal shopper telling him he looked fab, boosting his ego, making him feel wonderful. He’d had his hair cut, too, and looked younger. Happier. The difference between us was marked and I cringed. The confidence I’d gained during my run was slipping away.

“You look nice,” I said. “Are you going out?”

His face flushed with pleasure. “Yes, just to the pub. The Crown. You don’t fancy coming along, do you? Get a taxi; I’ll drop you back home.”

“No, thanks.” There was a silence so I added, “It would take me too long to get ready.” I don’t know why I said that. I could have kicked myself. It sounded as though I’d be up for it if there was more time. “Who are you meeting?”

His eyes flickered, then he said, “Oh, just some of the guys from the office.”

I frowned, then stopped when I saw my reflection. It made me look even worse. I knew he was lying. There was no way he’d be meeting work friends on a Monday night. And then it dawned on me. Did he have a date? Surely not. Why would he ask me to be there if he did?

I glanced down at my watch. It was seven forty-five. For a moment I felt like jumping in the car and going to The Crown just to see whom he was meeting.

“I’d better go,” he said. “Come along if you like. It would be great to see you.” He smiled at me. “I miss you, Ruby.” Suddenly it was as though the years between the time we met and now had shrunk. Disappeared. This was the man I’d fallen for. I looked at him and in that moment I couldn’t remember why I had left him. For a split second I thought I could get ready and be there by nine. We could have a couple of drinks, talk about things.

Of course I didn’t do that, but the memory of his smile, the words he’d spoken, stayed with me. They comforted me. Confused me.

CHAPTER 53

Ruby