‘It’s stress,’ announced Chris. ‘With everything going on at work.’

Claire felt her shoulders climb a fraction higher. She knew where Chris was heading. That she’d gone back to work too soon especially after everything going on with Joshua during his off-the-rails phase. She wasn’t ready to get into that conversation. Claire watched her husband. He was already showered and dressed, mobile phone in hand, pacing up and down the bedroom. It was exhausting just watching him. She didn’t reply, not ready to get into the conversation, and instead held her coffee in her lap and lay back against the headboard.

‘What do you fancy for dinner tonight?’ she asked instead.

Just a few minutes more and then she would get up and get going.

‘Claire, I already told you I’m going to be late tonight. It’s the conference call with the US office.’ She looked at him blankly. ‘I told you about it last week,’ he insisted.

‘Did you?’

‘Yes!’

‘Chris, you’ve been late every night this week. I thought you were supposed to be making some effort to be back home in the evenings.’

‘For God’s sake, Claire, what do you want me to say? I need to work. I can’t just turn around and tell the client “sorry, can’t make the call tonight as my wife needs me to be home with the kids—”’

‘All right, Chris, I get the point,’ interrupted Claire resignedly. ‘I’ll leave on time tonight.’

Chris muttered a sarcastic thanks before leaving the bedroom. Claire didn’t have the energy to make a retort.

It was only when the coffee had lifted the sleep fog that she remembered she had the Bar Association cocktails that evening.

Shit.

What time was it? Wasn’t it at five thirty p.m.? Maybe it would be all right although she knew the traffic would be hell afterwards. Claire unplugged her phone, which was charging on the bedside table next to her, and began scrolling through her calendar. She really needed to start getting up earlier, but after she’d put Jamie to bed, and had a chat with Joshua, she’d worked late into the evening. No wonder she had aches and pains, leaning over her laptop for so many hours. She also hadn’t been running for weeks now.