There wasn’t even any room to consider Laura the wife. She had thought as much that morning when she’d slipped back into the bedroom and watched Nate roll over. She hadn’t woken him, there was no need so early, especially when she’d heard him get up in the night again and go to a crying Bobby. She couldn’t even say how long he’d been out of bed, as she had fallen asleep again before he came back, exhausted from such long hours in the office.

Less than a month and they were becoming more like housemates than husband and wife, except for the fact they still shared a bed. Though that had been used for nothing more than sleeping in the last few weeks.

‘I want to talk to you.’ Harry smiled at her, carrying on as if he hadn’t heard Laura or wasn’t prepared to accept no as an answer. ‘Just a quick one down at the quay.’

‘I don’t know, I really need to get home.’

Harry nodded, perching on the corner of her desk. ‘How’s Nate coping without you? I’ve seen you working very long hours. He must miss you.’

‘He’s coping fine,’ she said, maybe a little too abruptly.

‘He’s a good man,’ Harry went on. ‘What he’s doing at home and …’

‘It’s no different from what Janie does,’ Laura said sharply. Too late she realised how it must appear that she didn’t appreciate everything Nate had given up for her.

She opened her mouth again to tell Harry how much she valued Nate, but already he was speaking.

‘One drink, Laura. Please. I need to talk to you about a few things, and I promise I won’t keep you late.’ His eyes sparkled as if he somehow already knew he would get his way.

Laura pursed her lips, holding her breath. Nate would not be one bit happy; she didn’t want to go for a drink, she wanted to go home.

Mia’s tinkling laugh rang out from the far end of the office and Harry looked over at her, shuffling off the edge of Laura’s desk to stand, and suddenly Laura thought: what if I don’t go with him and he asks her instead?

Even then it felt like a ridiculous notion, something two teenagers would worry over when they were after the same boy, yet Laura also knew how much she needed to keep Harry close right now. And she could do with making sure that Mia wasn’t.

‘Just a quick one,’ she said, glancing at the clock again. ‘I really can’t be long.’

She didn’t miss his lopsided smile before he turned to get his jacket, and even though this was all her doing, it irritated her that he’d got his way.