It had felt like only minutes that she’d been asleep when her alarm blasted. Nate didn’t stir and Laura felt it cruel to wake him, so she got up to change Bobby and get his breakfast ready, then eventually had to rouse her husband as she needed to get out of the door.

‘I’m sorry, but I really need to go,’ she said. ‘I didn’t want to wake you.’

‘No, of course you have to. Sorry, I didn’t realise the time.’

‘You’re shattered. Are you going to be okay?’ Laura asked.

‘’Course I am,’ Nate laughed. ‘Come here.’

She bent over and gave him a kiss, all the time willing him to get out of bed so that she could leave the house. She was already ten minutes later than she wanted to be.

‘He’s still downstairs in his highchair,’ she said, pulling away. ‘I’ve made breakfast, you just need to give it to him.’

‘No worries.’

‘Nate!’ She lingered. ‘I can’t leave him there until you’re downstairs.’ She told herself the traffic would be bad if she didn’t go, convinced herself that was the only reason she was agitated to get away.

‘Okay,’ he mumbled, ‘I’m getting up.’

When he still didn’t move, she pulled the covers back. ‘Will you do it then?’ she said. ‘I have to go.’

‘Okay, okay!’ He held up his hands and swung his legs over the bed.

Laura watched him for a moment and then, satisfied he meant it, left him to it. By the time she got in the car it was seven-thirty; she’d be in the office fifteen minutes later, but she already knew she’d be too late. And when Laura stepped out of the lift her fears were confirmed. Mia Anderson was sitting at her desk, laughing and joking with Bryony Knight, who as far as Laura could recall had never been in before eight.

Mia had ended up at a desk near the lift, which meant she was the first person Laura saw every morning as she walked onto the floor. Somehow whatever Laura did to get to work early, Mia was already there. And at the end of each day, when Laura was ready to leave, she was still there. And even though Laura tried to tell herself that Mia surely wasn’t doing it for her benefit, she couldn’t help but think that maybe she was. That possibly Mia was drawing Laura into a game that she couldn’t afford to play, when she had a husband and baby at home. As Mia knew.

‘Morning,’ Mia called as Laura began walking across the floor. ‘How are things? How’s Bobby?’

‘He’s fine,’ Laura said, mustering a smile. Concept boards were piled at the side of Mia’s desk and Laura couldn’t help but glance at them. Coopers’ health-drink brand logo was splashed across the top.