Laura didn’t move for a moment as she watched Nate load the bedding into the washing machine. Something felt so wrong about him picking up all the jobs around the house, even though it was only what she had done for the last six months.

She turned and crouched down beside Bobby, picking him up and snuggling into him. Laying a kiss on his head, she lingered as she thought about going back to the office the next day, and it was a thought that filled her with dread.

‘You’ve still not spoken to Harry about it then?’ Nate asked.

‘I don’t want to call him at the weekend.’

‘So you’ll speak to him tomorrow?’

Laura nodded.

‘And then you’ll know.’ He straightened up, rubbing the base of his spine. ‘What do you want to do for lunch?’ he asked as if that were the end of the conversation, because in Nate’s simplistic world as soon as Laura had spoken to her boss she’d be able to move on.

‘It’s humiliating, Nate,’ she said, willing him to understand. ‘Getting pushed to the bottom of the pile, like I was with the creative studio. I hired Mia to cover my job and now it’s like she’s more senior than me.’

Laura had always known that if you wanted to stay at the top of your game you couldn’t afford to take time out. She’d proven herself right – unfortunately, at her own expense. While she was bringing a child into the world, another woman had slipped into her place and stolen her job from her.

‘Yeah, I can imagine,’ he said as he came over and ruffled the top of her head. ‘We need to think about lunch. It’s already one.’

Laura shrugged. She didn’t give a toss about lunch, she wasn’t particularly hungry. Her precious weekend at home with her family, and she’d spent the largest part going over and over her job in her head. And as much as she wanted to make the most of their Sunday afternoon, there was a part of her that couldn’t, because she knew she wouldn’t settle until she was back in the office and face-to-face with Harry.

‘Laura?’ Nate pressed. ‘How about we go out, grab a pub lunch?’

‘We won’t get in anywhere now.’

‘Then please, just help me out and tell me what you want.’

‘It’s fine,’ she snapped as she pulled herself up. ‘I’ll sort it.’ She walked to the fridge and peered inside, her gaze drifting over what little food they had, as her stomach churned, over and over.