‘God, of course.’ They murmured with relief and continued to regard her, wide smiles on their faces.

‘I can’t believe Bobby is six months old already,’ she said when they lapsed into silence.

‘No!’

‘I can’t believe it, either.’

‘Where does the time go?’

Laura couldn’t differentiate one voice from the other as they all continued to gape and nod, staring at her and looking vaguely surprised and a little apprehensive.

Her gaze wandered over their shoulders to Bryony, who had stopped pouring tea and was now chewing the side of her thumb.

‘Have you got any photos?’ one asked.

‘Oh yes. Of course.’ She reached for her phone and scrolled through a few until she came to one of Bobby lying on his back on a playmat, chubby little fists clenched, mouth open as he giggled at the funny faces Nate was pulling behind her back. Laura stared at it for a moment before handing it over.

‘Oh my God, he’s so cute.’

‘He’s adorable.’

‘Doesn’t he look like you?’

Laura nodded, and once the phone had been passed along the line she took it back.

‘You must miss him.’

She looked up, still clutching the phone in one hand. ‘Of course.’

‘I don’t know how you do it, you know – being away from him all the time. I only went back two and a half days a week, and even that was too much,’

‘It’s not all the time, just while I’m at work,’ she joked half-heartedly.

The other woman blushed and laughed too, and suddenly they were thrown into another awkward silence that Laura couldn’t ever remember having with any of the team previously. Her eyes panned the room. Usually she’d be sitting at the head of the table, concept boards stacked high, buzzing to talk through her ideas and now …

‘Laura!’

She turned to see Mia, who had now entered the room.

‘So sorry I’m a little late, everyone – just getting the final touches done,’ Mia gushed as she waltzed in. She was glistening like a bauble in her shiny bright-pink shirt, which she’d tucked into one side of the waistband of slim black trousers. Laura tried to think if she had been wearing that outfit earlier. She couldn’t recall it.

Eventually her eyes drifted to the portfolio case tucked under Mia’s arms, while the team assured her that her lateness was nothing to worry about.

Mia hung her head to one side and smiled at Laura, and Laura knew this was her cue to leave. Her heart hammered at the thought of retreating, being dismissed again. She suddenly couldn’t bear the thought of returning to her desk, all the while imagining what was going on behind the closed doors of the boardroom.