Nate was smiling. ‘You’re going to knock ’em all dead. Like you always have.’

‘You’re biased.’

‘I know I am, but I also know how brilliant you are. Particularly with all the work you’ve been doing to prepare,’ he added, nodding at the laptop sticking out the top of her bag. ‘It’ll be like you haven’t been away.’

‘Maybe,’ she replied, her gaze still on Bobby. It was impossible to believe it would ever feel like that. Not when she’d spent the last six months caring for another human being around the clock.

But Nate was right about one thing. She had put in a lot of hours over the last couple of weeks, preparing herself to dive straight back into her biggest accounts. She felt excited to talk to her lead client, Coopers, about ideas for the TV advert they wanted to start work on this summer. They’d been planning to invest heavily in promotion for their new health-drink brand and she’d been so keen to get her teeth into the campaign. Anyway, surely the moment she stepped out of the office lift onto her floor she would stop feeling so nervous.

‘Just go,’ Nate told her, turning back to the porridge on the hob, scooping out a spoonful, which he tipped into a small plastic bowl.

‘You know that’ll be too hot,’ she said. ‘You need to cool it down first. He can’t eat it like—’

‘I know,’ Nate laughed.

‘Call me if anything happens.’

Nate nodded as he pushed the bowl to one side and twisted round to kiss her. ‘Hey!’ He reached out his hand and ran a thumb across her cheek. ‘Why are you crying?’

‘I’m not.’ She pulled back and laughed, swiping a hand against him. ‘I’m just, you know, I haven’t left him in six months.’

‘Well, this guy and I are going to have a blast. As soon as you’re gone, we’re going to vacuum the house and put on a load of washing and then – then we’re off to the park.’

‘Nate, am I doing the right thing?’

‘Yes.’ He took hold of her arm. ‘Of course you are.’

Her stomach felt heavy and twisted. The decision that had always been such a simple one suddenly felt as if it was swamping her. Like she had no other choice. And in that moment Laura wished that Nate’s job in IT paid more than it did. Or that her husband had the same degree of ambition she had.