Sinclair burst out laughing in surprise. Sure they were a tight-knit team, but this was more than Tina usually let on. ‘Don’t tell me you’re not getting any, Tina, what’s to do with that husband of yours?’

Tina looked downcast. ‘It’s not him, it’s me. If I can’t have babies, what’s the point?’ She stopped herself. She wasn’t thinking straight. Why on earth was she telling everyone at work about her personal problems?

The other members of staff looked at each other furtively; they knew this was a touchy subject. One by one they made their excuses, started to leave. None of them wanted to get into another long talk about Tina’s problems or her health. Tina herself sat staring into space, her hand placed on her stomach, wishing that she didn’t feel so empty inside. She seemed oblivious to the fact that everyone else had gone. Her eyes started to well up. ‘All I ever wanted was a baby,’ she choked. ‘All I want is my own child.’

Over at the salon, Susan sat in her office looking stressed. Her brother John was with her, sipping at a cup of coffee. He had a look of Susan – you could tell that they were related – but he could give Donny a run for his money in the poser stakes. He obsessed about his appearance. He looked good though, with his ripped muscles and toned physique. He put the cup down on the white desk and nodded his head slowly over at her. ‘So, run it by me again, why do you think he’s cheating on you this time?’

Susan sat picking at the skin round her fingernails. ‘I just know, don’t ask me how, but I do. Something’s just not right.’

‘So, why are you still with him? Let me and our Dave kick him out and be done with him.’

Susan panicked – this was going too far too fast. ‘No, I need to catch him at it first. If I go in now all guns blazing, he will just laugh at me and say I’m being paranoid. But, John, he takes hours getting ready in the morning and in the bedroom he’s been throwing some new moves in. Putting legs in places they have never been. Come on, where’s he getting that from all of a sudden unless someone’s showing him it?’

John scratched the end of his chin and looked at his sister in more detail. ‘TMI, sister, TMI. Anyhow, I don’t know why you had him back after last time. Our Dave wanted to chop him up and feed him to the pigs. You should have binned the dirty fucker.’