Page 23 of Love at First Sight

I shrug, because this is a trap.

‘He’s funny,’ Henry supplies for me, and I’m relieved I don’t have to answer.

‘Not as funny as me though, right?’ Thom says, getting in Henry’s face and then launching into a tickle attack.

‘Never!’ shrieks Henry. ‘Nobody is!’

‘Say it louder,’ Thom commands. ‘Say nobody is funnier than Daddy!’

‘Nobody is funnier than Daddy!’ laughs Henry, clearly loving the attention.

I think that’s the end of it, but then when Henry goes to the loo, Thom lowers his voice conspiratorially and says, ‘No, but seriously, this new dude? What’s your read on him?’

I shake my head and shrug once again.

‘Come on …’ Thom urges. ‘There’s something you’re not telling me.’

‘It’s none of my business,’ I offer. ‘I don’t want to get involved.’

‘Urgh,’ Thom says, playfully rolling his eyes. ‘How disgustingly loyal of you.’

‘Practical,’ I say, smiling. ‘Not getting involved is a practical choice, Thom.’

He nods, like he can’t argue.

‘What about you?’ I ask. ‘I hear your love life is blooming?’

Thom pulls a face, one that I can’t read.

‘Now who’s being reticent?’ I say, and Thom laughs.

‘She’s just young, is all,’ he settles on. ‘And she doesn’t make me laugh like Ali does. Did.’

‘That kind of chemistry is rare,’ I note, and Thom agrees.

‘Sometimes I wonder how I ever let her get away,’ he says, and he looks at me in a way that, if it were appropriate, would make me want to envelop him in a big, warm hug. He looks genuinely regretful. Really sad. I feel for him.

Henry returns, having found Ali on his way, and he pulls her by the hand to the breakfast stool on his other side, so he’s sat between both parents. It’s an image Ihaveto capture on camera for them: the three of them, like they used to be. I grab my phone. ‘Say cheese!’ I implore, and they all look up at the same time, smiling, an imperfectly perfect family.

It’s not until I look at the photo later that I realise Thom is reaching out across Henry’s lap to touch Ali’s knee under the table, like they never really broke up at all.

9

‘Two decaf lattes please,’ India says to the server at the coffee shop closest to the gym. It’s a gorgeous Thursday afternoon, we’ve just worked out, and she had a date last night that she didn’t want to talk about in front of everyone, so I’ve dragged her to somewhere more private in order to get the lowdown.

‘So,’ I prompt, as we settle into a window seat. It’s overcast today, typical British summer style, but it’s also really humid, so it’s nicer to be inside and in the air conditioning than outside and struggling to breathe. ‘Spill.’

India comes over all coy, which isnotlike her.

‘She was … cute,’ India says, and it occurs to me maybe she’s feeling shy because she hasn’t dated many girls. Last year she casually mentioned that she’d opened up her dating profile to menandwomen, just to see. I told her that was cool, to keep me in the loop. It felt a bit retro to ask too many questions, to get allomg so are you gay now?on her. But I didn’t know exactly what to say after that, because I didn’t want it to be a big deal. Though sometimes I think maybe I went the other way, and came across a bituninterested.

‘Not to sound like somebody’s mum,’ I say, ‘but how doyou want to talk about this? Like, I want to give you your space, but I also need details. As many details as you’d give me if this was a boy …’

India crumples up her face. ‘That’s kind of the thing …’

‘What is?’

She looks up to the ceiling, like she’s trying to solve a complicated maths problem.

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