Page 17 of Such a Good Couple
‘It’s time for rum,’ she said. A white-aproned barman followed behind her with glasses.
‘Amazing.’ Clara made a concerted effort to sound brighter. ‘I’m just going to get my hat.’
In the gloom of the yacht’s below-deck living space, Clara’s eyes took a moment to adjust before she spotted her wide-brimmed straw visor. Another Depop purchase. She pulled her long ponytail through it, then fixed it in front of the mirror. That was when she spotted Ollie’s pile of clothes heaped on the banquette. She grabbed his T-shirt, thinking she might throw it over her shoulders. Even though it was past 4 p.m., it was hot as ever, with the sun burning in the cloudless sky overhead. Disturbing the clothes caused Ollie’s phone to drop out of his shorts and onto the floor. Clara stooped to grab it, thenhesitated. Had she really wanted the T-shirt? Or had she wanted the phone to fall into her path? She didn’t even want to fully interrogate this idea. Anytime she articulated her suspicions to herself, it made the knot in her stomach draw tighter.
Just take a look. There won’t be anything to see anyway, she told herself.I can look, see that there’s nothing and then I can relax and enjoy the holiday.
She glanced back out towards the cabin door, though all she could see of the day beyond was a rectangle of harsh white that left an impression on her retina when she turned and blinked. She quickly bent down, scooped up the phone and hunched over it, facing the cabin wall, ready to drop it back into the cluster of garments should anyone walk in. She tapped the home button and the lockscreen appeared. Her and the three boys were sitting on the roof of their car on the back road out by the airport where they often went to watch the planes land and take off. Some months, that was what passed for a family outing. Just leaving the house with kids could be so expensive – they wanted stuff from the shop, the toll bridge each way cost four euro. At least the boys looked happy: the older two were clearly in the middle of shouting at something while Reggie held his arms aloft with a soother stuck in his mouth.
For their sake, I should check. Then at least I’d be rid of this crazy overthinking, she told herself. She knew that suspicion in a marriage could all too easily metastasise and grow malignant even if there was nothing to have misgivings about.
Clara tapped in Ollie’s code and it was rejected. She tapped it in again, more slowly this time. The digits shook again and the lockscreen remained unchanged. Rejected.
Clara felt a twinge of unease.When did he change his code? And more importantly: why?
‘Clara?’ Ollie’s rangy frame was suddenly blocking most of the light from the door as he lowered himself down the small,awkward steps.
She dropped the phone and nudged it under his shorts, then quickly moved into the centre of the cabin.
‘Hey.’ She knew her voice sounded odd, a little strangled, and she subtly tried to steady her breathing.
‘The kids are dying for you to come play with us.’ He was grinning, and his usually springy, curly hair was wet and flat to his head.
She nodded slowly in answer but she was distracted. He was looking so toned. He’d always been slim but was there more definition? When hadthathappened? How had she not noticed? Though when did they last have sex? Had they even put the lights on?
‘So will you come jump in?’ He moved a little closer and put his hand on her waist. ‘This is nice, isn’t it?’ He lowered his lips to hers and Clara had a sudden, deeply unpleasant feeling that she was kissing a complete stranger. A stranger who had changed his passcode for some reason.
Clara felt the cabin close in around them and she pulled away.
‘Better get out to the boys.’ She hurried past him up into the light.
An hour later, the boat returned to the shore just across from the house and a small speedboat ferried them back to their own private dock. They all got off and Ed and two more nannies began an impressive military-style operation to transport the five kids and untold amounts of paraphernalia across the sand and up to the house. Clara, Maggie and Annie trailed behind while Ollie and Conor headed out into the waves for the last swim of the day.
‘The glam squad are arriving at 6.30.’ Maggie had one eye closed to squint at her phone – a sure sign that she was well on her way to being blitzed.
‘Uh-oh, she’s doing the one eye open move!’ Annie giggled.
‘Shut up!’ Maggie laughed. ‘We’ve been pretty restrained today. Some fizz at breakfast. Two cocktails on the boat!’
‘Well, we’re not twenty anymore. You’d better actually make it to dinner.’ Clara winked.
Maggie was not a talented drinker and Clara hadn’t seen her finish a single meal since arriving.
‘So,’ Maggie carried on, drifting slightly off-course, ‘we have time to shower and get the kids settled, then dinner’s at 8 p.m. Let’s all reconvene in my room in an hour? Cool?’
‘Uh-huh.’ Clara tried to refocus on Maggie’s words but it felt like there was a sea of booze and growing worry pitching around inside her. Ollie’s new code felt so ominous.
‘An hour, that’s cool,’ Annie echoed, squinting over her shoulder at Conor disappearing into a wave.
‘So, you and Conor are on a pretty tight schedule?’ Clara asked delicately.
‘Hmmm.’ Annie gave a slight nod.
‘Doesheknow this?’ Clara waved a hand back to the guys, now nearly at a pontoon that was floating about fifty metres from the shoreline.
‘He’ssupposedto.’ Annie’s smile was tight but then she shrugged and seemed to reset herself. ‘He’ll be up in a minute. He knows we’ve got two sessions in the calendar for tonight. This first one will be just under the wire but we’ll manage it.’
‘Fun,’ Clara said sympathetically. You didn’t get to forty-two without learning what a slog the road to children can be. Either you or someone you knew went through it. She and Ollie had gotten lucky but so many didn’t.
