Page 62 of Lyrebird

‘Jesus, none of us will be allowed in if you carry on like this. Let me sort it out,’ Bo says, rooting through her bag for her phone.

‘Bo, please tell Jack Starr thank you very much for the opportunity, but I won’t go in there without Solomon,’ Laura speaks up, polite but firm.

Solomon looks at her in surprise and doesn’t attempt to hide his grin from Michael.

Laura’s honour doesn’t impress Michael, who has seen enough fame-hungry blonde beauties pass through these doors.

‘It’s okay, Laura, I’ll call Jack,’ Bo says quickly, moving away from them with the phone to her ear, which bothers Solomon because he wants to know what she’s saying to her ex-boyfriend about him. Within five minutes, they’re whisked inside by Bianca, a handler equipped with a clipboard and headset, who is now leading them through a network of corridors.

‘Hey,’ Rachel says to Laura, ‘I didn’t greet you properly out there.’ She throws her hand up for a high-five, which Laura smiles at and meets.

‘How’s your baby?’ Laura asks.

‘Big and healthy,’ Rachel says with a grin.

‘Have a good morning?’ Solomon asks, trying to be casual but studying Bo and Laura’s faces for hints.

‘Yes, great,’ Bo replies, a little too clipped. ‘We went to the supermarket, then for coffee and tea, then a walk around Stephen’s Green. I showed her some great clothes stores in case she wants to, you know, know where to go.’

‘Uh-huh,’ Rachel nods, looking from one to the other.

‘I called you,’ Bo says to Rachel. ‘To see if you’d like to join us.’

‘Oh, really? I didn’t see that,’ Rachel fakes it. ‘I was at the scan.’

‘Of course!’ Bo realises. ‘I forgot. How did it go?’

‘Great. Like I said, the nurse reckons it’s a baby in there, so I’m happy,’ Rachel replies.

Laura laughs.

‘How did it go?’ Solomon asks Laura, as Bo and Rachel walk ahead of them.

Laura looks amused, then opens her mouth and Bo’s voice comes out. ‘Perhaps we should just go back to the apartment.’

It’s the way Laura says it – the tone, the clipped, agitated vibe she captures – that causes Solomon to throw his head back and laugh. He recognises the sound of Bo trying to be polite but at the same time extract herself quickly from a situation.

Bo turns self-consciously to study them both, then carries on walking.

‘Oh no,’ says Solomon. ‘It wasn’t that bad, was it?’

Laura opens her mouth and Bo speaks again. ‘Can you maybe not do that here?’

Solomon’s smile disappears.

‘It’s okay,’ Laura says quickly, hand going to his arm. He’s wearing a T-shirt, her skin touches his and something happens. A tingle rushes through both of them. She looks at his arm so that he knows she felt the same thing. ‘I was doing it more than usual,’ she explains. ‘She makes me nervous.’

‘I think perhaps the feeling is mutual,’ Solomon says.

‘I make her nervous?’

‘You’re different,’ he says, really wanting to say that Bo probably feels threatened, particularly after hearing the way Laura mimicked his laugh, the way she always wants to be with him and clearly and honestly doesn’t trust anybody else. ‘Sometimes people are nervous around different.’

She nods, understanding. ‘Me too.’

‘Are you nervous now?’

She nods again.