Page 91 of My Kind of Happy

He stepped closer to me and leaned on the end of the counter. ‘Fearne, I’m sorry you’ve been caught up in this, you’ve been nothing but accommodating and kind.’

I shot him a smile. ‘It’s fine.’

It wasn’t fine; I wanted Pandora out of my shop.

His wife harrumphed. ‘Dress it up how you like, Sam Diamond, but you lied to me. You knew how much I wanted to go out with the other students on my yoga course tonight.’

‘Sam said you were doing a weekly yoga course,’ I said slyly. ‘That sounds energetic.’

She glared at me suspiciously and carried on. ‘But when I asked you to babysit you made up a ridiculous lie about your mother.’

‘I’m sorry about that but you only asked today,’ Sam explained wearily. ‘This was in the diary first. I couldn’t cancel my plans.’

‘Ha.’ She threw her hands up in the air. ‘First. That sums you up. Always putting yourself first.’

I looked from Sam to Pandora. My heart was thumping. I hated this. I couldn’t bear to hear them fighting. The years fell away and I was a little girl again, hiding under the dining table holding Freddie’s hand, listening to Mum and Dad arguing with each other.

I’d heard people talk about staying together for the sake of the children. But the best thing my parents did for us was to separate; make new lives for themselves. Freddie and I might have lost touch with Dad but Mum had blossomed without having to live in an unhappy home, and so, eventually had we. I looked down at my own hand, wishing Freddie’s was curled around it now and a tear pooled in my eye.

‘Wow.’ Sam gave a low whistle. ‘I don’t know how you can say that and still keep a straight face.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Oh please, not the Saint Sam speech again.’

I wanted to shout at Pandora, yell that it was she who was the liar, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. What happens in the florist, stays in the florist; I could hear Nina’s voice as clearly as if she was in the room. But Pandora had crossed the line: not only was she the one in the wrong, but she was trying to turn the tables on Sam.

‘Sometimes I think you only wanted to give our marriage another shot because I’m a convenient babysitter.’ Sam’s face was set like stone.

Pandora gasped. ‘Oh my God. Are you saying you resent spending time with your own children?’

He gritted his teeth. ‘You’re twisting my words. I love them to bits; I’ve certainly seen more of them than I have of you in the last few weeks.’

She began pacing up and down the shop. ‘I’ve heard it all now. There I am, studying hard, trying to build a career for myself because you’re always moaning that you can’t afford our lifestyle. We can’t afford the kids’ school, I can’t have a new car. Blah blah blah.’

An idea hit me suddenly: I couldn’t say anything, but if Sam happened to see the order from another man to his wife, then I wouldn’t have done wrong, would I?

I pulled the order book from under the counter, flipping back the pages to the date in question. It was easy to remember because it had been Nina’s last day in the florist’s. Sam’s team mates had abandoned their pretence of not eavesdropping and were hovering, grim-faced in the front half of the shop.

‘I’m going to ask you a question now and I want the truth.’ Sam caught hold of his wife’s hand. ‘Do you still love me?’

She glared at him, saying nothing, which to me said everything.

‘Perhaps you should take this outside,’ Tom said softly to Sam, resting a hand on his shoulder.

‘I need to know.’ Sam shrugged him off. ‘Pandora. Yes or no?’

The silence was oppressive and then she swallowed, looking down at their linked hands.

‘We were good for a while, Sam.’

He smiled sadly, letting her hand drop away.

‘But you don’t love me,’ he murmured.

She said nothing, checking the screen on her phone instead.

‘So why ask me to come back?’ He stared at her, confused and hurt. ‘Why let me do all that work around the house, painting, decorating, gardening? Giving me false hope?’

‘I thought we could make a go of it for the children. But we can’t; we want different things and now of course, there’s her.’ She nodded in my direction. ‘Sorry, I don’t buy it; you’re clearly having an affair with her. You were all over her when I banged on the window. I want a divorce.’