Part 29 (1/2)
”Oh, G.o.d,” said Yorky to himself.
”No, no,” Laura hastened to rea.s.sure him. ”Nothing like that, I promise. He wanted to pay for his half of the money I lost, canceling our holiday.”
Even saying ”our,” like there ever had been an ”our” as in her and Dan, sounded weird. She opened a bottle of wine and collected the gla.s.ses. It was still light outside. As Yorky cooked some chicken, slos.h.i.+ng in a little wine, and sliced some crusty bread on the side, Laura set the table. She went to the window and threw it open, breathing in the evening air. Across the treetops, streets, houses, more houses, cars, big roads, shops. She looked north, to the horizon.
Somewhere, in a huge house a hundred miles away, was Nick. Sitting there eating supper by himself, in an empty room, a great rattling house stuffed with treasures and relics of the past. But nothing that was actually his, his own personal stuff, until he climbed those long winding stairs to his room at the top of the house, a room with a radio, his own clothes, some paperbacks, that bed-and another, very different view out the window over the treetops. Was he on his own? Was anyone with him? Did he have someone to talk to, like Charles? She stared out the window, willing herself to see more, if only for a second, before the picture left her mind.
”Ready?” came Yorky's voice behind her. Laura spun around.
”Yep,” she said.
Yorky looked at her. ”Sit down, and pour that wine,” he said. ”You've had a lucky escape.” She looked confused, so he said, ”Dan.”
”Oh,” said Laura. ”G.o.d, yes. You know, it's fine.”
They clinked gla.s.ses.
”Tell me what's happening with Becky,” said Laura, switching tack. ”So, she hasn't replied to any of your texts yet?”
”Right,” said Yorky.
”Have you seen her on the stairs or anything?” Laura asked.
”Nooo,” said Yorky. ”Not since she left my place early on Sunday morning. Oohoo.”
”You said she fell asleep on the sofa and nothing happened,” Laura reminded him.
”Er,” said Yorky, deflated. ”Er, yeah.”
”So,” said Laura encouragingly, ”what have you done about it?'
”I've taken action,” said Yorky, looking pleased. ”I thought, okay, perhaps she didn't get any of the texts. So I'm on my way back from school today, and I think, I'll go round to where she works. You know that little gift shop in West Hampstead?”
”Oh, G.o.d,” said Laura.
”Yes, absolutely,” said Yorky, unheeding. ”I get there, it's about six-ish. I can see her clearing up and stuff. And when she comes out, I say, 'Hi, Becky, how are you, okay?' And-G.o.d, I don't understand girls, I really don't.”
”Why?” said Laura.
”She pretends she hasn't seen me, and runs back into the shop! And I follow her and say, 'Hey, look, I only wanted to make sure you got my text messages. And, by the way, do you want to go out next week?' And she said she was really busy, but she'd think about it and let me know. I feel confident, though. Strangely confident.”
”How come?” Laura asked, trying not to grin.
”Er...” said Yorky. ”Not sure, really.”
”So...” Laura said after a pause. ”When are you seeing her again, then?”
They both cracked up, and then Yorky said, ”Seriously, Laura. I'm really proud of you. Norfolk did you a power of good. You're so much better off without him, you know. I'm not just saying that. It's the truth. And...” He looked slightly embarra.s.sed. ”I don't want to sound pervy, but you look amazing at the moment.”
”Really?” said Laura.
”Whatever it is, you look-er, very nice. Really well. And you know, you're better now. Time for a fresh start, eh?”
”Yep,” said Laura. ”Fresh start.”
”Got your eye on anyone, then?” Yorky said, helping himself to the chicken and avoiding her gaze.
It was as if someone had asked her if she were an ironing board, or if she liked drinking raw meth-a completely outlandish, freakish question. ”G.o.d, no,” Laura said. ”Me?”
”Yes, you!” Yorky said, chuckling. ”Don't look so amazed! You've always got someone you're mad about, haven't you? Come on, Lara. Who is it?”
Can't you see? she wanted to say to Yorky, just as she had with Rachel earlier that day. Can't you see I've changed, that everything's different?
”No one, honestly,” she said after a bit. She pulled the bottle toward her.
Yorky waved his winegla.s.s at her and nodded, in an ancient-sage sort of way. ”You should get back out there, Laura. Get over him, get under someone else, you know. You're the best, Loz, so don't leave it too long before you fall in love again, okay?”
She said nothing, but smiled. Yorky raised his gla.s.s. ”All better now. To fresh starts, eh?”
”Fresh starts,” Laura echoed, knowing he was right.
Yorky was right, it was a fresh start. And she wasn't going to screw it up again. She was at work an hour early the next day.
”It's lovely to see you again,” said Rachel, who was waiting for her as she walked through the door. She handed her a bunch of tulips.
”Oh, my goodness,” said Laura. ”That's so sweet of you.” She kissed her. ”Thank you, Rachel.” She bent down, put her bag on the floor, and switched on the computer.
Shana waved at her across the large table they shared. She was eating a doughnut, and after a minute she said, ”You okay?”
”Fine, you?”
”Yeah. Good to see you again, Laura.”
”Thanks.”
The phone rang, and Shana grinned at her and picked it up.
”Come into my office when you've sorted yourself out,” said Rachel. ”We'll talk about what you're going to be working on next. This major fund-raising drive's about to take off, and I want you to work on it.”
”Thanks,” said Laura. She tapped Rachel's arm as she turned to leave. ”I mean it. Thanks.”
”Don't let me down,” said Rachel quietly. ”That's all I ask, Laura love. Show me you've turned over a new leaf.”
”Trust me,” Laura said. ”I mean it-I have.”
And she had. For the next month, work became her obsession. She loved throwing herself into it, proving to Rachel that she'd changed. And she started walking everywhere. There were fresh flowers in the flat each week, and Laura's room was always tidy, her clothes sorted and hanging neatly, freshly ironed. She remembered birthdays; she cooked a meal for Yorky and Becky (which he could pa.s.s off as his own); she organized a picnic for Hilary to celebrate her promotion at the museum where she worked, and helped Jo paint her bathroom while Chris was away. She couldn't undo the way she'd behaved in the past, she knew that; but there was a grain of comfort from realizing, as she looked around at her friends, that she was back in her old life, in some small way.