‘I just noticed one or two things.’
‘Such as? Mum, she’s not asked me for a thing. What was it . . . ? I paid for her flights, yes, but the clothes . . . Is that what this is about? They were a birthday present. If anything, she spent more on me when she bought the . . . my painting,’ he added.
The awkwardness intensified with the unresolved, ugly spectre of the painting.
Laura held up her hands. ‘I’m sorry, but there’s something about her I just don’t trust.’
‘Why? You don’t even know her, not really.’
What could she say? Confess to snooping around in their room and to her amateur detective work at the estate agent’s?
‘I feel like I got to know her quite well . . . over the holiday,’ she said lamely.
He looked at her and she tried to uphold her statement with a smile.
‘Mum, do you like Cherry?’
His frankness threw her. She gave it away by her hesitation and he knew it.
‘I’m grateful for your concern, but there’s no need to worry. Mum, we’re dating and I hope we will continue to do so for a long time. I’d like you to be happy for me.’
‘OK.’ It was a small squeak of a word, meaningless really.
‘Now, what about this barbecue tomorrow? You didn’t have to, you know.’
Should she affirm how much she liked Cherry? Reassure him? How could she when she didn’t? And now the subject was difficult between them. And she had liked her – she’d wanted to know her and even be close to her.
‘Can I do anything to help?’
‘No, thanks. It’s all in hand.’
‘Right.’ He pointed to her empty plate. ‘You done?’ She nodded. ‘I’ll just fill the dishwasher; then I might pop out.’
She knew where, and he knew she knew. She nodded, covering up the pang, the unfamiliar distance that was suddenly between them from his not saying her name. She couldn’t bear it, her son becoming estranged from her.
She watched as he took away the plates, the tightness in her chest intolerable. Maybe she was wrong about Cherry. After all, Daniel was an intelligent person; he would’ve had a hunch if something wasn’t right. She’d been stewing alone with her thoughts for two weeks and paranoia had a nasty habit of escalating things. Maybe there was some other explanation and she was on the verge of some awful, embarrassing mistake. The tension suddenly lessened. Perhaps this could all be easily solved. Cherry would be at the barbecue the next day; she’d try and speak to her. Hopefully there would be a chance to clarify things and she could put her mind at rest.
SEVENTEEN
Saturday 19 July
Saturday was a muggy, hazy day and the dust from the building work next door hung static in the air. The builders were due to finish at lunchtime, thankfully, but for the moment tiny particles managed to lodge themselves on the skin and in the mouth, leaving a nasty, bitter taste. Laura was undaunted. She gave the entire garden a spray-down with the hose and looked on with satisfaction at the plants and lawn, glowing as green as on a fresh spring day. Howard had been despatched to the butcher’s to pick up the meat; Daniel was currently placing bottles of wine in the large fridge in the den. He’d been a little cool towards her since yesterday, but she’d made herself be bright and enthusiastic. After all, this was his leaving-home party and she wanted them both to remember it as a happy time.
The first to arrive were Isabella and Brigitte, just back from France.
‘How was the rest of your stay?’ asked Daniel.
‘Wonderful,’ sighed Isabella. ‘We only came back because Richard was complaining he never saw us.’
‘Charming.’
‘And to come to your barbecue, darling boy,’ she said, patting his cheek.
The back garden began to fill up: some of Daniel’s friends from school, now grown up, and their parents, friends of Laura and Howard’s. It wasn’t a large crowd, perhaps twenty or so, and everyone knew each other well. Howard sparked up the barbecue, and once the smoke had got in everyone’s eyes, it finally died down enough to start cooking the homemade burgers and marinated chicken he’d got from the butcher’s.
Just after six, Laura noticed Daniel look at his phone, then disappear back into the house. Ten minutes later, he reappeared with Cherry. Introductions were made and Cherry demurely made her way round the garden. Laura watched from the sidelines as she met each of their friends. Everyone was polite and smiling and delighted to see who Daniel was clearly very smitten with. She wondered when would be a good time to speak to her. She was keen to get it over and done with, and hopefully there would be some sort of reasonable explanation.
Cherry was pleased at the way Daniel introduced her. He spoke her name proudly, and his fingers were entwined with hers. She was aware that she hadn’t yet spoken to Laura and noticed that Daniel and she weren’t quite so joined at the hip as they usually were.
‘Everything OK with you and your mum?’ she said.
‘Sure.’
She could tell it wasn’t, not exactly, and Cherry was intrigued – and pleased. She wondered what it could be about.
Laura went to fill Izzy’s glass.
‘Thanks, darling. By the way, I have a bit of a surprise for you. Your birthday. I’ve got you a booking at the Bazaar. For Saturday 23rd itself!’
‘How did you manage that?’
‘I told them you were head of ITV drama.’
‘You didn’t!’
‘Only way to get you a table.’
‘You’ll get me fired.’ She hugged her. ‘Thanks.’
It was a Michelin-starred Persian restaurant that Laura had been dying to try but when she’d phoned, had been told they were fully booked for six months. Isabella was friends with friends of the owners and said she’d try to get her in. It had to be that day as that was her birthday and she had a long tradition of celebrating with a family dinner, ever since Daniel was born. As a baby, he’d sit in a high chair playing with spaghetti, happily trying to get the strands into his mouth. Sometimes it was just the two of them, if Howard was at work. She always had a cake too, knowing this would delight Daniel, and each would take turns to blow out the candles. Birthdays were the one day of the year on which Laura determinedly put aside whatever problems might be in her life (her marriage notably) and holed them up so they were unable to escape for the entire waking day, and she always, always made sure she went out for dinner.
‘How’s it feel to have him fly the nest?’
‘It’s not the first time.’
‘Ah, now I know you’re being brave. This is the real one, though, isn’t it?’
Laura smiled. ‘I’m lucky. He’ll only be round the corner.’
‘True. In his own pad. Able to do what he wants. Good job you brought him up so well.’
Izzy was teasing, she knew, but it suddenly occurred to Laura that Cherry might be spending quite a lot of time at Daniel’s new flat and the thoughts that had been troubling her rose up again.
‘Iz . . . something weird happened on holiday.’