Shimmer

‘I know I shouldn’t,’ Claudia said in her sister’s Toyota, looking back over her shoulder at Joshua, buckled into his seat in the rear, ‘but I feel kind of apprehensive seeing Saul these days.’

‘I can’t imagine why,’ Grace said. ‘He’s fine, and he loves what he’s doing.’

‘Woodwork instead of studying medicine?’ Claudia turned her face to the window, stared out at the seemingly endless string of lavish apartment buildings and hotels and the ocean beyond, sparkling blue in the sunshine.

‘Saul makes furniture,’ Grace said crisply. ‘He has a real talent for it which he discovered long before he got injured, and he chose to change direction, it wasn’t just foisted on him – and I’m not at all sure that it doesn’t suit him more than medicine might have.’

Grace shot her a sideways glance. ‘I hope you’re not planning on taking this negative attitude to lunch.’

‘I’m just telling you how I feel,’ Claudia said. ‘Or have I lost that right too?’

Grace slowed the car a little. Traffic on this section of Collins was even lighter than usual today, which meant they were going to be there in no time, and she wanted to get past this before they reached the Golden Beach house.

‘What are you talking about, sis?’ she said. ‘What rights have you lost?’

Claudia’s hands clenched into fists in her lap. ‘I’ve strayed,’ she said, tautly. ‘I’ve committed adultery. I’ve been a total fool. I’ve abandoned my sons and left my husband to fend for himself without so much as an explanation.’ Her eyes filled. ‘I’ve lost the right to be me.’

Grace saw a turning up ahead into a small hotel car park, glanced in the rear-view mirror, then swung in and stopped the car.

‘Come here.’ She put out her arms, and Claudia leaned against her and began to weep. ‘You’ve lost no such rights at all,’ she told her. ‘You’ve been human, that’s all. Don’t cry, baby.’

‘You’ve done it to yourself too,’ Grace said. ‘And I know you’ll find the way to put it right again, if that’s what you want to do.’

‘By telling him, you mean,’ Claudia said desolately. ‘But what if he can’t forgive me?’

‘I think he will,’ Grace said. ‘Because I’m guessing that he loves you way too much to want to lose your marriage.’

‘So long as I don’t wait too long.’ Claudia pulled away.

‘You’re going to have to judge that for yourself, sis.’

Only one of many judgement calls that Claudia was going to have to make, Grace supposed. And no sign of Jerome Cooper since yesterday morning, but still . . .

Joshua, who’d been awake but content until now, who was in general an excellent traveller, gave a sudden squawk of impatience.

‘It’s OK, sweetheart,’ Grace told him. ‘We’ll be on the move again in a minute.’

‘We don’t need a minute,’ Claudia said. ‘I’m OK.’ She opened her purse, found a tissue and wiped at her eyes. ‘I’ll be fine.’ She looked back at her nephew and smiled. ‘It’ll do me good to focus on someone else for a change, won’t it, Joshua?’