‘Our house has been like a sick bay this week,’ Flo moaned as she sat at the kitchen table bunged up with cold. Her nose was bright red and she looked rather peaky. ‘All the kids were off school on Monday.’
‘Eurgh! I’m not surprised you’ve caught it, then.’
‘I think I’ve passed the contagious stage now,’ she added, aware that Tasha was probably keen to reach for her Dettol.
‘I’m glad to hear it!’ Tasha laughed.
‘The kids are all back at school but my house still absolutely stinks of Olbas Oil. I’ve had them all doing inhalations morning and night!’
‘And salt gargles?’
‘Oh, yes. That’s how I can tell if they’re really feeling ill. If they’ll agree to a salt gargle it’s definitely genuine.’
‘Sounds like you’re through the worst of it? It’s definitely doing the rounds. Bella has had a bit of a cold this week and apparently the school is rife with it.’
‘Better than the v and d of last winter…’
‘Don’t remind me!’ Tasha balked at the memories.
‘Though there’s still time for that, I guess.’
‘Right, that settles it! I’m going to the chemist tomorrow to stock up on Vitamin C and echinacea.’
‘Good idea. I might do the same.’
Tasha had invited Flo over to make up for missing their weekly post-Pilates catch-ups. She felt as though they hadn’t seen each other for ages. When they had finished the pizzas that Tasha had picked up on the way home from work, and most of a bottle of wine, declared by Flo to be ‘purely medicinal’, Flo brought up the separation. Tasha filled her in on the latest developments. ‘I’ve developed a strange paranoia that he might be seeing someone,’ she admitted.
An uncomfortable look flickered across Flo’s face, instantly fanning the flames of Tasha’s suspicion. ‘What is it?’ Tasha asked, immediately on high alert. ‘Do you know something?’ Mark and Charlie worked for the same company, albeit in completely different departments. It had been through Mark that Charlie had heard about the job in the first place.
Flo looked torn. Tasha’s heart rate quickened.
‘Tell me if you do,’ Tasha implored. ‘I’d much rather know.’
Flo sniffed and took another tissue from the box beside her. She blew her nose. ‘Sorry. I didn’t know whether I should say anything. It could easily just be gossip…’
‘Come on, Flo,’ Tasha pleaded, desperate to hear whatever it was Flo was hiding from her.
‘Are you sure? You might not like it…’
‘I’m sure.’
‘Well, Mark heard through the grapevine that Charlie might be dating someone,’ Flo admitted.
Tasha’s heart plummeted. ‘Oh,’ she said, completely shell-shocked. A shiver ran down her spine and she broke out in a cold sweat. She had absolutely no idea how to handle this information.
‘I’m so sorry.’ Flo winced. ‘I didn’t know whether to tell you. It may not even be anything serious.’
‘It must be if word has got to Mark?’
‘You never know – it’s probably just office gossip.’
A flurry of questions hurtled through Tasha’s mind. ‘When did he tell you?’
‘Last weekend.’
‘Do you know how long it’s been going on?’
‘No, I’m afraid not. Look, Tasha, I’m sure it’s nothing but hot air, people jumping to conclusions…’
Tasha gripped the edge of the table as if to steady herself; the room seemed to spin as she processed the news. She shook her head. ‘Oh, my God. I just can’t believe this! This is my worst nightmare.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘Honestly, Flo, it’s better that I know.’
Tasha felt utterly sick. Charlie, seeing someone else. The thought of it: him sleeping with someone else, kissing them, holding them… Suddenly she could see him falling in love, moving on from her completely, introducing the children to his new girlfriend, even remarrying. She let out a panicked sob as the tears began to flow.
‘Shit, now look what I’ve done,’ Flo said as she passed Tasha the box of tissues. ‘It’s probably not even true,’ Flo tried to reassure her.
‘Did Mark mention a name?’ Tasha asked. She could tell Flo had more information to spill.
Flo nodded slowly. ‘But remember, it’s just a rumour. It could be complete bollocks.’
‘I doubt it. What is her name?’
‘Sophia.’
‘Sophia,’ Tasha repeated softly to herself.
When Flo eventually left, clearly riddled with angst as to whether she had done the right thing in telling her, Tasha sat on the sofa with the rest of the bottle of wine. She opened her laptop and searched for any Sophias she could find on Charlie’s company website. There was only one result. It had to be her. Tasha’s heart was pounding as she pressed on the thumbnail and waited for the page to load. Soon enough a picture of a breathtakingly gorgeous young brunette opened on her screen. Tasha let out a slow exhalation, trying her best not to panic. This was who Charlie was dating. Oh, my God, she thought. I could never even begin to compete with that. She had shiny, long dark hair and a dazzling smile, revealing a perfect set of pearly white teeth. Tasha felt as if she might throw up. She took another gulp of wine and peered closer. She noted her name, Sophia Beauchamp, and typed it into Google. She spent a good couple of hours searching for her profiles on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, trying to find out as much about her as she could. But despite her best efforts she didn’t learn much. Sophia was obviously clued up on privacy settings, preventing random strangers like Tasha from spying on her.
Tasha almost called Charlie several times to confront him, but she stopped herself. If he confirmed it then she would know it was true. At the moment it could just be gossip. She had a sneaking suspicion it was genuine, but she was no way near ready to hear from Charlie that he was seeing someone. The longer she could try and kid herself that it might not be true, the better. Her head spun. It just couldn’t be. He couldn’t be anywhere near ready to start a new relationship yet, could he? But if someone as beautiful as that should appear on the scene, someone new, exciting and young, basically the opposite of her, then why would he say no? Especially if she had set her sights on him and was going out of her way to catch him… Eventually, she couldn’t bear it a second longer. She closed her laptop and went up to bed. Tasha tried to shut off the images of Charlie and Sophia that continuously flooded her imagination, but it was useless. She cried herself to sleep, taunted by her thoughts.