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“Say why you split up with Lara! What rong with her?”

I can see Josh glaze over again He looks as though he’s trying to catch the distant echo of a nightingale across the valleys

“Josh?” Marie leans forward “Josh!”

“Sorry!” He comes to and shakes his head “Sorry! It’s weird I was just thinking about my ex, Lara”

“Oh” Marie keeps s, exactly the same amount of smile, but I can see the muscles tense up a little in her jaw “What about her?”

“I don’t know” Josh screws up his face, looking perplexed “I was just thinking what it was about her and ”

“Relationships end” Marie sips her water “Who knohy? These things happen”

“Yes” Josh still has a faraway look in his eyes, which isn’t surprising, as Sadie is yelling like a siren in his ear “Say why it rong! Say it out loud!”

“So” Marie changes the subject “Hoas your week? I’ve had a hellish ti you about-”

“I suppose she was a bit intense,” Josh blurts out

“Who was?”

“Lara”

“Oh, really?” I can see Marie trying to feign interest

“She used to read azine and want to talk about how similar ere to some other random couple For hours That annoyed ? Why did she have to unpick every single row and conversation?”

He gulps at his wine and I stare at him across the restaurant, stricken I never knew he felt that way

“That does sound annoying” Marie nods syo? You said your boss had some announcement to make?”