English countryside. If she and Charlie had stayed together. Had had another baby . . .
Today had been a difficult day, which was why the sunshine was irritating her. She had realised at lunchtime that her period was late and she had begun to wonder if she might be pregnant. The
thought had taken root and a tiny kernel of excitement had begun to build inside her. Her mind automatically leapt forward, as she tried to calculate what her due date might be, and she had even
tipped a glass of wine down the sink. Being pregnant would be the perfect excuse to stop drinking. Not that she drank very much anyway.
But this evening, when she went to the loo, there it was. Taunting her. She had tried to take it in her stride and carry on as usual, but after an hour spent prowling around the house, she found
herself crouching in her bathroom, the almost-empty vodka bottle beside her, sobbing uncontrollably.
Just as she was beginning to pull herself together, her cellphone rang. Naturally, she had it with her, even in the bathroom. She never wanted to risk missing a call from her agent, even amidst
her emotional turmoil. LA did that to you. ‘Hello?’ She coughed slightly to clear her throat.
‘It’s Charlie,’ he said, in that formal, stilted voice he seemed to have invented especially for her ever since their break-up. She half expected him to add, ‘Charlie
Simmons?’ as a prompt.
‘Oh, hi!’ she spoke as brightly as she could, sitting down cross-legged on the tiled floor with her back against the side of the huge stone bathtub.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked immediately.
Liv smiled to herself. Even after all these years, and down a phone line from the other side of the world, he knew just by an inflection in her voice that something was wrong. ‘Nothing.
I’m, er, not feeling too good, that’s all,’ she replied, hoping that she wasn’t slurring her words and wishing desperately that she could pour her heart out to him. But it
wouldn’t be appropriate. Or fair.
‘Well, as long as you’re OK. You sound a bit . . .’ Charlie said, bringing Liv back to the present with a start.
‘A bit what?’
There was an awkward pause. ‘Nothing,’ he said at last.
‘Um, Felix is out . . . He had a playdate after school,’ Liv cut in, when the silence had gone on long enough.
‘I know.’ Of course he knew. He was diligent about keeping in touch with his son and always made sure he knew where he was. ‘I’m coming to LA and I wanted to surprise
him, so I thought I’d wait until he was out to call and let you know the details.’
‘OK, great!’ Liv wasn’t sure why she felt so piqued. ‘Are you coming just to see Felix?’ she couldn’t help asking, as her curiosity got the better of her.
‘No, actually,’ Charlie said, and she could tell that he was reluctant to be drawn into conversation with her. ‘I’ve got a . . . couple of meetings as well.’
Liv bit her lip. She knew from various press stories she had seen that some big-name directors were wooing Charlie. ‘I see. Well, Felix will be thrilled to see you. When are you
coming?’
‘Next week. Tuesday.’
‘Great. He breaks for the holidays then so that’s perfect. And . . . are you coming alone?’ she added.
‘Yes . . .’ Charlie said, and she could almost see him frowning down the phone line. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
‘Well, it’s just that I wondered if you might be bringing your new girlfriend? She looks gorgeous, by the way!’ she added, much too effusively.
‘My
what
?’ Charlie snapped, and she recoiled slightly at the tone of his voice.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry—’ Liv began, her throat feeling suddenly dry. She desperately wished she had some water.
‘I haven’t got a girlfriend,’ Charlie interrupted. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Oh, OK, I get it,’ Liv said quickly, eager to change the subject. He was obviously telling her that it was none of her bloody business.
‘You
Today had been a difficult day, which was why the sunshine was irritating her. She had realised at lunchtime that her period was late and she had begun to wonder if she might be pregnant. The
thought had taken root and a tiny kernel of excitement had begun to build inside her. Her mind automatically leapt forward, as she tried to calculate what her due date might be, and she had even
tipped a glass of wine down the sink. Being pregnant would be the perfect excuse to stop drinking. Not that she drank very much anyway.
But this evening, when she went to the loo, there it was. Taunting her. She had tried to take it in her stride and carry on as usual, but after an hour spent prowling around the house, she found
herself crouching in her bathroom, the almost-empty vodka bottle beside her, sobbing uncontrollably.
Just as she was beginning to pull herself together, her cellphone rang. Naturally, she had it with her, even in the bathroom. She never wanted to risk missing a call from her agent, even amidst
her emotional turmoil. LA did that to you. ‘Hello?’ She coughed slightly to clear her throat.
‘It’s Charlie,’ he said, in that formal, stilted voice he seemed to have invented especially for her ever since their break-up. She half expected him to add, ‘Charlie
Simmons?’ as a prompt.
‘Oh, hi!’ she spoke as brightly as she could, sitting down cross-legged on the tiled floor with her back against the side of the huge stone bathtub.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked immediately.
Liv smiled to herself. Even after all these years, and down a phone line from the other side of the world, he knew just by an inflection in her voice that something was wrong. ‘Nothing.
I’m, er, not feeling too good, that’s all,’ she replied, hoping that she wasn’t slurring her words and wishing desperately that she could pour her heart out to him. But it
wouldn’t be appropriate. Or fair.
‘Well, as long as you’re OK. You sound a bit . . .’ Charlie said, bringing Liv back to the present with a start.
‘A bit what?’
There was an awkward pause. ‘Nothing,’ he said at last.
‘Um, Felix is out . . . He had a playdate after school,’ Liv cut in, when the silence had gone on long enough.
‘I know.’ Of course he knew. He was diligent about keeping in touch with his son and always made sure he knew where he was. ‘I’m coming to LA and I wanted to surprise
him, so I thought I’d wait until he was out to call and let you know the details.’
‘OK, great!’ Liv wasn’t sure why she felt so piqued. ‘Are you coming just to see Felix?’ she couldn’t help asking, as her curiosity got the better of her.
‘No, actually,’ Charlie said, and she could tell that he was reluctant to be drawn into conversation with her. ‘I’ve got a . . . couple of meetings as well.’
Liv bit her lip. She knew from various press stories she had seen that some big-name directors were wooing Charlie. ‘I see. Well, Felix will be thrilled to see you. When are you
coming?’
‘Next week. Tuesday.’
‘Great. He breaks for the holidays then so that’s perfect. And . . . are you coming alone?’ she added.
‘Yes . . .’ Charlie said, and she could almost see him frowning down the phone line. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
‘Well, it’s just that I wondered if you might be bringing your new girlfriend? She looks gorgeous, by the way!’ she added, much too effusively.
‘My
what
?’ Charlie snapped, and she recoiled slightly at the tone of his voice.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry—’ Liv began, her throat feeling suddenly dry. She desperately wished she had some water.
‘I haven’t got a girlfriend,’ Charlie interrupted. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Oh, OK, I get it,’ Liv said quickly, eager to change the subject. He was obviously telling her that it was none of her bloody business.
‘You
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