Yasmin was already preparing to get busy with her manicurist’s equipment. She kept her attention focused on the badly torn nail. ‘So what’s all this in aid of? Are you moving house?’
‘No. I’ve just started as a volunteer in a charity shop. If I smell funny, that’s why.’
‘Oh, you don’t smell! And what an amazing thing to do, giving up your time and working for nothing… that’s so generous. You must be a really nice person.’
On the one hand, this was just what Roo wanted to hear. On the other hand, if only Yasmin knew.
But she wasn’t going to tell her. Niall could relax; that wasn’t why she’d come back here. She wanted to make amends to Yasmin without her finding out the truth.
‘Thousands of people do voluntary work.’ She showed Yasmin her zebra heels. ‘I wore the wrong shoes. Got told off.’
‘But they’re beautiful.’
‘We had a shoplifter.’
‘A shoplifter?’ Yasmin pulled a face. ‘That’s just low.’
Speaking of low… ‘Anyway, how’s your family?’
‘They’re good, thanks. Did your friend tell you we bumped into her the other night?’
‘Oh yes, she did mention it.’
‘How did the baby-sitting go?’
‘With Alice?’ Roo wasn’t stupid; she’d made a point of learning the name. ‘No problem. It was great!’
‘Any more teeth yet?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Teeth? The baby?’
‘Oh… well, maybe a few more.’ OK, now she was out of her comfort zone. ‘I didn’t count them. Babies aren’t really my thing.’
Yasmin smiled. ‘Alice hasn’t made you broody then. Not planning on having one yourself.’
‘Ew, no chance.’
‘You say that now.’ Niall’s wife’s eyes sparkled. ‘But you’ll end up changing your mind. Give it a few years and it’ll happen. Are you with anyone at the moment?’
Roo watched her cuticles being skillfully pushed back with an orange stick, felt the warmth of Yasmin’s fingers cupping her hand. ‘No, no one. I’m all on my own.’
‘Well, that must be your choice. You’re so pretty you could have any man you want.’
Don’t think about Todd. Definitely don’t think about Niall.
‘It doesn’t work like that, though, does it? It’s not that simple. To be honest,’ Roo blurted out, ‘I’ve never had much luck with men.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get there in the end. You’ll find the right man, settle down together, have a baby… sorry, are you OK? Have I said the wrong thing? Here, have a tissue, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you…’
‘No, really, I’m fine.’ It was the guilt and the shame that had done it; Roo hastily used her free hand to wipe away the tears that had sprung up out of nowhere. ‘It just sounds so lovely. Is that what happened to you?’
‘What, with my husband?’ Yasmin paused for a moment. Then she said ruefully, ‘Well, I hadn’t actually planned on getting pregnant, but these things happen, so you just make the best of it, don’t you? And now Ben’s here, I wouldn’t be without him for the world.’
When her nails were finished, skillfully repaired and buffed, and made shorter than before in deference to her new job, Roo paid the bill and added a twenty pound tip.
‘Wow.’ Yasmin’s eyes widened. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’m sure. You fitted me in at short notice. And you’ve done a great job,’ said Roo. ‘You deserve it.’
‘Well, thanks.’ Yasmin grinned. ‘You can come back again.’
And the weird thing was, she almost couldn’t wait. Roo picked up one of the salon’s glossy pink and cream brochures detailing the treatments on offer and wondered which of them to have next. ‘I will.’
***
The phone rang that evening just as Ellie was getting ready for bed.
‘Oh, hi! Is that Ellie? Ellie, hi there, honey is Tony with you?’ Tamara, Tony’s personal assistant in LA, had one of those singsong super-sweet voices that made you feel as if you were swimming through treacle.
‘No. He’s not here.’ Ellie frowned; what an odd question. ‘He isn’t in Britain. He’s in LA.’
‘No, honey, he’s not here. He’s definitely over there with you.’
‘He isn’t, though. And he would have told me if he was coming over.’
‘Well, he asked me to organize it. I booked the plane tickets myself and drove him to the airport. OK, don’t worry, I just need to ask him about fitting in an interview but his cell’s switched off. No problem, I’ll keep trying. Bye, honey, bye!’
OK, this was officially strange. Ellie tried Tony’s number. Tamara was right; it was switched off. She left a message asking him to call her and said, ‘If you’re here, why didn’t you tell me?’