to hold a party then. Now it seems it’s about who has the most money.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Max said. ‘Even when they have parties at home, they have to have some sort of entertainer along. Well, when the twins have their sixth birthday they can have an entertainer. Me. And Ellie will make buns. It will be a novelty for them all.’
‘Just thank your lucky stars you’re not having to arrange a stag do in this day and age. If you don’t go to Prague or Las Vegas for a minimum of three days, it’s not much of a party, as far as I can see.’
‘Bloody waste of money. Anything you’ve got should be spent on the wedding and honeymoon, in my book. It’s not about getting pissed with your mates, it’s about dedicating yourself to somebody else for the rest of your life, as far as I’m concerned.’
Leo went quiet. Max had given her an opening here, and she wasn’t sure whether she should take it or not. She pointed, as usual, to the fancy coffee machine.
‘Want one?’
‘Please - but make it a large espresso. I need the caffeine. I didn’t sleep too well.’
Leo put the cup under the nozzle and pressed the button twice for a double espresso. As the beans ground, she got some milk out of the fridge for her cappuccino, and thought about how she was going to raise a tricky subject. By the time she had made both drinks, she was pretty clear what she was going to say.
She put Max’s coffee in front of him, and sat down opposite.
‘Max - I need to talk to you,’ she said.
‘No. You don’t, Leo. I need to talk to you.’ He held his hands up, as if to prevent her from interrupting. ‘I’ve done something crazy, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve been a complete idiot, and I don’t know how Ellie’s going to forgive me. Every morning for the past two months, I have woken up thinking “This has to stop” but by the end of the day, I’m back to where I started. Being a total wanker.’
Max put his head down, and rested his forehead on the heels of his hands.
Leo felt her heart sink.
‘So it’s true then. Ellie was right.’
Max dropped his hands, and the look of horror on his face didn’t need any interpretation.
‘You mean she knows? Christ, how did she find out? How long has she known? She’s not been happy lately, but I thought that was my fault for being such an arse. And last night… Well, never mind last night. Why didn’t she say something, if she knew?’
Leo felt an intense bubble of irritation rise up and explode.
‘Why the hell do you think she didn’t say something? Because she thought that while it was all hidden, nothing would happen. But as soon as it’s all out in the open, she thinks that you’ll leave her. She thinks the only thing stopping you is the fact that it would be too difficult for you to tell her you were going. Jesus, I thought you were different, Max. I really did. But you’re every bit as selfish, blind and stupid as ….’
Max’s head shot forward, interrupting Leo in mid flow.
‘Leave her? Leave Ellie? Why in God’s name would I want to do that? She’s my whole life - well, her and the twins. What can possibly have given her that crazy idea? It had better not be you, Leo. I know you have no time for men, but I thought you knew me better than that. I thought I might have given you a tiny bit of faith in the male species.’
‘Piss off, Max. Of course it wasn’t me,’ Leo said, with righteous indignation. ‘If you must know, I stuck up for you, although for the life of me I can’t understand why I did now. That comment was out of order.’
To do him credit, Max looked mortified, as if he knew he had leapt to the wrong conclusion.
‘Sorry, Leo. That was uncalled for, you’re right. But I can’t think of a single reason why Ellie would think that I was going to leave her. I’ve been an idiot, and she might decide to leave me, but not the other way round. Never.’
‘So you expect her total forgiveness, do you?’
Max pulled a face.
‘I know she’s going to be mad as hell, and quite rightly. But you know Ellie. She’ll get over it.’