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away.
    Laura balled her hands into fists. ‘How can I trust you when you fiddle with your phone all the damn time and won’t tell me what you’re up to? When I don’t know how you spend your days? When you go off and tell your sister you need to have a damned
son
but you don’t think I’m the right person for the job.’
    ‘I didn’t—’
    ‘Did you say that stuff to Rose?’ she shouted. ‘Did you?’
    ‘It wasn’t like that,’ he said quietly. His voice was neutral. ‘Can’t you … understand?’
    The evening sun fell into the room, bathing them in rosy light and long shadows. ‘I don’t recognise myself any more when I’m down here. It’s the same as always. Oh, Nick. I love – I love you. But we keep having this problem and we can’t get past it. We have to change. Something has to change.’
    ‘I don’t want you to change.’ Nick took a step towards her. ‘Laura, I’ve never asked that. I want you to stay the same. The person I fell in love with.’ His face was an inch away from hers. ‘I just wish you …’ He put his hands on her cheeks. She could feel his breath.
    ‘Wish I what?’
    ‘Wanted it all more.’ His hands dropped to his sides. ‘This.’
    She felt so sad then. ‘I do want it.’ Laura picked up her bag again and slung it over her shoulder. ‘But maybe I’m not the right person for the job.’ Her voice was small. She thought she would cry and she mustn’t cry; she had to let him see she wasn’t a child throwing a tantrum, that this was important to her. She touched his arm. ‘Let’s just cool off and speak during the week.’
    ‘Laura,’ he began, then stopped. ‘Fine. You’re right.’
    Charles drove her to the station. In the golden summer dusk the Norfolk countryside was peaceful. A rabbit scuttled across the road, swallows darted in and out of the hedgerows. As they drove up to the station forecourt, Charles turned the engine off and said, ‘It’s a great success, your shop, Laura.’
    She turned to him with tears in her eyes. ‘Thank you, dear Charles.’ She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
    ‘What was that for?’ Charles said, amused.
    ‘Nothing.’ For never making me feel like an outsider, she wanted to add, but she was sick of herself by now, and bitterly regretting not having parted from Nick on a warmer note. Already she was sure they had both overreacted, her especially. She was tired, the run-up to the opening of the shop had taken it out of her. They’d both said too much.
    Laura climbed onto the near-empty train and stared out of the window. She watched as they pulled away, rolling through the flat, empty Fens, the sky above vast and flecked now with red. Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight. She knew that, she thought, with a little chuckle. Perhaps she could turn into the kind of girl Nick seemed to need, an all-purpose country wife, well bred, good with kids, animals, old ladies, extremes of weather, expensive plates and vast houses?
    Her phone buzzed and she leapt for it, realising how eager she was to hear from him, how little she wanted it to end like this.
    Coming to London. Laura doesn’t know. Can we meet? I need to see you. Can’t stop thinking about what you said. I’ve made a big mistake. Want you to move to Chartley with me ASAP now. All my love, Nick x

Rule Seven:

If it goes wrong, just tell yourself it was all ridiculous anyway and it’s nice to be back in the real world.
    ‘Paddy, it’s a terrible idea.’ Laura took another sip of coffee and shovelled some more muesli into her mouth.
    ‘It’s not.’ Her flatmate put his hands on his hips. ‘I’m going to walk down the stairs casually, right? Then I’ll sort of crumple to the ground and kick her door with my foot, and make an “Ahhh! Oww!” sound. Kirsty will come running to the door, she’ll see me there and she’ll invite me in and then …’ he rubbed his hands together. ‘Bingo. Bin. Go.’
    Laura sighed. She’d known Paddy for nearly all her