Hailey lived in Skipton, ten miles or so from Sara’s home town of Ilkley, and her work took her all over the local area. The fact that she happened to be nearby at the very time Sara called was a coincidence; the last thing she’d expected was for her sister to turn up for coffee and a chat. ‘I’m fine. Everything’s fine,’ she muttered under her breath as she finished her flurry of tidying. Hailey had her own struggles and didn’t need Sara whining about problems that would seem pathetic in comparison. Not to mention all those youngsters she worked with and their mountains of troubles. No, she didn’t need anything more to worry about.
Sara dashed upstairs and changed out of her joggers and the T-shirt that had Ezra’s milk splattered down the front. Thank goodness he was at nursery in the mornings now and the intense parenting of those first few years was behind her. She found a pair of jeans and a clean top that didn’t cling to the stubborn roll round her stomach, which had arrived during pregnancy and refused to go away. She ran a brush through her shoulder-length black hair, smeared a bit of foundation on her blotchy face, patted a bit of powder over the top and immediately felt better.
She studied herself in the mirror. Turned this way and that. Yes, she was a bit heavier than when she’d met Matt, but she’d only been twenty then, and after three children, it wasn’t surprising that her stomach muscles weren’t what they used to be – especially after bearing twins. Her hair still shone, her complexion was good, and although her eyes were a bit pink round the edges from her earlier tears, she knew that would quickly fade. ‘Not bad for thirty-eight,’ she reassured her reflection with a satisfied nod.
The ringing of the doorbell sent her running downstairs to find Hailey on the doorstep, looking anxious, frown lines creasing her forehead.
‘Come in.’ Sara stepped to one side to let her sister pass. ‘You didn’t have to dash over. I know you’re working, and I was just having a moment, you know…’
‘Get the coffee on,’ Hailey said as she headed for the kitchen. ‘And stop trying to cover things up.’ She dumped her bag on the floor and pulled out a chair at the table, looked at her watch. ‘I’ve got a meeting in… about half an hour.’
Sara busied herself getting mugs from the cupboard, milk from the fridge. ‘I’m not covering things up,’ she said with a little laugh, as if the idea was ridiculous.
Hailey snorted, then her expression softened. She brushed a hand over her short, spiky hair, which was naturally ginger but currently dyed magenta – a striking contrast with her pale complexion. ‘Come on, get your fancy machine going and tell me what’s up.’ She tilted her head, slate-grey eyes assessing her little sister. ‘I can tell when something’s bothering you.’
Sara leant a hip against the worktop while the coffee machine gurgled and hissed its way through its cycle, wondering what to say, whether Hailey would think she was being stupid. She turned and gave her a sheepish smile. ‘I think you’re here under false pretences. Just me being tired, you know, with all these early starts, and now that I’m working…’
Hailey’s job took her to the heart of troubled families and she was a keen observer of human behaviour. She could tell when people were lying, but would never judge. Not when she’d had such a difficult childhood herself. She knew things went wrong, that people made mistakes then had to live with them. She knew that just because a child might be neglected it didn’t mean they weren’t loved. She of all people understood complexity and was absolutely the best person to talk to about problems. But Sara felt awkward laying her marriage bare for somebody else to inspect, even if that somebody was her sister.
She took the first full mug from the machine and set it going to make a second one. How much should I tell her? she wondered, then caught her sister’s eye as she placed her coffee on the table and made a decision.
‘He’s never home, Hailey. Always working late.’ She hesitated, eyes firmly on the floor. ‘It’s not just that, though. When he is home, he’s always on his computer. Very secretive, like he’s chatting to someone, you know?’ She swallowed, a swell of emotion taking her by surprise, and when she spoke again, her voice was little more than a whisper. ‘He doesn’t see me any more. It’s like I’m invisible. The housekeeper, here to look after him and the kids. I don’t feel like we’re a partnership. That closeness we had – it’s gone.’
Hailey stared at her, mouth gaping in astonishment. ‘Are you kidding? That man thinks the sun shines out of your arse.’
Sara huffed and went to get the second mug of coffee from the machine. ‘No, he doesn’t.’
‘In all the years I’ve known him, and that would be… what?’ She scrunched up her nose while she did the calculation. ‘Eighteen years now? I’ve never heard him say a bad word about you. Not one. How many wives can say that?’
Sara came and sat at the table, her mug cradled in her hands, determined now to lay out all the facts.
‘You only think that because he hasn’t said anything in front of you.’ Her mouth twisted from side to side. ‘We have our moments. Disagreements, just like any other couple.’ Hailey raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. Sara continued. ‘He’s been really snappy and short with me recently, like there’s something on his mind. A secret.’ She leant forward. ‘There’s something he’s not telling me. I know it. And it’s making me wonder…’
Hailey frowned. ‘Wonder what?’
‘Well…’ Sara bit her lip, hardly daring to speak her thoughts out loud because that would make them real. ‘Do you think he might be having an affair?’
Hailey sat back in her chair, mouth opening to speak before she closed it again. She picked up her mug and sipped at her coffee while she thought. ‘How long’s he been like this?’
‘I’d say it must be three months now.’
‘And have you spoken to him about it?’
Sara gave an exasperated sigh. ‘It’s never the right time. I just seem to annoy him, and I don’t want an argument. Don’t want the kids getting upset. Poor Ezra hates raised voices, you know that. Gets himself all worked up.’
Hailey frowned. ‘So who do you think he’s having an affair with? Have you any clues? Or is this just a wild guess to rationalise his behaviour?’
Sara shrugged. ‘I don’t know. But I can’t get the idea out of my head. It seems the only explanation.’
Hailey put her mug down and leant forward. ‘Is it, though?’ She raised an eyebrow.
Sara scowled. ‘What’s your theory then?’
‘Maybe he’s telling you the truth. Maybe he is just working late. I mean, he’s a bit alpha male, isn’t he? Thinks his job is to bring home the money and yours is to look after the house and the kids. Perhaps his boss is putting pressure on him and he can’t say no.’
Sara considered this for a moment. Hailey was right about Matt’s black-and-white view of marriage, instilled in him by an armed-forces upbringing, his father coming from a family with a long tradition of men who’d gone off to fight in wars and women who’d stayed at home.