Free Days Like These by Miranda Barnes Page A

late. I've been longer than I thought.'
    'Doesn't matter.'
    'Jamie will be worried to death. Did you call him?'
    She shook her head. 'No,' she said. 'But I don't think he'll be worried at all.'
    Robert stared at her, and after a moment said, 'What's wrong, Meg?'
    'The same thing,' she said with a weary shrug. 'Nothing's changed.'
    'He's not gone off again, has he?'
    She nodded. 'He's in and out. Here for a while. Then gone again. Drinking more heavily than ever. Lost his job because of it.'
    She shrugged and added, 'I haven't seen him at all the last three days.'
    'What on earth's wrong with him?' Robert demanded angrily.
    She shook her head.
    'Does he know about the baby?'
    She nodded.
    'And it hasn't made any difference?'
    'For a day or two it did. While the idea was a novelty.'
    Robert slammed his hand down on the table. She jerked her head back with shock.
    'Sorry, Meg. It's just ….'
    He gave up, shaking his head, perplexed. She knew how he felt.
    'I'm glad I've told you,' she said. 'I can't bear having to lie and pretend to everyone all the time. My life should be wonderful. Everyone thinks it is. But it's not.'
    'It will be,' he said fiercely. 'Jamie's got to see sense.'
    *
    She stayed at Robert's a while, and had a cup of coffee with him. There was nothing for her to rush back home for. Even if Jamie had turned up again, she knew what he'd be like. Uninterested in her, or in much else.
    'I'm starving,' Robert announced. 'How about some ham and eggs?'
    She pulled a face. 'You go ahead,' she told him.
    'You must be hungry?'
    'I'm more a pasta person.'
    'Macaroni cheese?'
    She smiled. Why not? She was a bit peckish.
    'That would be lovely,' she admitted.
    Later, as they ate, Robert said, 'Do you know, I can't remember the last time I ate a meal with another adult. Probably at your mother's, that day. It's good,' he added with a shy smile.
    'I know how you feel.'
    'Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't think ….'
    She waved the apology aside.
    'You haven't got used to being on your own, have you?' she asked.
    He shrugged. 'I wouldn't say that, exactly. I'm used to it, all right, but I can't say I like it.'
    'You must have had a good marriage?' she suggested.
    'I suppose we did. We didn't think of it in that way, though. I didn't anyway. It was just… well, ordinary. We were happy enough. Enjoyed life. Loved each other. There were ups and downs, of course, but we'd known each other since we'd started school. We were used to each other. No problems, apart from the usual ones – not enough money, too small a house, too old a car, too near in-laws ….'
    He broke off when she laughed. Then he grinned and added, 'That sort of thing. Yes. It was a good marriage. We were happy. But all that came to an end, and there was nothing I could do about it. You and Jamie, though. You've still got a chance.'
    Meg wondered if that was still true. Was Robert right? Or was Jenny? Perhaps their happy time was over, too
    How much easier it would be if Jamie was more like Robert! How she wished that were possible. Robert was caring and endlessly kind. And he'd loved his wife. That was obvious. He did still. In that respect, at least, she'd been a very lucky woman.

 
    Chapter Thirteen
     
    She surfaced slowly. The sea was deep at that point. Dark blue, fading into black. Beautiful. Absorbing. Mysterious shapes moving all around her. But the alarm bell had startled her. A good thing, too. She was running out of air. Reluctantly, she headed for the surface.
    She lay still, gazing at the snowflake patterns on the ceiling made by the street lights shining through the curtains. She smoothed her face with her hands, wiping away the beads of moisture on her forehead. Exciting though it had been, she was relieved to be out of that dream.
    Then she frowned as the alarm bell rang again.
    Now, though, she knew it was the front-door bell. She got out of bed, moved the curtain slightly aside and peered out into the street. As usual at night, both sides were lined