Free Least Said by Pamela Fudge

normally take the weekend off these days, and she’s free to do the same.’ He smiled, ‘I used to be just as enthusiastic when I was her age. She’s turning out to be a great little agent and her authors love her. Tina is just checking her answer-phone, she’ll be here in a minute.’
    We were already tucking in when she arrived and joined us at the table. In seconds Calum placed her personal preference of lightly scrambled eggs on hot buttered toast in front of her with a flourish. I almost melted, myself, at the loving look that passed between them.
    You see, I reminded myself, chewing thoughtfully on a morsel of bacon, love can survive deceit – but I carefully overlooked the fact that there were no longer any secrets between Tina and Calum and that the original lack of honesty on Tina’s part had almost killed any chance of them ever being together.
    It was strange to leave the house without William because my little boy was always with me if he wasn’t at school. I even said as much to Tina.
    ‘I don’t know what to do with this spare hand,’ I waved it around as if to emphasise my point, ‘and I keep looking round all the time for the child that I’m missing.’
    ‘You’re not fretting, are you? Worrying they might lose him?’
    Honestly, I thought, sometimes it was easy to believe that Tina knew me better than I knew myself. ‘Well, Hamley’s is a huge shop, full of distractions, and they might not remember to keep hold of him in the crowds. He is inclined to wander off.’
    ‘Do you want to ring Jon and remind him?’ Tina’s patience was amazing. ‘I’m sure he won’t mind.’
    ‘And I’m sure he will ,’ I smiled as I continued, ‘and who could blame him when I would be practically accusing him of not being able to take proper care of his own son.’
    “ His own son ... his own son ... his own son .”
    Was it only me who could hear the echo of those words reverberating around us? It seemed so, because Tina only laughed as she paused in a shop doorway, and asked, ‘Are you coming in or not?’
    By the time she had finished with me, I felt as if I had been pulled inside out and back to front. I’d been in and out of dresses - long and short - suits - skirt and trouser - and every other combination of women’s wearing apparel. Hats were added and fascinators, shoes, and sandals – from flat to killer heels - and handbags of various sizes were thrust at me or hung from me.
    I collapsed in Costa Coffee with a massive sigh of sheer relief and cast a worried glance at the huge pile of bags that had been thrust under the table out of the way.
    ‘What on earth have we bought?’ I asked as soon as Tina arrived back at the table carrying a tray holding two medium lattes and offering the advice that the Paninis would be brought over when they were ready.
    ‘Erm,’ Tina looked confused, ‘just the lattes and the Paninis. Ham and cheese. That was what you wanted wasn’t it?’
    ‘No, yes, that was what I wanted, but I meant in the bags,’ I indicated the stiff cardboard carriers emblazoned with the names of some very exclusive shops. I knew they were exclusive because you didn’t see their like in Poole or Bournemouth – and definitely not in Brankstone. ‘There seems to be rather a lot of them,’ I murmured and I knew I sounded as troubled as I felt.
    ‘Not having second thoughts are you?’ Tina asked, taking a sip of her latte while she waited for my reply. She continued when I remained silent, ‘You looked amazing in everything we bought. Didn’t you think so?’
    If I was being truthful, I couldn’t remember much about anything we might have bought. It had all happened too fast for me to recall any of the outfits very clearly, let alone what I looked like wearing them.
    ‘Did I?’
    Tina shook her head at me and insisted, ‘Of course you did. You’re going to look fabulous at the wedding. Oh,’ she peered at me over her glass coffee mug, ‘you think we were a little too