‘Hi,’ Jared says, stepping into the hall and closing the front door behind him. ‘I just saw Darcy driving off.’

I turn away from my husband and walk into the kitchen as Joe starts chattering away to him.

‘Hang on, buddy. I just need to talk to Mummy for a minute.’

‘You’re always doing boring talking,’ Joe says.

‘I know, I know. Just give me a few minutes and then we’ll play, okay?’

‘O-ka-a-ay.’

I hear our son thunder up the stairs. My stomach swoops and churns as Jared comes into the kitchen.

‘Something smells good,’ he says.

I grit my teeth and restrain myself from taking the pie out of the oven and throwing it at him.

‘So, you got Darcy to pick Joe up from school?’ I say.

‘I couldn’t get away, Lou. I’m sorry.’ He rubs at his temple. ‘She stopped by the office and she offered. I was so busy I said yes without thinking.’

‘After everything we talked about last night. You thought it would be okay for her to help you out. What was she doing at the office, anyway? Is she going to be there every day?’ As I speak I can hear how the words sound. I know how much of a cliché this is. The jealous wife accusing her husband. But I want him to see how his thoughtlessness makes me feel.

‘She was just dropping off some paperwork – something to do with the fire regs. I didn’t think you were coming home. You didn’t return any of my calls or messages—’

‘But, hey, it didn’t matter if I came home or not, did it. Because you could just ask Darcy to fill in and look after your son and cook your supper.’

‘That’s not fair. You know how important this week is for me at work. It’s our first proper working day at Create. I should still be there now, but I came home early because I wanted to sort things out with us.’

‘I thought you said you didn’t think I was coming home?’

‘You know what I mean, Louisa.’

‘Do I?’

He shakes his head and scowls. ‘What do you want me to do?’

I sit down at the table and cover my face with my hands. I’m sick of all this anxiety and arguing. ‘You better go and see Joe. He’s waiting to play with you.’

‘Right,’ Jared says. ‘But then I’m coming back down and we’re going to sort this out. Whatever it is that’s making you upset, okay?’ I feel his hand on my shoulder.

‘Fine,’ I reply.

Half an hour later, I hear Jared coming back down the stairs. While he was playing with Joe, I tipped Darcy’s pie in the bin and made us both an omelette.

‘This looks great, Lou,’ he says, coming into the kitchen. ‘Shall I open a bottle of white? I think there’s one in the fridge.’

I nod and take out a couple of wine glasses from the cupboard, setting them next to our plates. ‘Is Joe in bed?’ I ask, sitting down at the table, my throat tight with anger and nerves.

‘Yep. All tucked up. I read him a chapter of The Faraway Tree.’ Jared pours the wine and puts the bottle back in the fridge. Then he sits opposite me and tries to catch my eye, but I won’t look at him. I chew my lip and cut into my omelette, even though I’m not at all hungry.

‘Are you going to tell me why you’re so upset?’ he asks. ‘You’ve been acting strange for weeks, Lou. I’m worried about you.’

I suppose this is where I should tell him everything, but I don’t know where to start.

‘We can’t sort this out if you won’t talk to me,’ he says.

He’s right, I guess. I set my knife and fork down and take a sip of wine. ‘You’re going to think I’m crazy.’

He doesn’t reply.

I sigh and look up at him. His forehead is creased and he has dark circles under his eyes. He isn’t touching his omelette or his wine. Guilt pricks at me. I shouldn’t be angry with him. He’s launching a new business and now he has a messed-up wife to contend with. ‘Okay,’ I say. ‘Well… I’m worried about Darcy. About her involvement in our lives.’

‘Go on.’

I tell him all my fears. Listing them out, one after another, like I did with Beth. This time, I also mention the fact that not only has Darcy taken my career, but now she’s also muscling in on my family.

‘I came home today to see Darcy in my kitchen, looking after my son, baking a pie for my family, while waiting for my husband to get home from work. Now tell me if that’s not just a little bit weird.’

He shakes his head. ‘I don’t know, Louisa. When you put it like that, yes, it does sound weird, but—’

‘Creepy,’ I interrupt. ‘It’s creepy.’

‘Can’t you talk to her about it?’

‘And say what, exactly? That I think she’s unhinged?’ I push my hair back off my face.

‘Of course not. I don’t know… Maybe it’s all to do with Mike leaving. Maybe she’s just screwed up because of it?’

‘Maybe. But she was like it before. Remember Joe’s party, and how she left his name off the invitations? And what about my column? That all happened before Mike left.’

‘You should have told me you were worried, before,’ Jared says.

‘I have been telling you!’

‘You’ve mentioned the odd thing, but you’ve never put it all together like this.’

‘Well, I’m telling you now, aren’t I.’

‘And why on earth did you say I’d go running with her if you felt this way?’

I watch him cut into his omelette and take his first bite.

‘She was crying,’ I say, remembering back to how upset she’d been. ‘Mike had only just left her. But this is what happens. She does something dodgy, like taking my column, then she acts all vulnerable so people end up feeling sorry for her.’

‘So, shall I not go running with her any more?’ Jared asks.

God, he still doesn’t get it. It’s like déjà vu from last night. I can tell Jared’s trying to please me, but I’m still pretty sure he thinks I’m worrying over nothing. My blood is heating up and I feel like either screaming or walking out. I can’t do that again.

‘Do you think I’m overreacting?’ I ask through gritted teeth.

‘No, not overreacting. But you’ve got to admit, it does sound a bit strange. Why would she want to hurt you? She doesn’t even know us that well. You haven’t done anything to offend her, have you?’

‘No, I bloody have not.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to—’

‘I don’t know why she’s doing what she’s doing, but she is.’

‘Why would she purposely want to take your job? It’s not like she needs the money.’

‘I didn’t say I knew why she was doing it.’

‘Maybe she acts that way with everyone,’ he says. ‘Maybe it’s not personal. It’s just how she is.’

‘So, does that make it alright?’

‘No, of course not. I’m just saying that she might not have a personal thing against you.’

‘Hm,’ I say, not buying it.

‘Thing is,’ Jared says, ‘we need to keep her on side with the business and everything. Mike’s gone AWOL so Darcy is basically my landlady. If we piss her off, I could lose everything.’

‘You’ve signed a lease for the offices. They can’t just kick you out.’

‘Yeah, but the Lanes gave me all my contacts. If they wanted to, they could take all my business from me. Blacklist me in the area.’

My shoulders drop as I realise the precarious position we’re in. ‘Shit. I didn’t think of that.’

‘Look,’ Jared says. ‘I’ll tell her I’m too busy to run with her at the moment, okay? But I can’t stop her from showing up at the office. I still have to be nice to her.’

I nod.

‘But, Lou… me being nice to Darcy – it means nothing, okay? Don’t start getting paranoid. I love you.’

I bite my lip and nod again.

‘Does that make you feel any better?’ he asks. ‘Am I forgiven for being an insensitive git?’

I don’t reply.

‘Am I forgiven just a tiny bit?’ He puts on his puppy-dog expression and I can’t stop my mouth from curling into a reluctant smile.

‘Mummy!’ Joe calls out from upstairs. He sounds upset.

‘I’ll go,’ Jared says, rising to his feet.

‘It’s okay,’ I say. ‘Sit and eat your dinner. I’m not hungry anyway.’

‘Sure?’

I nod. Jared sits back down and I jog up the stairs to see what’s wrong with Joe. He’s in bed with the covers pulled up to his chin. The nightlight casts a cosy glow around his room, but his face is white and tear-streaked.

‘Baby, what’s the matter?’

‘I can’t sleep,’ he sobs. ‘I keep seeing horrible faces every time I close my eyes.’

‘Is it because of the film you were watching with Tyler?’ I sit next to him on the bed and smooth his fringe out of his eyes.

Joe nods. ‘Some bits were good, but then it got really scary and Tyler was making fun of me because I didn’t want to look.’

Bloody Darcy again, messing up my family life. ‘It’s not real, Joe. Don’t think about it. They’re just actors wearing funny costumes. Think about football instead. Think about all your favourite players, okay?’

‘What if I can’t stop thinking about the faces,’ he says. ‘They feel like they’re real.’

‘How about if I read to you until you fall asleep? Something lovely and friendly like Old Bear?’

‘That’s babyish.’ He pouts.

‘No, it’s funny and lovely and it will help you get to sleep. Okay?’

Joe relaxes his expression and nods.

‘I walk over to Joe’s bookshelf and pull out the large hardback book. I haven’t read this to him since he was about five. But I know it will help him calm down and forget his fears.

‘Mummy,’ he says as I sit back down next to him.

‘Mm?’

‘I don’t think I like Tyler’s mummy any more. I didn’t like it when she was here instead of you and Daddy.’

‘Why? What did she do? Did she say anything to you?’

‘No,’ he says, his brow creasing. ‘She says nice things and she smiles at me, but it’s not a real smile. It makes my tummy feel scared.’

His words chill me. That’s exactly how I feel about Darcy. Maybe it’s not just my paranoia, after all. My throat is tight and I realise my hands are shaking. I need to get that woman out of our lives.