The Catcher in the Rye. Good choice. James didn’t read at all. One of the many things they didn’t have in common. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to marry her? Or surprise her with a proposal.

Lots of people around him did seem surprised: surprised that they were a couple at all. The girls in his office were blatant about looking from Laura to James and back again in amazement on the rare occasion she visited him at work. They were probably expecting someone special – and then Laura walked in. It was true that he looked good these days, with his expensive, well-cut suits and salon-styled hair. Though his mother said to her once, ‘I don’t know why he hasn’t popped the question, Laura. What is he waiting for, a supermodel?’ How was she supposed to react to that?

Kate looked up from her book and smiled. ‘How’s the coffee?’

Laura pulled a face. ‘Pretty grim, actually. It’s my fourth one today. My boyfriend says I drink too many.’

Kate nodded. ‘I used to drink a lot of coffee, but now I can’t have any caffeine after about three o’clock or I can’t get to sleep. It’s a shame your first trip to Paris is on business. Could you not get your boyfriend to come out and meet you tomorrow after your meeting with your boss? Make a romantic weekend of it?’

Laura had had the same idea. But James wouldn’t even consider it. ‘EhEHe’s not keen on Paris. Says it’s full of cigarette ends and dog crap.’

Kate raised an eyebrow. ‘Maybe he should look upwards a little more often. There’s considerably more to see above the pavement.’

Laura laughed, but she felt disloyal. James had taken her to lots of nice places in the last year and they were happy together. Twelve years was a long time to be with someone and, apart from the ‘Where is this going?’ argument they had every few months, she and James rubbed along together well. Sometimes men just needed longer to get used to the idea of settling down, didn’t they? Even Laura hadn’t started worrying about it until a year or so ago. Now it was all she could think about. Well, that and not losing her job.

Kate had returned to her book. Laura couldn’t face opening her spreadsheet again and creating another colour-coded graph, even if she did find it strangely soothing. Maybe Excel could help her sort out the buzzing in her head. A pie chart, perhaps? James and commitment (35%), worrying about job (30%), life left in ovaries (20%), finding clothes that make her look thinner (10%), seeing Paolo again (5%).

Actually, the ‘seeing Paolo again’ segment was getting bigger the closer she got to Paris. She’d been actively not thinking about their conversation at the last sales meeting, but that meant she hadn’t formulated a strategy for how to act when she saw him today.