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10

Walking out into the familiar cream and orange hallway filled with photos of various planes and boats always made Cooper feel he’d stepped back into the seventies. It got him every time. He didn’t mind, hell he could live with anything, but Maddie, she’d whined like a tomcat. She’d campaigned to Granger to get it changed, even bringing in samples and color charts. But each time it came to the place being re-decorated, Granger would select the same old colors and same old photos and Maddie’s complaints would start all over again.

‘Tom.’

Cooper turned round. Readying himself for the showdown. Justified. Inevitable.

‘Whatever it is you’re going to say, Maddie, you’re right and I’m sorry but everyone now thinks you’ve left me, so it’s kind of a bit awkward explaining you haven’t.’

‘What are you talking about? You think I didn’t mean it? What is wrong with you? Are you really that arrogant, or is it you just don’t care enough to see and believe how I feel?’

‘Look, I’ll take Cora out for some ice-cream, make up for missing her birthday party.’

It was a mix between a laugh and a snort but he got it. The derision was coming hard and fast. Straight his way.

‘You really don’t get it do you? It’s over. I’m not coming back. I can’t.’

A punch in the stomach would’ve been preferable. ‘And Cora? How do you think it’s going to affect her me not being around?’

‘Tom, you’re never around anyway… You don’t deserve that little girl, but for some unknown reason she idolizes you. Only thing she talks about. Well, you and Mr. Crawley.’

‘Mr. Crawley?’

‘Her caterpillar. I think it’s dead but you know Cora, she’s insisting on keeping it in a cookie jar… Anyway, look, I don’t want to talk about Mr. Crawley. I just want to know in what universe do you think a scoop of Rocky Road is going to make up for letting her down on her birthday?’

The pounding throb above Cooper’s eyes sent pain waves down the bridge of his nose. Like a jackhammer breaking through granite stone. He knew what it was. Good old fashioned stress. ‘She can be the judge of that.’

‘She’s just a little girl, Tom.’

‘I know what she is… Listen, I was wrong, I should’ve showed up.’

‘Yes you should, but there’s nothing you can do about that now. But you can tell me about Granger. What was he talking about? What was he trying to get you to say?’

Partly to stall for time and find some plausibility, because Maddie was like kryptonite when it came to annihilating his bullshit, and partly because he had a damn crick at the base of his neck, he shrugged. ‘Who knows, Granger makes his own rules up as he goes along.’

‘Don’t lie to me Tom. I’m not stupid.’

Cornered, Cooper did what he was certain felt like second nature to most men: changed the subject. Spun it the hell round. Put the heat on her instead.

‘Look, Maddie, do you think this is going to work? Us. Here. Together like this. Is this how it’s going to be from now on?’

By Cooper’s reckoning it was at least twenty-five seconds before Maddie spoke, give or take the last three seconds which she spent cutting her eyes at him.

‘Seriously? You of all people ask me that? In case it escaped your notice I’m not just a wife. I’m a mom. I’m a damn good pilot and investigator. I’ve got over fifteen years of military experience behind me, and I work hard at my job. So if you think for one moment that just because you and I aren’t together any longer I’ll suddenly fall apart, become neurotic, unreliable and unprofessional, and bring my home life to work… If that’s what you think, Tom, then you don’t know women at all.’