‘Jamie? You’re joking, of course. He says that I always look nice, so anything would do.’
‘I’d be inclined to agree with him. That’s no help, is it?’
‘No, Ross. It’s really no help at all.’
‘All right. Well, moving on, have you asked Laurie what she wants you to say?’
‘She said to steer the discussion. Get the best out of everyone.’
Ross was on firmer ground here. He knew exactly what Laurie meant. ‘All right, so that’s asking questions. We’ll get a list of the guests and work out some questions for each of them, shall we?’
He was pretty sure that Sam knew which points needed to be emphasised, it was just a matter of sitting her down, somehow stopping her from panicking and getting the information out of her. If he and Jamie joined forces, that would be a piece of cake.
‘Oh, would you? But when do I ask them?’
‘We’ll practise. We can get a few people from the clinic together, and we’ll have some discussions. How about that?’
Sam nodded. ‘Yes, that would be good too. But what on earth am I going to wear?’
Ross suspected that was Sam’s biggest problem. If she could go in knowing that she looked like a million dollars, she’d be much more confident. Even if it was radio.
‘I think I’ve got an idea. Remember Anita Lower?’ Sam looked at him blankly. ‘Compression of the third and fourth thoracic vertebrae.’
‘Oh, yes I remember now. Nice lady. In such terrible pain. She’s a friend of yours, isn’t she?’
‘Yes, and she always asks after you whenever I see her. She really appreciated all that you did for her. We’re overdue a lunch together, and I want you to come along too. As you know, Anita works as an image consultant for a number of the big TV companies.’
Sam stared at him. ‘Would she...? That’s far too much to ask, Ross.’
‘No, it’s not. Anita’s told me more than once that you turned her life around, and I know she’d be delighted to see you again. We’ll go shopping and...’ Ross waved his hand in the air to indicate that whatever it was that Anita did, she’d do it for Sam.
‘Shopping!’ Sam was all smiles now. ‘Do you think I can do this?’
‘My honest opinion... Yes, I think you’ll ace it.’
‘And Laurie’s going to be there, of course.’ A shadow fell over Sam’s face suddenly. ‘You’ll come, won’t you?’
He wanted to go, so badly. Just to see Laurie again, even if it was at a distance in the crowded auditorium of the hotel conference centre. To see her life moving forward, because that was the only thing he had to hold onto. That Laurie should be happy, because he couldn’t imagine himself being truly happy again.
‘I’ll have to see.’
‘See what? The same thing that Laurie was going to have to see when I suggested she invite you along? I know you two were close, Ross...’ Sam turned the corners of her mouth down. ‘You argued, didn’t you?’
There was no point in denying it. Sam wasn’t blind, and she was a good friend. She’d navigated a difficult situation with her customary ease, allowing Ross to support the initiative in many small ways, without ever asking why he did it through her and not by contacting Laurie himself.
‘It’s complicated, Sam.’
‘I dare say it is. You know what’s really ironic?’
A feeling of iro
ny wasn’t one of the emotions he’d experienced yet. He may as well, the others were a lot more draining.
‘What’s that?’
‘I’ve known you a long time, but this is the first time that you’ve ever thought that complicated was a reason not to do something. Laurie’s just the same. The more complicated and challenging something is, the better she likes it.’
He shouldn’t ask. It wasn’t fair to Sam, but he couldn’t help it.