‘Everything all right, apart from work?’ Dev probes gently.
Jack’s mouth tightens, and Dev thinks he’s not going to answer. Then Jack mutters, almost too low to hear, ‘I’m not really sleeping.’
Dev’s senses prick up. ‘Oh, yeah? What’s on your mind?’
Jack’s fingers tap restlessly against his glass. ‘This and that, you know how it is.’
‘I know the feeling, mate. Always something to worry about, eh?’ Dev wants to push harder but he doesn’t knowhim well enough yet. If Jack wants to talk it has to come from him.
Jack glances at him, like he’s weighing up whether to say more. Then he drains his drink in one long swallow and slams the empty glass on the table. ‘You ever get that feeling,’ he says quietly, ‘like the person you’re with isn’t really withyouany more?’
Dev frowns, not sure where this is going. ‘Sarah?’
Jack doesn’t meet his gaze, just stares at the worn wood of the table. ‘Yeah. She’s just been … off lately. Proper distant. I try to talk to her and it’s like she’s already somewhere else.’
Dev clears his throat. ‘You think something’s going on?’
‘I don’t know for sure,’ he admits. ‘She’s been distracted, texting a lot. Gets jumpy if I walk in the room when she’s on her phone. Keeps saying she’s popping out to see her sister, but then I find out her sister’s been working late.’
‘You’ve asked her about it?’
Jack gives a tight nod. ‘Yeah. Course she denied it. Got upset. She said I was paranoid and that I was making up stories in my head.’ He swipes a hand through his hair and sighs heavily. ‘I don’t know what to think any more. Feel like I’m going mad.’
‘Sorry to hear that, mate,’ Dev murmurs, his skin starting to itch.
Jack shrugs. ‘Money’s been tight. Sarah’s been on at me to get a second job or advertise out of town, but I’m already knackered most days. Like I said, she wants us to move somewhere decent, our own place, but we’re on our arse financially. I think … I think maybe she’s just sick of waiting. Wants out.’
Dev feels a sharp pang of guilt when he thinks of the house they have just won. The one Merri’s still struggling to feel safe in. He knows Jack and Sarah have been stuck in that poky rented flat for years, desperate for their own space.
‘You’re thinking she’s looking for something better?’ Dev says cautiously.
Jack’s face is bleak. ‘She’s too good for me. Always has been. She’s clever, got ambition. I’m just … me. I don’t blame her for wanting more, but … I love her.’ He trails off, pinching the top of his nose.
Dev feels a twinge of unease. ‘You’re not giving yourself enough credit,’ he says. ‘Maybe you two need to sit down and have a proper chat.’
Jack shakes his head. ‘I shouldn’t have said anything. Just forget it, will you? I’m probably overthinking it. Stress can do that, can’t it?’
Dev doesn’t push. He senses the conversation’s on a knife edge. Jack’s too proud to admit he might be wrong, and too raw to let anyone – especially someone he hardly knows – poke through his suspicions.
‘Anyway, if you want to talk about it another time, you know where I am,’ he says, keeping his tone neutral.
‘Cheers, mate. I might hold you to that.’ Jack waves at the barman for another round.
Dev becomes aware of the other customers’ eyes on him again. Slowly, deliberately, he lets his gaze travel around the room. A man with a face like crumpled paper watches him from near the fireplace, his pint paused halfway to his lips. At one of the tables, two women sit side by side, their murmured conversation faltering as they glance his way.
‘Friendly lot around here, aren’t they?’ Dev murmurs quietly, the smile fading from his face.
Jack follows his gaze and gives a low chuckle. ‘Don’t mind them. You’re new, that’s all.’
Dev frowns. ‘It’s a pub, though, isn’t it? Not a private members club.’
‘It’s not that.’ Jack takes a sip of his beer. ‘People round here, they take time to warm up to newcomers. They’re naturally suspicious. They don’t see many strangers moving in, especially not to a place like Lakeview House. They’re used to fleeting visits by second-home owners and Airbnbers.’
‘You said they’re suspicious, but of what?’
Jack shrugs. ‘Change, different faces. You’ll get used to it – and they’ll get used to you.’
Dev looks back over the room. The stares have softened but haven’t entirely disappeared. None of the expressions are friendly.
