Lindy’s eyes snapped up. Court of any description was to be avoided. They were public people; their lives going down in flames would be a bloody schadenfreude smorgasbord for the internet. ‘Why would you put us through that, Adam? You know I want you in our lives still. Max’s emotional well-being is more important than us having to work our way out of debt.’ She resisted adding ‘debt that is your fucking fault’.
‘Commercial court is completely out of left field here.’ Elise sounded brisk and bored. ‘How do you propose proving that Lindy has done anything to deliberately damage Maxxed Out? Without any evidence of direct sabotage, revealing of trade secrets or fraud, good luck even getting to the initial directions hearing.’
Lindy arrived back to Ailbhe’s house exhausted from all the legal bullshit. She’d asked Eileen and Roe to keep an eye on Max while she was gone. She knew she shouldn’t be surprised but she couldn’t believe Adam was prolonging this agony. The longer he refused to settle on an agreement, the more money they were spending on solicitors. They had just about managed to agree on one thing – Max would stay with Lindy and Maxxed Out would be on pause until things were sorted. This meant Max could get a breather from everything in Maxxed Out HQ, and she could show him how life could be without it all. In the hall, Lindy called for her son.
‘In here,’ he answered from the living room where, to Lindy’s shock and immediate panic, she found Max playing with Tilly.
‘What is happening? How is Tilly here?’This cannot be good.
Max shrugged as he pulled the hood of his green Maxxed Out jumper down over his face and then popped back out, to Tilly’s gurgling amusement.
‘Where’s Ailbhe? They didn’t leave? What the hell?’
‘I dunno, Mom. They just came back. Ailbhe’s out in the kitchen with her mom.’
‘OK.’ Lindy leaned down to kiss his temple.
‘How did it go with Dad?’ He gazed up at her, looking nervous.
‘It’s going fine, don’t worry. We’ll get it all sorted really soon.’
‘And … Maxxed Out? Is there nothing on the schedule? Do I not have to—?’
‘Sweetheart, you don’t have to do anything. I really want you to take a break. What do you think?’
He clicked his tongue at the baby and tugged playfully on her toes; she chortled happily. ‘Yeah, a break sounds good. If it’s OK with you and Dad.’
Lindy gathered him to her and breathed him in. ‘My puppy.’ He squirmed a little in her arms and she smiled. She was so grateful to have turned this corner with Max. Just a few more weeks of bureaucratic ball-ache with Adam and the solicitors and all would hopefully be fine. ‘I have to go find out what’s happened with Ailbhe and Tom, OK?’
She hurried through the hall, a twinge of unease at the sounds from the kitchen – glass tinkling and that loose laugh of Ailbhe’s that always came with her drinking. Oh God. Lindy tensed. Was she about to find a shambolic Ailbhe with wine in hand? She’d been doing so well.Maybe I can stop her.
Lindy veered through the doorway. ‘Ailbhe?’
‘Lindy!’ Ailbhe turned away from the video she was watching on her tablet and landed in Lindy’s arms, winding her slightly.
On the other side of the kitchen, a miserable-looking Eileen was being soothed by Roe.
‘I blame myself.’ Eileen was shaking her head.
‘No, no, you mustn’t,’ Roe protested, giving Lindy a desperate look.
‘What’s going on?’ Lindy struggled to form the words, Ailbhe shuddering in her arms. Lindy’s eyes drifted over her auburn curls to the video still playing. Ailbhe and Tom were laughing and cheersing on the screen. From Ailbhe’s ivory tulle skirt and pale cashmere top, it looked to be their wedding party. Lindy had never seen the pictures – they looked happy. ‘Please tell me what’s happened,’ Lindy repeated.
Ailbhe withdrew from Lindy’s embrace, wiping her face with her palms. ‘I told Tom,’ she whispered, her eyes bleak. ‘And Mam.’
‘I wasn’t a good role model for relationships. It’s my fault.’ Eileen shook her head again.
‘It’s not, Eilers!’ Ailbhe cried. ‘Stop that! It was me. I thought I had it all figured out and I wouldn’t listen to sense.’
‘What exactly happened? Where’s Tom?’ Lindy lowered her voice. ‘Is he here?’
‘I have no idea where he is,’ Ailbhe wailed. ‘He didn’t say a single thing, Linds. Nothing. I’ve never seen anyone look so—’ She welled up again. ‘He was destroyed.’ She shook her head.
Lindy chewed the inside of her cheek. Christ, there wasn’t a relationship between them left intact. Her phone buzzed and Lindy gratefully turned away from the other three to take the call – which was from, of all people, Fitzy, Rachel’s husband.
‘Lindy?’
‘Uhm, yeah, Fitzy?’
