The Love of Her Life by Harriet Evans Page B

over her; perspiration covered his forehead, and he was terribly pale.
    ‘Lisa,’ she called, getting up. ‘Dad, I’m going to get Lisa,’ she told him, shaking free of her father’s frenzied grip.
    ‘No, don’t,’ he said, flashing a ghastly rictus grin at her. ‘I’ll be fine. When do you have to go, darling?’
    Kate looked at her watch, she didn’t want to look at him. ‘I’m going to see Zoe, but it really doesn’t matter if I’m late.’
    Lisa appeared in the doorway. ‘Dan? You OK?’ she said, bustling forward. ‘What’s wrong with him?’
    ‘He went a bit … funny,’ said Kate. She looked down at her father as Lisa put a hand on his forehead and checked his pulse.
    ‘Went a bit funny,’ Daniel repeated. ‘That’s the medical term for it, I’m sure.’ He closed his eyes. ‘God, I’m fucking tired. It really knocks you for six, this business. And I’m so bored. So bloody bored.’
    He was a man of action, used to doing, speaking, thinking, striding around and yelling. Kate could see how much he hated this confinement. He needed constant distraction, attention, to keep him stable, otherwise … she remembered this much from her childhood. The consequences were awful.
    ‘I’m sure you are,’ said Kate, still standing, and watching him. Her eyes met Lisa’s. ‘Look Dad,’ she said, bending down, ‘I’m going to take off and let you get some rest, OK? But I’ll be back tomorrow.’
    ‘How great!’ said Lisa, smiling thinly. ‘That’ll be great for you, won’t it Dan?’
    ‘I look forward to it,’ Daniel said, slightly inclining his head, mock-formally. He took his daughter’s hand and kissed it. ‘Until tomorrow, my darling.’
    ‘Yes,’ said Kate, stroking his hair. ‘Bye Dad. I love you.’
    ‘It’s great to see you again,’ he said, clutching his heart in a dramatic way; a flash of the old Daniel Miller, the amateur dramatics that the crowds used to love. ‘So wonderful to have you back.’
    She couldn’t speak; she shook her head, smiling at him, as her eyes filled with tears, and followed Lisa out into the hall. Lisa handed her her jacket with an air of polite efficiency.
    ‘So – are you getting a job while you’re over here?’ Lisa said suddenly. ‘How did you leave it with them?’
    ‘In New York? I said I wasn’t sure when I’d be back.They’ve got someone to cover for me, don’t worry. She’s really good.’
    ‘It’s not that hard to learn the skills though, is it.’
    Uh-ho, Kate thought. She steeled herself for another blow.
    ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, trying to sound polite and friendly.
    ‘You’re the office assistant.’ Lisa sounded exasperated. ‘Aren’t you?’
    ‘Er – I –’ Kate didn’t know what to say.
    ‘I’m just surprised, that’s all,’ said Lisa. She drummed her fingers on the stone-coloured wall. ‘I never thought that’s what you’d end up doing.’
    ‘Right,’ said Kate, briskly. ‘OK, well, thanks, then, I’ll –’
    She put her hand on the door frame, and pointed vaguely towards the street, but Lisa was not to be put off. She ran her forefinger lightly over the flawless skin on her cheek, stroking it.
    ‘It was such a shame, what happened, wasn’t it,’ she said, conversationally. ‘Because you know. You were doing so well on Venus . Your dad thought you’d be editor of the magazine in a few years. Or writing a novel, or something. He always said that. He’s a bit surprised, I think –’
    Lisa’s eyes were bulging slightly; Kate realized, with a start, that she had been dying to have this conversation with her stepdaughter for some time. Her face loomed close to Kate’s, and Kate could see her pores, as Daniel coughed in the other room.
    ‘Right,’ said Kate again, nodding furiously. ‘Lisa, look, now’s not the time for –’
    Lisa held up her hand, briefly. ‘I must say this –’ she began. Kate’s heart sank. ‘That’s all very well. But I don’t think you quite