‘I bought some steaks,’ she said. ‘I thought we could have supper and talk about it. Why don’t you shower and change while I cook?’ Maybe he would sober up enough for them to discuss things. In her panicky state, Sarah was desperate to receive reassurance from Toby, as if sitting and talking together they would find a solution.
He shook his head. ‘Not hungry.’ He rose from the sofa, leaving car keys and black bin liner behind, and headed in the direction of the bedroom. ‘Going to sleep.’
When Sarah went through, she found him already spreadeagled on his back on the bed. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing deeply. If he wasn’t already asleep he soon would be. Hopeless. She pulled off his shoes, and Toby groaned and rolled on his side. Sarah looked down at him. The last thing she wanted to do was to share a bed with him in this state. She would leave him to sleep it off, and they would talk tomorrow. She switched off the lights, left the flat, and went back to Kensington.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The next morning Sarah waited until after eleven before ringing Toby, assuming he’d be sleeping it off.
‘How do you feel?’ she asked.
‘Like crap, naturally. But I’m going to force down some breakfast, then go out for a run.’
‘Good idea.’
‘I’m sorry I wasn’t in a fit state to talk last night. The whole thing was a bit of a nightmare. It all happened so suddenly.’ He gave a miserable laugh. ‘One minute you’re pulling down three hundred K, the next you’re on the pavement with your stapler and no identity. Going out and getting slaughtered seemed like the best option at the time.’
‘I can imagine,’ said Sarah, marginally reassured by his tone. At least he wasn’t sitting around feeling sorry for himself. ‘We do need to sit down and talk about it, though. It makes a difference to a lot of things, potentially.’
‘Yes, I know. Why don’t we go out for dinner tonight? Somewhere decent. Pétrus, perhaps. I need cheering up.’
Sarah opened her mouth to say that perhaps they should go somewhere cheaper, given the circumstances, but stopped herself. It was important to keep him upbeat.
‘Nice idea. You book for seven-thirty, and I’ll see you there.’
Over dinner, Toby described the events of the previous day, the terse management announcement, people’s shell-shocked reactions, employees clearing their desks, wandering off to pubs and wine bars, not willing to contemplate in sober detail the impact losing their jobs was going to have on their lives. Plenty of time for that in the days ahead.
‘Mind you, I’m luckier than most,’ said Toby. ‘There are guys on my trading floor with mortgages, kids in private school. They’re the ones I feel sorry for.’
Sarah nodded, absorbing Toby’s words. If Toby was feeling sorry for people with mortgages, presumably the docklands flat didn’t have one. That was something – even in the present market it must be worth three or four hundred grand. She thought about her friend Miranda, and realised that she and Toby were relatively fortunate. They only had themselves to worry about. ‘So – when will you start looking for another job?’
‘In case you hadn’t noticed, there aren’t any jobs out there. The world’s in financial meltdown.’
‘I know things are hard, but at least you’re going to try, aren’t you?’
‘I’ll do what everyone else does, and sign on with some agencies, but don’t get your hopes up.’
‘Well, at least you don’t have a mortgage. That’s one good thing. The flat must be worth a fair bit, even in today’s market.’
Toby stared at her. ‘I don’t own the flat. I rent it. I thought you knew that.’
Sarah was aghast. ‘But you’ve got savings, right?’
‘Not much to speak of. A few grand.’
‘A few grand?’ Sarah couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘But you’ve been earning a fortune for the past few years. Not to mention bonuses. What have you been doing with it all?’
‘Spending it, having a good time. Made a few investments here and there. But they’re all shot to hell. Most of my portfolio’s been wiped out. I told you that a couple of weeks ago.’
‘Toby! All you said was that you had some shares that went down the pan! You didn’t say it was everything you owned!’
‘No point in making a big fuss about it. Everyone’s in the same boat.’ He caught the distraught look on her face and reached out a hand to cover hers. ‘Don’t look like that, angel. It isn’t the end of the world. You’ve still got a job. We can manage till I find something else. Things will turn around. It’ll be fine.’