The Broken by Tamar Cohen Page A

her eyes and the crêpey swell of her unavoidable cleavage giving her away. He watched, impressed despite himself, as Dan slipped effortlessly into flirty mode.
    ‘Not today, doll. Things to do, people to see. You know how it is.’
    She shrugged prettily. ‘Well, you’d better make it next week. We can’t have you going to seed now, can we? Not after all your hard work.’
    Even though she was looking at Dan, Josh couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was referring to him when she said ‘going to seed’. It was always like this when he went out with Dan, that feeling of suffering from comparison.
    ‘ Doll? ’ Josh enquired as the woman moved off, her ponytail swinging behind her.
    Dan smirked. ‘I’m using it in a post-ironic way, naturally.’
    ‘Course you are. So go on. Back to your mistress . I don’t suppose you slept at her place last night?’
    Dan pressed his lips together. ‘No offence, but I think the less you and Hannah know about where I am, the better. I don’t want to put you two in an awkward position.’
    ‘Bit late for that! So you are with her then?’
    ‘I didn’t say that. I just think it’s best Sasha doesn’t know where I am at the moment, and if I tell you you’ll either feel obliged to tell her, or you’ll feel bad about not telling her. Either way it’s shit.’
    Josh had to agree it was shit. ‘I still can’t believe you’re splitting up. I always thought you were so together, you and Sasha. All those I love you s.’
    ‘Yeah, well, that was Sasha’s doing really. She is very needy emotionally, if you know what I mean. If I texted her and didn’t put a kiss or a love you , she’d act like it was the end of the fucking world.’
    ‘Aren’t you worried, then, about what this is going to do to her?’
    Dan shook his head. ‘Underneath the neediness and that fragile Touch me and I’ll break exterior, Sasha has a rod of steel running through her. I’m not even joking. She’s the hardest person I know.’
    Seeing Josh’s expression, he held up his hand defensively. ‘That’s not a criticism. I’m still really fond of her.’
    ‘ Fond? She’s your wife, for God’s sake, not your granny!’
    The whole conversation was making Josh feel uncomfortable. How was it possible to go from love to fond in just two weeks? And if it could happen to Dan and Sasha, couldn’t it also happen to him and Hannah?
    ‘Well, she’s not going to be my wife for much longer,’ Dan pointed out matter-of-factly.
    ‘You’ve already seen a lawyer?’
    ‘No. Course I haven’t. We don’t need lawyers, Josh. It’s not going to be that sort of break-up. I’m not out to shaft Sasha. She’s the mother of my daughter, for fuck’s sake. I’m going to be more than generous. She can have half the money from the house, even though I put up most of the deposit and have paid the entire mortgage and every single bill since we got it. If we split the equity, she’ll have more than enough to buy a two-bedroom garden flat in the same area – the same street even – without a mortgage. Something like you’ve got, only a bit flashier, if you know what I mean.’
    ‘Thanks.’
    ‘I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just, you know what Sasha’s like, everything has to be perfect. Then I could buy my own place nearby so that when she’s a bit older September can walk between the two. I was even thinking I might get somewhere near that new secondary school, so that she’d definitely be in the catchment.’
    ‘Blimey, Dan, they’re not even at primary school yet. Anyway, you know Sasha will insist on private school.’
    ‘Yeah, well, whatever, but I just want you to see I’m thinking long term about this.’
    ‘And what about custody?’
    Dan looked blank.
    ‘Of September. Are you going to ask for half and half?’
    Josh took savage enjoyment from the expression of horror that flickered across Dan’s face. ‘Well, that wouldn’t make any sense, would it, seeing as I’m the one who