Lewis drove off, feeling lonelier than ever. A pint with Hathaway would have kept his mind of things but Hathaway obviously wanted him to deal with the situation at hand. Lewis didn´t think that James knew the entire story but he had sensed enough to know that it was time to take action. That is, if Lewis wanted to. And there lay the problem. Lewis didn´t know what he wanted, or at least didn´t know if he wanted things to change. Hobson had been one of his best friends for years and was sometimes the only one who could drag him out of his darkest hours. It used to be so clear and simple between them, when did that start to change? Laura hade never said anything but surely she sensed it to? But then came Peterson and even though she flat out told him that she wasn´t interested in the man, there had been times when Lewis had felt that Laura wouldn´t stay single forever. Val had been his all, and still was to some extent. No use denying it, what he had told Hathaway was true, he had lived his life. He was too settled in his way to start a fresh with someone else. He would miss Laura Hobson, but some things are best left alone. Still pensive, he steered the car towards the pub, hoping that a few pints and a good game would lift his spirits.
At the same time, Laura Hobson was putting away the last of the instruments in the mortuary and was getting ready for another lonely evening. She cursed herself for her own stupidity, she had hoped that Peterson's interest in her would get Lewis to act but she had yet again been hoping in vain. What more could she do but spell it out to him? She had of course known for years that Robbie was a loyal and devoted widower. However, she couldn´t help falling in love with the man. It had started out as a great friendship but had quickly grown into something deeper, at least for her part. She had always sensed that he needed time and space and she had been willing to wait. But after today there was no more hoping, was there? The job offer in London which she had hardly given any thought suddenly seemed like a good idea. Laura knew that she needed to distance herself from Robbie in order to move on and maybe this was the right opportunity. She would set up a meeting during the week. It wasn´t as if there was someone who would miss her if she went. A single tear rolled down her cheek, but she ignored it and started packing for home. Decision made, too many years of wanting what was never going to be hers.
