‘Sorry,’ he said, making his eyes droopy and sad-looking. ‘Sorry, but … I might be wrong but I thought this was getting quite serious.’

Issy couldn’t bear to see him – her Graeme – looking sad. What was the matter with her? This was ridiculous. Here was Graeme, whom she loved; whom she’d dreamed of for so long; her heart-throb; her crush. He was offering her everything on a plate and here she was, being stupid and churlish; who on earth did she think she was? Issy rushed to his side and clung to him.

‘Sorry!’ she said. ‘Sorry! I was just – I was just so surprised I didn’t know what to think!’

Wait till you hear what else I’ve got up my sleeve, thought Graeme, pleased his tactics had worked. He returned her embrace gladly.

‘Can we … ? What about … ?’ attempted Issy.

Graeme stilled her mouth with a kiss. ‘I have to get to squash,’ he said. ‘Let’s talk through the details tomorrow,’ he added, smoothly, as if she was a prevaricating customer.

Pearl and Ben were laughing, Louis running ahead, as he picked her up from the bus stop. Pearl could see a tiny bit of Ben’s tightly coiled chest hair over the top of his shirt. Her mother had been haranguing her again, saying she’d move to her sister’s till Pearl had her man back, and that he couldn’t just drop in whenever he wanted … Was he going to be a man about it or not?

‘What would you think,’ she said, as casually as she was able, ‘about moving back in?’

Ben made a non-committal noise and immediately changed the subject, dropping her politely at her door with a peck on the cheek. It wasn’t quite what she’d been hoping for.

‘Mummy sad, Caline,’ announced Louis boldly at work.

‘Mummies do sometimes get sad, Louis,’ said Caroline, giving Pearl a sympathetic look that wasn’t terribly welcome, but better than nothing, Pearl supposed.

‘Doan be sad, Mummee! Mummee sad!’ Louis announced to Doti, who was coming in with the post.

‘Is she now?’ said Doti, crouching down so he was at Louis’s height. ‘Did you try giving her one of your special kisses?’

Louis nodded seriously then whispered, loudly, ‘Gave Louis kisses. But still sad!’

Doti shook his head. ‘Now that is a conundrum.’ He straightened up. ‘Maybe I could make Mummy happy and take her out for coffee some time.’

Pearl sniffed. ‘In case you haven’t noticed,’ she said, ‘I’m surrounded by coffee.’

‘I’ll go!’ said Caroline, then her hand flew to her mouth. ‘Uh, I mean, I’ll just be working quietly over here.’

They both ignored her.

‘Maybe a drink some time then?’

‘Maybe,’ said Pearl.

‘I knock off early.’

‘I don’t.’

‘Lunch?’ parried Doti. ‘Next Tuesday?’

Pearl affected to gaze out of the window. Issy, finally exasperated, popped her head up from down below.

‘She says yes!’ she hollered.

Issy went straight over to the flat after work. Helena was there, as was Ashok, whom Helena immediately dispatched to get coffee. Issy groaned. ‘No! No more coffee, please. Could you pick me up some Fanta? And some Hula Hoops?’

‘You are bad,’ said Helena, popping the kettle on. ‘So, how’s the new life with the old man? Fun?’

Issy threw her arms around her. ‘Thank you so much for the party,’ she said. ‘It was … it was amazing.’ I can’t thank you enough for doing it for me.’

‘You can actually,’ said Helena. ‘After the first four hundred times you thanked me on the night.’

‘OK, OK. But listen, guess what happened?’

Helena raised an extremely well-plucked eyebrow. She had been expecting something like this, and was worried Issy seemed so jittery. After all the trouble she’d gone to, to make sure Austin would be there, and then, of all things, Graeme turning up. She hoped Issy didn’t think she’d asked him. Although even a lunkhead like Graeme, Helena had to regretfully concede, was going to notice Issy’s good points sooner or later.

‘Go on then,’ she said.

‘Graeme’s asked me to move in with him!’

At this even Helena was surprised. Told her he loved her maybe; offered to let her meet his parents or be his official girlfriend. But living together was a big step; even when they’d been together a few months it had hardly seemed that serious, and Helena just didn’t see Graeme as the warm, naturally hospitable type. But then she’d thought Ashok was a shy, retiring sort rather than the most amazing man ever, so what did she know.

‘Well!’ she said, trying not to sound fake. ‘This is great!’

Helena also looked at her friend’s face. Her tone was upbeat but … was it real? Was she genuinely over the moon? Three months ago she would have been in paroxysms of joy, but now she seemed …

‘And you’re happy?’ said Helena, realizing with a wince that she sounded a little sharper than she’d intended to.

‘Um, shouldn’t I be?’ said Issy, fishing. ‘I mean, you know … it’s Graeme. Graeme. Who I’ve been mad about for ages and ages and ages and he’s asked me to move in with him.’

Helena paused to pour the tea. They both waited a long moment, fussing with cups and spoons, until Helena spoke up.

‘You know, you don’t have to. If you don’t feel like it. There’s plenty of time.’

‘But I do want to,’ said Issy, sounding agitated, as if she was trying to convince herself. ‘And there isn’t plenty of time, Lena, don’t pretend there is. I’m thirty-two. I’m not a child. I mean, everyone’s settling down, I must have looked at nine thousand baby photos the other night. And I want that, Lena. That’s what I want. A good man who loves me and wants to share my life and do all of that. I’m not a bad person to want that, am I?’

‘Of course not,’ said Helena. And it was true; that nice chap from the bank, well, he couldn’t be trusted to put his underpants on the right way round, never mind look after Issy, could he? And he already had a child to look after. Graeme was an earner, he was good-looking, he had no other baggage hanging over his head – by anyone’s standards he was a catch, of course he was.