After a year of sharing veggie chilli and visits to the library, and coping with forgotten homework and vomity sick nights, they bumble along pretty well, but they are not a couple and are very careful not to stand on each other’s toes. Despite this, there are new acronyms in the house, the kind of secret code created by families, which no one else understands. The girls have shortened the important instruction to “Count The Stairs” to “CoTS” and they all use it whenever they are staying away in a youth hostel, because no one wants to be weird in public.

Ben thinks about how relaxed and settled the girls are now and how much everything has changed. He wonders, not for the first time, if he is brave enough to have a conversation with Tess about how much she matters to him.

They sit quietly together, enjoying the evening, and not feeling any further need to talk about the past.

The side gate creaks as it opens. Tess catches half a glimpse of movement near the house. ‘Are you expecting someone?’

Ben gets to his feet. ‘I’ll go,’ he says, ‘it’s probably something to do with the girls anyway. You know what they’re like. They’ll have left some important possession behind, it’s always happening.’

He comes back a couple of minutes later with a tall woman, who looks distinctly nervous.

‘This lady is looking for Georgia. She says her name is . . .’

Tess finishes his sentence. ‘Nicola?’

The woman looks even more anxious. ‘Have we met before somewhere?’

Tess has often thought about what she would say if Nicola ever knocked on the door. ‘We haven’t, but Georgia is a friend of mine. I started out as a lodger here too, more than ten years ago, so you and I have something in common.’ She smiles and points to an empty chair beside the bench, an invitation to sit down with them in the sunshine.

Nicola is still standing, unsure of the welcome. ‘I wasn’t sure if it would be alright.’

Tess keeps talking, explaining, trying to put their visitor at ease. ‘Sometimes people come to see us, and others stay in touch by phone. Georgia is always delighted to hear what everyone’s been doing.’ She leans forward, hoping to encourage a response. ‘I think I may have seen your photo in the office?’

Nicola risks a hesitant smile, and sits down on the chair. ‘I remember that day. It was really sunny and I was squinting into the camera but she said it didn’t matter.’