Jordy seemed to wear a permanent cocky grin. Older than Aaron, his dark curly hair was shot with silver and shone as if he used an oily product on it. She’d liked his quiet wife, Anabelle, when she’d met her at Aaron’s, but hadn’t been able to snatch much conversation with her. Jordy had been so loud. Clancy straightened up, still holding her trowel. ‘Ask away,’ she said politely.

‘It’s Harry,’ he began, folding his arms and frowning. ‘My son, Harry Drew.’

‘I’ve met him,’ Clancy acknowledged cautiously. She wasn’t a parent and wasn’t sure whether Jordy was likely to complain if she said she’d seen Harry and his friend Rory cliff jumping and hadn’t immediately brought it to Jordy’s attention. She vaguely remembered a saying about it taking a village to bring up a child – which sounded ridiculous because surely a child ought to be brought up by its parents? – and wondered whether there was some Nelson’s Bar etiquette she’d transgressed.

‘He says you’re quite cool,’ Jordy said, settling himself comfortably on the front step. ‘Trouble is, the little bugger thinks he knows better than I do about university. He’s got a place at Leicester but he says he’s not sure he wants to go. But there’s not much here for kids. I want him to get to uni and meet girls. He spends a ton of time with young Rory but Rory’s not the brightest button in the box. You’re a smart cookie. What do you think?’

‘I don’t know either of you very well, so I’m not sure,’ Clancy offered apologetically, gazing at the crafty-looking man who’d appeared just as she’d been failing for the hundredth time to stop thinking about Will and weddings, the do-anything-for-love thing he’d crashed into with Renée. ‘Maybe Harry would rather get a job? He can always go to uni later.’

Jordy gave a short laugh. ‘Then why hasn’t he tried to get a job this summer instead of lazing about? His mother says maybe he needs a gap year but I think it might turn into a gap thirty years or so.’ His white teeth flashed. ‘You’ve been to university. I asked Aaron and he said you’d got a Master’s degree.’

‘Lots of people have,’ she assured him, slightly surprised Aaron had remembered something that had been mentioned in passing when she was talking to Genevieve about insurance. ‘I honestly don’t know what I can tell Harry. Or you.’

‘Oh.’ Jordy looked disappointed. ‘Only it causes a lot of acrimony between me and his mum. Won’t you even talk to him?’ He sounded injured.

‘If he has any specific questions I can help with, of course,’ she agreed. ‘But isn’t it up to him what he does with his life?’

‘You wouldn’t say that if you were footing the bill.’ Jordy sighed as he got up and said his farewells, leaving Clancy bemused but relieved that the meeting was over. She might mention it to Aaron when she saw him. If she saw him. Nelson hadn’t needed a dog-sitter for the past couple of weeks as the owners of the big house where Aaron and one of the Mick/Nick/Rick brothers were apparently creating a knot garden were in Nice for a month. Nelson was welcome in their absence.