But David just shrugged amiably, as if she’d discovered he was christened Sextus or liked taxidermy. ‘If you mean that comedy troupe we were in, it wasn’t exactly Monty Python,’ he said. ‘It was barely the Chuckle Brothers. Things you do when you’re young, eh?’ He paused, then looked at her sideways. ‘Since we’re on the topic … Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?’

Tara braced herself. What had Justin told him? ‘Um, yes?’

‘Taransay? Very unusual name – do you have a connection with the island?’

She stirred her coffee. That meant David must have researched her; she never used her full name at work. ‘My parents were on holiday in Scotland when, um …’ She tapped her spoon on the edge of the cup. She’d tried to train herself out of the embarrassment but it never quite went. ‘My twin brother’s called Tobermory. My parents were quite … creative types.’

Narcissistic, more like. I mean, what kind of parent gives their children names that literally conjure up mental images of holiday sex every time they introduce themselves? Muscling in on every introduction for the rest of her life, looming up behind her like the hippie couple from The Joy of Sex.

‘And how does that make you feel?’ David asked, one eyebrow raised.

No one, outside a therapist’s office, had ever asked her that.

Their eyes met, and Tara felt a funny sliding sensation inside, as if half of her wanted to pull up the drawbridge, while the other half wanted to tell David everything.

‘We’re Tara and Toby,’ she said. ‘What was it you wanted to know about Jacqueline’s positivity tree?’

Back in the office kitchen, the noticeboard had been overhauled with stars and cut-out trainers, and there was a new hand-drawn chart in the middle.

Jacqueline bustled in behind them before Tara could comment. ‘Just the pair I was looking for. After Kasia’s inspiring talk I thought I’d implement one of her ideas, and boost our community harmony at the same time. Here you go, one each.’ She pressed a plastic gadget into their hands.

‘Is this a pedometer?’ David examined it.

‘Exactly!’ Jacqueline nodded. ‘We’re going to have a Wellness Centre Step Challenge. To make things fairer, everyone’s in teams of two, and it’s your combined step score that gets counted at the end of the week. Whoever has the highest total at the end of six weeks will win a magnificent prize.’

‘How magnificent?’ asked Tara.

Jacqueline’s smile didn’t falter. ‘I haven’t decided yet. But I want us to try to walk the length of the M6! I paired everyone up over lunch, and since you two were out, we popped you into a team in your absence. If that’s all right?’