She tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a bleat. ‘I’m sorry,’ she sighed. She still couldn’t believe she had got everything so wrong. ‘Again.’

‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘You prat. Honestly.’

‘I am a prat,’ she admitted.

‘Yeah and, just for the record, I’m not planning to ditch our relationship any time soon, but if I was, it wouldn’t be that kind of casual, drive-by dumping,’ he said. ‘Give a man some credit.’

‘Good to know,’ she said drily.

He laughed and then she did too. The ground suddenly seemed more solid beneath her. ‘Anyway. We’re okay, aren’t we?’ he asked. ‘We can move on from this and be all right?’

Her breath came back to her. Here was her second chance. ‘Yes,’ she said gratefully before he could change his mind. ‘We totally can.’

‘Good,’ he said. ‘I had a message from Izzie, by the way. Really sweet. She said the whole thing yesterday was her fault and nothing to do with you, and apologized for causing trouble.’

‘Gosh. I didn’t know anything about that,’ Em said, blinking. ‘That was nice of her.’ She hesitated, wondering where they went from here. ‘So . . .’ she began, just as he said, ‘Anyway . . .’

She smiled. ‘You go first.’

‘I was ringing to say – as well as hello and I miss you, and I most definitely did not dump you yesterday – that I won’t come back for the rest of the holiday, because I made the mistake of looking at work emails last night and something’s come up. But can we sort out dinner for when you get back? There’s a new tapas place in Suffolk Parade – I thought we could maybe try it out?’

A lightness was filling Em, like air into a balloon. They were going to be okay, she realized. Despite all her angst and misery the night before, they were going to be okay. ‘I’d love to try it out,’ she said. ‘Patatas bravas and Rioja in Suffolk Parade sounds much easier to handle than a fortnight away.’

He laughed. ‘That’s what I thought. Go back a few steps, keep it simple. Is that a yes, then?’

‘Absolutely it’s a yes. And let’s promise never to go on holiday again.’

‘Well, I wouldn’t say that. I’m sure there’s a way we could get away for a few days, just the two of us, if Charlotte has Seren and your ex has Izzie and Jack . . .’