‘Mind where you put your feet on this side, lads,’ he warned as they trudged across the snow. ‘There could be anything buried under this lot.’

Evan had driven straight to the pub where he always had lunch when he was working. He had the week off, but he was hoping one of his workmates might come in and give him a bit of banter to cheer him up.

He was sitting at a table in the corner, enjoying his second pint, when the door opened and a cloud of perfume wafted in. Looking up, he recognized the woman who walked in as one of the receptionists from the car showroom next door to the plant-hire company where he worked. He nodded hello when she glanced his way, and then watched as she walked toward the bar. Her name was Lesley, or maybe Lisa, and they’d passed the time of day a few times over break-time fags. She was a big girl, but unlike Marie who tried – and failed – to disguise her size with baggy clothes, this girl accentuated her curves with tight-fitting clothes and high heels. Evan didn’t fancy her, because he preferred slim girls – like the one who’d been staying at his dad’s place; but he admired her for embracing her size.

Losing sight of her when a group of builders walked in and obstructed his view, Evan took a swig of his pint and pulled his phone out of his pocket when it pinged. It was a message from Marie asking where he was. The beer had mellowed him to the point that he knew he’d been too hard on her, but he wasn’t in the mood for shopping yet, so he put his phone away without replying.

‘Mind if I join you?’

Looking up at the sound of the voice, Evan saw the receptionist standing over him, a glass of wine in her hand.

‘Yeah, sure,’ he said, waving for her to take a seat.

‘Thanks,’ she said, sitting down and dropping her handbag onto the floor. ‘How come you’re not at work?’

‘Week off,’ he said, taking another swig of beer. ‘What about you?’

‘Same,’ she said, casting a glance around the crowded room as she sipped her wine.

‘Waiting for someone?’ Evan asked, trying not to stare at her enormous breasts. She was usually wearing a coat whenever he was this close to her, so he’d never really noticed them before, and he couldn’t help wonder how she’d managed to find a bra big enough to hold them.

‘I’m supposed to be on a date,’ she told him, looking at her watch. ‘I’m half an hour late, so I’ve either missed him, or he’s stood me up.’

‘His loss if he has,’ Evan said, raising his glass to his lips.

‘Too right it is,’ she agreed. ‘I’ve seen his last girlfriend, and I’m a definite upgrade.’