He paused. Stared at his reflection again. He’d get his hair cut and eat. If he got stern with himself he could eat sensible food three times a day and he should do, for Josie’s sake. He knew this. He knew about structuring his diet and pacing food intake, writing down what he ate so as not to kid himself about calories required for healthy weight. He needed to accept that Loren was not going to be an easy ex and find ways to live with life’s stresses other than undereating.

Inside, he acknowledged that he’d called his parents lately, instead of FaceTiming. Yeah. He’d known he looked skinny and they’d freak.

He jogged downstairs and made himself a bowl of granola. Black coffee only breakfasts would now be out because they were a bad example to Josie. He sighed. No: they were out because he needed to be healthier. Then he heard Josie coming down the stairs, chattering to Emelie about it nearly being Halloween. He checked his phone calendar. October thirty-first was Saturday and Trick or treating was scheduled from six p.m. with two of her friends and their mums. The mums were dressing up too, apparently, but Nico planned to simply wear dark clothes and carry the haul of sweets the kids accrued. He was used to being in the background especially when, like in this situation, he was the lone male. The mums sometimes tried to include him in the conversation but he was always too conscious of them making an effort to find subjects he’d be interested in to feel comfortable with that. A couple had hit on him and he wasn’t comfortable with that either. Imagine starting something with one of Josie’s friends’ mothers and then it ending and affecting Josie’s friendships.

He didn’t enjoy Halloween and taking kids door-to-door to ask for sweets. The Swedish Allhelgonadagen, All Saints Day, was more his thing, the opportunity to remember those who’d passed and the earthly feel of welcoming winter. Josie would have been aghast at missing out, however, and she hadn’t settled at school this term so wanting to be with school friends should be viewed as a positive.

Just as he was wondering whether Josie minded that it was always he who was her supervising parent at Halloween and other red-letter days, she bounced into the room. ‘Dad! Tilly’s taking me to buy new face paints because I’m going to be a witch on Saturday.’

He smiled at her excitement, swung her up and kissed both her petal-soft cheeks. Emelie had brushed her fair hair into a ponytail and she was wearing a half-term outfit of pink fluffy jumper with jeans. ‘That’s exciting.’ He hadn’t actually taken a spoonful of his granola yet but he got up and made Josie’s Weetabix with raisins, knowing exactly how much milk she liked.