‘And you’ve moved back in?’ She nods towards the cardboard boxes.

He blushes, which she finds quite sweet. ‘Joss is staying in the house – we thought that was best for the girls. They’re happy there – they’ve got a pool, a basketball court, the lot.’

His face contorts for a brief moment, suggesting that the divorce wasn’t entirely straightforward.

‘I’m in the middle of building four houses on Smedjevången – one is for me. But the project is delayed, so I’ve touched down here, so to speak.’ He makes an apologetic gesture; his cheeks are still slightly flushed.

‘Here’s to touching down!’ Anna says, raising her glass. ‘And the ’80s.’ After a couple of seconds he manages a wry smile in response.

‘And to Mum and Dad’s basement,’ he adds.

‘I noticed your high school graduation photos,’ she says. ‘The boy you were compared to the man you’ve become.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘Nothing in particular – it’s just something I read somewhere.’

‘I see.’ His smile is a little uncertain this time. ‘So, what were you like when you were nineteen?’

Anna laughs. ‘Unbearable, I should think – weren’t we all at that age?’

He counters with another question.

‘Did it turn out the way you expected?’

‘What?’

‘Life, everything. Did it turn out the way you thought it would when you were young?’

‘Yes and no.’

The topic bothers her, so she points to the photo from the ball.

‘Is that your ex-wife?’

‘No, that’s Carina Pedersen. We were together from junior school . . . everyone thought we’d get married. But it ended after . . .’ The pause is brief, but audible. And telling. ‘A few years.’ That’s not what he means.

She ought to have worked it out for herself. Carina Pedersen, the fifth person from the quarry. Five friends in the photo, the same five people who were there that night. She blames the wine.

Alex smiles again, and she feels a little tingle in her tummy, a faint vibration that finds its way south. She gives herself a mental shake and tries to think of how she can exploit the tension between them to move on to the subject of Simon Vidje. She is too slow.

‘I wanted to ask you something, Anna.’

‘Go on.’

‘There’s a homecoming party in the park tomorrow. A talent show, a funfair, market stalls – and probably a bouncy castle, if you’re in the mood.’ She can’t help smiling back at him. ‘In the evening there’s a dinner and dance – I wondered if you’d like to go with me?’

She’s about to say that she’d love to, then she suddenly remembers she’s promised to go with Call-me. Alex misinterprets her silence.

‘It’s fine if you don’t want to . . .’ He sounds embarrassed.