Chantelle was about to tell him to get lost, when she realised how miserable he looked and thought better of it. He had been covered in slime, and they’d been in such a rush to get out of Perivale that they hadn’t really had the chance to clean it off him properly. ‘OK,’ she nodded, standing aside to let him into the flat.

‘Thank you.’ Kim hurried past her gratefully.

‘Bathroom’s at the end of the corridor on the left,’ said Chantelle, locking the front door and latching the security chain. ‘And I’m pretty sure I’ve got some clean clothes that might fit you.’

‘Really?’ Kim looked at her in surprise.

‘Yeah. My last boyfriend was always leaving his stuff here but, given that I dumped him last month, you can do me a favour and take some of it.’

She paused. That wasn’t strictly true. It was Craig who had left her, not the other way round, but she still wanted shot of everything. ‘I’ll leave it outside the bathroom door for you.’

Kim smiled at her, but Chantelle was having none of it. ‘Touch any of my stuff in there and I’ll throw you into the street naked, understood?’

Kim’s smile faded and he just nodded and hurried off down the corridor.

Chantelle shook her head. Dorothy owed her big time for this one. Shrugging off her coat and dumping it next to the hall table, she made her way to her bedroom. Throwing open the wardrobe doors, she picked out trousers and a shirt for Kim and threw them onto the bed. It had been a relatively warm December so Craig hadn’t left any jumpers here, but she had plenty that Kim could borrow.

She considered picking out one of her pink cashmere sweaters embroidered with unicorns for him to wear home … then realised that she was neglecting her other guest. She glanced in the mirror and grimaced. She was in no state to receive company. Grabbing a scrunchy from the dresser, she tied her hair back into a bun and put on some fresh lipstick. Satisfied that she had made some effort to make herself presentable, she scooped up the clothes from the bed, dropped them on the floor outside the bathroom and went to join Ryan in the front room.

‘Kim still here?’ asked Ryan as she entered the room.

‘He needed to clean up before he went home.’ Chantelle slumped down into an armchair. ‘Given what he’s had to put up with, I figured that was the least I could do.’

‘Oh …’

There was an awkward pause.

‘Would you like a drink?’

Ryan gave a huge sigh. ‘I could murder a cuppa.’

Chantelle laughed. ‘You sound just like your granddad.’

Ryan looked embarrassed. It made Chantelle like him even more.

‘It’s just you and him?’ she asked.

‘Yeah.’ Ryan nodded. ‘Since my gran died …’