I shake my head at her firmly, because he’s a fucking nightmare if you encourage him, before grinning at my parents’. I can feel my eyes filling with tears even as I prepare to lie to the three people I love more than anything else in the world. The lies are necessary, but I’m intent on keeping them to the bare minimum, for practical purposes as much as ethical.

The tears aren’t because I’m lying.

The tears are because this news will change their lives.

We’re sitting in my parents’ small flat, which is a five-minute walk from my flat in New Cross. When I got the job at the RA, they gave up a pleasant suburban home and downgraded to an underwhelming ex-council flat so that they could support me in raising Tabs. Even worse, they gave up their beloved garden in favour of hanging baskets on their dingy balcony and a share in an allotment a mile or so away.

They’ve never uttered a word of complaint.

I’ve never stopped feeling guilty.

‘Okay, first,’ I say with a watery smile at them all, ‘I got a really good job.’

Their faces light up right on cue, and Tabby pushes back her chair so she can round the kitchen table for a hug.

‘That’s amazing, honey!’ my dad says. He’s a quiet Englishman, far more mellow than his fierce Dutch wife and, since the appearance of his granddaughter, anyway, a total softie.

Mum nods at me. ‘Huge relief. Well done. Doing what? Daniel, come here.’ She’s still formidable, a former model and singer with posture that puts mine to shame. At fifty-six, her pale blonde hair is growing silvered. She has it up in its usual dignified French twist, and her don’t-mess-with-me vibes are as strong as ever. They don’t go unnoticed by Daniel, who reluctantly abandons his sentry position next to Tabs and ambles stiffly to Mum’s side. At eleven years old, her beloved golden show cocker spaniel is starting to show his age.

Here goes. ‘So Athena introduced me to her boyfriend Gabe’s brother Brendan. He runs the family construction company—he’s the CEO. Anyway, he needed a new executive assistant and, thanks to Athena putting in a good word, he agreed to interview me. And, well, I got the job!’

Mum and Dad exchange a delighted look. I know they’ve been worried sick since Dean the Dick fired me.

‘That’s amazing,’ Mum says. ‘And it’s a good job?’

‘It’s a great job,’ I say softly, hugging Tabby to my side and enjoying the sensation of her arms around me. ‘The pay’s a lot better than the RA, too.’

Dad reaches across the table and squeezes my hand as it rests next to my bowl of stir-fry. ‘That’s bloody marvellous, honey. We’re so proud of you. Isn’t your mummy clever, Tabs?’