‘This is good,’ he said a few moments later when he’d finished his mouthful. ‘Thank you.’

I merely smiled, but inside my heart swelled at the compliment.

‘Are you going to have any?’

‘I had a big breakfast,’ I lied. No way I could stomach food right now. ‘While we’re talking about the kids, have you noticed Saxon behaving any differently?’

He finished his mouthful. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well …’ I swallowed. ‘He seems to be spending an awful lot of time in his room and last night he barely touched any of his dinner. I’m worried he’ll burn out.’

‘He’s always been a hard worker.’

‘Yes, but all that time alone isn’t healthy. I think we need to try and get him to relax and spend a little more time out of his room.’

‘At least he’s got his band,’ Adrian said through another mouthful. ‘That gets him out of the house and hanging with other kids a few hours on the weekend. Most parents are worried about their children not doing enough homework and here we are worried ours is doing too much.’

‘I don’t know …’ I shook my head. ‘The type of assignments the schools are handing out these days, I reckon lots of kids might be a little more dedicated.’

When he quirked an eyebrow, I explained about the game assignment.

‘Geez. School’s a lot different now from when we went, hey?’

‘You can say that again.’

We both chuckled, and the sound of our laughter mingling gave me a buzz inside. I glanced at the clock on the wall, willing the hands to slow down.

‘I miss this,’ I said. ‘Just you and me, talking, eating and laughing together.’

When that merely made him look uncomfortable, I decided to torture myself as well. ‘So, have you … ah … been successful in your mission yet?’

We both knew what I was talking about, even if I couldn’t bring myself to spell it out.

Adrian put the rest of his sandwich back down on the desk. ‘Do you really want me to answer that, Ash? I don’t want to hurt you.’

It was the first time he’d used my nickname since we’d separated, and I had no idea how to answer his question. He’d already hurt me.

At my silence, he sighed. ‘I’ve had a few dates with some really nice women. I’m having fun, but I’m not rushing into anything.’

Nice? Nice? I had to bite my lip to stop from grinning. I knew him well enough to read between the lines. He hadn’t slept with any of these ‘nice’ women yet—of this I was ninety-nine per cent certain.

Warmth radiated from my heart. If he hadn’t found anyone he wanted to sleep with, maybe we weren’t a lost cause. And maybe I should send him a naked photo.

‘What about you?’ he asked.

‘Huh?’