She stared at me intensely.

‘I guess maybe we haven’t been spending as much time together as we once did, but I assumed it was just a stage of life thing. We’re getting older, relationships change and grow.’

‘This is true. Some couples grow closer as time passes by and others simply grow apart. I know you’ve said you’re busy, but if you were to make the time … what things do you both enjoy doing? What interests do you have in common?’

‘We …’ I felt my cheeks redden.

‘What brought you together in the first place?’ Megan prodded.

‘Hormones.’ I laughed nervously. ‘I didn’t have this extra tyre around my middle back then and Adrian’s hairline hadn’t started receding.’

Megan didn’t seem amused.

‘We got together when we were at school and we both liked all the usual stuff teenagers do,’ I said, trying to make her understand. ‘We listened to music, watched movies, hung out with our friends. Discovered sex. Had a lot of it. Adrian played footy and I went along to watch. Then when we went to uni, we got more freedom—being able to drive and stay out later—and we went to the beach lots and to concerts. Life consisted of studying, part-time jobs and lots of parties with our friends.’

She held up a finger. ‘Did you do the same course at university?’

‘No. I did journalism and Adrian podiatry.’

‘Okay,’ she continued, ‘what things do you like to do in your spare time?’

‘Spare time?’ This time I did laugh. How many conversations had I had with other mums about how little time we had for ourselves since having kids? I suspected Megan didn’t have children. ‘I don’t really have time for hobbies.’

‘Does Adrian help you much in the home?’

I swallowed. ‘I guess we have a quite traditional division of tasks—I’m the homemaker and do most of the kid stuff because I don’t have a permanent job, but Adrian mows the lawn and keeps the garden under control.’

She nodded again. ‘Okay, let’s pretend you have a week free of your normal obligations. What would you do with your time?’

I took a moment, thinking of the week I’d just spent in Ragged Point. ‘Well, I’d probably take our dog for long nature walks. I’d get back to reading. Maybe I’d restore some old furniture or redecorate something—I love that kind of stuff. Oh, and I used to like sewing as well—I made all the kids’ clothes when they were little. Is that enough?’

Megan almost smiled. ‘That’s a good start. Now, does Adrian have any hobbies?’

I nodded. ‘His current passion is cycling, but he’s a serial hobbyist. He rides to work most days and goes out at least once a weekend with a group of other cyclists. Before that he was obsessed with golf, and he has an Austin Healey that he’s been slowly doing up.’ Very slowly, if you asked me.

‘Seems like Adrian has plenty of time to himself.’