‘That he’s not yet managed to find someone who fancies him more than he fancies himself. Plus, he’s hardly a catch, is he? Kiama told me he’s back living with his mum, poor Julie she can’t get rid of him.’

But the reality is he spends almost every night with Yvonne, at her place.

‘The property prices are crazy at the moment,’ Yvonne says. ‘I can’t believe how much the flats on my road are going for.’ She had looked recently and wondered if it would make sense to find somewhere bigger and closer to Harrow so Lewis wouldn’t be so far away from his family.

Emma unfolds a shopping list. ‘And I bet he’s still working at that leisure centre. Crap job.’

‘Actually, he’s quit. He wants to focus full time on the restaurant business.’

‘What business? Where are you getting all this from?’

Yvonne feels herself blush, she could blame it on Kiama, say he told her, but what would be the point in that? She’s walked into it now. It’s time.

‘These ones,’ Kiama calls. ‘Can I get these shorts, please?’ He presses his hands against a display window, a white plastic mannequin in red board shorts stares back. ‘Please?’ he calls again.

A shadow of something creeps over Emma’s face, recognition. Could it be? Yvonne feels her neck become clammy under the white pashmina she bought to guard herself against the chill of air-con.

‘Babe,’ Emma says, ‘come here.’ She takes two steps and reaches up. ‘You’ve still got the price on.’ The paper tag snaps as she pulls it from the pashmina.

The muzak fills the space between them. Then Yvonne says, ‘I need to tell you something.’

Emma looks at her now, her green eyes glassy.

‘About Lewis.’

They stand like this, this close for what feels like a minute or two, but surely it’s only seconds, seconds in which Emma works everything out. She cocks her head to the side and starts to say something but stops.

‘About me,’ Yvonne adds.

Emma folds the paper tag several times in her hands.

‘I wanted to tell you before you left, but I, but we, well, we didn’t think it was anything. That it was serious. So we waited. And then, and now, I’m here and you should know.’

Emma takes a sharp step back. ‘I don’t get what you’re telling me.’

‘It’s him, Emma. I’m with Lewis.’

Emma shakes her head marginally and a little smile of disbelief flashes on her face. ‘You can’t be. That’s ridiculous. It’s too close. You can’t.’

‘I’m sorry, it just sort of happened. We bumped into each other last year.’

The colour drains from her cheeks. ‘Last year?’