‘Lucy, I’m about to do something really stupid,’ I said into my phone as I climbed out of the car and paced a hole in the pavement, two doors down from the pub.

‘Then don’t do it,’ she said through a yawn.

‘I’m on my way to meet Patrick.’

‘OK.’

I stood back to let a group of friends armed with bags of chips and unrestrained laughter jostle past. Mmm, chips.

‘You’re not going to tell me not to go?’ I asked.

I heard her take a deep breath in as she considered her response.

‘Ros, we all knew you were going to see him as soon as he messaged you,’ she said as kindly as she could. ‘And we both know you would have called Sumi if you wanted someone to tell you not to go.’

These were both excellent points.

‘Now tell me, do you look fabulous?’

I fanned myself with the skirt of my dress and checked myself out in the car window. ‘I look fine.’

‘Which is Ros for “I look drop-dead gorgeous”,’ Lucy replied. ‘So, get in there, show him what he missed out on then leave with your knickers on and your dignity intact. I’m deadly serious, go and meet him but if you even think about dropping trou, I will feel ripples in the force and send Sumi out after you. If he’s even considering trying to win you back, he has to earn you.’

‘It’s just a friendly drink,’ I said, wondering whether or not that was true. ‘I swear that by the time I go to sleep, it will be in my own bed and these knickers will not have left my person.’

She made a doubtful sound down the line.

‘Are they nice knickers?’

‘Yes,’ I admitted. ‘You go out, you put on a nice dress, you wear nice knickers. It’s just what you do. I wasn’t planning on anyone seeing them.’

Although it never hurt to be prepared, hadn’t they taught us that in Brownies? I wasn’t sure this was the situation Brown Owl had in mind when she told us that but, we were where we were.

‘Fine, fine, fine,’ she said with another yawn. ‘I’m going in for a scan first thing Monday morning, shall we get dinner Monday night? You can tell me all about Patrick and I’ll bore you with all the hideous baby details. Dave’s away all next week and I wouldn’t mind the company.’

‘I could come to the scan with you if you like,’ I offered, starting down the street towards the pub. I could do this. I was doing this. ‘I don’t have to be in the office until ten.’