A huge roar of ‘Woooohoooo!’ rang out, and Clara practically hurled herself out of the door and into Jo’s arms. ‘Mammy says to say well done on writing a good story!’ Clara said earnestly and Jo revelled in pulling her tight and smelling her gorgeous apple-shampoo-scented hair.

‘I’m so very, very proud!’ her mum called, which prompted a chorus of ‘We knew it!’ ‘Delighted for you!’ ‘Right, who wants a glass of fizz?’ from the assembled masses.

To her utter joy, Jo found herself swept into the bosom of her beloved family, and the whole picture was complete when Paddy nonchalantly padded into the living room and jumped up to say hello, before curling at her feet in a contented lump.

Or at least she thought the picture was complete until a rather nervous Libby poked her head around the door and said, ‘Can I come in? Am I forgiven?’

‘Of course you can,’ Jo said, with a broad smile. ‘I know I should be cross, but how can I be all the same? Thank you so much for having courage for me when I didn’t have it for myself.’

Libby brushed away a few tears and smiled. ‘Thank goodness. And you are so very welcome. You deserve this. All of this.’

‘Right, my love,’ her mum said. ‘We want you to tell us all about everything.’

‘Especially about that Ewan McLachlan one,’ Mags chimed in. ‘I looked him up on that Google thing and my oh my. He’d have me thinking impure thoughts and then some.’

Jo laughed as she saw her mother raise her eyebrows at Mags before she gave a warning nod towards a blissfully ignorant Clara. Impure thoughts was not a conversation any of them wanted to have.

Mags raised her hands and mouthed ‘sorry’ before she said, at her normal volume, that she had only been telling the truth.

Jo coloured as she wondered what Mags would think if she told them all how he had kissed her.

‘It was… good,’ she said. ‘The weekend. I learned a lot. And we visited a few places for his research. He gave me some good guidance.’

He had also said he would read her work in the future, but she wasn’t sure at all if that offer still stood or even if she wanted it to.

‘Yes, never mind him. What about Graham Westbury? What did he say? What did Ewan say about it all?’ Libby asked, her face beaming with pride.

Jo plastered on the biggest smile she could and said, ‘I think his exact word was “Wow!” To be honest, I was on such a high, it’s all a bit hazy.’ She laughed, but she had been lying. None of it was hazy. She could remember it all too well. Every last detail.

‘I can’t believe he emailed you on a Sunday,’ Noah said. ‘I bet you weren’t expecting that this morning!’