‘That’s brilliant news. And so lucky. How did you tell everyone at work?’

‘Oscar thought the best way would be to gather staff together one Monday morning and tell them the news in a short company meeting, to nip any office gossip in the bud.’

‘Had anyone suspected?’ I asked, thinking this sounded like the storyline from a Netflix drama.

‘Probably! It had to be one of the worst-kept secrets in the company, because no one seemed particularly shocked. It changed my relationship with most of my colleagues, though – I got invited out to lunch less, and I certainly wasn’t as popular on company socials as I once was. They probably thought I might tell Oscar who got pissed on their lunch break and who was the worst at bending their expenses! That’s why I joined this Baby Group: to make some new friends.’

She paused and looked at me. I saw a new vulnerability in Lucy. She seemed in need of validation. After a few seconds, she carried on: ‘But knowing I was having a healthy baby made up for everything. It felt like my greatest wish had been granted. Besides, I’ll be off on maternity leave soon and after that? Who knows.’

‘Do you think you’ll go back to Bright PR?’ I asked.

‘I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll become a stay-at-home mummy, and pursue my dream of writing a cookery book or starting a small business, or perhaps I could become a yoga instructor. I try to practise yoga as often as I can. I feel like the world has finally opened up for me. What about you? Will you keep working?’

‘Well, as a freelancer, it’s hard to stop completely. You worry that “out of sight is out of mind” and the commissions won’t come,’ I said, acutely aware that my life story wasn’t nearly as compelling as hers. ‘But I really love illustrating, so I’ll probably continue, if I can fit it around childcare. So, yes.’

We had both finished our croissants. Lucy dabbed at her plate, picking up the last crumbs with her index finger and putting them into her mouth as we moved onto the topic of baby-friendly days out in London, and the things we wouldn’t miss about work when on maternity leave.

Then Jason texted. He offered to take an extra-long lunch break to take me shopping – a token gesture, but since the breastfeeding class I had become obsessed with buying a bottle steriliser and a breast pump, so I took him up on it.

‘Where are you?’ he asked.

‘Gail’s, with Lucy,’ I replied. He suggested I walk home and he would meet me there shortly.

As I left the café, strolling out into the bright, fresh daylight, I felt buoyed by my chat with Lucy. It felt like we had both really opened up and I was happy to be making a genuine new friend in her. I hoped she and I would get to hang out together again. The fact that she had told me about her illicit relationship with her boss stayed with me. It sounded so thrilling and passionate. I wondered whether I would be capable of such a thing, but doubted it. She was certainly full of surprises.