‘No. And I think that when she shared her story, she’d have mentioned if her parents drove her away, rather than being groomed by that evil man.’ I took a drink. ‘Still, though. Is this a totally irresponsible thing to be doing? I could drop Joan off at holiday club tomorrow and just go, check it out first.’

‘And be back in time to pick her up and tell her that you broke your promise?’

‘Crap.’

Lesson learnt in basic parenting: don’t make a promise you’ll regret ten minutes later.

‘You really don’t have to come if you’d rather stay out of it. You weren’t stupid enough to promise.’

Sam looked at me steadily across the table. His eyes were like pools of caramel. Even in the midst of my anxiety, I felt that fizz of attraction that made me want to lean in and touch him.

‘While I think the safety risks are minimal, the emotional risk is another matter. You might appreciate a slightly more impartial head and steady pair of hands. I also find that people are more inclined to speak to a stranger knocking on the door if they’re a solicitor.’

‘Thank you.’ I hoped those simple words managed to convey how much it meant. The thought of Joan and I attempting this meeting by ourselves was terrifying. With Sam there, I could dare to hope it might turn out okay.

Of course, what would happen after that was a whole different story that I would try not to panic about until I needed to.

We agreed that forcing Joan to wait longer than necessary was going to drive us both bananas. Sam and I could switch some work things around and make time for a hare-brained trip the day after next, which was a Thursday.

‘Are you going to stay and watch Another Dog’s Adventure?’ Joan asked Sam, once we’d told her the decision. This was a big step forwards from her instinctive suspicions a few days ago.

‘Do you know what, if Ollie doesn’t mind, I might just do that. I loved the first one.’

‘A fan of Dog Adventures?’ I asked, not bothering to hide my amusement.

‘Obviously. What kind of monster wouldn’t be?’ Sam replied.

‘Urgh, will you two stop flirting so we can watch the film!’

We certainly could. I did need to stick my head in the fridge on the pretence of searching for snacks first, however.