Her good nature did seem to return once they’d begun because there was something about singing that was especially good for the heart, and they finished in time for Lily to get ready to go to work. Only two more shifts, she said to herself. The awkwardness between her and Isaac would surely be forgotten by the time she got back.

She turned up on time, as always. Tina still wasn’t at work and Lily was on with Vita and Isaac. ‘The dining area’s booked out tonight,’ he greeted her. ‘Lorna cleared the tables and replenished the dumbwaiter before she left at lunchtime, but can you check the bookings and put out reserved notices?’

‘Will do.’ Lily shot off and the first half of the evening hurried by in a whirl of serving drinks and clearing tables. Gabe was perched on a bar stool chatting to everyone he knew – which was most people. The men from the garage and their wives had taken over a corner table. Ratty, the garage owner, sat with his arm around his wife, Tess, playing with a lock of her long strawberry-blonde hair. Jos, the quiet one, held hands with his wife Miranda, who had new glasses in navy blue. Pete and Angel, both fair-haired, cracked jokes and made the others laugh.

The blokey blokes were monopolising the dartboard, as usual, all sporting the shaven-head-and-stubbled-face look. Lily had understood from Janice that the blokey blokes had been a bit of a hazard for female bar staff in the past but of late they’d mellowed and, happily, were nothing like the red-faced abusive darts player of a few weeks ago.

The whole time, Lily was aware of Isaac just along the bar from her.

By nine thirty the rush had slowed and Lily served Carola a glass of white wine. ‘You OK?’ she asked as she pushed the glass across the bar to her landlady and friend. ‘No Owen tonight?’

Carola jutted out her bottom lip. ‘Haven’t heard from him for a few days.’

‘Oh. That’s not like him.’ Lily took Carola’s money and rang it up.

Carola gazed down into her wine. ‘He’s blanking me.’

Lily stared in surprise. ‘But you two are crackers about each other! Maybe there’s a reason for him not to be in touch – maybe something’s happened to his mum or he’s ill?’

‘Too ill to answer a text?’ Carola looked woebegone.

It was hard to know how to answer that because someone would indeed have to be really ill not to answer a text. Lily was thinking of something comforting to say when the door opened and Zinnia strode in, hair flying. Diverted for a moment, Lily beamed at her sister. ‘I didn’t expect you tonight.’