Do NOT set any more dates up for me. Nothing’s confirmed re Xmas. I’ll let you know when I know.

At the new store opening then?

Just a matter of weeks away. She clearly wasn’t giving up. She never gave up. She wouldn’t give up until she was holding his first child. Or maybe his second – his second set of triplets.

That was the problem; she wasn’t giving up. He just needed to appease her. Or ignore her. So, he chose the latter.

Realizing he hadn’t finished his drink and grateful that the bar staff were now shuffling the off-tune singers outside he sat back down and resumed his contemplation of the whisky in front of him. At some point the staff would shuffle him out too, but for now he craved this brief peace and quiet, save for his mother’s infuriating but well-meaning texts and a muted conversation between the servers coming from a little room off to the side of the bar.

He could hear Paul, the guy who’d served him earlier say, ‘Hey, Vicki, are you OK to close up tonight? I promised Amanda I’d get home early. It’s our anniversary.’

‘Of course,’ a soft voice filtered through. ‘You helped me out by taking the early shift so I could teach my class, so I’m more than happy to hang around here for the stragglers. Sara said she’d stay on and help me clear up.’

Stragglers? Is that what he was now? Ollie looked around the bar at the three other solo drinkers – all male, all staring hopelessly into glasses of alcohol. He laughed to himself. Yeah, damned right he fitted that description; moving slowly. He didn’t want to hurry because the sooner he went home, the sooner tomorrow would arrive bringing with it all his problems.

‘So how did class go today?’ he heard Paul ask the owner of the soft voice. ‘Any more visits from the local cops?’

Police? Interesting. Ollie leaned forward to hear mystery woman’s answer.

‘Oh, that was all just a misunderstanding. Her brother gave her the iPad, Jasmine didn’t know it was stolen.’ A pause. ‘Um. By her brother.’ A rumble of soft laughter that sounded so free and bright had Ollie straining to see who the voice belonged to. It wasn’t the other woman who worked here because she was now collecting glasses from empty tables and her accent was Cockney through and through. This Vicki woman was from somewhere else. South-west maybe, a tiny hint of something he recognized from holidays down in Cornwall. Laughter threaded through her intonation. ‘We sorted it out. The police dropped the charges against her.’

‘So, one of the kids you’re teaching is harbouring stolen goods. Great. You really need to stay away from trouble like that, Vicki.’ Paul came back into the bar and started to wipe down the counter with a dishcloth.