It’s also entirely possible that Kat has since forgotten about inviting her mum to the salon. From the moment she saw Beth’s face on that MyNeighbour post, she’s wiped everything else from her mind.

‘Before we meet up with the others,’ her mum continues, filling the silence, still trying to jog Kat’s memory.

‘The others?’ Kat asks, her heart starting to thud a little quicker.

‘Javier and the girls; and Alex is coming too this year. It’s our family Christmas outing, remember? We’ve come up to London because you’re working right through the Christmas period and can’t come home? Although why your boss is so keen to keep a dog grooming salon open over Christmas is beyond me.’ While her mum shakes her head, Kat prays that Sally can’t hear the conversation going on in reception, the fake excuse she gave to dodge another excruciating Christmas Day with Javier and his 92-year-old mother (who is both an outstanding advert for the Mediterranean diet and a cantankerous old cow). Luckily Sally is in the back room. One of her oldest clients, a majestic Afghan hound, is currently in for a groom, so the two of them have swapped places for the last hour of the day. ‘I can’t believe you forgot,’ her mum goes on. ‘I booked the tickets ages ago and emailed you the link.’

Kat blinks. It’s like her mum is talking another language. ‘What link?’

‘Pantoland at the Palladium. And the reviews are brilliant so it should be really fun. Don’t you remember anything?’ she adds with an exasperated sigh.

Kat pauses for a moment as a faint alarm bell rings in some faraway corner of her mind. ‘That’s tonight?’ she says, not looking for an answer – it’s clearly tonight – but playing for time. Needing a moment to work out what to do. Last night Beth accepted her offer to walk Luna this evening, and after the progress she made in Beth’s kitchen, she can’t miss the chance to visit again. Especially with Simon still out of the country. But her mum has travelled all the way to South West London to collect her. How can she get out of their trip to the West End now? ‘I’m sorry, Mum,’ she starts. ‘I’ve made plans tonight.’

‘I know.’ Linda’s voice hardens as her patience wanes. ‘A theatre trip with your family.’

‘No, I mean plans here, in Wandsworth, plans I can’t cancel.’ Kat adds a level of gravitas to her tone, hoping that it conveys the importance of the event she’s committed to, without her having to actually explain it. ‘I can show you around the salon before you go,’ she adds hopefully. ‘Introduce you to my boss, Sally.’