‘Hi, I’m Beth Packard,’ she says. ‘I have an appointment for a dog groom.’ Her voice is smooth and confident, posher than Kat remembers, and Sally is lulled by it for a moment before narrowing her eyes slightly. She’s recognised Beth, Kat realises, but can’t place her yet. Kat waits for the right memory to click into place. As it does, Sally’s eyes widen again.

‘You’re the lady who found that poor man, aren’t you?’ she says, awestruck. ‘The homeless man who was squatting in the old Delphine’s? I read about it on MyNeighbour. It was truly amazing, what you did.’

‘Oh, thank you so much,’ Beth says with a warm smile. ‘My friend posted it on there. Do I just leave Luna with you? It’s her first groom, I’m embarrassed to say.’

It’s the exact response Kat would have expected from her – deflecting the compliment – and the years seem to tumble away. She hasn’t forgotten the trauma that ended their friendship, of course she hasn’t, but she does think, after all this time, that maybe she deserves a second chance.

‘No need to be embarrassed,’ Sally assures Beth, slipping out from behind the desk. ‘Luna’s gorgeous, and she’ll look even better after a bath and a trim.’ She leans down, a treat in each hand, and deftly ingratiates herself into Luna’s life.

Kat feels rejected when Beth closes the door behind her, which is ridiculous. Sally is handing her the lead to Beth’s dog, which is the best way into Beth’s life. Everything is working perfectly, and she should be euphoric. She does Luna’s groom on autopilot, coaxing her into the bath with a couple of treats (washing always comes before trimming to avoid grit damaging the clippers) and letting her inspect the hairdryer before turning it on. Being quick with her nail trim and firm with her ear clean and teeth brushing. She wants to be more loving, to create a special bond with Beth’s dog, but she’s too distracted. Her hands are doing an adequate job, acting on the muscle memory that she’s developed from the hundreds of grooms she’s performed over the years, but her mind is elsewhere.

When she gets to the trim, she tries to be more focused. She wants Beth to be pleased with the finished result, grateful, and Kat imagines that she’s got high standards. Cockapoos can have a wide range of coat types, from the tight curls of a poodle to the silky straight fur of a cocker spaniel. With her loose waves, Luna sits in the centre of that spectrum – a perfect specimen – and Kat needs her coat to be short enough to avoid matting, but long enough to preserve her cuteness. She chooses a grade 12 on her clippers, straps Luna comfortably on the grooming bed and sets to work.