‘I bet if this was a movie the emails would be magical and you’d be able to write back to yourself,’ says Layla, snapping me out of my thoughts.

‘What and offer past me advice?’

‘Uh-huh, although it could be dangerous. How does it go in the movies? With every little tweak to the timeline comes life-altering repercussions. You mention something you think is innocent to your past self and, next thing you know, one minute we’re sat here, the next we’ve disappeared. Can you imagine if you told yourself not to start at the company? You never would have met me as, without you on the interview panel, I probably wouldn’t have got the job.’

‘Don’t say that; the office wouldn’t be the same without you and we all know it. But imagine if I could change the past …’

I could tell past Edie not to let Mum drive the night she died. Or I could tell her not to pick up the phone when Mum rang. Or not to have got so drunk in the first place. Or not to have confronted Joel. There were so many things I could have done differently that night that would have stopped my parents from getting in that car accident.

I hadn’t realised that a tear had fallen down my cheek until Layla hands me a serviette.

‘Oh Edie, I wasn’t thinking. Of course, there’d be so much you’d want to change.’

I wipe my face, trying to stop the guilt taking hold.

‘It’s fine. It’s just all been a bit of a shock.’

Sue comes over and puts our plates in front of us and I’m grateful for the interruption.

‘You promise you’ll tell me when you get others?’

My mind boggles when I think of what else I’m going to get. There’s no doubt Joel will play a starring role in most of them. I’m not sure I want to be reminded of that crush in vivid detail.

‘Promise,’ I say, wondering if I mean it. I don’t know if I want to tell her about Joel because, after all these years, it still feels every bit as painful.

The chat with Layla at lunch allowed me to finally concentrate on my work for the rest of the afternoon. It’s only now that the office has started to thin out at the end of the day that my mind’s started to wander there again.

‘I’m off; don’t stay too late,’ says Dad, putting on his suit jacket and turning off his computer monitor.

‘I won’t.’ I rub at my eyes. ‘I was thinking of going soon. Did you want to grab dinner?’

He pauses and I notice that he’s a little flustered.

‘Actually, I’m um … meeting Julie tonight; she’s cooking me dinner so I um …’