‘Er, yeah, sure, I can take the keys to Julie.’ It might be a little awkward since I’ve never met her before.

‘You haven’t got your car and you’re not insured on mine. No, I mean, you do the talk instead of me.’

‘Oh, that’s a great idea!’ Claudia chips in, her face lighting up. ‘In fact, not to be rude, Gary, but we’re always looking at ways for the kids to become more aware of gender equality. And who better to speak to the kids than a young, female CEO like Edie. I’m sure it would be incredibly inspiring.’

‘But I haven’t got a speech prepared,’ I stutter.

‘You don’t need one, it’s all going to be very relaxed.’

‘It’s not only about being unprepared …’ I try and think of a reason that sounds less pathetic than admitting that I’m scared of talking to a class of children. I wipe my clammy hands on my jeans.

‘Couldn’t Julie get a taxi to work, or Layla could do the talk instead?’

‘Please,’ says Layla. ‘Your job title is way more impressive than mine; besides, I’ve got that meeting.’

My heart starts to race.

‘It’s just a story and a Q&A, and I’ll guide you through it.’ Claudia’s using a gentle voice like I imagine she uses when she’s trying to reassure the children.

‘You’ve got this, Edie,’ says Dad, squeezing my shoulder before he hurries off to rescue Julie. The irony isn’t lost on me that I came to spend more time with him, and I’ve ended up covering for him whilst he goes off to her, again.

As I enter the room, the sight of thirty plus excited seven-year-olds sitting cross-legged on a square of carpet is even more terrifying than I could have imagined. Beads of sweat start to form on my forehead and my mouth goes dry.

I follow Claudia with shaky legs, wishing I had her air of confidence as she strides across the classroom. She’s every bit the cool teacher I would have loved to have had as a kid, with her tight corkscrew curls that frame her face, and dressed in a mustard-coloured turtleneck with a black dungaree dress and stripy tights.

She claps her hands together and the noise level starts to fall until there’s silence.

‘Right then, raise your hand if you like pens.’ Nearly every hand shoots up. ‘OK, what about notebooks? And pencils? And chocolate biscuits? Well, that’s what Edie’s company sells to different offices. Now you’re going to hear all about it.’

Despite my nerves I manage to make it through the introduction to my job and the story without incident, with the children still more or less concentrating.