‘Yes, for a summer. Do you live in Westerly too?’ I’m wondering if Soph’s invited any more of her friends along. I guess I’d hoped that it would just be us.

‘Actually, I’m only passing through on my way to the US.’

Douglas comes over and puts the drinks on the table.

He spots me and gives me a big hug.

‘Is Suzie here?’ I ask. ‘I’d love to meet her.’

‘No, Isla’s got swimming lessons tomorrow morning, and it’s complicated with logistics.’

‘Haven’t they finished for the holidays?’ asks Soph.

‘Must be the last one,’ he trails off. ‘So where’s the famous Miles?’

I turn towards the bar and point to him, only my hand drops when I notice Joel walking towards us carrying two drinks.

‘Tall guy?’ asks Douglas. He has to ask me twice because at first I don’t know what he’s talking about; I’d forgotten we were talking about Miles.

‘Yeah, that’s him.’

Joel puts the drinks down on the table.

‘Hello,’ he says to me, his tone just as cold as it was at Soph’s.

I watch him pass a drink to Verity and she puts a hand through one of the belt loops of his jeans. It’s like I’m eighteen all over again and I feel the blood rushing from my head. It suddenly all fits into place now; this is Joel’s girlfriend who was working abroad. She’s all tanned and beautiful and I feel even more foolish that I thought I ever had a chance with him all those years ago if these are the kind of girlfriends he has.

‘I thought you weren’t coming,’ I say, sitting back down, glad of the chair to support me. ‘Weren’t you supposed to be in the South of France?’

I wouldn’t have come if I’d known he was going to be here.

‘I was, but then Verity needed to fly back to the US, and she had the choice of stopping over in Paris or London.’

‘So we thought it would make sense for me to come to Joel instead. And when I heard that Douglas was in town and that Soph was organising a night out, I knew I’d made the right decision.’ She raises her drink in Soph’s direction and they clink glasses. ‘Although I did lobby for us to go to Bournemouth. This place is so quiet.’

‘It’s busy enough now that the tourists have started to arrive; Although it’ll be so much worse next month,’ says Brett.

Douglas pulls up a chair and leans across the table.

‘So, Edie. Has anyone told you yet about my idea?’

‘And what’s that?’

Joel sighs. ‘It’s a terrible idea.’

‘Douglas thinks we should play pub golf,’ says Soph.

I wrinkle my nose; I haven’t played that game in years.