‘No, you were right,’ I told him. ‘And I’ve done it to myself, it’s no one’s fault but my own. You should be a psychologist or something.’

‘Can I use you as a reference?’ he asked. ‘I’m hoping to finish my masters by the end of next year and it’s not going to be easy to find clients.’

I spluttered into my cup, spraying champagne all over myself. Still too soon. ‘That’s what you do? You’re a psychologist?’

He nodded. ‘Almost. I figured I’d spent enough money on therapy over the last twenty years, it would actually work out cheaper if I went back to school and learned about this stuff myself,’ he said. ‘Working out why people do the things that they do is the most fascinating subject to me.’

Stuffing a macaron in my mouth, I carried on staring at him with wide eyes. Better to fill my mouth with food than words when I had no idea what to say.

‘The idea that I might actually be able to help someone somewhere down the line is kind of appealing as well,’ he added. ‘Gotta try to work on that karmic balance, you know?’

‘Not the job I would have guessed,’ I admitted. ‘But I like it for you.’

‘What would you have guessed?’

‘Racing car driver, super spy, or international playboy.’

‘I will keep those in mind if the psychology thing doesn’t pan out,’ he replied. ‘I do have a lot of frequent flyer miles to use.’

‘What did you do before this?’ I asked. ‘Before you went back to school, I mean.’

‘Uh, I was a …’ He stopped, reset and started again. ‘I worked for my dad’s company.’

‘Doing what?’

He leaned across the tray, picked up a brownie, and ate the whole thing in one bite. I sat, quietly waiting, while he chewed.

‘It didn’t bring out the best in me,’ he said, washing down the mouthful with a sip of champagne. ‘Took me far too long to realize the job was turning me into someone I didn’t like very much.’

‘Who?’

‘My dad.’

He paused, scratched his chin, then sighed heavily. ‘He’s the American dream, according to most people. Started out with nothing, worked his way up, built an empire, and now he wants to know he can leave it in safe hands. But it’s complicated. I don’t think my hands are the safest.’

‘You don’t want the same things he wants?’ I guessed.