‘Haven’t seen sight nor light of him, but then, that’s Pete, isn’t it?’ Eddie mopped up some runny egg with black pudding before eating it.

‘Isn’t she cut up about the relationship ending though?’ Honestly, men, they could be so obtuse sometimes.

‘Yeah, well, I suppose she is, too, but you know…’

‘No, go on tell me.’

‘Well, when it’s over, it’s over, isn’t it?’

‘So, she’s not eager to get back together then?’

‘I… I’m not sure. I suppose so, I mean, look at the pair of them; it’s unlikely Pete’s going to find another Anya, isn’t it?’

‘He seemed to be crazy about her all right.’ Liv sipped her coffee, but still, she couldn’t imagine ending a relationship with someone and not feeling something more than just worry about their shared financial commitments – surely there had to be more to love than that.

‘I think he was a bit of a shit to her to be honest,’ Eddie said.

‘How do you mean?’ The comment caught her off guard. Okay, so she knew Pete could be hard to get to know, but he was a good bloke. Liv asked, mainly because it was so unlike Eddie to offer any information beyond the bare essentials.

‘Oh, I don’t know, apparently, he could be very possessive, not letting her meet up with friends, accusing her of seeing people behind his back.’

‘Well, apparently he had good cause,’ Liv said softly. ‘She was having a fling with someone else after all.’

‘You see, that’s it exactly. A girl like Anya, as soon as she talks to another bloke, it’s like she wants to fall into bed with them. It’s not right judging her just because she’s prettier than most.’

‘I don’t think Pete would ever do that,’ Liv murmured, but his words stung, as if he was admitting that Anya was so much more striking than anyone else.

But that was silly of her. Eddie loved her; what was she doing feeling jealous of Anya?

‘Humph,’ he said as he put his cup down. ‘Well, from what she said last night, it sounds as if he’s just being small-minded, going after the shop, throwing her out of the flat. It’s as if he’s trying to get back at her for something she didn’t do to begin with.’

‘I’m sure Pete has given her plenty of time to find somewhere else.’

‘It’s hardly a renters’ market out there at the moment,’ Eddie said. He was examining his fingers now, wrapped around the mug, as if he was thinking about something much more personal than the current housing crisis. ‘And so, you can see how she’d be in a bad way about the coffee shop?’ Eddie said.