‘What was your dad like?’

‘I wish I knew,’ he shakes his head. ‘I never met him. I don’t think Mum even knew who he was.’ He says it matter-of-factly, as if it’s of no consequence, but he doesn’t fool me. ‘Mum had so many useless boyfriends; they liked to knock her about – me too, if they could – so I had to toughen up. That’s when I started getting in trouble with the police, drinking, getting into fights . . . I ended up running away from home.’

I listened. Trying to imagine. My childhood had its share of tragedy, but we were always loved and kept safe.

‘She passed away just before Stanley was born. We’d made it up by then. She wasn’t a bad mum. She just made bad choices.’ He shrugs his shoulders. ‘But I made a promise to myself that it was never going to be like that when I had Stan.’

‘Your relationship with him is amazing.’

‘Thanks. He’s a great kid. I’m lucky.’

‘He’s lucky too,’ I say, and Ben smiles appreciatively.

The waiter returns with our entrées and our conversation turns to the chicken, which is tiny but mouth-watering, although the Parmesan Snow turns out to be slightly disappointing – it’s merely finely shaved Parmesan – which leads us to make up all kinds of silly weather-themed names for ingredients, like Parsley Frost, Tomato Rain and Breadcrumb Drizzle.

‘Actually that one’s pretty good,’ grins Ben, raising his glass of water to toast me.

‘I know, right?’ Chinking my glass against his, my laughter fades as I catch him studying me. ‘What?’ I frown. ‘Have I got food on me?’ I reach for my napkin to brush my mouth.

‘No,’ he says, shaking his head. ‘It’s nothing.’

‘Ah . . . now I know it’s definitely something.’

He smiles then, his eyes crinkling around the edges. ‘I was thinking about when we were teenagers. Who would’ve thought we’d be here now?’

‘Not me!’

‘Well, don’t say it like that.’ He looks offended.

‘No, I don’t mean—’ I break off, casting my mind back. Even now I can remember my feelings of inadequacy around him. ‘You know, I had such a crush on you,’ I confess.

‘A crush on me?’ He looks incredulous and I nod, embarrassed by my admission.

‘But you were so mean to me.’

‘Only because I liked you.’

‘You did?’

It’s the last thing I expect him to say and now it’s my turn to look astonished. He must have got me mixed up with Josie.

‘No, you liked my older sister – you were always flirting with her.’

‘Only because I wanted to get your attention, because I was intimidated by you.’

‘Intimidated by me?’

Seriously, I almost have to check it’s water in his wine glass.

‘You were so pretty and clever, and you had this air about you – everything I wasn’t.’ He pulls a face, then peers at me, creasing his forehead. ‘You didn’t know?’