I made a pact with myself after my disastrous lunch with David that I would put on a stoic face during this date. It’s not that I don’t trust Billy or don’t want to share things with him; it’s more that I need to be the old me tonight – to prove not only to myself but to David, too, that I am getting on with my life. I don’t need an intervention in the shape of my so-called real mother – I am going to get through all this grief and guilt on my own terms.

It would not have been fair of me to turn up and dump these latest woes on to Billy – he knows me as the girl who punctuates her sentences with laughter, the prankster who teaches the youngsters down at the stables how to bury the toes of their riding boots into the soft surface of the indoor school, then cartwheel right out of them. It’s that Genie he fancies, not the shadow of what Anna’s death has left behind.

‘Genie?’

I look up to find Billy right beside me.

‘Sorry – what?’

‘Your go.’ He gestures to the table. I have two balls left, he has three.

I line up the first shot, squinting along the cue until I’m happy with the angle.

‘Shit,’ Billy mutters, as the ball thunks into the corner pocket.

‘Aaargh!’ he adds, as the final yellow sails effortlessly in after it.

I only have one attempt at the black, but it’s all I need.

‘Victory!’ I declare, downing the remainder of my wine.

Billy suppresses a belch.

‘There I go again,’ he says with a smirk. ‘Being a proper gentleman and letting the lady win.’

‘Best of three?’ I ask, ignoring his comment, and Billy sighs.

‘Oh, go on then.’

I head to the bar for refills, ordering myself a shot of tequila, which I quickly slam while Billy’s back is turned. The alcohol is having the desired effect – my edges are beginning to feel fuzzy, and the awkwardness I felt when I arrived a few hours ago is slowly being extinguished. Perhaps I do fancy my friend the farrier after all? Maybe Anna was right.

My adoptive mother adored Billy. Whenever she and he happened to be at Mill House Stables at the same time, she would make a beeline for him, and I would often catch them talking about me. It was obvious from the way Anna giggled and looked over in my direction, and I knew what she was saying without needing to eavesdrop – she was telling Billy that he should persevere. That eventually, I would realise how great he was and fall madly in love with him.