‘I guess it’s not the most exciting date anyone’s ever taken you on.’

‘When the weather’s like this, I can’t think of anything nicer,’ I reply. ‘And Bear is at his happiest when he’s walking.’

‘How about you? What makes you happy?’

The question rattles me. Happy has seemed absurdly ambitious for so long, after Andrew’s death sucked the colour out of everything. But that’s not something you mention five minutes into a date.

‘Um. OK. Happy? Bear makes me happy. Spending time with my niece and nephew. My parents, even though they annoy me. And making art, too. I take the piss out of my job, because I mostly draw stuff to sell other people’s products, which isn’t quite what I dreamed of when I was a student. But I’ve got a new commission that I’m working on and there’ve been times when I’ve been so absorbed in it that time totally flies.’

‘I get that, sometimes. When I’m setting up for a festival. Or at an incredible gig. It’s a good feeling.’

‘Yeah, I’d forgotten how good. I didn’t have it for a long time after my husband died.’ It might be dating suicide to bring Andrew into it, yet I don’t feel awkward. When I’m with Dan, I don’t want to pretend.

‘I’m sorry, Gemma. Had you been together a long time?’

‘No. Less than four years. So we never had time to annoy each other, or to turn into one of those joined-at-the-hip couples. But still, losing him made me lose bits of myself. It’s only very recently that I’ve started to remember who I am – what I like about life.’

Very recently. Only in the last eight days, since I ran into you.

Dan gazes at me intensely. ‘I’ve known people who’ve fallen apart when they lost their partner. You must be a very strong person.’

Bear barks at a boxer dog on the other side of the road. ‘Having him around really helped. When you’ve got someone – or something – in your life that depends on you, falling apart doesn’t seem like an option.’ I’ve had enough of talking about myself now. ‘How about you? Have you had your heart broken or are you usually the one who does the breaking?’

‘A bit of both. Though mostly I try to avoid either. Keep things light.’

Right. Like I’ve just been doing, telling him about my grief. The problem is, now I can’t think of any topic that doesn’t involve death or heartbreak.

He notices my silence. ‘But it’s different with you.’

‘Sorry.’

‘No. It’s good different. You make me want to tell you what’s going on up here.’ Dan taps his head.

‘Happens to me all the time. I’ve got one of those faces.’

‘It’s a beautiful face.’

I catch my breath. ‘A kind one, people say. Whereas your face stops traffic. You do know you’re very good-looking?’

Dan frowns, like he’s going to disagree. Then he laughs. ‘It’s the luck of the draw, isn’t it? Sperm meets egg. The ultimate lottery.’