‘I know what you’re thinking,’ he said, as he scrolled down the flights, ‘but I reckon if we do something like travel on the Saturday of the Easter weekend, that won’t be too popular, or we can look at half term if Easter is already too expensive.’

‘Where will we stay?’ I said.

‘Flights first, hotels later,’ he said. ‘C’mon, it’s pasta time for real, Grandma, and we’ll go on a boat to that island where they make the coloured glass. You love all that stuff!’

The sense of resolution I had felt on my walk home melted like snow.

*

Rosaria hadn’t been in touch for some time – we hadn’t seen each other properly since my birthday, in fact. But it was winter – it was so much easier just to hunker down at home – and now we were saving up for Venice. Matty had pointed out we could make back what our flights cost just by missing a few meals out. Put like that, it made sense to save as much as possible until our trip was out of the way.

One Monday, I got a text from her. Hey stranger, how about a drink this week, Weds or Thurs maybe? Long time no see. Xxx

Matty and I were on the sofa watching a cop drama. I replied to Rosaria. Yes sure great idea! Thurs better but I’d better check w Matty. Sorry been so busy, you know how it is. Xx

‘Who are you texting?’ Matty said.

‘Rosie,’ I said, putting my phone down and snuggling up to him. ‘She’s complaining she hasn’t seen me since my birthday.’

He put his arm round me, pulled me close, kissed the top of my head. ‘You do know she doesn’t like me all that much, don’t you?’

I sat up a little. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I dunno, she’s just always been a bit cool with me. Just not sure she gets me.’

As far as I knew, nothing could have been further from the truth – all those Marriage Material and He’s a Keeper jokes. If anything, I had been getting a little fed up of all the wedding-bell cracks.

‘No, really, I really don’t think so, you know. She thinks you’re great.’

On the television, two police officers, a man and a woman both in full black body armour, burst out of the back of a van waving giant guns and shouting, ‘Armed police!’

‘I am great.’ Matty took a swig from the beer bottle in his other hand. ‘She still doesn’t like me.’

There was an explosion of gunfire from the television – he had the sound on rather loud and I had to raise my voice over it. ‘No, honestly, I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick there. She’s never said anything.’