‘Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve had loads on at work.’

He adjusted his glasses, cleared his throat. ‘I just thought you’d want to know she was upset.’

‘Yeah, I do. Because of Mick, you reckon?’

‘Dude, she hasn’t told you what happened yesterday?’

‘We’ve only been in text contact. She mentioned you were there last night and you both got wasted.’

‘Yeah, that’s true.’ He smiled. ‘Two bottles – we ended up dancing in your backyard, dude, reciting poetry, laughing at ridiculous YouTube vids. But I meant during the day, when the kids were at school. When Mick … um, visited your house again?’

‘Oh that,’ I said. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I know.’ I gave him my poker face, nodded – breathe. Had Mick been at our house again, yesterday? Why hadn’t Sarah told me? Why did Zac know? Did he know that Biddy, Sarah and me had boned each other? Not from me.

The food arrived. Fucking yes. I held a dumpling between the chopsticks, dunked it in the soy sauce, bit … oh, yum, delicious.

Zac tucked a napkin into his shirt collar, put another on his lap. ‘Because she was drunk she ended up telling me quite a few things . Just about where she’s at, what’s going on with her.’

‘Oh yeah? What kind of things?’

Zac’s soup arrived, mine too, steaming.

‘Thanks.’

‘Yeah, thanks,’ he said.

‘So, what kind of things?’

‘Oh, you know, how she felt yesterday lunchtime after he came round … you know, and … Look, I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it when you see her.’

‘Yeah.’ I lifted a spoonful of soup, blew at it carefully, controlled my breathing, tried to. I was trapped in what felt like a drunken pantomime. Sarah was being dishonest about her love life – Oh no, she wasn’t! For two weeks, I’d been cheating on her with Biddy – Oh no, I hadn’t! Whatever happened to the simple life? It’s behind you!

‘So, she didn’t mention Mick in her text?’ Zac said, spoon at his mouth.

Heartbeat, breathe. ‘I was mainly just checking on the kids.’

‘Ah yeah. She said you really missed them the other night when you stayed at Biddy’s. Sarah’s a bit worried about you, says you’re under a lot of pressure.’

‘Yeah.’ I put the chopsticks down, sighed, rubbed my face, felt my age. What was Zac getting at? ‘The whole thing’s a logistical fucking nightmare, to be honest.’

‘You know I’m happy watching the kids, dude.’

‘I do, yeah.’ I blinked back … nothing, just some sweat. ‘That’s very kind.’

‘Well, it’s not kindness, actually. Being around a normal – you know, air quotes – family is good for me.’

I lifted another dumpling. ‘The kids are always asking when you’ll be there next. And you’ve been teaching them some Spanish, which is …’