‘What’s her problem?’ asks Amy as she leads the way into the Coffee Shop and waves to Lydia at the counter. ‘She always looks like she’s swallowed a glass of vinegar.’

‘She has difficulty in forgetting that I’m the handyman,’ Jack answers. ‘She finds it hard to treat me as an equal.’

‘Seriously?’ Amy stares at him. ‘What is she? Royalty or something?’

‘You have to remember that Max retired as a four-ring captain,’ Jack tells her. ‘That’s very senior. It’s uncomfortable for Judith to be like the rest of us after living for all those years at the top end of a hierarchy.’

‘Max doesn’t seem to have a problem with it,’ retorts Amy.

Jack smiles. ‘Max doesn’t have anything to prove. An Americano for me, if you’re getting them. Cold milk on the side. Thanks.’

He sits down, waves a greeting to a couple of cronies, and wonders if it was wise to invite Max and Judith to his party. It’s become complicated, now that Cara has become a friend, to maintain the delicate balance he’s managed so far with Max and Judith. Max understands the situation and is flexible, but now everything has changed. Jack wonders how Judith will react when Cara tells her that she’s been to the opera a couple of times with him. It’s not really Judith’s fault. She put her own career to one side to follow Max to his postings around the country and abroad, and she believes that her status is directly related to his. She’s been a naval wife and she’s used to a hierarchy that everyone within that special close-knit group understands and respects. But that was then and this is now – and it’s cold outside the services.

Jack feels a sympathy for Judith, which he knows would outrage her. He turns round as a dog jostles behind him, nudging his sleeve, and glances up at the dog’s owner. The young man is tall, dark-haired, and Jack knows with absolute certainty that this is Cosmo. This certainty is confirmed by the way the man is staring at Amy, who is chatting to Lydia and hasn’t seen him come in. His look is intense, expectant, and Jack draws a deep breath.

‘Hi,’ he says casually, putting out a hand to the dog, smiling up at the dark man. ‘We haven’t met yet but something tells me that you’re Cosmo.’