‘I’m actually thinking about going freelance; getting out of the grind, taking on less clients, spending more time with the kids,’ Yvonne says, as Sarah and Jess nod. I join in for show. ‘They’ll have grown up before we know it,’ Yvonne continues. ‘And I’ll look back on these years knowing I missed most of it because I worked so much. I don’t want to feel that way.’

‘You have to follow your heart,’ Sarah says, offering nothing but a cliché.

‘I think it’s good to be a busy working mum,’ I say. ‘Sets a good example.’

‘I agree,’ Yvonne says. ‘But I feel distant from the kids. It makes me …’ She sets her glass down and puts her hand to her face. She is crying. The other women lay hands on her body, Jess leans in to hug her. I remain still.

‘You’re a fantastic mum,’ Jess says. ‘And Ruby’s right, it’s good that your kids see you as a working woman. Providing for your family.’

‘I know, I know. Sorry Ruby, I know this was supposed to be about you—’ blubs Yvonne, nodding and crying. ‘It’s just that when they run to Daddy, and don’t come to me with their problems, or when they hurt themselves … I’ll always blame it on the fact I don’t see them from Monday to Friday, you know? Rob picks them up every day. By the time I get home they are in bed. It’s not what I want anymore. I feel like I’m serving myself and failing my children.’

‘Then you must do what makes you happy. If you think you can do it freelance, then do it,’ says Sarah.

I’m quite surprised. I’ve not seen this side of Yvonne before. She always seems to have it so together these days. I’ve always been a little jealous, to be honest. We actually share the same feelings, in a way. Liam’s relationship with Bonnie is very upsetting for me. I never considered that my issues could apply to other women too.

‘Here’s to being a shit mum,’ I say, raising my Arnold Palmer. They all clink glasses with me, raising their bare arms into the air as our glasses touch. I think we are all happy to move on from that conversation. It has no real resolution. If you are a mother and you work, you will always probably feel like you’re letting your kids down in some way. We just need to live with that. I brush my feelings back under the table.

‘So Jess, how is all with you?’ I ask.

‘Oh, you know, my life is just one constant negotiation. Do I choose my husband’s happiness or my own needs?’

‘Explain?’ Yvonne urges.

‘Sex,’ Jess says. ‘Sex and marriage do not go hand in hand.’