‘This is serious. This is the big one. So, who’s brave enough to go first?’ Maisie said.

‘It’s not a case of brave enough, Maisie, it’s a case of mental enough,’ Rave said, and everyone turned to Mitch.

‘Count me in,’ he said.

She winked at him. ‘Good man.’ She placed the piece of chilli on a plate and handed it to him. She took off the glove and shook his hand. ‘Just in case. It’s been nice knowing you, Mitch.’

‘You too, Ms Bean.’ He gulped, cracked his fingers and stretched his neck.

‘You ready?’ Rave whispered.

‘I’m ready. Give us the glove, Ms Bean.’

She handed it to him and he put it on. Then he picked up the chilli and popped it into his mouth. The lads leaned in. Maisie crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that the chilli was a hot one. For a second or two he seemed perfectly fine. ‘Easy!’ Then his face went flaming red and he started to gasp. ‘Me lips! Me lips! I can’t feel me lips! Water, water!’ He was holding his mouth and running around the table, like his arse was on fire. The other boys thought it was hysterical. Dave was laughing so hard he was slapping himself.

‘Oh, no, seriously, me tongue! Oh, me tongue!’

Jeremy was crying with laughter.

No one else tried the chilli. They didn’t have to: Maisie had triumphed.

After that the boys sat around the table eating pizza, muffins, sweets and birthday cake, reliving every moment of the previous hour’s entertainment. Mitch couldn’t taste any of it, which made everything taste all the sweeter for his friends.

‘Best laugh ever,’ Dave said, as he was leaving.

‘Your ma is seriously cool,’ Rave said, and Mitch agreed.

That night Maisie tucked Valerie into bed. ‘Look, Ma’sie, it’s Rover the chair.’ She was showing Maisie her balloon animal.

‘Did ya like the Amazing Antony?’

‘No, but he was really nice.’

Maisie kissed her daughter goodnight and met her son in the hallway. ‘Did you have a nice birthday?’

‘Best birthday ever, Ma.’

‘Good.’ She sighed a happy sigh.

He walked to his room, and just before he went in, he said, ‘Best ma ever.’

She was so happy she felt like weeping. ‘You’d better not forget it.’

Maisie woke up on a tear-soaked pillow, thinking about that day. She got up, put on her dressing-gown and a pair of socks, instead of slippers, glanced in the mirror, tugged a brush through her unruly hair, and walked to the kitchen.

There, she found Tom with Valerie.

‘Morning, Maisie.’ Tom raised his mug of tea in a salute.

‘Oh, God! Sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know we had company.’ Thank God she’d brushed her hair. It was something.

‘We have some good news, Maisie.’ Tom was grinning.

‘You’ve found them?’ Hope flooded through her.