To her relief, Colin’s face cleared and he laughed. ‘So glad you didn’t. I’ve been at it for a couple of months now and it’s really depressing when someone doesn’t show up.’

The silence that followed was more relaxed, at least.

She began again. ‘So, you’re a radiologist. That must be interesting work.’ In her head she heard Peggy giggle at her awkward efforts and had to suppress a smile. ‘Just talk about them, Mum,’ had been her exhortation.

Colin was nodding. ‘It’s been a good career. Stressful at times but, yes, I love it.’ He stopped abruptly. Sara waited for him to go on, but when he did, his tone had changed. ‘I really thought I had life sorted, Sara. A beautiful family, two wonderful kids …’ She saw him swallowing hard, thought he might be about to cry, and held her breath. ‘Then last year, Lyddie, my wife of thirty years, just upped and left me.’

Sara looked suitably horrified, although Colin wasn’t looking at her, just staring fixedly into the depths of his Pinot.

‘Ran off with our neighbour, Barry. The barbecue king. Every summer Saturday he worked his magic with those burgers. Seven years he was at it with my wife.’

Although she winced at his obvious hurt, she couldn’t help feeling a strong desire to laugh at the image Colin conjured up. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she managed, straight-faced.

Colin’s eyes – still not focusing on her – seemed to spark up. ‘He had this heavy meat-press thing,’ he said, ‘which made these perfectly round, flat burgers.’ He mimed with his two hands. ‘We’d have a beer as he cooked, gas away while the girls did the salads indoors. It was a great ritual. One I really looked forward to.’ A yearning sigh escaped him.

It was clear Colin was stuck so firmly in his past that even if she had found him attractive – which she certainly did not – there would have been no manoeuvring round Barry and his burger press.

On and on Colin went, detailing every ounce of the hurt he’d endured, a litany of betrayals that was painful to hear. ‘And listen to this …’ he kept repeating, before announcing some other outrage.

For a while longer, Sara did try to listen. But as soon as she saw a gap in the diatribe, she took her chance. ‘Umm, sorry, Colin. I’ve got an early work thing tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I probably should be getting home.’

Startled out of his monologue, he nodded glumly. ‘I’ve done it again, haven’t I? Sorry. Can’t seem to help myself.’

Unable to refute this with any honesty, she said, ‘Maybe it’s too soon for you to be thinking of dating. You still seem very raw about what happened.’

He stared blankly at her for a second. ‘Barry was my friend, you see,’ he said softly. ‘It’s him I miss, as much as Lyddie.’