I dropped my phone like it was burning my hand; as though I might accidentally type a message suggesting the world’s most romantic dinner while Betty was trying to explain why I shouldn’t. ‘Any advances on why it’s a bad idea?’

Faith opened her mouth to answer but Lily beat her to the punch. ‘Power dynamic.’

‘Absolutely not what she was thinking,’ Cora said.

‘No, no,’ Betty weighed in, ‘it was.’

‘Hello?’ I was holding my phone again by then. ‘Do I want to go for coffee or not?’

‘Yes!’ Faith, Cora, Lily and Betty answered like a chorus.

‘Molly?’ She turned to face me. ‘Do I have your approval?’

Molly came to stand behind me, then, and draped her arms around my shoulders. ‘No. But that doesn’t mean I don’t support you, and it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.’ She kissed the top of my head. ‘I’m just in an adjustment period with this whole thing.’

‘Well—’ Betty snatched the phone from me ‘—imagine how Edi must be feeling.’ Molly looked scorned, and when Betty didn’t apologise I wondered whether that had been her intention. ‘He’s offering coffee at four o’clock on a Saturday. I say go for it, but don’t suggest dinner, and definitely don’t ask him what his plans are for later.’

‘Why shouldn’t I ask …’ I petered out. ‘Do you know what? I won’t ask. It’s fine.’

The girls assembled to get me date-ready. And their bags of magic tricks had worked wonders because Jeremy’s eyes lit up when he saw me – like Lily, when she spots a buffet sign. I shifted awkwardly in my own skin while he looked me up and down. ‘Edi, right?’ He held out a hand, which I nervously took. ‘NiceGu— I mean …’ he laughed ‘… Jeremy.’

‘It’s so nice to meet you,’ I lied and flashed him my best toothy grin.

‘Great smile.’ He flashed his own and I felt like I’d started a competition in something. He held the door open to the coffee shop for me. ‘I have to say, I’m a little relieved that you are who you said you are.’ When he followed in behind me I found that I was unexpectedly self-conscious of my own arse. ‘You said you’re new to the online dating thing? But let me tell you, the number of women I’ve met who aren’t anything at all like their pictures is … shocking, genuinely shocking.’