I shook my head. ‘A couple of years ago. He told me soon after it happened. I told him we’d work through it, which we did.’

‘Edi, babes, why didn’t you tell us?’ Lily pulled me into a one-armed hug so she could be close but also search my face for an answer. I could feel the weight of Faith’s stare, too.

‘I didn’t want you to think badly of him.’

‘Oh, beautiful girl.’ She pulled me tighter then. ‘I have always thought badly of him.’

I spluttered a laugh into her chest before I righted myself to talk to them again. ‘But, I don’t know, now Patrick might be hanging around with this woman and – is it a coincidence?’

Lily guessed again. ‘Or has Rowan been hanging around with her, which is how Patrick ended up hanging around with …’

‘Exactly. I didn’t want to push Molly but did she say anything, to either of you, I mean? She mentioned the guys being all together but she didn’t say whether Rowan was one of the group she saw and now … Do I push this? Do I leave it, what?’

‘Edi …’ Faith rubbed at her forehead. ‘You know you deserve better than this.’

It wasn’t a question, I knew, but I tried to muster a nod all the same. ‘I think I thought it would be harder for him. Or maybe he’d at least see that meeting people and dating them isn’t exactly how he thought … Fuck it, I don’t know. I just thought he’d realise he had it good already.’

‘Textbook.’

Faith backhanded Lily’s arm. ‘Don’t bring your feminist textbook bullshit into this.’

‘Okay, but when this isn’t as raw as it is now, we’re going to have a serious discussion ab—’

‘Lily,’ I cut across her. ‘We can have a serious discussion whenever you want. As long as it isn’t right now.’ I felt tears prickling behind my eyes and I wondered whether she could see them, given the speed at which she backed down. ‘Fuck it, maybe I should drunk-dial Fred and booty call her or something.’

Lily laughed, but Faith was outraged. ‘You absolutely cannot do that.’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ I agreed, but I pushed away from Lily and pulled my phone out all the same. ‘I know I’m only doing what I’m berating Rowan for doing, yada yada.’

Faith snatched my phone. ‘I don’t give a hoot about Rowan.’ Lily snapped her fingers in agreement. ‘You can stroll right in there, meet a man and take him home if that’s going to ease some of this. But so help me, Edi Parcell, the first time you have sex with a woman is going to blow your fucking mind and I will not let you be drunk for it.’

None of us had noticed Betty filter out to meet us.

‘Oh.’