Greg understood. ‘Do you have time for a coffee? There’s this nice little place just down the road. We can discuss the interviews for the bursary if you like, go over our questions.’

‘A coffee would be great,’ said Kate and Greg took her to a small Italian coffee house with scarlet geraniums spilling out of the window boxes. They ordered two cappuccinos and sat at a small wooden table outside.

‘I’ve drafted up a few questions,’ said Greg, ‘but if you want to ditch or change any, that’s fine. Also, of course, add your own.’

‘I’ve never interviewed anyone in my life,’ said Kate, smiling self-consciously.

‘You’re going to be just fine,’ said Greg. ‘I was looking at dates. Would you be free to interview on the tenth of August?’

‘I’m not sure,’ said Kate. ‘It’s my birthday. I think Tim might be planning something.’

‘OK . . .’ Greg pulled out his phone, tapped on the screen. ‘The following Tuesday?’

‘Works for me.’

‘Good. Then, assuming we find someone successful, I’ve been speaking to our HR manager and she’s suggested starting the scheme early September. I was thinking of doing a small event, at the office. Get a photo of you and the winning candidate. I think it would be good to publicize the scheme for next year.’

‘Sounds great.’

Greg took a sip of his coffee. ‘So . . . it’s been a while. What have you been up to?’

‘Oh, you know, work, the usual.’

‘How did your trip go?’

‘Trip?’

‘France.’

‘Oh, yes!’ Damn, she thought. She didn’t really want to talk about it. ‘Fine. Short.’

‘Short?’

‘It was only a day.’

‘Oh. I thought you said it was a break?’

‘It was. A short one.’

‘Sounds very mysterious.’

‘Not really. Just fancied a change from my routine. You know.’ He was looking at her and she knew he didn’t believe what she was saying. There was a momentary awkwardness as she braced herself for more questions, then Greg smiled, breaking the tension.

‘I’m going myself in a couple of months. Lille.’

‘Oh, yes?’

‘My son lives there.’

‘You have a son?’ said Kate, surprised.

‘Yes. He’s just got a job for a French transport company. Graduated in French and computing. It’ll be my first visit.’

‘What’s his name?’

‘Matthew.’

‘Do you get on?’

Greg laughed. ‘Mostly. Now he’s left his teenage years behind.’

Kate winced sympathetically. ‘They’re hard, aren’t they?’

‘Always trying to defy you.’

‘Never tell you anything.’

‘Or if they do, fifty per cent of it isn’t true. I’ll never forget when I found cigarettes in Matthew’s school bag. Confronted him about it, and he tells me they’re his mates. He’s “looking after them” so his friend “doesn’t get into trouble with his mum.”’

Kate laughed. ‘It’s like they think we were born yesterday. I remember Becky coming home from school once with her skirt hitched up to mid-thigh. Tells me there’d been an announcement in assembly that morning. If you walked to school rather than have your parents drive you, you were allowed to shorten your skirt, as it was less restrictive for moving around.’