Their first home-cooked meal together in the new house was Pabellón Criollo, after living off Chinese food from the takeaway around the corner for the first few days after moving. Lisa made the Venezuelan dish especially for Jasmine, knowing it was her favourite, and the aroma of spicy beef filled the house, invoking childhood memories.

The dining table in the kitchen still had flecks of paint and pen stains from Jasmine’s many school projects and artistic endeavours over the years, spending Sunday afternoons with Lisa painting by numbers or making quilled jewellery. Frank’s idea of father-daughter bonding was taking her on fishing weekends in Wales, making her watch as he caught, gutted and cooked fish from the River Dee. As Jasmine had grown, however, she and her parents had spent less and less time doing these things together.

As Jasmine finished off her second plate of Pabellón Criollo, Tim appeared at the doors to the guest house. She had her back to the outside but she noticed the expression on her mother’s face change to a smile, and her cheeks flush ever so slightly. Anyone who didn’t know her mother like Jasmine did wouldn’t think anything of it and it was clear Frank was oblivious as he carried on eating, totally focused on the food. She carefully turned her head to watch as Tim crossed the garden towards the house, then she turned and looked at her mother who quickly changed her expression when she caught Jasmine’s eye. It was too late, though. Jasmine knew that her mother liked him. The uneasiness Jasmine had been feeling since Tim’s arrival felt justified in that moment. It was Lisa who had convinced Frank that they needed a lodger, and it was Lisa who had suggested Tim.

‘Sorry to bother you while you’re having dinner. I just wondered if I could borrow a pan to heat some soup up in. I’ll go shopping in the morning and grab one of my own. I didn’t think about it earlier.’

‘Don’t be silly, why don’t you have dinner with us? Welcome you into the fold and all that. I’ve made some spicy South American food.’

‘I’m sure he just wants to settle in for now. Don’t badger him,’ Frank said.

‘Nonsense, we have plenty of food. Come and sit, Tim.’

‘It smells delicious, Lisa, thank you,’ Tim said.

Tim came and sat at the table at Lisa’s insistence, and she served him the last of the Pabellón Criollo, which Jasmine resented a little, even though she had already had seconds. Jasmine tried not to stare at him, but there really was something about him that set her teeth on edge. For the most part he continued to ignore her.