Anna laughed. ‘Oh yes. It seems I’ve become an unwitting honorary member of dolphin patrol. Young Robbie is so enthusiastic, it’s hard not to get carried away too. And Robert’s easy company.’

Pat smiled. ‘It’s nice to see you getting along. All of you.’

‘Ahh, Pat,’ Anna warned. ‘Don’t.’

Her friend held up a hand. ‘I’m not stirring. Really I’m not. But honestly, you looked so good, the three of you, laughing and chatting as you went along. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Old Robbie smile so much. The two of you obviously get on. And now Liam’s no longer on the scene… it seems to me…’

Anna reached out and put a hand over Pat’s. ‘I know you mean well. But please, stop. Nothing’s going to happen between Robert MacKenzie and me. We’re friends, that’s all. Neither of us is looking for anything else, and it’d be great if you could let anyone you hear talking about it know that. You wouldn’t want what we do have spoiled by gossip, would you?’

Pat sighed. ‘Of course not. It seems a pity, that’s all.’

Anna ignored the very tiny pang in her heart that agreed. It was still a ridiculous notion for all the reasons she had put to Rhona weeks ago, not to mention the even bigger new reason that she’d spent most – all – of her time thinking about since she’d first spoken to Cathy. They’d been on and off the phone frequently since.

Anna thought that really, she had probably already decided before she’d even told Cathy. She was going to have a baby. A baby. It was absurd, surreal, terrifying and wonderful. The fact that she found herself thinking the latter more than the former had convinced Anna that not keeping it wasn’t an option she’d be able to live with. So there it was. However difficult it was, she was going to have a baby. A child, that would eventually turn into a delicious, exhausting, noisy whirlwind of activity like Young Robbie MacKenzie. Right now she didn’t even know where she’d be living when the baby arrived, but it was decided: Anna Campbell was going to bring a new person into the world. Absurd. Surreal. Terrifying. Wonderful.

How long should I carry on with the lunches? she wondered. If I serve shellfish, I’ll have to get someone else to taste it. Besides, I need somewhere proper to live, and I’m not made of money. I’m going to need an actual job that can support me and a child. Maybe it’d be better to stop now, put all my energy into that. Except that then I’d be disappointing this crazy woman who’s coming from God knows where to eat at Liam’s bench and paying Pat and Frank so she can…