‘The Hinge date,’ supplied Flora.

‘Yes, Ben was Alexa’s date,’ Jack explained. ‘But Ellen thinks she went out with him at school, but then he broke up with her. On MSN. But he doesn’t remember.’ The radio started playing from one of the small speakers in the corner of the office. ‘So then they had a big argument. Which was really awkward.’

‘Sounds messy,’ Deepti agreed. She reached down to pick Cody up. She flipped him on to his back so that she could cradle him like a baby.

‘Super-messy,’ Flora agreed.

‘Yes,’ Jack said, simply.

‘Well, anyway,’ Deepti said. She stood up, and put Cody back down on the floor. He walked towards his basket. ‘Now you’re a viral star, you should join us on social.’

‘Green Genie needs you,’ Flora said. She was grinning.

Jack held his breath. He couldn’t tell if they were joking. They were always teasing him, which he mostly didn’t mind. But this time he really hoped they weren’t. Except it couldn’t be as simple as all that, could it? They’d have to ask Bryan. And Bryan probably didn’t know anything about it, and probably didn’t really care that much. He opened his mouth and then closed it again.

Flora picked up her cereal bowl. ‘We should get down to some work, I suppose,’ she said, with a sigh. ‘Before the all-hands.’

‘Ditto,’ Deepti said. ‘Let’s all have lunch today, yes?’

‘Yes, please,’ Flora said.

Jack smiled shyly, but his heart sank. He’d missed his moment to say that, actually, what he wanted more than anything was to join them on social. Maybe it had been a joke. But he still should have said something.

Flora was at her desk now, but Deepti was only a few paces away.

‘Wait, Deepti?’ Jack said, quietly, but not so quietly she wouldn’t hear him.

She turned round.

He cleared his throat. ‘Did you mean it – about the social team?’

She looked surprised.

‘Because’ – Jack decided he had to say it all quickly, before he lost his nerve – ‘because, well, I would actually … well, I would like that. To join the social team, I mean,’ he finished, in a rush.

She stared at him, which Jack found rather unnerving, and then spoke gently. ‘OK, Jacko. Let’s try and make it happen. I’ll talk to Bry, OK?’

Bryan liked Deepti. They’d worked together previously at a company that sold subscriptions for coffee, which had given Bryan the idea for Green Genie, and when he’d set it up, he’d asked her to come work for him. Still, Jack wasn’t sure if Deepti was just saying that.

‘OK,’ Jack said. He smiled. ‘Thanks, Deepti.’

‘Any time, buster,’ she replied.

On Tuesday, Annie found out. She WhatsApped him.

Jacko!!! What are you doing all over the internet??