Penny guffawed. ‘Impossible,’ she said. ‘He didn’t ask me a single question, and I remember because I complained to Clementine about it on a voice note right after. He basically performed a one-man play for me and then I came inside. I think he just likes to feel important, is all.’

‘Hmmm,’ replied Charlie. ‘I just have a feeling, though.’

‘A feeling? That’s very helpful, thank you.’

‘Welcome.’

‘Okay,’ Penny continued. ‘I’m going upstairs to reconcile the accounts from the comfort of my sofa. You’re okay to lock up?’

‘You betcha,’ responded Charlie. ‘And Penny?’

Penny spun to look at her friend.

‘I’m glad you’re feeling perkier. It’s really nice to see.’

Penny!!!!! came his reply, popping up in the corner of her computer screen after she’d linked her MacBook to her iPhone apps. Penny looked at the clock. Seven minutes past eleven. Francesco would be getting out of service around about now.

Nothing else came, so Penny took the hint that it was her turn to say something. I just wanted to say hi, she typed back. Stuart said you’d been in Bridges.

Yeah, Francesco replied. I’ve been thinking about you is all. I didn’t know why you’d disappeared …

I’ve been thinking about you too, Penny said. She yawned. I’m going to bed now, she added, but talk soon, maybe?

For sure, said Francesco. I’ll call you?

Yeah, said Penny. If you do, I’ll pick up.

I’m really pleased you’ve made contact.

Yeah. Can we just … not even talk about why? I just wanna move forward. I don’t want to rehash everything.

Moving forward sounds like a great plan, he typed back. I think I know why, anyway. It’s okay. I’m glad you’re back.

Okay … she typed back. Well. Talk properly soon. Night xxx

Yeah! And sleep tight. I’m really pumped to hear from you Penny x

She closed her laptop and lay on the sofa, staring at the wall. He was going to call her. She was excited about that. And he’d seemed cool and breezy, happy to agree to simply move forward. That probably meant he thought he was off the hook, Penny reasoned, but exactly like Charlie had said, that didn’t matter. Penny didn’t need some big long conversation about what had happened, with a big grovelling apology that threatened to make her cry, she just wanted his dumb jokes back in her life. She tried not to read too much into his response. I think I know why, he’d said. That was almost an apology without anyone having to actually raise their issues. Close enough. Anyway. It didn’t matter now. Penny forgave him, because to do anything else just felt too heavy.

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