‘Personally, I couldn’t give a hoot what you wear – I do know you’re not supposed to wear perfume or cologne for wine tasting though. Something about interfering smells. Oh, and pack your bathing suit because fifteen minutes away is Surfers Point, and this says we can admire the deep-blue might and majesty of the Indian Ocean.’ He did a posh voice to say that, like a butler announcing dinner.

‘I still can’t believe we’re here,’ I said, for what must have been an annoying millionth time.

‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it? They must have really liked you to make sure you still came all this way.’

I’d texted Fernanda as we’d waited for breakfast, sending a photo of the beach yesterday and telling her ‘thank you’ didn’t seem enough. I almost couldn’t think about it too much, that they’d insisted I come, because the kindness of it was overwhelming.

Patrick stood up and stretched dramatically, and my eyes automatically fell to his waistband and the tiny tuft of hair running from his belly button down to …

He saw me looking and wrapped his gown around him, hurriedly. I forced my eyes back up to his face as if my gaze had lingered there purely by chance, which … it had, hadn’t it? He was a man, standing in front of me in his underwear. I’d forgotten myself for a second, that was all.

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘They did like me. Do? I don’t know if I have to talk about them in the past tense because they’re no longer my in-laws, or if I get to stay in touch forever, which, obviously I’d like. Especially after all this.’

‘You don’t have to figure that all out just now,’ he soothed. He put the pamphlet he’d been reading on the coffee table and began to head for his room.

‘I really liked his mum,’ I said, getting up myself. ‘People joke about hating their mothers-in-law, don’t they, but I liked her. I liked spending time with her. His dad was a bit iffy, but mostly because he was just really old. Eighty-something. Second marriage for him. She dotes on him though, even if she is more of a carer than a wife, I think.’

He stopped and turned. ‘I guess that’s what you sign up for in marriage.’

‘’Til death do us part can feel a long time when you’re with somebody like that though,’ I said, before a hand flew up to my mouth. ‘I didn’t mean that,’ I explained. ‘Oh, that was an awful thing to say. Especially after they’ve been so wonderful! God, please don’t think I really think that. I don’t know where that came from!’

‘It’s okay,’ Patrick insisted. ‘I knew what you meant.’ He looked at me, taking in what was surely a look of horror. ‘Seriously.’