I open the door to the roof terrace and step outside. It feels wintry tonight, despite the outdoor heater. As I sip my wine I think about the garden flat. According to the description on the website it has a dining kitchen. I start to imagine the Le Creuset pans we could buy and the big farmhouse-style table with a bench. And flowers, lots of flowers, peonies and hydrangeas which I’ll put in little jam jars and vintage milk jugs.

‘It’s lovely seeing you look so happy,’ says Connor, coming out to join me.

‘Well,’ I say, putting my glass down on the table. ‘It’s not just the US deal that has made me happy. I think I’ve found us a flat.’

‘What are you talking about?’ he says, his smile fading. ‘We’ve got a flat.’

‘No, we rent this place,’ I say. ‘It’s not ours. Anyway, when I was on my way back I saw a “For Sale” board outside that little house on Ingelow Road. You know, the one I’ve pointed out to you before, with the original iron railings?’

‘I think so,’ he says, his voice flat.

‘Well, the house is divided into apartments. The ground-floor garden flat is for sale. And guess what?’

‘What?’

‘It’s on at five hundred thousand,’ I cry, waiting for his eyes to light up. ‘I mean, that’s a total bargain for round here.’

‘That’s a huge sum of money, Vanessa,’ he says, shaking his head. ‘We’re in no position to buy a flat and certainly not anything that expensive.’

‘I did the sums and I think it’s doable if we make a low offer,’ I say, handing him my phone with the details of the flat on the screen. ‘Have a look at the photos. With our salaries combined we could get a mortgage and there’s the building society money that Mum left for me. She left it with strict instructions that I should use it to put towards “a home”. We could use that as a deposit. Plus, after today I reckon Anne will give me a pay rise when it comes under review next month.’

‘Slow down, Vanessa,’ he says, holding his hands up. ‘You’re getting overexcited. First of all, I want to continue saving for our deposit. The money your mother left is yours. I wouldn’t feel comfortable using it as a deposit. Plus, the repayments on a mortgage like that would be huge. We’d have no money for anything else.’

‘But it would be a home,’ I say, rubbing his arms. ‘I mean, this place is lovely but it’s tiny. We could really expand, have friends over for dinner, have a vegetable garden.’