‘Only so he can try and sell it while the sun’s out,’ she told me. ‘He wants cash in the bank now he’s depleted his savings by buying his new leg.’

I wasn’t sure she should be divulging Sam’s plans and financial position, but that was Hope all over. Her enthusiasm often ran away with her and this latest lapse was a timely reminder that it might be a good idea for me to stick around, if Sam was willing, so I could, if necessary, temper her passion to get things between him and Joe settled.

‘But as you’re in already,’ she rushed on, ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t turf you out.’

‘Well . . .’

‘But could you take more time?’ she asked, her eyes wide, as she flitted from one thought to another faster than a fairy could fly. ‘You must have a job you need to get back to? We’ve never talked about that, have we?’

‘No,’ I said, ‘we haven’t.’

I had already decided that I was leaving the firm but, with savings in the bank, affordability wasn’t currently an issue. It was a nice position to be in, but I didn’t know how to explain it for fear of coming across as big-headed.

‘And I do have a job,’ I told her, ‘but I could probably wrangle a little more time away from it.’ She began to squeal even before I had finished the sentence. ‘But only if Sam agrees to me staying on, of course.’

‘I’ll talk him round,’ she grinned, clapping her hands together, ‘but I know he won’t say no.’

She sounded very sure about that. Perhaps they were so in love that he would give her anything she asked for.

‘And now we have a bit more time to play with,’ she said as if it was all a fait accompli, as her eyes darted back to her clipboard, ‘we needn’t worry about how we’re going to sort the guys out just yet. We can come up with devising the perfect plan after tonight.’

The fact that ‘we’ were now sorting them out as opposed to Hope flying solo wasn’t lost on me and I hoped George wouldn’t find out about my involvement and, in light of their former requests for me to steer clear, I hoped Sam and Joe wouldn’t suss it all out too soon either.

‘Let’s just focus on the party for now,’ said Hope, sounding much more business-like. ‘And finding someone to help us hang this bunting.’

*

With the bunting eventually untangled and hung, everyone agreed that it looked so good it could stay in situ until the autumn, and we set about arranging the finishing touches which we hoped would make the evening one to remember.