‘Hi! I’m Ruby.’ Did Nella have an actual clue who I was? ‘Melissa’s friend? Thanks so much for inviting—’

‘Now stop that immediately!’ Nella wagged a coral shellacked nail down the stairs at me. ‘Everyone else has been here for ages, of course – but there’s no need to apologise, really.’

Too late, I realised I hadn’t. ‘Um… so sorry.’ What could I say that she could possibly understand? ‘Been wrangling teenagers, you know…’ I gestured apologetically at myself, suddenly feeling horribly overdressed. ‘So I thought I’d glam up a bit—’

‘Glam up?’ Nella looked concerned. ‘Sorry, I’m lost—’

‘Need an A to Z?’ I grinned hopefully. ‘No, I just meant, you know, herding teens takes it out of you, doesn’t it? So I went for glamour.’

Nella’s polite face suggested she simply thought I was mad.

‘Don’t worry.’ Her elegant arm beckoned me up towards shapely shins, gleaming beneath moss-green velour pedal-pushers. ‘It’s all cold food, mainly, so nothing’s spoiled.’

‘Oh gosh, sorry.’ The familiar feeling sharpened. ‘I brought you these, for afters.’

I waved the shiny red packet of my corner shop’s finest chocolate: a safer bet than a cheap bottle of Pinot, I’d decided an hour ago – and expensive at £6.99 a box.

‘How lovely!’ Nella glanced at them. ‘You shouldn’t have, darling. Can’t do dairy or sugar at the moment, but the others will love them.’

‘Oh, I… sorry…’ I trailed off. ‘So, is, um, is Melissa here?’

‘She was early actually.’ Nella flicked her tawny blonde locks over the tanned shoulder peeping from a faded, retro T-shirt of a lion as majestic as her. ‘Along with that lovely headmaster of hers. But…’ She gazed over my head at the pavement. ‘Oh…’

‘What?’ The familiar metallic taste of loneliness flooded my mouth; one I’d begun to recognise these days.

‘Just… silly of me. On your own tonight, are you?’

‘Yes.’ Absolutely alone. I nodded stupidly, the cold hard grasp of shame arriving fast behind the pain. ‘Just me and my shadow, I’m afraid.’

‘Shadow?’ She peered over my head again, even more worried.

‘No I mean’ – Oh God – ‘my, like, actual shadow.’ I gestured at the ground beside me.

Was there even a shadow, though, at this time of evening?

Jonny would have known – but Jonny wasn’t here.

‘Well, that’s wonderful. Single pringle, eh?’

But I caught the expression following on the heels of Nella’s surprise. What was it this time: pity? Or maybe its uglier friend, suspicion.

‘Quick bite in the kitchen, then down to business, OK?’ Already turning in her elegant stilettos, she didn’t wait for my endorsement. ‘Come.’

Heart plummeting into my own second-hand shoes, I saw there was no way my vintage dress and jaunty scarf were cutting it here: land of Miuccia Prada and manuka honey.

Forlorn, I slipped the scarf into my pocket, feeling like a little girl caught dressing up by her mum. Nella was tall enough to be my parent, that was for sure.