‘Come on you,’ I say to Mina, taking her tiny chubby hand in mine as we walk out of the gate and onto the main road into the village. We haven’t got far when ahead of us someone waves, and as we get closer, I see that Tara is waiting on the corner for us, with the baby and her eldest, a boy whose name I can’t remember. Mina starts to race ahead to catch up with them and I shove away the exhaustion that seeps into my bones, pushing a little speed into my stride.

‘Allie! How are you this morning? You look great.’ Tara leans in to kiss me on my cheek and I resist the urge to pull away.

‘Really?’ Last time I looked in the mirror I wouldn’t have said I looked great. Fat, tired, with dark circles around my eyes and if my hair wasn’t so blonde, at least an inch of grey roots.

‘Really. It suits you, how you’ve let your hair grow out.’ I lift my hand to my head, smoothing down my hair as I wonder how to respond, but she is already talking again. ‘How is this little chap? Sorry, I’ve forgotten his name. Baby brain sticks even after they’re born, you know.’ Her cheeks flush and realizing I never told her his name, I open my mouth, but the word sticks in my throat for a moment.

‘Leo,’ Mina shouts. ‘His name is Leo, Leo, Leo the Lion.’ She twirls on the spot, making her summer skirt whoosh out around her in a circle. Tara turns to start the short walk to the preschool, and I realize that she was waiting so we could all walk together.

‘So,’ she says as Mina and her boy, James, walk ahead, holding hands. ‘You still on for the baby and toddler group? It’s on Friday so a nice way to end the week.’

‘Mina still has preschool on Friday.’

‘That’s fine. Just bring the baby. We have coffee and biscuits and complain about how tired we are.’ She laughs, seemingly unbothered but there is a hint of a rough edge to it. ‘Then usually, Karen and I go back to either her house or mine and we have lunch. A glass of wine, before the babies came but you know, maybe later. After the summer, once I’ve started weaning.’

Her words create a slight panicky feeling low in my stomach. I quite like the idea of going to a baby group, or meeting some of the other mums, but I still have so much to do at the house. All those boxes in the attic to unpack. The garden to sort out. The thought of it makes me feel anxious and I don’t know why. I glance discreetly into her designer pram, where baby Rufus sleeps soundly snuggled under his blue blanket. The blue blanket.