‘Lovely, thanks,’ Angie replied, taking them off Sophie and heading back into the kitchen to put the ice cream in the freezer.

‘How’s it going?’ Sophie asked, following her in. ‘What’s happening with that court case?’

Angie had been working on a highly publicised case for the last week. ‘The last prosecution witness should finish on Monday, then it’s our turn,’ she told her.

‘It’s all very exciting,’ Sophie said.

‘If it goes in our favour, perhaps I can put you in touch with my client as long as she agrees?’ Angie offered. ‘I think she’s fairly keen to do some publicity.’

Sophie’s eyes lit up. ‘That would be great!’

‘Leave it with me.’

‘Thanks, Angie, I really appreciate that.’

‘On another note,’ Angie said, ‘I think Ellie has a little crush on Tom. I found this picture in her room the other day.’

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded drawing that Ellie had made of her and Tom together, surrounded by hearts.

‘Oh my goodness, that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,’ Sophie gushed. ‘Do you remember your first crush?’

‘Vaguely,’ Angie said, scrunching up her eyes as she tried to remember. ‘I went to a girls’ school so it was slim pickings but there was a boy at my Saturday morning drama club and I just adored him. Then one day another girl told me he’d left a note in her bag asking her to be his girlfriend and I went home and cried all day and then refused to go back to the club.’

‘Oh dear,’ Sophie said. ‘Mine was one of my brother’s friends. I remember that I used to put my mother’s make-up and heels on whenever he came over to play. He never even noticed me.’

‘What a tool,’ Alan said, ambling into the kitchen.

Sophie grinned at him and Angie watched them, thinking how easy their relationship was, like two pieces of a puzzle that fit naturally together. They were always laughing or joking with each other and she’d never seen a cross word pass between them.

‘Are you all right, Angie?’ Sophie asked. ‘You look a million miles away.’

‘Oh sorry, I was just daydreaming,’ she replied. ‘Can you help me get these salads outside?’

By the time they had set the table, Jack was shovelling burgers onto plates and Angie went to round up the children. They all crowded round, jostling each other to get to the food first, and then dispersed as quickly as they had arrived.

‘Don’t you want to eat with us?’ Angie called out to them.

‘Nah, we’re eating in the treehouse,’ Tom replied, as the four youngest children headed up the garden, each balancing their precariously full plates with two hands. Indie took her plate inside, texting a friend with one hand as she walked, and Benji had already disappeared.

‘Charming,’ Angie said.

‘Ah, enjoy it,’ Jack said, taking off his apron and sitting down at the table. ‘They’ll all be pestering you soon enough.’ He held up his beer glass. ‘Cheers, Brennans.’