‘Are you looking forward to holding the fort?’ Sophie asked Jack as they made their way down the road together.

‘I can’t wait,’ Jack said. ‘I love being with the children, even though they walk all over me when Angie’s not around. Angie says it’s because I’m basically a kid myself. I’m glad for a bit of time off work too: this year’s been intense. I feel like me, Angie and the kids have all been ships that pass in the night to be honest, so it’ll be nice to have some time at home.’

Sophie nodded, as if she knew what he meant, but it had been a long time since she’d experienced the work intensity he was talking about. She remembered the old newspaper days, when she was on a deadline and the adrenaline was coursing through her body as she typed furiously, trying to write a story in time. But she didn’t miss it, she thought now, not anymore.

‘Well done on that piece in the press by the way, it was great,’ Jack said.

True to her word, Angie had put Sophie in touch with her client after the court case and she’d ended up getting an exclusive interview. She had sold it for an eye-watering fee to a national newspaper. It had felt good to be earning money again, but she still hadn’t experienced the rush of pleasure of seeing her words in print like she used to. It was probably time to accept that her heart simply wasn’t in it anymore. But she had no idea what else she could do instead.

‘Thanks,’ she said to Jack. ‘It was Angie who made it all happen.’

‘She’s great like that.’

Sophie nodded. ‘I still don’t know how she finds the time to do everything.’

‘I know, she’s amazing. A real role model to the children, too.’

A role model? That made Sophie think. Was she a good role model to her children? Yes, she was there to cuddle them and wipe away tears when they fell or had rows with friends, to help them with their homework and prepare them a home-cooked meal. Was that enough anymore or did she need to juggle a successful career to be considered a good mother these days too? Had parenting always been this complex and confusing, a constant battle of comparing yourself to others and worrying about whether you were doing it right?

‘How did you two meet?’ she asked Jack, changing the subject.

‘We were at uni together, we both studied law although I realised two weeks in that I’d made a mistake and never got round to switching courses. Angie of course graduated top of the class. Back then we were just friends, but we bumped into each other years later and got together.’

‘Did you fancy her at uni?’ Sophie asked playfully.

‘I think most people fancied Angie but we were all a bit terrified of her. She was always so intelligent, so driven, as if the pettiness of student life was beneath her, if that makes sense.’