‘Has it always been like that?’ she asked him.

‘Yes, right from the start. When we decided to start trying for children, I thought things might be different and at first, they were. Angie adored being a mum and seemed so happy when Benji was a baby. But when Indie came along, she really struggled and ended up going back to work full-time six months later. It was the same with Ellie and Freddy. We had nanny after nanny until they were old enough to go to after-school and holiday clubs.’

Sophie watched Jack, sensing a disapproval that she had never seen in him before. She had always thought that he was proud of Angie’s success, that he thrived on her Superwoman status, but now she wondered if she was only seeing part of the picture. Perhaps their relationship wasn’t as perfect as she had always thought. Perhaps Angie wasn’t as perfect as she had always thought. She was on dangerous territory now, she realised, and she was relieved when the doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of dinner. By the time Jack returned with the pizzas and made some fresh cocktails, Sophie was ready to change the subject.

‘I bet you were a bit of a cad when you were younger, weren’t you,’ she said, taking a bite of pepperoni pizza and quickly wiping away the tomato sauce from her chin.

Jack grinned. ‘I can’t deny it,’ he said. ‘I had fun. Okay, a lot of fun. I miss it sometimes.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I just mean, well, being an adult’s hard, isn’t it.’ It was a statement, not a question. ‘It’s so relentless. I miss being carefree, that’s all. Sometimes I just want to do something reckless.’

‘Are you having a midlife crisis, Jack?’

He laughed. ‘Maybe, but don’t you ever feel that urge? To do something mad?’

Sophie thought for a minute. ‘I mean, I’ve fantasised about abandoning my kids in the middle of Asda when they’re being little sods, if that’s what you mean?’

Jack studied her. ‘You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Sophie.’

She stopped chewing and looked at him and he looked back. For a brief moment the world stopped. Then she heard a thump followed by wailing from above and they both jumped up and raced up the stairs. They found Freddy on the floor.

‘Oh, Fred, did you fall out of bed?’ Jack asked, scooping him up and giving him a cuddle. Ellie, who had come in to see what all the commotion was about, was now bouncing around excitedly, thrilled to see Sophie and insisting that she read her a story. It took half an hour to calm them both down and get them off to sleep and by the time they came back downstairs, the pizza was cold and Sophie was ready to go home.

‘I’m going to head off, Jack,’ she said. ‘Thanks for a lovely evening.’

‘Stay,’ he said. ‘It’s still early, let’s have another drink.’

‘I’m okay, two of your cocktails is quite enough for me.’ She gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘Thanks, Jack, I really appreciate it.’