‘Let’s change the subject then. Have you thought any more about what we might do to mark Mum’s first anniversary?’

‘I haven’t. I mean, I have, but I haven’t thought of anything good.’

‘Plant a tree?’

‘Where? We haven’t got anywhere to plant a tree.’

‘OK, not a fucking tree then. I know I’m not the only one who cares about this, so why are you pretending not to?

‘I’m not. I care. I’m sorry. I’ll think harder about it.’

‘You have to.’ She looked around her at the crowded room. ‘Are you OK? About leaving here? You’ve been here forever.’

‘I have no idea how I am. Are you OK? How are you feeling?’

‘I have no idea how I am. I’m scared.’

‘Me too,’ I said.

‘At least you can have a drink.’

‘I’m going to have twenty.’

‘Mine and yours?’

‘You can always rely on me to pick up the slack, Amy.’

‘What a lucky sister I am.’

‘I’m a lucky brother. I mean that, seriously. Thanks for coming.’

‘It’s OK,’ she said. ‘Don’t be soppy.’

‘Are you still in touch with Ben?’

‘Yeah. I was going to tell you. He came to the last scan and now I’ve asked him to be the birth partner. He’s going to come up for some NCT stuff I’ve signed up for.’

‘Great.’

‘You’re not put out? I took your offer seriously, you know?’

‘I’m not the dad. Of course I’m not put out. I’m relieved.’

‘It would be weird having you in there.’

‘You’re telling me. Thank God for Ben. But I’ll come over, stay over, whenever you want me. You can rely on me.’

‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘We’ll see.’

*

I approached Andrew later, after I’d had a few drinks and said goodbye to Amy.

‘Would you like a piece of hairdresser cake?’ I asked.

‘No, thank you. I hear you came looking for me in my office.’

‘Oh, yeah. I wanted to clear the air.’

‘OK.’

‘Don’t you?’

‘The air was clear, as far as I’m concerned. I explained to you what I had noticed and you reacted to it angrily. Perhaps reasonably. I’m sorry if I got you wrong.’

‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘I wasn’t worrying about it.’ He looked over to his daughter who was laughing at something Leo had just told her. ‘Sophie says you’re not together now.’

‘We were never really together.’

‘That’s what she said. When you came looking for me, did you go into my room, by any chance?’

‘No, I just knocked on the door.’

‘Because I’ve noticed something’s missing.’

‘Do you not lock your door?’

‘I do now. How was your coffee with Chloe?’

‘Nice,’ I said.

‘OK,’ he said.

‘What did she say to you about it?’