‘I thought it was incredibly lucid and poetic for four whiskies in,’ Quinn grinned, inhaling the rest of his drink in one mouthful. ‘So, tell me about you, Minnie Cooper – what’s happening in your life? Funny Greg still making you chuckle in all the right places? Still too principled to cook for obnoxious arseholes like me?’ Quinn sniffed and the dimple on his cheek creased into life.

‘Greg and I broke up.’

She watched Quinn’s face for a reaction. He slowly raised one eyebrow. ‘Stopped being funny, did he?’

‘No. Maybe I just need more than jokes right now.’

‘Ouch. Poor Greg,’ Quinn said, wincing theatrically.

‘So what did Lucy do to get binned? All the posh meals got a bit rich for you? Found yourself getting paunchy?’

Quinn rubbed his washboard stomach and frowned. ‘There’s no paunch here, and recently I’ve been eating more of your pies than anything else.’

They sat in silence for a minute. Minnie regretted asking him about Lucy. He clearly wasn’t going to elaborate and now she felt foolish for prying. Then again, he’d asked about Greg and she hadn’t volunteered many details. Maybe they didn’t know each other well enough to be honest about such things, or maybe the answers were too loaded with meaning.

It had been the conversation with Ian that made Minnie realise things with Greg weren’t right, but if Minnie was honest with herself, the fluttering owl feeling she had around Quinn was also a factor. Logically, she knew the owl effect was simply a chemical reaction based on pheromones; some ancient animal instinct. It did not mean he was viable boyfriend material, or that the feeling was mutual. No, the owl effect simply served to remind her of what she no longer had with Greg.

All of it faded eventually. In every relationship, that initial fluttering feeling would simmer down and then disappear. She imagined the young excitable owls inside her aging into wise old birds; they’d wear spectacles and have less energy for flapping about. The ephemeral nature of it meant you had to think with your head. You had to choose a partner based on logic; someone with similar life experience who would share your point of view and your interests. Quinn did not fulfil any of these criteria.

‘You know the truth is, I don’t find it easy to commit to anyone,’ Quinn said, looking up at her with glassy eyes. He swallowed, pinching his lower lip back with his top teeth. ‘Apparently I have “commitment issues.” ’

He whispered the last words, as though confiding a secret. Then he blinked, collecting himself.

‘We can talk about it if you want?’ Minnie prompted, softly.

‘I wouldn’t know where to begin, Minnie.’

‘Try me,’ she said, leaning forward in her chair.