‘So, how are things with you?’ she said, looking up at him over the rim of her wine glass. ‘How’s Amanda, or Amanda two, whatever her name is? Any madly romantic proposal on the cards there?’

Oh great, she’d done it – she’d mentioned it. Why had she brought up Amanda? Quinn didn’t want to talk to her about his love life! Quinn shuffled forward on the sofa, then took a long sip of his wine.

‘I guess we should talk about what happened at the zoo,’ he said.

‘It was a month ago, Quinn, you don’t need to explain. It’s fine, whatever, I was just making conversation. You know; how’s work? How’s the weather? How’s your girlfriend? We don’t need to talk about it at all, if you’d rather talk about the weather, this sunshine we’re having is lovely, isn’t it?’

She was babbling.

‘Minnie,’ he said, cutting her off, ‘I felt like such an idiot as soon as you left.’ He leant forward, putting his wine down on a side table and then propped an elbow on each knee. ‘We had such a great day together and I ruined it, I’m sorry.’

‘Well, they do say penguin poo is a real aphrodisiac.’

‘You don’t need to make a joke about everything, Minnie. I’m trying to do the decent thing here.’ Quinn closed his eyes but carried on talking. ‘I’m no good at relationships, I just end up hurting people. I’ve got my business, my mother – I don’t have the capacity to look after … for anything else.’

‘Quinn, it’s fine. It was a moment, I’m over it. Wow, do you have this much angst every time you almost kiss someone?’ Quinn made a face of embarrassed amusement. ‘Anyway, what makes you think I’d need looking after?’

‘Well, I know you’re now holding out for your knight on a shining unicorn.’

Minnie scrunched up her face. She knew she shouldn’t have told him all that stuff when he’d been drunk at the office.

‘Look, you don’t have to give me the whole “tortured loner” routine.’ Minnie rolled her eyes at him and his mouth twitched in the hint of a smile.

‘Is that what I’m doing? I wasn’t aware there was such a routine.’

‘Yeah, guys do it all the time,’ Minnie said, with a limp-wristed flap of her hand. ‘Poor me, I can’t get close to anyone because I had a tough childhood.’

She said it in a mocking voice, then flashed him a quick grin. Humour was the only way she knew to defuse an awkward conversation, the only way to salvage some sense of dignity in this dynamic.

‘Wow, OK. Sorry for being so obvious,’ he said, brushing his stubble with a palm.