‘He’s not married, Fleur,’ said Minnie irritably.

‘Maybe he’s a secret agent then’ said Fleur, ‘he could be working undercover for the Russians. You can’t form attachments if you’re a spy.’

‘Maybe he’s a homosexual,’ said Clare. ‘My first husband was a homosexual.’

‘He and Minnie have become friends and I doubt he’s ever started a relationship with a friend before. He’s scared of intimacy,’ said Leila.

‘You want my advice?’ asked Claire.

‘The Clares give good advice,’ said Leila, slowly nodding her head.

‘If you kiss a man and he runs a mile, he’s no good. Life is full of times you have to turn towards the storm, and life brings many storms. Sick children, parents dying, cancer, just the challenge of building a life together and not driving each other completely nuts. You need a man who’ll turn into the storm with you when it comes, doesn’t she, Clare?’ said Claire, as she pulled Fleur’s hair into rollers.

‘She’s right. When life gets stormy, a man afraid of commitment will be off in a flash, looking for calmer shores with some flibbertigibbet called Kimberley,’ said Clare. ‘He won’t be up in the night when you’ve got a bubba to feed; he won’t be at your bedside after a double mastectomy.’ Clare paused, leaning over to pat Claire’s hand as she worked, ‘Your best friend will be there.’ A look of deep understanding passed between them.

Minnie watched this moment between the two older women. She wondered if she and Leila would still be friends when they were that age. Maybe this was the important thing; maybe this was the love that truly endured.

‘And if he asks you to bleach your love glove, he’s a miscreant to boot,’ said Clare, tapping two fingers against her pubic bone. Then Fleur sprayed a mouthful of tea across the room and slapped a hand over her mouth, which broke the sombre tone and made everyone laugh.

Minnie moved the conversation away from men and onto Leila’s wedding. Part of her knew they were right, but another part, perhaps it was the ever-hopeful owls, wanted to go swimming tomorrow and find him there, and all would be as it had been before.

Once the Clares had set Fleur and Bev in rollers, it was Minnie and Leila’s turn to have their hair styled.

‘So, when’s the big day, Leila?’ asked Claire.

‘Thirtieth of December,’ said Leila with a sigh.

‘Oh. Well that’s … unusual.’

‘We wanted New Year’s Eve but my maid of honour is superstitious about that date so we had to shift it twenty-four hours,’ said Leila.