“It was typical childish stuff,” Sarah shrugged, shaking her head ever so slightly at David, but finally conceding to the direction of the conversation.

“Like what?” asked George.

“Like, to save your family’s life, what would you do: go to school naked, or kiss the ugly science teacher.”

“Well that’s a good one for you now,” joked George. “Didn’t you tell me there’s an ugly science teacher? What would you do?”

“Oh, we absolutely have to play this now,” grinned Veronica. “I’d kiss the teacher of course. You wouldn’t mind would you, darling?” She kissed George quickly on the lips, and he looked at her, puzzled. It was, she realised, the first time in months, even when in the throes of ovulation, that they had kissed.

“I might mind a little,” grinned George, looking at her questioningly.

She kissed him again.

“Okay, your turn,” Veronica declared, turning to Sarah.

“Uh oh,” laughed George, a more open laugh than she’d heard in many months.

“Sarah, what would you do… never be able to sleep with your hubby again…” She mimed a breaking heart to David. “Or, be able to sleep with him, but first have to make out with another man in front of him.”

“What?” Now Sarah laughed, uncomfortably.

David intercepted. “Make out?” He shook his head in exaggerated bemusement. “There’s been a time warp, surely. I’m fifteen again.”

George chuckled, but Veronica grinned boldly. “Yep, make out. Smooch, French, snog, kiss, whatever you kids want to call it. With another man, let’s say a man who you both know, let’s say, well how about George?”

George gamely raised his eyebrows at Sarah in mock seduction. Sarah laughed again. She shifted on her seat.

“I’m not sure if—” David began, but this time it was Sarah who interrupted. Raising her gaze to Veronica, she looked at her defiantly. Daringly.

“Well I’d kiss George of course,” she decided.

Now George laughed loudly and David was forced to smile along with him, even adding a ‘lucky man’ or two. But the women only stared at each other.

“Wow,” said Veronica eventually.

“What?”

“I just mean, wow, that’s my husband. And yours is right there.”

“Veronica! Seriously?”

Veronica allowed a long, cumbersome pause, watching as it almost visibly stretched across the table. But finally, she laughed. “Of course not seriously, Sarah! Gosh!”

Now they all laughed, uneasily, except for Veronica who felt uncommonly in command. She hadn’t quite decided to pilfer from Sarah’s confidence, not consciously, not wholly, but it was working. It was working.

“Your turn,” she said, pointing dangerously at David. “Would you…”

But he held up his hand. “I can answer already,” he told them.

“Oh? Interesting…”

“My answer is… I would… thank you so much for a wonderful evening, but regretfully mention that we have to relieve the babysitter.”

“Cop out,” shouted George. “Total cop out,” but he got up to get the coats, leaving Veronica to stifle a sudden, sinking sense of deflation.

There followed the usual exchanges of thanks and declarations of how lovely the evening had been and promises to do it again, and soon they found themselves in the hallway where Veronica drew Sarah into an embrace, as she did so inhaling the summer scent of Sarah’s old family home. “Have you been to your parents’ today?” she inquired. “You smell of it.”