Alex stared at him as if he’d just said, ‘Hello, I’m a piece of dirt that came in on your shoe.’ It even took him a second to accept Grady’s proffered hand. ‘Hello,’ he said, hollowly. The look he turned on Laurel was full of reproach and alarm. He switched back to Grady. ‘I’m Alex Lazienko, Laurel’s husband.’

Grady smiled coldly. ‘Ex-husband, I think? Pleased to meet you.’ He didn’t sound it. ‘Sorry to be rude but I only have half an hour.’ He took Laurel’s hand and his smile was as warm and sexy as ever, despite the way he’d bristled at Alex a second earlier. ‘But I can eat on my own, Laurel, if you want to carry on your conversation.’ He presented her with the sandwich box she’d left beneath his stall.

Laurel’s head whirled. She felt bad for Alex, but he had turned up unannounced. ‘No, I’ll come with you now. Sorry, Alex, but I already have plans.’

But just as Laurel made to move off, Fliss popped up like magic, eyes sparkling as if she’d just nabbed cheap tickets for Glastonbury. ‘Quick, I’ve left Terri holding a table for us all in the coffee shop.’ She glanced at Grady and, after an instant, stuck out her hand. ‘Why, hello. I’m Fliss Smith. Won’t you join us?’ She treated him to her best California-girl smile.

It would have been beyond pointed to take their lunch boxes elsewhere so Laurel let herself and Grady be swept along to where they found Terri guarding a table with four chairs. When Grady was introduced to her she nabbed a vacant chair from a nearby table, somehow managing to tell him at the same time that she remembered his mum from when the village had a Women’s Institute. ‘I wasn’t a member but I used to join them in the pub afterwards. Nice crowd.’

Someone came to take their order. ‘Hardly got any food left,’ she said, pencil poised. ‘Rocky Road, flapjacks, cheese straws – which are a bit crumbly but taste good – and white chocolate cookies.’

Laurel and Grady ordered coffee, the rest ordered cake as well as hot drinks.

Grady and Alex were quiet and Fliss kept looking between them and Laurel. Luckily, Terri chattered happily about recognising this person from school and that person from her long-ago paper round. Laurel nodded as she listened, making certain to maintain a smiling mask for Aunt Terri but feeling increasingly angry and awkward. Did Alex and Fliss feel entitled to judge her and make Grady feel uncomfortable? Every so often, he and Alex locked unsmiling gazes.

After a while, Fliss addressed Laurel. ‘When are you coming down to meet my new girlfriend, Chantana? She’s sweet and beautiful. You’ll love her.’