The day is sunny and breezy, and I make a pot of fresh coffee and open the kitchen window, as if to blow away the invisible traces of Andy’s visit. Chrissie is out there in their garden, sitting on their bench, feeding Lara. It’s 11 a.m. She catches my eye and gives me a little wave, and I smile and wave back, then go through to answer the front door to Jules.

‘Hey,’ she says, smiling, ‘you’re looking well.’ Coming from her, it feels like a genuine compliment.

‘Thanks. I feel good, actually. Shall we go through?’ I bring through our coffees and we settle on the sofa.

‘So, how have things been since last week?’ she asks.

‘It’s been kind of hectic,’ I reply, filling her in on the Ludo visit, the posted keys, the endless negotiations required in order to get him to do anything, and how I’ve had little chance to put my mind to anything else.

‘I’m impressed,’ she says. ‘That was some undertaking, but you coped, without any notice. You managed the whole thing brilliantly, it seems to me.’

‘Thanks,’ I say, a little overcome by her praise.

‘It might be helpful to take a moment to really acknowledge what you’ve achieved,’ she adds.

‘Right.’ I smile. ‘Um, well, yes, I suppose I am pleased.’

Jules shifts on the sofa and pushes back her cropped hair. ‘This might seem a little odd, but there’s a technique I suggest to clients sometimes that can really help to create a sense of positivity.’

‘What’s that?’ I ask.

‘Can we go through to the kitchen?’

‘Sure,’ I say, intrigued as she follows me through.

She smiles encouragingly. ‘Could you stand there, in the middle of the room, and say, “I’m brilliant”?’

I laugh involuntarily. ‘Oh, Jules. Do I really need to do this?’

‘You don’t need to,’ she says, ‘and I know it goes against human instinct to praise yourself out loud like that. But go on – give it a try.’

I hesitate, sighing like a petulant child, before positioning myself in the middle of the floor. ‘I’m brilliant,’ I say in a resigned voice.

‘A little louder, perhaps?’ Jules suggests. ‘With a bit more conviction?’

‘I’m brilliant,’ I say in a firmer tone. ‘I’m brilliant.’

‘Again, but louder.’