‘Oh God, yes. And I’m sorry, and it is very kindly meant, but I can’t have someone running my bath for me at forty-nine years old.’ We both laugh.

‘She thinks you’re incapable of operating the taps?’

‘Clearly.’ He grins at me.

‘It’s a short step from having her take the top off your boiled egg.’

Nick chuckles. ‘I’ve seen her hovering with a teaspoon.’

We walk in easy silence for a few moments while I picture her fussing around him, so different to how Penny painted it. ‘She probably just misses you terribly,’ I suggest, ‘and has stored up all this caring, this yearning to mother you. And now you’re here, even though you’re a bona fide adult, she can’t stop herself.’

‘I suspect that’s it.’ He smiles.

‘And mothers can’t help it,’ I add. ‘We worry, you know. We’re still the parent, no matter how old our kids are. Like, I know how slapdash my son Spencer is with cooking. He’s twenty-two, and he’s been living away from home for four years – but when he told me they’d started doing Sunday roasts in the flat, I couldn’t settle until I’d sent him a meat thermometer.’

‘Which was very thoughtful and caring of you,’ Nick says.

‘It’s probably pointless,’ I say with a smirk. ‘I can’t imagine he uses it.’

‘But you feel better, knowing it’s there,’ he adds, at which I laugh. I’m actually impressed, how he seems to ‘get’ it.

‘Slightly, yes.’

‘Did you buy him a cycle helmet too?’

‘I did,’ I exclaim, ‘last Christmas!’

‘I thought you might have. Was he thrilled?’

‘Of course he was,’ I snigger. ‘So much so that he nearly forgot it when he went back to Newcastle. At a guess, I’d say it’s been worn precisely zero times.’

Nick chuckles. ‘Well, you did what you could.’ He pauses. ‘I’m not complaining about Mum, you know …’

‘No, I realise that. You’re just saying.’ He smiles and murmurs in agreement. ‘We both know how wonderful Penny is,’ I add.

‘Of course we do,’ Nick says.

‘She’s been a great friend to me,’ I continue, ‘right from the start, but especially since, well …’ I pause for a moment. ‘Since it all came out about my husband, I mean. I found out he was seeing someone else when we were still together,’ I say quickly, immediately regretting divulging such personal information. ‘What I mean is, she was really supportive and always there for me if I wanted to talk.’ I clear my throat. ‘She’s been lovely, you know?’

‘Yeah.’ He nods, and I can sense him digesting this new information; that is, if Penny hadn’t filled him in on it all already, which I now suspect may be the case. ‘That must’ve been a really tough time for you.’