‘And to think Lyssa wants all this,’ Edie said. ‘How could you not find that irresistible?’

‘Your kids would be enough to put anyone off,’ Jake said. ‘Except you two.’

Edie banged out some plates and whizzed the fish fingers onto them, followed by a splot of baked beans. Her culinary skills seemed to lack a certain finesse. Yet for all the hustle and bustle and boisterousness, he was surprised to admit it was a far sight better being here among the cut and thrust of real life than in Neve’s icy, clinical box. Edie plonked a bowl of jacket potatoes in the middle of the table and dished out the plates. ‘Has everyone washed their hands?’

Everyone nodded.

‘Liars,’ Edie said. ‘For what we are about to receive, et cetera….’

Feeding commenced.

Jake waited for the crush to die down and then helped himself to a jacket potato. He felt himself sinking and, for some ridiculous reason, close to tears. Perhaps it was the fact that Edie had welcomed him back into the fold in her own inimitable way when she could easily have left him standing out in the cold. And he hadn’t realised how much that meant to him. They might not be blood-related or linked by way of the formality of marriage, but he thought of Edie as his sister-in-law by default and her kids were the closest he was going to get to nephews and nieces. Certainly with the way things lay at the moment, anyway. ‘Thanks for this, Edie.’

He loved family life. He loved the thought of having his own family life. It was just the practicalities and the reality of it all that took the shine off it a bit.

‘Have you heard anything from Lyssa?’ Jake asked as nonchalantly as he could manage.

‘Of course I haven’t,’ Edie said. ‘She’s not likely to be sending postcards from halfway up the Himalayas or wherever she is.’

‘No,’ Jake agreed.

‘I blame this on you,’ Edie said. ‘This is all because of that action-packed Neve.’ She mouthed the word.

‘Ith Neve your new girlfriend?’ Daisy said, mouth full of fish finger.

Edie gave him a now-see-what-you’ve-done look.

‘Er…’

Daisy pouted. ‘Don’t you love Aunty Lytha anymore?’

‘Yes,’ Jake said sincerely. ‘Yes, I do.’

Edie’s eyebrows shot up at that. ‘Look, you lot. You can have some ice cream later.’ Moans all round. ‘Go and do something. Preferably something useful. And preferably something that involves feeding one of the dozen neglected pets that inhabit this place.’

Reluctantly the kids climbed down from the table and scattered about the house. When they’d gone, Edie regarded him coolly.

‘Don’t look at me like that.’

‘I have six children, this look is automatic.’

Jake pushed his plate away from him.

‘I gather that all is not love’s young dream.’

‘No,’ he admitted. ‘I’m very confused.’

‘You’re a bloke. What do you expect?’