‘She’s gorgeous,’ Pip tells me flatly. And I think this may be too, too much information. ‘All the guys at work are crazy about her.’ Now I’m sure it is. ‘She’s pursued Jake for months. He’s flattered.’

‘And you think now she’s got him, the attraction will wane?’

‘Hey,’ Pip says. ‘I’m the worst person in the world to ask about relationships. I’m getting to the point where “longterm” means seeing the same woman for two weeks running. But for what it’s worth, my guess is that it will all be over in a few months.’

‘And he’ll come home, wagging his tail behind him?’

‘Jake’s stupid, but I don’t think he’s stupid enough to blow it completely.’

‘Maybe he already has.’

‘I don’t think you’d have been sitting out there in the rain for hours, if you’d given him up as a lost cause.’

Pip turns his attention back to the coffee machine. Reluctantly, he lets go of my hands and goes back to attend to it. He pours the coffee, presses a few more levers and perfect white froth spurts out into a jug, which Pip then adds to the coffee, finishing it off with a flourish of cocoa powder.

‘You’re quite domesticated, really,’ I say with a smile as he puts it down in front of me.

‘If only I could find an unattached woman of your quality to appreciate my more subtle charms.’

‘I might be unattached from now on,’ I point out. Then my smile fades. ‘Where have I gone wrong?’

‘What makes you think this is your fault?’ Pip asks.

‘Low self-esteem, deep insecurity.’

‘Vulnerability,’ Pip adds softly. ‘You’ve both been under a lot of pressure. Jake gets it from both sides at work and at home…’ His voice tails off.

‘Thanks.’

‘Shit. I didn’t mean that, Lyssa.’

‘No. You’re right. You’re not the first person to have said it either.’ I taste the coffee and it’s smooth, black-velvety and comforting. ‘I feel like I’ve pushed him away.’

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. He’s a big boy. And a bloody idiot, if you ask me.’ Pip dips the tip of his finger into his coffee froth and scoops some into his mouth. ‘He’s the one who’s chosen to run in the opposite direction.’

‘And you think that all I need to do is sit and wait for him to come back?’

‘That depends whether you think he’s worth waiting for.’

Until this last revelation, I would have said so. But now I’m not so sure. I stare into my cup wondering whether you can read the future in coffee grounds like you supposedly can in tea leaves.

‘I’m sure you’ve got plenty to keep you entertained,’ Pip says.