Firstly, Belle had tried the time-honoured trick of running past the sitting room door, calling out, ‘Bye, Mum! See you later!’

‘Hold on!’ Rory called back. ‘I haven’t even seen you tonight.’ Belle came slowly back down the hallway. Now Rory knew why. ‘What the heck are you wearing? Or should I say, not wearing?’

Belle jutted out her hip and scowled. ‘It’s just a skirt, Mum.’

‘That’s not a skirt, that’s a belt.’ And that was Rory’s own mother’s voice coming out of her mouth. She didn’t care right now. ‘You are not wearing that Belle. What were you thinking?’

Belle rolled her eyes. ‘This is fashionable, Mum. Everyone wears skirts like this. I’ve got thick tights on underneath it.’

Thick tights didn’t help the fact that the skirt was so tight you didn’t even need an imagination to see what was underneath. ‘You cannot go out wearing that unless you have a pair of proper trousers on underneath. Or at least leggings. Where are you going, anyway? You told me you were going to Fiona’s house.’

Belle’s head flipped back and she groaned dramatically. ‘I am. Bloody hell. What’s with all the questions?’

Rory felt like she’d been slapped. When did she and Belle speak to each other like this? Clothing discussions had only ever arisen because Belle wanted to wear T-shirts with asinine pictures of Snow White and Minnie Mouse. Not because of outfits suitable for the red-light district. Surely she knew what she looked like? Don’t go crazy. Stay calm. ‘The questions are because you are supposedly going for a sleepover at a friend’s house, and yet you are dressed for a nightclub. Perhaps you can see my confusion?’

‘You pretend to be cool and modern, but you are just like every other mother. It’s so unfair. Just because you don’t believe in people fancying each other, you have to ruin it for me, too. If you’re so bothered about it, I’ll go and get changed into something that covers me from my neck to the floor. Maybe I can find a nice hoodie and jeans.’ Belle flounced out of the room.

‘That would be marvellous, thank you.’ Rory looked down at her own red hoodie and jeans. It didn’t look that bad, did it?

She hadn’t even had a chance to sit back down before the doorbell rang. It was John. And Susie.

‘Look who I found on the doorstep.’ Susie winked. ‘We’ve introduced ourselves properly. I was complimenting John on his long ladder.’

Rory shot Susie a warning look. She’d forgotten they were supposed to be moderating coursework essays tonight. She suddenly felt very tired. And what was John doing here?

‘Sorry to just turn up without calling.’ He scratched the back of his head. ‘Those LED spotlights you wanted were on special offer at the hardware place, so I took a chance and got them for you. I can take them back tomorrow if they’re not any good, so I thought I’d pop them round now and see if they’re what you want?’

‘Thank you. That’s fantastic. Come in, both of you.’ She pointed the way through to the lounge.

Just then, Belle came downstairs. She was dressed more appropriately, but she had a big overnight bag with her and Rory had a pretty good idea what one of the items of clothing inside was likely to be. She didn’t have the energy to start the argument again. Fiona’s mother was sensible: surely everything would be okay round there. Belle waved a hand at her as she walked past. ‘See you tomorrow.’

‘See you tomorrow.’ Stay calm. This was typical behaviour for a teenage girl. Try not to take it personally. Even when it hurts.

‘Everything okay?’ Susie asked Rory when she walked into the lounge.

‘Who knows? Where’s John?’

‘Gone to screw something, I think.’ Susie raised an eyebrow suggestively. ‘I think he’s a little bit scared of me.’

‘I’m not surprised.’

‘He doesn’t need to be; I’m taken.’ She beamed.

‘Really?’

‘Yes. After Penny’s announcement, I decided I should up my game. My local pub had a barbecue on yesterday. I went on my own.’

‘That was brave.’

‘Yes. And a little desperate, some may say. But that was the mood I was in.’

Rory smiled. ‘And?’

‘And… I got chatting to a very nice man called Jim. A very nice man.’

‘And?’

‘And I spent the rest of the day with him.’ She paused and raised an eyebrow. ‘And the rest of last night and this morning.’

‘Susie!’ Rory wasn’t a prude. Well, not much of one. But going to a pub alone, picking up a man and taking him home with you was a risky game to play.

‘Don’t panic. He was the perfect gentleman. He walked me home, came in for coffee and we sat and talked all night. We fell asleep on the sofa. Nothing happened. Well, not much happened.’

Rory felt slightly better, but it was still risky. ‘So, what did you talk about?’

‘Quite a lot about me, actually. He was really interested in my job and the kids we teach. That’s how we got talking originally. Someone at the bar asked me about St Anthony’s and it went from there.’ She sighed and put a hand to her throat. ‘It was so nice to talk to someone who was interested in me rather than talking about their car or their gym routine.’

Rory didn’t mention that this is what normal men were like – just not the ones that Susie usually went for. ‘He sounds nice.’

Susie smiled. ‘Thanks. So, as I say, your man John Prince in there doesn’t need to be scared of me. You, however…’

Rory held up a hand. She didn’t want Susie getting wind of any feelings she had for John. ‘Don’t even start on that. There is so much going on for me right now that I can’t even contemplate throwing a man into the equation. That is the very last thing I need. Plus, as I think I have mentioned several times now, he is my builder. There is nothing going on.’

‘That’s what you think.’ Susie sat back in her chair.

A finger of fear ran through Rory. ‘What have you said to him?’

Now it was Susie’s turn to hold her hands aloft. ‘Nothing! Nothing! I just have a feeling that he might think of you differently.’ She ran her eyes up and down Rory’s torso. ‘Although he may change his mind now he’s seen you in that ghastly hoodie. Red? What were you thinking?’

Rory groaned. She loved Susie, but subtlety and tact were not her forte. The worst thing about people in the process of falling in love is that they wanted everyone to join them in their bubble of happiness. ‘When are you going to understand? I am not interested in meeting a man.’ The drilling stopped in the other room and she lowered her voice. ‘You need to focus on your own love life. I mean it, Susie.’

‘All right, I’ll keep my nose out, I promise. But you need to start thinking about meeting someone. I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but that little girl of yours is growing up fast. You can’t use her as an excuse any more.’

After the row Rory had had with Belle, that one hit hard. Susie cared; that’s why she’d said it. And maybe she was right. But what could Rory do about it?

‘Do you think we could leave the moderation tonight? I’m exhausted. You’re welcome to stay and have a drink, but I’m just not up to reading the same essay forty times over.’

Susie picked up her bag. ‘Okay, honey. I’ll shoot off. I’m pretty exhausted myself, but for very different reasons.’ She winked suggestively, then kissed Rory on the cheek. ‘Promise me you’ll think about what I said?’

‘I promise. Right after I’ve been to bed and slept for three weeks.’

John appeared at the door, and Rory shot Susie a warning look. ‘Sorry, is it my drilling scaring you away? I’m all finished now. Did you want to come and have a look at what I’ve done?’

Susie got up to go. ‘Not me, I’ve got to be somewhere. You go and look at your super-duper spotlights, Rory. I’ll see myself out.’

Rory followed John back out to the kitchen. He flicked the switch so that she could switch the lights back on again. He grinned. ‘Now you can see me!’

‘They’re bigger than I remember – they look great. Thanks so much for picking them up for me. The kitchen cupboards are being delivered in a month so it’ll be good to have everything else ready.’

‘Have you got fitters booked?’

Rory remembered the incredulous look that Call Me Adrian had given her. She braced herself. ‘No. I’m going to do it myself.’

John shrugged. ‘Sounds like a plan. Have you done a kitchen before?’

Rory squirmed a little. ‘Not exactly. I have put flat packs together plenty of times.’

John nodded. ‘You should be fine knocking the cupboards together, then. Sometimes setting them out can be a bit tricky, especially if the walls aren’t square. I’m pretty free next month; I can give you a hand if you like?’

Rory was tired, a little emotional and very weary. The idea of putting together the whole kitchen alone was not feeling like an attractive prospect. ‘If you could just pop in and give me a bit of guidance, that would be great.’

‘No problem at all.’ John started to throw tools back into his toolbox.

Rory hovered. ‘Look, I’m sorry about Susie. I know she can be a bit full on, but she’s only playing around.’

‘Don’t apologise. She seems a lot of fun. Have you two been friends a long time?’

‘Six years. Since she came to work at St Anthony’s. I’m still not used to her, though.’ It was true. Rory loved Susie but they were as different as chalk and whiteboard pen. ‘Do you want a cup of tea?’

‘No, I won’t stay; I’ve got an early start in the morning. Actually, I wanted to ask you if you were free Friday evening.’

Rory’s heart sank. Bloody Susie! She had put him up to this. What the hell had she said? Rory was completely out of practise with this kind of thing. Fifteen years out of practise. She panicked.

‘Look, John. I know that Susie has probably been talking to you. And I’m sorry, but I’m not… Erm… I’m just not dating right now. It’s nothing personal; I don’t go out with anyone. It’s just not something I do. I’m sorry.’

John nodded slowly. ‘That’s good to know. I’ll bear it in mind. Thanks. However, I was just wondering if you would be in to take delivery of a few tons of gravel that is being delivered for your drive.’