3) Adam slept on the window side of the bed, meaning there was marginally less light on her side of the room. Because of that, when she got dressed in the mornings, it was often advantageous to have clothes nearby – even if that meant them being on the floor.

4) There was a complex system of organisation on show that was far too understated for most human eyes to appreciate. Items were sorted by cleanliness, colour, appropriateness for work and by how much she liked them. That occasionally meant that a few things ended up on the floor, rather than in drawers or the wardrobe. Because of the multifaceted nature of the system, there was no way she could explain it in anything approaching a dumbed-down way that people could understand.

Jessica never got to 5) because Bex cut her off: ‘Basically, you’re a bit messy.’

‘That too – but if you ever tell Adam, then you’re out on your arse.’

Bex smiled and Jessica was laughing again too. After her day at work and the way Cole had been with her, this wasn’t at all what she’d expected.

Jessica showed Bex the smallest upstairs room, which was filled with a handful of boxes they hadn’t yet unpacked and an exercise bike she had bought, used once, and then never gone near again. In the bathroom, Jessica picked up the wet towel from the floor which she’d forgotten about that morning, telling Bex that Adam must have left it by accident, then she led the teenager into the final bedroom.

‘This is where you can sleep,’ Jessica said.

Bex stood in the doorway, peering at the space. ‘It’s really nice . . .’

‘It was going to be a nursery but then . . . well, it didn’t happen. We did it up as a guest bedroom.’

‘It’s got a double bed.’

‘I know.’

Bex sat on it, bouncing gently, dropping her bag behind her. ‘I’ve never slept in a double bed before.’

‘Make the most of it. I sleep in a double bed but I’ve got some skinny string bean next to me who spreads out like a drunken spider. Half the time I wake up with an elbow in my eye.’

From below, the sound of the door opening and a loud ‘I’m home’ echoed through the house. Bex froze again but Jessica touched her gently on the arm. ‘It’s just Adam – let’s go and meet him.’

Bex instinctively reached for her bag but Jessica gripped her delicately. ‘It’ll be fine here. No one will touch it.’ Bex hesitated for a moment and then nodded. ‘As long as you stay here, I won’t even come into this room if you don’t want me to,’ Jessica added.

‘You don’t have to do that. It’s your house – it’s only one night.’

Jessica led Bex down the stairs into the kitchen, where Adam was standing at the sink. His hair was messier than usual at the back, blown all ways by the wind on his walk from the bus stop to the house. He didn’t look around. ‘Christ, Jess, how much did you bloody eat?’ He turned to see the two women standing in the doorway. ‘Oh, er, sorry, I didn’t realise . . . I’m Adam.’

He stretched out a hand for Bex to shake but ended up holding it there uncomfortably as Bex almost hid behind Jessica.

‘Look at the state of you,’ Jessica said breezily, ‘she doesn’t want to shake your hand – you bloody stink. Go and have a shower and then maybe she’ll go within three feet of you.’

She caught Adam’s eye, telling him without words to let it pass. He sniffed his own armpits, grinned and apologised with a smile.

He really was good.

After pecking Jessica on the cheek, he was away, running up the stairs like a child on Christmas morning.

‘He seems nice,’ Bex said, emerging from behind Jessica.

‘He is. There are a lot of wankers out there but he’s all right. I don’t hang around with dickheads. Well, except the ones at work.’

‘I shouldn’t have been rude to him.’

‘It’s fine – if we’re really lucky, he might cook for us when he’s had a shower. That’s if you’re hungry yet.’

Bex grinned again.

In the living room, she asked where she was allowed to sit but Jessica said she could have her pick. She opted against the sofa (Jessica’s), instead choosing the recliner (Adam’s). Jessica even showed her where the catch was to make the seat slide backwards and footrest pop out. Suddenly, Bex’s dimples and grin were fixed.

‘It’s really nice in here,’ Bex said.

‘We were in a fire. A lot of our stuff was lost, so we had to replace it all. Almost everything is new – or newish. It’s nice but it takes more than that to make it a home.’ Jessica stood and crossed to the shelf underneath the television, picking up a pair of silver candlesticks. ‘Look at these – they belonged to Adam’s grandmother and survived the fire. We keep them on display to remind us that all this stuff might look nice but, ultimately, it only takes one stray match, one burst pipe, and it’s all gone. For whatever reason, these survived the fire – and so did Adam and I.’

Bex nodded, understanding.

Jessica persuaded Adam to make them tea by whispering in his ear that she’d do something for him that she hadn’t done in months. He then spent ten minutes telling them over lasagne and homemade chips exactly who the ThunderCats were because Bex had never heard of them. Jessica had listened to it all before and spent the entire lecture thinking he was inadvertently doing his best to talk himself out of partaking in that particular act after all. Somehow, after all that, Bex still managed to eat her way through a bagel (Adam’s) and, thankfully, a yoghurt (Adam’s).

The three of them spent the rest of the evening in front of the television watching a soap that Jessica definitely wasn’t secretly into and definitely didn’t know anything about, a documentary about animals, a quiz show and the news. Bex didn’t say a word throughout, she simply watched, knees to her chest, arms wrapped around herself. Once or twice, Jessica caught her eye and they exchanged a half-smile. There were so many questions she should ask – the girl was a stranger – and yet this wasn’t the time.

Jessica was resting on Adam’s shoulder feeling tired, when she felt her head being jarred and realised she had drifted off. ‘Jess,’ Adam whispered.

‘Uhnf, sorry.’ Jessica sat herself up, blinking, trying to wake up.

‘Bex is asleep.’ Jessica glanced across to the recliner where Bex had curled herself up like a cat and was wedged into the seat. ‘Shall I wake her?’ he added.

Jessica grabbed his arm as he started to move. ‘Not you. Go to bed and I’ll see you there.’ She kissed him on the forehead and waited until his footsteps finished clumping on the stairs, then she gently stroked Bex’s hair away from her face. The girl awoke with a jolt, a hand flashing out and grabbing Jessica’s wrist roughly.

‘Ow,’ Jessica said, grimacing.

Bex took a second to release her, eyes half-open. ‘Sorry, I thought . . .’

‘It’s bedtime.’

Bex uncurled herself, stretching her legs and stifling a yawn. ‘I can’t believe I fell asleep here.’

‘It’s comfy.’

‘I know but I’m usually so careful. You’ve got to be when—’

‘I get it.’

‘Are you going to be here in the morning?’

‘It depends what time you wake up.’ Jessica stood and crossed towards the shelf where the candlesticks were. She picked up a monkey ornament and turned it upside down, emptying a key into her hand. She gave it to Bex. ‘If you only want to stay one night, that’s up to you – but please don’t sleep on the streets again. That room is yours as long as you want it. Eat what you want, have a shower when you want. Adam and I have jobs so we won’t be here all the time but you’re a sensible girl – I know you are. If you know how to use a washer, then you can sort your clothes out. If not, there’s a basket in our bedroom. Just drop your things in there.’

Bex stared at the key in her palm for a couple of seconds before squeezing it into her pocket. ‘What do you want from me?’

Jessica shrugged, not having an answer.