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Horse and I look at each other in surprise.

‘Oh, okay,’ says Gareth, nodding. ‘That makes sense. Is there enough to go round?’

‘Help yourself. There’s plenty here,’ I say, although I wonder if Willow will be disappointed if Gareth finishes what’s left.

He grabs a plate and comes to join us at the round table, then starts to scoop the pink- and yellow-flecked rice onto his plate.

‘I have an idea,’ he says. ‘Came to me on the golf course. A solution to your house move problem.’ He smiles, taking huge spoonfuls of prawn curry.

‘Oh yes?’ I say, now a little intrigued.

‘Well, it affects all of you . . .’ he says, pausing until he’s heaped his plate. Then he turns to me, looking pleased with himself. ‘It’ll sort out this whole conundrum.’

I bristle at the implication that Willow’s presence is a conundrum. ‘And what are you proposing?’ I say a little impatiently, reaching for the empty cartons to start clearing up.

Gareth lifts his shoulders. ‘You sell this place and move into mine. I have plenty of room.’

I look at him, taking in the suggestion.

‘Think about it. It’s perfect!’ he says.

‘Well . . .’ I clear my throat, taken by surprise. ‘Yes, you do have four bedrooms, and a garden, so there’s space for Tegan and a bedroom for Willow – Will . . . and me.’

Gareth chuckles. ‘When he’s not at school, of course. He’ll have his own room when he’s home.’

‘Actually,’ I say, looking at Will, ‘school isn’t something we’ve discussed yet. We’ll do that in the new year. See how Will feels about things.’

Will looks unsure again. It strikes me that despite Gareth’s good intentions, his timing couldn’t be worse; Will was just starting to relax again.

‘You’ll like my house,’ he says to Will.

‘Does it have ducks and a chicken?’

Gareth shakes his head. ‘No, but there’s room to throw a ball around. And there’s a big-screen TV.’

I’m alarmed by how quickly this seems to be moving.

‘Yes . . .’ I say cautiously, trying for a considered tone to slow things down. It’s very generous of Gareth, I know that, and maybe it’s something that could work, but I need time to think about it. ‘But this isn’t something we’ve discussed before.’

‘No, but it seems like the perfect solution. I’ve been thinking for a while that the house is too big for me. I mean, my kitchen’s in much better shape than this one –’ I feel myself bristling again – ‘and the floors are much easier to clean than your flagstones!’ He chuckles. Again, I tell myself he means well, but I’m rather fond of my flagstones, no matter how hard they are to clean.

‘Are you looking for a house share or a housekeeper?!’ I try and joke, but my laughter sounds like it’s bordering on hysteria. I give a little cough and lower my voice. ‘I think this is something we should discuss on our own,’ I say firmly. ‘Will, do you want to put the ducks and Gloria away?’

‘I’ll give you a hand, Will,’ says Horse. ‘Then I’ll get going. Then I’m away for a little while on a job, but I’ll be back to see you as soon as I’m finished.’

Will nods and slides down from his seat, heading to the door and pulling on the new wellingtons Lara brought him on her last visit. He opens the door, and Tegan and Horse follow him out; Horse turns back to close it, giving me a little nod.

‘Goodnight, both.’

I wait until the door is shut, then turn back to Gareth.

‘Will’s had a difficult day. Since he heard us talking about the offer on the house.’

‘Well,’ says Gareth, ‘now you can talk about the good news with him. Tell him he’ll be settled. We’ll be like a family, sharing the house together.’

I take a deep breath.

‘This is a lovely offer, Gareth, but—’