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were playing together this morning so I thought I’d better warn you. Once one child gets them, they spread like wildfire.’
    ‘Oh, I see. Well, thanks for telling me.’
    ‘That’s all right.’ She turned to leave, but all of a sudden Jack knew that he couldn’t bear to spend the evening with only his thoughts for company.
    ‘What do you recommend to get rid of them?’ he said hurriedly. He shrugged when she glanced back. ‘I’m not very clued up on head lice, so is it best to buy something from the chemist? Malathion is used in most of the patented lotions, I believe’
    ‘It is, although I’m not too keen on using such strong chemicals. Whenever I’ve come across a case at work, I’ve always recommended conditioner.’
    ‘Hair conditioner, you mean?’ Jack’s brows drew together. ‘Does that really work?’
    ‘Oh, yes. If you apply a thick layer of conditioner to Freddie’s hair after you wash it then you can comb any lice or nits out with a fine-toothed comb.’
    ‘That sounds a better option than dousing his head in chemicals. Thanks for the tip. As you’ve probably guessed, this is all very new to me,’ he added wryly.
    Alison raised her eyebrows. ‘I’ll bet it is. Checking your son’s hair for nits isn’t how you would usually spend your evenings.’
    ‘What do you mean?’ Jack asked, somewhat puzzled by the comment.
    ‘Nothing. Forget I said anything.’
    She turned to leave again, but he had no intention of letting her go without an explanation. He opened the door wider and stepped back.
    ‘I can’t forget it now that you’ve said it, can I? Why don’t you come in and tell me over a cup of coffee exactly how I should be spending my evenings. I was just about to put the kettle on when you rang the bell,’ he added when she hesitated.
    ‘I really can’t see the point,’ she began, but Jack was having none of it. If she had something to say then he wanted to hear it. For some reason he didn’t understand, he didn’t want her getting the wrong idea about him.
    ‘Then do it as a favour. I was sitting here feeling very sorry for myself when you rang the bell, and I could do with cheering up.’
    ‘Has something happened with Freddie?’ she asked anxiously as she stepped into the hall.
    ‘Yes and no.’ He shrugged, wondering how to explain that he was feeling rejected because his son hadn’t wanted to play with him.
    ‘Hmm, that sounds ambiguous enough to be intriguing,’ Alison said lightly. She unzipped Sam’s coat, then ushered him into the sitting room. ‘Go and play with Freddie while Jack and I make some coffee, darling. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.’
    Jack headed to the kitchen and filled the kettle as the two boys settled down to play with some building blocks. Alison followed him in, grimacing as she took stock of the tired units and chipped worktops.
    ‘I thought my kitchen was bad, but this is a mess. It looks as though it could do with a complete make-over.’
    ‘Tell me about it.’ Jack scooped coffee into the cafetière. ‘The whole place needs refurbishing. It’s having the time to get it sorted out that’s the biggest problem.’
    ‘Are you going to do it? I thought you’d only rented the cottage?’
    ‘Yes and no.’ He grinned at her. ‘That’s becoming my favourite answer, isn’t it? Sorry. I don’t mean to be so vague. It’s just that everything about my life seems to be up in the air at the moment. It’s hard to give you a definite answer.’
    ‘It can’t have been easy for you, uprooting your life and moving down here,’ she said, sitting down. ‘I mean, you’ve left your home and all your friends—no wonder it feels as though your life is in turmoil when you’ve had to make so many changes.’
    ‘It’s not that, exactly.’
    He sat down opposite her, feeling his heart give the strangest little flutter when she looked at him with her hazel eyes full of sympathy. Few people had felt the need to sympathise with him.