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‘Your family are nice,’ I tell him.

‘Thanks,’ he replies. ‘I can tell they really like you too.’

We chat about nothing in particular until the timer sounds.

Eddy removes the trays and places them on a cooling rack.

The cookies are golden around the edges and soft in the middle – they look perfect.

‘Do they need to cool?’ I ask him.

‘They don’t need to, technically,’ he says with a smile. ‘Go on, try one.’

I don’t need telling twice. Mmm. It’s nice and warm, and the middle is soft and full of melted chocolate.

‘Ugh, incredible,’ I tell him. ‘You might even be a better baker than you are a rugby player.’

He laughs.

‘Steady on,’ he replies. ‘Your job would get a lot harder if I left suddenly.’

‘That’s true,’ I agree.

‘I meant to ask, do you have plans this evening?’ he says.

I’m about to say no, because when do I ever have plans? But tonight I do.

‘Shit, yes actually, I do, in fact – I’m not sure what time I need to catch the train, I’m going to Manchester,’ I tell him.

‘Manchester?’ he replies.

‘I told Jamie I’d go to his game,’ I say, because there’s no point lying, and we did say we shouldn’t let our arrangement get in the way of anything.

The warmth in Eddy’s expression fades, not dramatically, but enough to show me that he’s disappointed. I’m not sure if it’s because I can’t do whatever he was going to suggest, or because I’m fraternising with his sworn enemy.

‘Oh,’ he says.

‘It’s just for work, you know? If I’m working with you both for England stuff…’

‘Yeah, I understand,’ he says.

‘I should’ve mentioned it before,’ I tell him.

‘You don’t need to tell me where you’re going,’ he insists.

I guess that’s true. He’s not actually my boyfriend. He has no right to be annoyed, and I have no reason to feel guilty. And yet…

Lauren walks in.

‘I thought I could smell them,’ she says, taking a warm cookie. ‘So, are you guys coming out for dinner tonight?’

‘I am,’ Eddy tells her. ‘But Brooke needs to go soon, she’s working later.’

‘Well, before you go, Brooke, we’re having Elsie’s christening soon,’ she tells me. ‘And I’d love it if you came with Eddy, as his plus-one.’

What else can I say, when I’m supposed to be Eddy’s girlfriend, and they’ve all been so kind, except…

‘I’d love to,’ I tell her.