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‘Surely the whole point is to stand out from the competition, though?’ Sarah interrupts.

‘Yes, but there are better ways of doing that than making the products difficult to find. This approach is costing you, trust me.’

I see Jeremiah’s eyebrows shoot up and, for a moment, I worry that I’ve spoken too directly. Sarah seems to have taken my comment in good faith though, as the faintest trace of a smile appears on her face as she turns her attention to Jeremiah.

‘What do you think, Jeremiah?’ she asks.

‘I’m giving Athena the benefit of the doubt. For now,’ he replies guardedly.

It’s going to be another long week, I can tell.

* * *

‘How’s it going?’ my mother asks when I call her that evening.

‘The work is challenging, but it’s a fascinating place to be,’ I tell her. ‘I went out and visited some vineyards at the weekend, which was nice.’

‘Oh, darling, you are keeping safe, aren’t you?’ Her voice is laced with concern. ‘I bumped into June when I was having my hair done at Lucy’s the other day, and she told me all these horror stories about car-jackings and the like out there.’

‘I think that’s more of a Johannesburg thing,’ I tell her soothingly. Thanks for nothing, June, I think. I learned early on to filter what I tell Mum. We all went to America once when I was a teenager, and you’d have thought we were going to the moon, the way she carried on. If I so much as mention the beggars and street vendors, or the homeless people that Nathan and I sometimes chat to on our morning runs, she’ll have kittens and probably demand that I catch the first flight home. This is just one of the reasons I never talked to her, or anyone else in my family, about Tim. If word of what had happened had reached her, it probably would have finished her off.

‘Anyway,’ I continue, before she has a chance to doom-monger any more, ‘I wasn’t alone. I met an English guy in the gym early on. He’s on his own as well, so we’re kind of hanging out together. He came with me to the vineyards.’

‘Thank goodness for that.’ I can hear the relief in her voice. ‘I know you think you’re a seasoned traveller, but I do worry about you gallivanting here, there and everywhere on your own.’

‘I’m fine,’ I stress.

‘And this boy you’re hanging around with⁠—’

‘Hardly a boy, Mum.’ The tone of her voice has changed, so I also know exactly where she’s going now, and I’ll need to shut that down as well.

‘You know what I mean. Do you like him, or do you like him?’

Yup, totally predictable.

‘I’m only here for another two weeks, and then we’ll go our separate ways,’ I tell her firmly. ‘Nothing’s going to happen.’

She sighs. ‘Shame. I’d love to see you settled like Hebe and Troy.’

‘How is Hebe?’ I ask, in another attempt to deflect the conversation. ‘She’s back from her honeymoon, isn’t she?’

‘Yes, they got home yesterday. They had a lovely time, apparently, although she says there was something wrong with the hot tub, so they didn’t get to use that. I told her she ought to ring up the people she rented it from and demand a partial refund, but she seems reluctant for some reason. Oh, before I forget, Lucy was asking about your hair. What’s happening?’

‘It’s growing on me,’ I reply.

Mum, typically, completely misses the pun. ‘I know you’re too old for me to tell you what to do,’ she says instead. ‘But you’ve got plenty of years ahead to be old and grey. Natural blondes are rare, you know. You should make the most of that for as long as you can.’

I sigh. ‘It was a joke. Growing on me, geddit? I haven’t actually decided what to do yet.’

‘Oh, I see. Very droll, Athena. Very droll. Well, I’d call your father to come and talk to you but he’s out at some faculty thing. Do you have any more news for me?’

‘No, that’s it.’

‘OK, darling. Well, have a good week and stay safe, won’t you. You have no idea how much I worry about you.’

I’m feeling weary as we end the call, and it’s not entirely down to another hard day at the office. I love my mother dearly, but sometimes, I wonder if these weekly calls are really good for me.

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