We arrived at the Mucky Duck at about 8 pm, an hour or so later than we had originally planned. After getting our drinks from the bar, we were in the process of looking for an empty table when Paul and Helen spied us.
“Simon, Mark.” Paul stood. “Do you want to join us? It’s a bit crowded, and you’d probably have to wait a while for a table.”
“Thanks,” Mark said. “It is a bit busy.”
“Yeah, it seems like half the town has decided to spend the evening out,” Helen put in.
“So, how are you both?” I asked Helen. We hadn’t seen either of them in over a week.
“Good.” Helen smiled. “Though we’re glad we were able to get a babysitter for a couple of hours so we could get out.”
I smiled. “And how’s Charlotte?
“She’s great,” Paul said. “Filling nappies at an alarming rate. A bit of financial
