Siobhan was right in that Higgs' parents should be there shortly. Probably Pippa, too. Higgs realised he hadn't owled her, which he'd probably get a telling off for but she could hardly blame him for being distracted. Coffee, Higgs was sure, would help get him back on the right path of thinking. Gemma was going to be fine. And if he repeated that enough to himself, Higgs could almost start believing it.
The thanks Siobhan earned, made Higgs shrug, and the apology got a dismissive wave. "Don't apologise for Max," he told her. "He can offer his own apologies if he finds them necessary," Higgs added. It was true, besides, Higgs truly didn't find Max's rudeness offensive If anything, he found it rather amusing. "Speaking of the dinner, though," Higgs started much more softly. "Can I ask?" He wondered out loud. There was no specification to his question, but Higgs thought that if Siobhan didn't want him to ask, she'd know exactly what he meant.