It seems that Joe has a girlfriend. He's been spending a lot of time these last two weeks with a girl who goes to his college. He texted John for a lift home one night last week and then texted again, asking if his 'friend' could have a lift too. She actually lives very near to our old house and John came home saying that she was lovely.
Yesterday afternoon I popped down to town and as I walked across the end of a street I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye, thought it was Joe and it was...a very very red Joe because he was with this girl, Raegan

I went back to speak to them and she is indeed lovely. He's since said that she's coming back here with him after college tomorrow.
It turns out though that John went to school with her Dad and I also know him, or at least knew him many years ago, as his friend was going out with my best friend.