‘Well, well,’ he said aloud. Oh, shit, he thought. ‘This is a nice surprise, Josie, isn’t it?’ Why the hell isn’t Loren in rehab as she’s supposed to be? ‘Let Mum and Grandma in.’ Because I see no alternative.

Loren stepped into his cosy, flagged kitchen bringing in the chill of the outside world. Vivvi followed, shutting the door without turning the handle so it banged like a prison door.

Josie jigged before them, words flying from her mouth. ‘Mum, I didn’t know you were coming! We’ve just come back from Sweden. We baked with Farmor and Farfar was in hospital and Dad ice skated and we went to Skansen and there was snow!’

Maria clung silently to Nico, gazing at the new arrivals, occasional hiccupping with the remains of her tear storm.

Loren gazed at Nico. She was pinched, her eyes haunted, but her hair was clean and she wore make-up. So far as Nico could tell from where he stood, she didn’t smell of alcohol. ‘Hi,’ she said.

‘Hi.’ He looked past her. ‘Hello, Vivvi. Josie, how about you step back and give Mum space, sweetheart. Then she’ll have a chance to say hello to you.’

Thus prompted, Loren turned her smile on Josie. ‘Hello, darling! Wow, I think you’ve grown. You’re so pretty.’ She swept Josie into a hug, curling around her with her cheek on the top of Josie’s head, making fond, ‘Mmm, mmm, mmm,’ noises.

Vivvi hugged Josie in turn. ‘Mum’s right – you’ve grown.’

When Loren said, ‘Maria! Darling!’ and held out her arms, Maria buried her face in Nico’s neck. ‘Noooooo.’

Loren’s face went slack with shock.

Nico soothed Maria’s back. ‘She’s banged her nose and she’s shaken up. Give her a minute.’ He slid an arm around Josie’s shoulders. ‘Shall we get drinks for Mum and Grandma? You could put biscuits out.’

‘Yeah!’ Josie hopped and skipped to the cupboard and took down a big plate.

Nico attempted to put Maria down but she scrunched her arms and legs around him. ‘Noooooo!’

So, employing the one-handed skills of a practised parent, he filled the kettle and took down coffee and mugs, beakers and juice.

‘One sugar for me, please,’ said Vivvi brightly, not lifting a finger.

He halted. ‘Ah. Sorry. I don’t have any.’ He wasn’t sure why he was apologising. He didn’t take sugar and his guests had arrived unannounced.

Vivvi smiled. ‘Never mind. I have sweeteners in my bag.’ She wandered into the sitting room uninvited and Loren followed while he poured juice for Josie and juice with water for Maria.