He’s not asking in the fake way her mother-in-law used to, as if the idea is ridiculous. He’s being genuine, moving slowly, defusing the tension. He’s a good person, Lizzie thinks suddenly, and is jealous Luke will get to keep him and she won’t. Something in him makes her think he might understand. ‘He’s probably had more than his twenty-five grams today, but I don’t suppose it will matter too much, with all the football he’s been playing. Did you know it was first known as sweet salt?’

‘Really?’

Lizzie checks to see if he’s being sarcastic, but his face is open and even.

‘Any other sugar facts?’

‘Lemons contain more of it than strawberries. Too much sugar negatively affects your memory. Adding it to a vase of flowers makes them live longer.’ Lizzie rattles them off on her fingers. ‘It releases an opiate-like substance that activates the brain’s reward system.’

‘It doesn’t cause tooth decay. The bacteria that feed off sugar cause that,’ Lenny pipes up, from his spot in Wolfie’s basket.

When Dan smiles, Lizzie can’t help but twist her lips in response.

Dan pulls up a chair and he and Luke let Lenny hold the pan lid as the kernels pop and blister inside. Each clang against the metal makes Lizzie’s teeth clench, but Lenny is laughing. He’s laughing, and that laugh means he’s not thinking about his dad. He’s living in the moment. Lizzie wants to join in. Wants to tell them popcorn expands to thirty times its original size when popped, but she’s scared what else she might blurt out. Dan is deceptively manipulative with that eye contact. She feels like she needs to clamp her lips shut to stop secrets spilling out.

‘What’s your favourite Star Wars film, dude?’ Luke says, as they settle on the sofa.

‘I’ve never seen them,’ Lenny says, helping himself to popcorn.

Dan and Luke sit up so sharply their bowls almost tumble to the floor.

‘What? Not seen a single Star Wars film? That’s preposterous!’ says Luke.

‘A travesty!’ Dan chimes in.

Lenny shrugs. ‘Mum won’t let me watch them. She says they’re factually incorrect.’

‘What?’ Luke and Dan are agog.

‘I might have said that once, Lenny.’

‘No, Mum, you say it all the time.’

‘Well, they are incorrect. All the planets only have one weather system. Tatooine is a desert, Hoth is all ice. Endor is a forest moon …’

‘So you have watched them?’ Dan asks.

‘Once.’

‘And you remember all that?’ Dan looks impressed. Luke puffs out his chest as if he’s personally responsible for Lizzie’s intelligence.

‘She remembers everything,’ Lenny says sulkily, ‘except where my dad is.’

George

(Downtown)