‘To Tabs or Marlowe?’ Athena quips, and I glare at her.

‘Both.’ Mairead turns and slides her sunglasses down her nose so she can give me a pointed look. Unfortunately, I suspect this woman doesn’t miss a thing.

‘Agreed,’ Athena says decisively.

‘I don’t think so,’ I protest, embarrassed. ‘He’s very sweet, but he’s just having fun with her. He seems great with kids.’

‘Probably because he’s been a big kid all his life,’ Mairead agrees. ‘It’s not weird for him. He treats them like equals.’

I think of the hours this restless, distractible man spent closeted in a hospital room last week, painstakingly building a LEGO villa with my daughter while chattering away with her easily.

Mairead cuts through my thoughts. ‘You know, he’s never brought a woman home with him before. And he messaged me earlier this week to ask what kind of food kids Tabby’s age like.’

My cheeks are growing hot, and not from the sun.

‘He’s very sweet,’ I repeat lamely.

‘He’s not, though,’ she muses. ‘Not really. He doesn’t do things he doesn’t want to do. Ditching the summit and flying out to be with you in the hospital? That is not in character for Bren. He’s been harping on about that summit for months. I thought Dad would blow a gasket when he found out he’d bailed.’

‘To be fair,’ Athena says, ‘he’s been pretty shitty to Marlowe. He owed her one big time, so when he found out about Tabs, it really shook him up.’

‘Yeah,’ Mairead says. ‘Gabe filled me in on how it all went down. I have to say, I can see how that would have been a huge bombshell for Bren to process. It’s all sunshine and roses in his life. His biggest headache in life is which of his cars to take for a spin.

‘And then he starts falling for you, freaks out, acts out, and then finds out that while he’s been behaving like a spoilt toddler, you’ve been dealing with some real-world shit that’s so horrific as to be unimaginable.’ She takes a sip of her iced rosé. ‘I think that’s what we call a come to Jesus moment—am I right, ladies?’

She may not be aware of the Seraph piece of this entire puzzle—at least, I hope she isn’t—but she’s nailed it, basically.

‘You are,’ Athena says. ‘Do you think it’s fair to say it might be the kick up the arse he needed? Not just with Marlowe, but for his life in general?’