We took them into the lounge room and collapsed onto the couch. Hayley toed off her far-too-glam-for-a-pilot shoes and put her feet up on the coffee table. Following suit, I kicked off my sensible shoes—my husband the podiatrist never let me buy anything but—and did the same.

Hayley took a long sip of her drink. ‘So, what the hell is going on? Has my brother totally lost the plot?’

I twisted the glass in my hand. ‘Well, he’s apparently lost any feelings he ever had towards me. He wants to sleep with other women.’

As Hayley reached out and squeezed my knee, I took a gulp of champagne.

‘Have you discussed how you’re going to handle the kids? If Ads thinks he can leave you high and dry and only see them every second weekend or something, he has another think coming. One of my colleagues is married to a very good divorce lawyer. Once she’s finished with him, he’ll be broke, ego-bruised and rocking in the corner, wishing he were dead.’

I was torn between laughing and crying again, not ready to even think about divorce lawyers. ‘He’s your brother!’

‘That he is, and I love him, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a selfish, arrogant prick sometimes, and this time he’s excelled himself.’

‘Do you think maybe he’s just having some sort of midlife crisis?’

Hayley pursed her lips, thinking a moment. ‘I’m not sure I believe in midlife crises, but I have noticed a difference in him since Dad died.’

‘You have?’ I blinked, but then realised maybe she was right. ‘I guess there may have been a shift in him.’ Hindsight was a wonderful thing.

‘But then again, it wasn’t like he was close to our father anyway.’

That was true. When their dad died of a heart attack two years ago, the only time Adrian took off work was half a day to go to the funeral.

‘Maybe that’s it,’ I exclaimed, sitting up straight. ‘Maybe he’s harbouring some kind of guilt or regret about not making an effort with your father and maybe that’s making him depressed and the depression is causing him to look for other ways to ease the pain, find fulfillment.’

‘I’m a pilot not a shrink, but does it really matter what his reasons are? He told you he wants to shag other women.’ I flinched at the reminder, but Hayley continued. ‘You should be worrying less about him and more about yourself and what you and the kids are going to do moving forward.’

‘Oh, Adrian’s got that all worked out,’ I said, still thinking about the psychology angle. Even if he wouldn’t talk to someone, maybe I could? And maybe they could give me some strategies to help him. ‘We’re going to be nest-parenters.’

Hayley blinked. ‘Aren’t nest-parenters those people whose kids have moved out?’

‘No, that’s empty-nesters.’ I went on to explain exactly what our deal was going to be.

When I’d finished, Hayley burst out laughing.