‘Oh yes, really,’ her mum beamed. ‘He finished up the contract early and said he just couldn’t wait any longer to get back to his girls. We were visiting Noah when he called.’ The smile on her mum’s face was full and radiant. She had the look of someone who had just fallen in love. ‘He’s flying into Dublin tomorrow at lunchtime, so he’ll be home for tea. I can’t wait to see his gorgeous grumpy face!’

‘And he says he’s going to bring me back a present!’ Clara chimed in.

‘I bet he will,’ Jo said and pulled her little sister into a giant hug. ‘And I suppose this really is my cue to get house-hunting,’ she said to her mother.

‘Josephine Campbell, you know you don’t have to go anywhere. At least not until you are ready to do so,’ her mother said.

‘I know, Mum. But I think I need to do it for myself too.’

Jo felt Clara grabbing her tighter. ‘But you won’t go far away?’

‘Oh of course not, honey. You’ll see me all the time and you can come to sleepovers with Buttercup and everything.’

That seemed to be enough to settle Clara, who released her vice-like grip and looked up at her. ‘Jojo,’ she said, ‘are you going to share a house with Lorcan?’

‘No!’ Jo said, her face blazing. ‘He’s just a friend!’

‘I don’t think so,’ Clara said matter-of-factly and Jo heard her mother burst into laughter.

‘Out of the mouths of babes,’ her mum said with a wink. ‘Now, Clara, can we go and start making dinner for your sister’s just-a-friend?’

The two of them left the room, and Jo stood in the hall feeling completely owned by a six-year-old.

Lorcan was due to arrive at half past five. Jo found herself considering changing her clothes and freshening up her make-up, but quickly reminded herself that they were very much in the friend zone, no matter what her mother or Clara might think. If she slapped on a bit of lippy, she would only have set their tongues wagging further.

So she simply ran a comb through her hair, to tame some of the frizz brought on by the day’s humidity, and spritzed on some perfume. Then she sat at the kitchen table and helped Clara with her reading, while her mum pottered about making pasta and meatballs, with her own special sauce. Jo noted her mother had picked up a bottle of red wine too. She really was pushing the boat out.

When Clara’s schoolbooks were finally put away, and her jelly was set in preparation for being served with ice cream later, Jo helped Clara change out of her school uniform and into one of her favourite dress-up costumes. Tonight, it seemed, Clara would appear for dinner like Merida from the Disney movie Brave.