‘And?’ I asked, keeping my tone steady and light.

She looked up. ‘He told me he still loves me. That he always has.’

I was going to kill him, bury him, dig him up, use a defibrillator, then kill him again.

‘I see. And how do you feel about him?’

‘I… well, I hadn’t really thought about him in that way since we split up back in college. But I suppose seeing him again now, and he does have a point about me getting married over here—’

‘Although you have already confirmed that that was your request and not Patrick’s.’

‘Yes, well, I suppose so.’

‘Do you have feelings for Vance?’

She looked down at her lap, then back at me, and shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’ The tears bubbled through and her nose began to run. ‘But it all made sense when he said it and now I don’t know what to do and it all feels too much and I…’ She continued to speak and, although I’d practically earned a degree in ‘crying speak’ through my years as a planner, even I was having trouble translating this time. ‘What am I going to do?’ she wailed at the end.

‘Do you want to speak to your parents?’

Her mouth formed a horrified o. ‘No!’

‘I’m sure they’d understand and would want to help.’

‘Yes, but they’ll take over and the next thing I know, I’ll be back on a plane to California!’ She looked genuinely upset at this prospect, which buoyed my hopes.

‘Have you eaten?’ I asked.

‘I had a macrobiotic plant smoothie jello shot this morning.’

‘So that’s a no. OK, do you trust me?’

Peyton raised her eyes to me, suddenly looking young and vulnerable. There was a nine-year age gap between her and Patrick but right now, unsure and insecure, she looked even younger than her years. ‘Yes.’

‘Good. Then come with me.’

‘Where are we going?’ she asked, following me out of her car and towards mine parked behind, which looked even tinier in comparison to Peyton’s.

‘This is your car?’ she asked, distracted for a moment.

‘Yep. Isn’t it lovely?’

She smiled. ‘It’s cute but I asked them to get you one like mine.’

‘Yeah. I have a confession about that,’ I said as we belted up and I pulled back onto the road, executing a U-turn on the narrow road courtesy of the excellent turning circle of my little car. ‘I asked them to find me something smaller.’

Peyton looked at me and then began to laugh. ‘Well, they sure did that!’

‘Hi. You OK? Have you found Peyton?’ Lorcan’s deep, concerned voice came through the speaker on the car.

‘Yes. She’s here in the car with me now. Are you still at home?’

‘Yep.’

‘Does your mum have space for another one for breakfast?’

‘Yep,’ he said, without missing a beat.