‘What happened?’ she asked, rather stupidly. ‘I don’t remember anything after you pulled me from the water?’

‘I’m not sure I remember half of it myself. Someone called an ambulance and then the fire brigade arrived too. They brought us here and…’

‘I just remember the fireworks. Gold and green.’ She remembered it so intensely, the two golden rockets, each on their own trajectory, two sisters with their own paths ahead of them – Liv and Rachel. And then the array of green lights, a volley of shooting stars that had reminded her of Rachel. She’d looked towards the water then; it was all so vivid.

‘That’s right. Two gold cannons.’

‘One went off track,’ she said softly, thinking of Rachel and that very idea sent a wave through her that resonated like a tuning fork, sending its vibrations much further about her than she expected.

‘Did it? I don’t know if these things ever have a track.’ He was smiling at her now. ‘Come on; let’s get some of those doctors in here to take a look at you and see when they’re going to let me take you home.’

‘Home?’ Liv asked because her flat and the life she’d had for the last few years seemed like a million light years away after all that had happened in the last few hours.

‘Home with me, for now, if you’ll let me take you home; at least until you get on your feet.’ He shook his head, but there was no missing the concern in his eyes or catching on his words.

‘Home.’ She liked the sound of that. Her lip wobbled as she smiled at him through her tears. He lifted her towards him again and she clung on, hard and helpless. Who knew how long she cried for, but it didn’t matter; it wouldn’t bring Pete and Rachel back. And Finn rocked her over and back, as if she was a child who needed comforting, cradled in his arms. At the end, she hiccupped loudly and he held her away from him a little distance. His shirt and her hair were both tear-soaked.

‘It’s okay,’ he said gently. ‘It’s going to be okay.’ She wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t help wishing that Pete and Rachel had been given the same chance and then, she began to cry again and was glad to feel the encircling strength of Finn’s arms around her once more.

22

Eight Months Later

L‌iv tucked the light rug in around the top of the basket. She knew it was probably a futile attempt to keep the bottle of pinot grigio cool, but still, it would stop the rattle of glasses against the side of the bottle.