‘Oh sure, thanks. It’s great, yeah,’ he said, and then she wondered if he was doing something on his phone while she was talking to him. ‘Sorry,’ he said.

‘Sorry?’

‘Well, your gift. I have it here, in the car…’

‘In the car?’ Liv repeated. Surely he hadn’t left a ring worth a couple of thousand euros sitting up on the dashboard of his car?

‘Yeah, well, it’s just – if I’d known that you’d be still there…’ he said.

‘Perhaps it’s for luck.’ She couldn’t imagine anything less romantic than opening it up here alone over the remains of her beans on toast Christmas Day lunch and being on the receiving end of a hurried, half-baked proposal from Eddie who sounded as if he was too steamed to actually remember any of it the following day.

‘It’s teatime, Eddie?’ Barbara Quirke had a long habit of trying to cut off their conversations if she could.

‘Well, I’d better be going. Mum’s soaps are starting on the TV here, so you know…’ He managed to sound slightly put out that she’d rung him.

‘Okay, I just really rang to wish you a happy Christmas, see how you got on for the day.’

‘Eddie.’ Barbara sounded irritated in the background.

‘Yeah, it was grand. The dinner was good. Your mum knows how to keep the glasses filled; sure, what more do you want on Christmas Day?’ he said. ‘Better be going now.’ And then she was left holding her phone with only the silence of his abrupt call ending for company.

6

‘S‌o Pete has finally seen through his arm candy?’ Maya asked as she tugged a huge scarf about her neck. She’d let the dogs off. All three ran excitedly in circles around the car, waiting for the sisters to wrap up against the cutting north-westerly wind. Once on the beach, they could take off and run for miles before turning back to repeat the same lap again and again until finally wearing themselves out. It was a perfect day for it. This stretch of beach was empty. The tide was out and although the temperatures were low, there was no breeze; the air had an icy stillness to it that quietened the usual roar of the waves.

‘Well, apparently, she’s been fooling around behind his back, so…’ Liv said. It wasn’t a secret, well not from Maya at any rate.

‘Does he know who she was seeing?’

‘I don’t know. I mean, I don’t think he does. From the way he spoke about it, I’m not sure there was anyone serious. It was just a fling, but…’

‘Who needs that in their life? Right?’