‘No, that’s not it.’ His delight morphed into frustration, his hand slapping the worktop. ‘Christ, Sara, why do you always have to jump in and second-guess what I’m about to say? Just let me speak, will you?’

She shrank back against the sink, hurt by the sharpness of his words. He could be so snappy these days, when all she was doing was trying to keep everything nice and smooth, no upsets to spook the kids.

He sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, apology in his eyes. ‘Sorry, love. I didn’t mean to have a go, it’s just that sometimes you…’ He shrugged, and his hand fell away. ‘Anyway, what I was trying to say is I’ve got a business idea. I want to set up as an IT consultant and… you’re not going to believe this, but I already have my first customer. They heard I’d been laid off.’ He laughed. ‘News travels fast and it’s such a small world, isn’t it? You know, the way this opportunity has landed at my feet, it just makes me think it’s the right thing to do. It’s a really specialised project, not many people around with the skills to do the work, and it’s perfect to get me started.’ Her eyes widened in surprise, her mind scrambling to keep up with this sudden turn into unexpected territory. He nodded, a wide grin on his face. ‘Big bucks, love. We’re talking proper money once I’m up and running.’

‘Wow. But you never said anything. How come you didn’t…’ She stopped, the narrowing of his eyes a warning that her response wasn’t the one he wanted, and having witnessed his devastation the previous day, she didn’t want to break his upbeat mood. She smiled instead, genuinely delighted that he’d found a new direction. ‘Your own business, eh?’ She reached for his hand again, desperately trying to smooth things over. ‘And big bucks, you say? Tell me more.’

His hand squeezed hers. ‘There’s a bit of a risk with it – a puzzle to solve – but I’m pretty sure I can do it. It’s exactly the sort of challenge I’ve been wanting.’ He looked so happy, so full of excitement, like a little boy who’d been given the toy he’d been hankering after but hadn’t been able to afford. ‘And if this contract works out, then who knows where it’ll take me? I just need to get set up with the right bits of kits and I’ll be off.’