Their easy rapport. The way they moved together, and how their words slotted in. The way they used to between Joe and Matty.

Franklin said that he’d take Sheanna out, a drive to the beach and that yes, there could be hot chocolate and that no, Matty didn’t want to come.

The kitchen was much quieter without them. The air exposed.

‘I didn’t sleep much,’ Joe said, a small wryness that was so familiar. ‘Did you?’

‘You didn’t tell her about me.’

He looked taken aback. Blinked. ‘I wanted to. But with you gone, I didn’t know how much good it would do. Telling her, and not being able to introduce you. I was waiting for her to be a bit older.’ It sounded like he was lying.

There was a raw, corroded feeling. ‘You got yourself a real one.’ The pink and purple, the ribbons, the Barbies.

‘What? No. No, that’s not it at all.’ He put a hand out on the counter, quite close to Matty’s hand. ‘That was never it. It just happened. One thing after the other. Everything just happened.’

Matty moved back, away from him. ‘You left me.’

‘It wasn’t supposed to be like that. It was never supposed to be like that. Just a short time away. Rosa took you, Matty. She took you away from me.’

‘You should have tried to find me.’

‘You think I didn’t?’

‘Not just letters.’ The word framed with a quiet disdain.

‘Like I said.’ There was a little more bite to Joe’s words. ‘You think I didn’t?’

A chill swept over Matty, a sleet storm.

‘You know I phoned, don’t you? More than once. It was like having a bloody heavy breather on the other end the first few times, and then she’d just put it down, as soon as she knew it was me. It was never you. At least I don’t think it was.’

A slow shake of the head.

‘When I didn’t hear from you, after I sent the number, I figured that Rosa might have said some bollocks to put you off me. Not that I was bloody dead. I thought I’d give you a bit of space, at least. A cooling-off period, let you settle down. Stay over in Canada. Just to get my head straight, have a breather.’ He exhaled heavily. ‘Worst mistake I ever made. I tried to find you, Matty. I did.’ His eyes looked very tired. Lines like dry stream-beds in his forehead. ‘First I knew you’d moved was finally having the phone answered again and some Greek man answering, and a baby crying the background.’