‘And an adventure; one neither of us may ever get to experience again. Which is why I’d love to accept your offer, Nico, if you think I’m up to it. Thank you.’

‘Great. I’m glad you’re prepared to step outside your comfort zone. How about we head up to the day room as Ceana has talked Taylor and Kellie into playing a couple of songs. After that, we can get you set up in my studio.’

I nod in appreciation.

‘How did she manage that, I wonder?’

‘As a man from Montana, he couldn’t resist a little Fourth of July Celebration. She thinks of everything.’ He chuckles and his eyes sparkle.

‘You’re going to miss Ceana when she flies back to Scotland,’ I remark.

‘I will, but she said if I could talk you into it, she’d go off feeling I was in good hands.’

Those intense eyes smile back at me, gratefully, and I hesitate, wondering if this isn’t such a good idea after all. But what excuse could I possibly conjure up when he’s doing everything he can to encourage my creativity?

‘Hi, deserter,’ Hannah’s voice trills down the line. My heart almost stops in my chest, so great is the joy I feel now that she’s finally reaching out to me. ‘I can’t stay mad at you for long. Besides, Mum and Liam have been on my case. Apparently, I’m being selfish.’ Her tone is apologetic.

‘You have a lot going on and I don’t want you worrying about Aiden or me. We’re fine, really. Sometimes it’s good to allow the people we love the freedom to discover more about themselves. Besides, you’re off doing your own thing now, so popping in for a chat most days was already a thing of a past.’

‘I know, but I miss you. And that’s why I feel bad for giving you a rough time, but you’re so far away, which makes it worse somehow. If you hadn’t bought that lottery ticket, I can’t help thinking that none of this would have happened. You’d still be back home with Aiden and everything would be on track. You guys are as much of an institution as Mum and Dad are.’

I roll my eyes but say nothing. Even big sisters sometimes need to put themselves first and stop worrying about what sort of role model they are. Anyway, I wouldn’t be a very good one if I was sat at home worrying myself sick about Aiden, now would I?