‘Yes, she’s working with Dad at the moment. Sounds like she’s been struggling, not found a real career yet. He’s helping her out.’

‘Helping her out?’ The shock was too great. All I could do was parrot her.

‘Yeah…’ Sophie looked at me owlishly. ‘Why are you being so uptight about it?’

That was what she told herself, that it was a weird kind of jealousy I had. I’d never been able to bring myself to tell her the whole story – it felt like I’d be mugging her of her childhood. And it certainly wasn’t the official version.

‘Sophie…’ I tailed off. ‘Actually, forget it.’

I froze, my body resisting going inside, my seatbelt staying strapped across my body.

‘Come on, lazy bones,’ said Sophie cheerfully.

She’d clambered out of the car by now and was looking at me expectantly. There was no escape. I followed her up the path, each step a miniature internal war.

Dad opened the door, his face flushed from cooking, a grey marl T-shirt clinging to his worked-out chest. He was holding a meat skewer, thrilled with himself. He dropped it on the hall table.

‘My girls, present and correct!’ he said, throwing his arms open and crushing us into a group hug. I felt myself stiffen as Sophie moulded herself against his bulk.

‘Daddy!’ she said.

I stepped backwards out of his embrace.

‘Hi, Dad,’ I said. ‘Are we the first to arrive?’

‘You are,’ he said. ‘Which is a first in itself for you, right, Rachel?’

I refused to smile back at him.

‘So, who’s coming?’ I said, my heart pounding. My moments of stability were so fleeting back then, archipelagos in a stormy ocean.

‘Josh and his girls.’

‘Chloe’s a grown woman, actually, Dad. So are we.’ He and Sophie both stared at me, their bodies still squashed close. ‘So that’s it, then?’

‘Rach…’ said Sophie, reaching out a hand and nervously skimming my bare wrist. ‘Esther’s not coming? Mum said she…’

‘No,’ said Dad, blue eyes narrowing with annoyance. He strode away down the corridor. ‘It’s just your perfect, happy family, Rachel, no need to panic.’

Sophie shot me a look, hurrying after him.

‘I’m not trying to be difficult…’ I hissed, but she didn’t turn back.