‘I saw Charlie yesterday. He stopped me as I was going past and said something I haven’t been able to shake since. “Danny, lad, the things you regret when you’re my age, are the things you didn’t do anything about but could have.” I know what he means now.’ He pulled her into his embrace.

‘But …’

‘Nicole, I can’t do anything about the fertility challenges we’ll face, if we ever get to that point. But I can do something about the way the way I feel about you. There are other options for us if we decide we want to have children and we can figure that out later. Together.’

He took her lips in his and kissed her firmly.

Heat enveloped her entire body and she pressed into him. His hands reached beneath her shirt and slid it over her head. In a smooth movement he lifted Nicole and carried her into the bedroom.

The next morning, Nicole woke alone in the bed. On the pillow next to her was a note.

‘Go into the kitchen.’

She pulled her dressing-gown on and followed the note’s instructions.

On the kitchen bench was another note.

‘Open the oven door.’

Inside the oven was a tray of ham and cheese croissants warming on a low heat.

‘Check the fridge.’ Another note scribbled on the baking paper.

Freshly squeezed orange juice sat chilled in the refrigerator, another note stuck to the glass.

‘Last chance footy training this morning. See you at the game, xo.’

Nicole ate breakfast and felt warmed by Danny’s gestures, even though she had no idea what any of this meant. And maybe that was okay. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to know.

Thirty-seven

The morning rain had stopped, but the mud and the puddles were causing havoc for both teams. Men were slipping and sliding and the ball was being dropped by usually safe hands.

The hooter blew at half-time with the scores locked at six each. The teams gathered in two huddles, desperately trying to find a way to breach the other’s defences.

Nicole wrapped her black and white scarf firmly around her neck and went with Mandy to buy a hot drink. A cool southerly had blown in overnight, dropping temperatures.

On Woodville’s home turf there were no markets, but the smell of onions on the barbecue was irresistible.

‘Two sausage sandwiches,’ Nicole ordered. She gave one to Mandy, who handed her a hot chocolate.

Arm in arm, the two ladies walked back to the sideline and joined the sea of black and white stripes.

A stranger wouldn’t have been able to pick who had the home ground advantage that day. So many cove supporters had made the journey to the match, Nicole doubted there was anybody left back home.

The ref blew time on and Nicole’s heart quickened.