Danny did his best to ignore the dog as they talked about school and work and laughed about grandparents. There was pudding too, then a black coffee just when Danny could feel his body starting to crash. Maybe Sharon had picked up on the yawns he had fought to conceal. Jamie stayed up the whole time. It wasn’t so long ago that he would have slunk back to his bedroom at the earliest opportunity. They talked about his studies at school, Danny teased him about girls and being the man of the house and then, inevitably, conversation moved to football. Jamie was now captain of the Under 14s and he was visibly bursting to tell his dad. Danny did nothing to hide his delight, sweeping his son up in a big hug that turned into a headlock where he took another opportunity to mess up his hair – getting a bit above your station now you’re captain, are we? Father and son soon ended up a crumpled, laughing heap on the floor with Zee licking at any exposed skin he could reach. Even Sharon was beaming when they finally made it back to their seats, both breathing heavily. Everything was almost like when it was good.

Except for the empty place at the table.

They didn’t talk about Callie. Not about where she was, not about what had happened, no hollow talk about the first thing they would do as a family when she woke up. She came up in conversation only when Jamie referenced her – ‘remember when me and Callie …’ But that was all. Maybe this was what it was like to move on. Maybe this was what a normal mealtime could look like moving forward. Maybe Danny had made normal possible. For himself at least.

But he had killed a man.

This was the realisation that cut short his laughter when Jamie was goofing around near the end of the evening, refusing to go to bed. It had taken a fireman’s carry in the end, and another reminder of his son’s size. With Jamie dumped on his bed they resurrected a handshake that had once been a night-time ritual taken for granted but now made Danny ache to stay even more. Instead he bade his son goodnight and put his shoes on by the front door while Sharon and Zee watched in silence. She stood with her arms crossed but gave a good-humoured smile when Danny hopped to keep his balance with one shoe on. When he was done she stepped in to kiss him – a quick peck on the cheek – then a promise to see him soon and the beginnings of a twinkle in her smile.

‘Maybe I could stay?’ The moment Danny said the words the twinkle evaporated and he wished he could gather them back up again, like they had never happened.

‘I … you know … we need to be careful what we’re telling Jamie.’