He paused. He couldn’t say too much without sharing things that would devastate Karla. ‘It’s historical, something that was beyond her control,’ he said, and left it at that.

‘Well, she’s definitely a girl with an intriguing past,’ Jessie said. ‘You’ve got me going mad here, trying to work out what it is. Maybe one of these days, when you trust me enough, you’ll be able to share with me and put me out of my misery.’

Now Jason felt bad. ‘It’s not that I don’t trust you, Jessie. It’s just it’s not something she would want made general knowledge.’

‘God, the suspense.’ Jessie sighed dramatically. ‘Ah well, not to worry. I respect you for respecting her, to be honest. So you know though, I would never break a confidence. I’ve had that done to me – some eejit of a boyfriend telling all and sundry about things that were for his ears only. Like I say, some people can be real douches.’

Jason couldn’t help thinking she might be listing him as one of them, after he’d as good as said he didn’t trust her.

‘So, how’re the children?’ Jessie changed the subject. ‘Sleeping, I assume?’

‘In bed,’ Jason confirmed. ‘I’m not sure they’re sleeping though.’

‘Poor wee angels,’ Jessie said. ‘You know, I was thinking, you should take a break. With the children, I mean. A long weekend, maybe? You could always bring them here,’ she continued, before Jason could answer. ‘There’d be loads for them to do. We could take them to the adventure centre just outside of Carlow. It’s the largest in Ireland. They could have a go at karting, archery, soccer, wall climbing, roller skating, zip line…’

Jessie was on a roll, it seemed. Jason didn’t interrupt. Just listening to her melodic voice, hearing her enthusiasm, somehow made him feel less stressed.

‘There’s tons of other stuff too,’ she went on, ‘There’s the Chocolate Garden, that’s a must for kids – a working chocolate and ice cream factory, with workshops, an ice cream parlour and play areas. If they’re into more intellectually stimulating stuff, there’s the visual centre for contemporary art, and there’s loads of outdoor activities: canoeing, mountain biking, paintballing, cycling, walking…’

Jason found himself smiling as she stopped, possibly to catch her breath. ‘You sound as if you’re up for all of it.’

‘Oh, I am.’ She laughed, in that light, carefree way she did. ‘But watch out for me on the mountain bike slopes. I’m hot stuff. And I’m a mean canoeist.’

‘As long as your anchor doesn’t weigh you down,’ Jason suggested, his mind going back to the photo and the tempting expanse of bare flesh she’d sent him.

‘Ah, see, that’s where I’d be wanting my hero to come to the rescue.’