Jake dipped a plate into the water while deep in thought. “I hate to say this, but...” He hesitated. “Do you really want to clean forever? Isn’t it time to try something new?”

“I’m not experienced in anything else, and cleaning fits around the kids.” Liv determinedly polished a tap.

“Mack and Johnny are grown up now. You could find something you love doing, and with better pay.”

Liv didn’t reply. She squeezed out a cloth and wiped all the surfaces in the kitchen. Whenever she felt under pressure, or things were messy in her head, cleaning helped her to create order.

Of course, she’d love to try something new for work, but her embarrassment about her lack of qualifications, after leaving school at the age of sixteen, followed her around like a starving dog looking for scraps. The blood in her veins cooled at the thought of forging a new career in her forties.

“Or, you could have a word with Essie...” he said.

“About what?”

“A pay rise or something. She must be loaded.”

After today’s events, Liv could hardly do that. And she’d never told Jake about the embarrassing way she’d got a job with the author in the first place.

When his phone rang, she welcomed the interruption.

“Can you get that?” He searched for a towel to dry his hands.

Liv gritted her teeth when she saw who was calling. “Hi, Katrina.”

“Oh, Liv, it’s you,” Jake’s sister said. Her words were as stiff as her copper coiffed hair and the eighties-style power suits she wore. “Is my brother there? It’s a business call.”

Do the grown-ups need to talk? Liv wanted to snap.

Jake took the phone from her and mouthed, Thanks. He disappeared into the coat cupboard to take the call. “Oh, Katrina, that’s not good news,” he said, shutting the door behind him. “How much is that going to cost?”

Upstairs, an Arctic Monkeys bass line thudded out from behind Johnny’s closed door. “I’m busy,” he called out, when Liv knocked.

“Okay, love, let me know if you need anything,” she shouted over the thumping music.

She dusted around her bedroom, even though she’d only done it yesterday. Heaving a sigh, she hung up her jeans and screwed her T-shirt into a ball. Was it normal to feel so adrift in a family of four?

Liv selected her The River After Midnight paperback to read for the umpteenth time. It was Essie’s third book, a fan favorite that had flown up the bestseller charts when it first published in the UK and US, cementing her stardom. Although she loved reading the latest bestsellers, Liv found it comforting to turn to her old books. Giving them away would be like sending a much-loved pet to a new home.