It’s enough to make her grin, so much so that she bites down on her lip because she feels a little ridiculous smiling so much. ‘Okay, so what kind of date did you have in mind?’

He reaches down and grabs the bag at his feet. Her head cranes, eagerly watching. He pulls out two pairs of tracksuit pants and holds them up to show her. One is clearly for her, the other for him. ‘I hope you’re okay with grey?’

She laughs, immediately knowing where this is going, but elated to watch it unfold.

‘And I got these.’ He holds up a handful of takeaway menus, fanning them wide for her to see. ‘What’s good here? Thai, Indian, Mexican, Italian?’

Bonnie points to one of the menus. ‘The Thai is amazing.’

He settles the menu on top of the tracksuit pants before reaching back into his bag. This time he produces a bottle of wine. ‘Look, I don’t know much about wine, but the guy at the shop told me this was a good one.’

Bonnie’s nose tingles and her throat tightens; she can feel the tears building.

‘I’m just hoping you can help me out with Netflix?’

She can’t believe he’s remembered what her fantasy date would be from that first day of casting. She nods and laughs. ‘We’ll probably spend half the night debating what to watch.’

‘I tell you what, you can choose whatever you want, because I’m going to be happy just sitting next to you.’

Bonnie moves closer to him. Her heart beats a little faster, the space around them suddenly closing in. She’s sure she can feel the blood in her veins racing around her body, the vibration propelling her forward. She looks up into his eyes before letting their lips meet. His hand brushes her cheek, his touch so gentle that her whole body quivers. Feelings are expanding in her mind. What she’d been looking for had been right in front of her. He pulls her closer, she lets herself lean into him, and at once she feels like she’s found a place she might never want to leave. She feels herself crumble, the ecstasy of his kiss taking over.

Chapter 60

60

One month later

‘What’s this?’ Ty asks as Penny hands him a professional-looking cardboard folder with embossed writing across the front.

She watches as his face falls, his mouth quickly turning downwards as his eyes take in Leigh Family Funerals.

The cracks in Penny’s heart fracture a little more as an image of Ty standing at her funeral comes spiralling into her head again. Alone, lost, heartbroken. ‘All the details are in there.’

A soft whimper escapes the back of his throat. ‘Penny …’