‘Oh, please!’ I continue when they don’t say a word. ‘Don’t play the innocent with me. You shouldn’t have taken them, Barb. Not without my permission. I was worried,’ I say, flicking my eyes from one guilty party to the other. Nick stands rigidly, arms at his sides, his piercing blue eyes boring into mine.

‘We left a note …’

‘Not good enough, Nick. Your mother picked them up from school without even speaking to me first.’ I purposely talk about Barb as though she’s not there, not making further eye contact with her for fear of what else might come out of my mouth.

‘She just thought it would be nice, seeing as she’s probably not got long left with them,’ Nick says, his fashionably stubbled chin jutting forwards in defiance.

‘Oh, why? Is she dying?’ I can’t help myself. Nick shakes his head and sighs, as if I’m the one who needs chastising.

‘Look, I’m sorry if I worried you, Amber, darling.’ Barb steps forward into my line of sight. She wouldn’t be coming into such close proximity if she knew what was going through my mind. And “darling”? I bristle, but hold my tongue. Let her continue to wriggle out of this. ‘But when you didn’t show up, I thought it was best to take them with me, you know, rather than leave them alone on the school playground like poor, forgotten children.’

‘They were not forgotten, Barb, and I wasn’t that late. I’d called the school and they would’ve ensured a teacher stayed with them until I arrived.’

‘But I was right there – it would’ve been silly to leave them, no?’

I can’t argue with Barb when she’s in this mood. It’s counterproductive.

‘Yes, but a phone call would have been nice. No?’ I widen my eyes as I use her phrasing against her.

‘Well, we all had a lovely time at Maccies, and the boys are safe and home, so no harm done,’ Nick says as he takes Barb by her elbow and they turn away from me. But I’m not finished yet.

‘Who are you to say if harm has or hasn’t been done?’

‘Amber, please don’t make this into something it isn’t, eh?’ Nick’s voice softens, his eyes flitting to next door. I’ve probably got an audience now with the fuss I’m making. But I don’t appear to be able to stem my rush of anger now it’s flowing.

‘In future, no one picks the boys up unless it’s arranged that they do so. Okay?’

‘Fine.’ Nick shakes his head again.

‘I do want to make the most of them being here, though, Amber,’ Barb adds. ‘I am their only nanna, after all. It would be such a shame to deprive us all of the time we have left.’