‘Hmm, that sounds intriguing,’ I say, pausing at the door to look at him, to drink him in.

‘I love you, Vanessa Adams,’ he says, his face serious for a moment. ‘You know that, don’t you?’

I nod my head and smile. I do know that. I can feel it in my bones.

‘Make a wish!’

I close my eyes but as I prepare to blow out the candles I realize that this year, for the first time, I have what I’ve always wanted. So I make a wish for the happiness I feel to last for ever.

‘Hurrah!’

I open my eyes and see Georgie and Lottie, their faces beaming.

‘Happy birthday, darling,’ says Georgie, wrapping her arms around me. ‘I hope this is a wonderful year for you.’

‘Thanks, Georgie,’ I say, smiling as I open the card she has given me. It’s a picture of a little girl sitting in front of a mirror, lipstick smeared over her face.

‘Oh, and Dad and Lynda send all their best,’ she says, a hint of hesitation in her voice. ‘They’re at the cottage this weekend but Dad said he’ll call you when they get back.’

‘Hmm,’ I say, shrugging my shoulders. ‘In other words, when Lynda gives him permission.’

I think about my dad. He had always been a distant figure even when Mum was alive but now he’s a stranger to me. When he and Lynda got together she made it clear that she should be his priority and though he made half-hearted attempts to be a dad it was Georgie who stepped in and looked after me when Mum died. Once I left for university he took early retirement and bought the holiday home in France with Lynda. On the rare occasions when we do meet up the atmosphere is awkward and the conversation stilted. Over time Dad has slowly retreated from my life. It’s sad but I can’t mourn for a relationship that never was.

‘Oh well,’ says Georgie, taking a sharp knife from the wooden block and handing it to me. ‘It’s their loss. I just can’t believe my baby sister is thirty-two. That makes me feel so old.’

‘Don’t be silly, Georgie,’ says Lottie, taking a photo on her phone of me slicing the cake. ‘You look amazing for your age. Like Nigella Lawson.’

‘Ha, thanks, Lottie, but Nigella’s a lot older than me,’ says Georgie, handing us all a plate. ‘Still, she looks great and I doubt she’s plagued with crow’s feet like I am. Right, coffee time.’

‘If I look as good as you when I’m your age I’ll be a happy girl,’ says Lottie, laughing as Georgie heads back into the kitchen. ‘So, Vanessa, what did Connor get you?’