I allow myself to indulge in the moment, to savour the attention but soon the image in the photograph jumps to the front of my mind again – along with the possibility that maybe it was Tom. Maybe Tom has another son somewhere. No, even the idea sounds completely crazy. There is no way he could keep that a secret for… what did Charlie say? Sixteen years. That would make Kenny a year older than Amber on her next birthday. That would mean… no it’s impossible. Don’t go there, Sally. You know it has to be a mistake. Tom does not possess the ability to keep this hidden for all those years. He’s never even been capable of keeping a secret for a day. When he decided to have a surprise party for my thirtieth, I was the first to know.

Megan is getting restless now, I can tell. She’s rubbing her knees and glancing around the room waiting for me to suggest she goes back outside.

‘I’m fine now, Megan, definitely feeling a lot better. You go back to work. I’ll give Tom a call if I feel I need to go home.’

‘Are you sure, Sally? You’re still very pale.’

‘I’ll be fine, you go.’

With Megan safely out of the room, I kneel forward, take deep breath after deep breath and wonder what will I do?

Shaking my legs and arms, I try to get the blood in my veins flowing. I don’t feel normal. Will I ever feel normal again? Leaning into the mirror, frightened eyes stare back. I pinch my cheeks. Get it together, Sally Cooper.

The texts, I remember the beeps on my phone. Whipping the phone out of my back pocket, I open a message. Amber, asking me if I could pick up a bottle of the new fake tan from Penny’s that everyone is raving about. Wiggling my fingers, power slowly returns allowing me to text her back. I will do my best. But I add that I’m not sure if I’ll get out of the salon today the shop is so busy.