She knew her single status was a curiosity to Charlie, especially when he was so involved with his childminder’s more traditional family, and knew it couldn’t be easy for him growing up without a dad when Gemma’s husband, Hugh, worked from home and thus was heavily involved in family life.

Annie vaguely remembered what it was like for her without parents before the O’Dohertys and she definitely remembered the void that had been left in her life when her father died when she was a teen.

Charlie had asked only once about his father, though, and Annie had told him the truth, because there was simply no reason not to.

“I met your father in Italy,” she’d explained. “I was on holiday there one summer with my friends.” She could still recall the melancholy in her own voice as she spoke.

“Was he nice?” Charlie asked simply. “What was he like?”

Annie sighed. “He was nice.”

“And what did he look like?”

“Tall and handsome with a smile very like yours.”

Charlie grinned happily, showing that same smile.

“Why isn’t he here now?” he asked innocently.

Annie tried to choose her words carefully. “The trip came to an end, and I came back here to Ireland. I never saw him again.”

“But didn’t you love him, the man from Italy?”

Annie took a deep breath.

“No,” she said. “I didn’t really know him well enough to love him,” she told him honestly. She brushed a lock of hair away from his forehead. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You and me—we’re happy together just the two of us, aren’t we? We don’t need anyone else.”

He had a look on his face that almost broke Annie’s heart in two. “I s’pose.”

The man from Italy...

Thinking about that memory now, she recalled his excitement about Kim’s launch invite yesterday and his insistence that he wanted to go.

Had he in his own little way managed to put two and two together?

“I’m sorry if somebody broke your heart, Mum,” Charlie said now, continuing to hug Annie’s legs, while she dried her eyes and moved to compose herself.

“Nobody broke my heart, love,” she reassured him truthfully.

Instead she was angry—seriously angry.

Annie moved to the countertop and snatched up the package that Kim had sent them.

Before now, the thought of going to Italy for the launch hadn’t seriously entered her mind.

But after that call, she just might do it. There was nothing to lose anymore.

Her life was about to go up in flames anyway.

No harm to escape from her troubles for a while. They’d still be there no matter what she did, even if the salon wasn’t, she thought ruefully.

She’d go to the bank on Monday with Nick and see if they could secure enough to at least keep them going for another while.