‘Kind of,’ he said. ‘I mean, I was the one who got up to the twins last night. At three and again at five.’

‘You did not, they slept through the three o’clock feed.’

‘Ah. No, they didn’t. You did.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

Pete shrugged. ‘Was saving it up for the credit when I’d need it most.’

‘But I didn’t even hear them!’

‘Like I said, you slept through it. In fact, you snored through it.’

‘I did not. I don’t snore.’

‘Oh yes, you do. Like a freight train. Ask Tara, she heard you.’

‘Tara woke up as well?’

‘Yeah. If I’m completely honest, she was the one who woke me, otherwise I probably would have slept through the two of them crying as well. We’re such excellent parents.’

‘But why did she go to you instead of me?’

‘She said she tried to wake you first but you just rolled the other way, so she gave up and came to me.’

‘Huh. I had no idea.’ Mimi shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn’t like the idea that Tara had tried to wake her and she hadn’t even realised. She’d shared a bottle of wine with Pete over dinner last night and then after he’d gone to bed, she’d had a few gins on her own.

‘So?’ said Pete.

‘So, what?’

‘So, have I met the requirements, madam? Will you take over driving for me?’

‘Oh. Right. Umm.’ She hesitated. What was the right thing to do here? Admit she’d been drinking and face Pete’s judgement for skolling down spirits in the middle of the day or continue to lie, and trust that she really did feel perfectly sober?

*

Darren

He was more likely about half an hour behind the others rather than the fifteen minutes he’d claimed once he finally got moving. There was still a part of him that wanted to head in the opposite direction and run away from everything, from everyone. But he couldn’t do that to his mum. Not knowing what she must be feeling with this being the one year anniversary.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Sage. About her turning up out of the blue. He wanted to know how their conversation would have gone if Tia hadn’t shown up. He wanted to call her and talk. Because what if there was a way it could work between them?