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Hannah giggled. “No!! We all know you don’t have the special cuddle until you’re married. Cee Cee told us.”

Cee Cee had, indeed, announced this scintillating piece of information to the whole table over Sunday lunch, the first time Lisa had brought her to meet them. Barbara had reached over and patted her hand. “Quite right, Cee Cee,” she’d said, winking at the others. “You listening, you lot?”

LATER, IN BED, HANNAH HUGGED HERSELF DELIGHTEDLY. LYING here, thinking about him, her heart was still racing. She didn’t feel at all sleepy. She felt…alive. She couldn’t think about anything much except Nathan. She would lie in bed, like this, at night, and go over every word, and every kiss and every touch. Last time, she let him take off her bra, under her shirt. There’d been a lot of fumbling. Not to see her, just to touch. It had felt amazing. She felt like a woman. He’d groaned, and she’d felt powerful and sexy. It had been almost shocking to her. She’d been right about him—he wasn’t pushing her into anything she wasn’t ready for. He was patient and tender. And anyway, she really did think she might be ready soon. Maybe she’d make an appointment to see a doctor about going on the pill. She’d use a condom, too, of course. She wasn’t an idiot. She was sixteen, wasn’t she? That was old enough. And she loved him. That made it different. It changed everything….

She didn’t like lying to Dad…. Okay, that wasn’t quite true. It got easier each time. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. She had the right to make her own decisions, didn’t she? It felt, to Hannah, like she was finally living her life. Mum being ill, Mum dying…that had all taken so long. And she’d put everything on hold. To be with Mum. To be with Dad, afterward. Now it was her time.

She hoped Dad might start something with Jane. Take the heat off her.

Amanda

“Blimey. It’s sweltering in here.” Amanda peeled off two of what appeared to be several layers of clothing. Mark looked at the thermostat. Sixty-six degrees. She looked…bundled up, but lovely. She’d come on the train, and Mark had just picked her up at the station. Lisa and Hannah were at Waitrose.

“Hannah can’t wait to see you!”

“How is she?”

Mark shrugged. “Typical teenager.”

Amanda grimaced. “The lesser spotted typical teenager. They’re pretty horrid. And I should know.”

“You weren’t so bad.”

“I was just breaking you in for Hannah.”

Mark put a mug of coffee down in front of her.

“So…how are you? You look great.”

“I am great.” She did. She’d put on a bit of weight, by the look of her, unless it was all thermal vest. She looked fresh-faced.

“I guess it worked out after all, with the mix tape guy?”

Amanda smiled shyly. “It worked out.”

“I’m so glad. Tell me about him?”

“You’d love him. Least I think you would. He’s gorgeous and smart and kind. And so nice to me. He’s going to be an architect. He’s got, like, a couple of years to go. He’s taking the rest of this year out, because his dad had this accident. Memento mori, and all that. His parents are amazing. His dad—Jeremy—he used to be a lawyer. Nancy, his mum, she was a nurse, but she stopped work to have her family. He’s got two brothers—I’ve only met one. He’s got a wife and two boys—great boys: a complete handful, but lots of fun. They’re incredibly close, and they live in this amazing, amazing house by the sea. It’s freezing, because they don’t believe in central heating, but it’s beautiful. They’re just this completely amazing family. I feel like I just fit in there so well.”

Mark was amazed to find that he was jealous. Sitting here, watching her so animated, enthusing about another family. He didn’t like it. He felt suddenly inadequate.

“Don’t you fit in here?” He didn’t even know why he said it. It was a bit cruel. Amanda’s face fell.

“I didn’t mean that, Mark.” See—that was it. He wasn’t Dad. He was Mark. He didn’t think he’d ever minded quite so much as he did at that moment.

“I’m sorry. I was being stupid.”

“Why would you say that to me?” She looked crestfallen and mystified,